Nick Foles Discusses Being Benched for Case Keenum

St. Louis Rams quarterback Nick Foles has been ineffective during a five-game stretch that has seen his team drop three of five games.

That led to head coach Jeff Fisher deciding to bench Foles for the Rams' Week 11 game against the 2-7 Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Foles is not happy but respects Fisher's decision to name Case Keenum the starter:

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There’s definitely emotions that come with it because you’re used to being out there and working. It’s a different role, but at the same time, I’m a team-first guy. I care a lot about my teammates, so I’m going to do everything I can to prepare this week to help Case and help my teammates get a win this week.    

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It remains to be seen if Keenum, who is 2-8 with 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions as a starter in his career, is the answer for the 4-5 Rams, but there is no doubt Foles has regressed from a decent start to the season.

	Yards Per Game	TD	INT	Record
First Four Games	203.8	5	1	2-2
Last Five Games	172.6	2	5	2-3

Foles came over in St. Louis' trade with the Philadelphia Eagles last offseason with high expectations. In 2013, he tied an NFL record with seven touchdowns in a game and threw 27 on the season compared to just two interceptions.

As SportsCenter pointed out, the trade has been iffy for both teams:

Foles had 10 interceptions in eight starts in 2014 before struggling this season. However, after announcing Monday that Keenum will be the starter, Fisher said even though Keenum doesn't have a "short leash," Foles will be back at some point, per Florio:

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I need more production and it starts with that position. As I told Case, he doesn’t have a short leash. We’re going to let him play. We’re going to use his legs and let him make some plays.

[...]

Nick also understands that he eventually will be under center for us again. But this is my decision based on what I think is best for this team offensively is to go this direction.

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Benching your starter but telling him he'll be back with no time frame seems like an odd strategy for a position that needs consistency. However, per Florio, Foles continued to say all the right things:

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I just look at it as what it is. The decision was made and I respect Coach Fisher. I’m going to do the best that I can to be the best player on this team that I can and keep working to be better and support Case in any way possible.

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It is certainly easier to say that when your coach already has said you'll be back as the starter, but taking the high road is a good move for Foles.