Philadelphia Eagles News: Nick Foles Must Take Advantage of Bigger Spotlight

As the quarterback goes, the team goes—unless you happen to have a future MVP waiting in the wings, ready for an opportunity to shine.

It's not out of the question; it's happened before. But whether or not it will happen in the case of Eagles backup Nick Foles remains to be seen.

When Michael Vick went down once again with an injury in a preseason win over the Patriots on Monday, Eagles fans braced themselves for the worst.

In the three years Vick has been back in the league with Philly, he has failed to start more than 13 games in any season. In his first year in the NFL with the Falcons, he played in just eight games, starting two; following a great 2002 in which he started 15 games, he started just four games the next year after suffering a leg injury in the preseason.

Obviously, he hasn't been the picture of consistency. 

And then Eagles fans saw him go down on Monday with bruised ribs, and suddenly, they worried it was all happening all over again.

Fortunately, the prognosis for Vick is good. According to The Washington Post's Cindy Boren, tests on Vick's ribs showed no damage to the bones or cartilage. According to the Associated Press, Eagles head coach Andy Reid insists his starter will be available for the season opener versus Cleveland.

But who's to say this is the last time Vick is going to be hindered by an injury plague that seems to be out to destroy him? According to the AP, he's missed three games in each of the last two seasons due to rib injuries. He's seemingly been the most injury-prone quarterback in the NFL since entering the league in 2001.

Which is all the more reason why Foles has to relish this opportunity for what it is.

The AP's Rob Maaddi reports that Vick's preseason playing time has likely come to a close. Though Reid wouldn't guarantee anything, it would be senseless to play Vick in a meaningless game at this point. He's fragile, and priority No. 1 is making it through the grind of the next four months without having to sit out.

And that means it's Foles' time to shine, at least for the next two games against Cleveland (Aug. 24) and the Jets (Aug. 30).

This is Foles' opportunity to show Reid—and, of course, Eagles fans—that should anything else happen to Vick, there is a solid backup plan in place. He doesn't have much experience at this level, but in one year at Michigan State and three at Arizona, he compiled 67 total touchdown passes and a 138.2 career passer rating.

Plus, in the past, there have been inexperienced quarterbacks who have managed to come out of nowhere and thrive.

The preseason may not matter to many, but this one matters for Foles. And knowing Vick, it's not the last time Foles will be starting a game this year. 

There's no time like the present to prove there's no reason to panic.