Chicago Bears (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
The Chicago Bears introduced their new quarterback late last week and he did not disappoint.
On Friday, the Chicago Bears held a phone conference to introduce their latest free-agent signing, quarterback Nick Foles. We know that “winning the press conference” means absolutely nothing. As Bears fans, there have been countless examples of players or coaches saying all the right things to the media, only to bomb on the field. With all that said, it was still difficult to ignore or discount just how impressive Foles was in his opening phone-conference.
Due to limitations caused by COVID-19, the team was unable to hold a typical introductory press conference, and instead, hosted a phone conference with Foles and the media. And within seconds, he threw a proverbial warm blanket around the fan base.
From his polite yet direct opening statement (“how is everyone doing? This is Nick Foles — just entered the meeting)” to his thoughtful, detailed answer to the final question, Foles exuded confidence, stability, and in-depth knowledge of the task ahead of him. It was a “fix” for a fan base that has been jonesing for a quarterback to take command of the situation in front of him.
Yes, Foles’ teammates have nothing but wonderful things to say about him, and by all accounts, he is an incredibly kind-hearted person. But one should not mistake his kindness for weakness. As demonstrated on the call, he is more of an “alpha” than a “beta.”
For starters, he’s already reached out directly to Mitchell Trubisky. He indicated it was important to connect with Mitch to start things off “on the right foot” to ensure that the quarterback competition doesn’t become an issue or distraction for the team.
He also mentioned on multiple occasions how familiar he is with Matt Nagy’s offense but emphasized he is studying hard to learn the nuances. He’s also having his brother-in-law, a former NFL tight end, run many of the plays to gain even more familiarity.
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Finally, one thing that stood out was the final question asked by Stacey Dales, who essentially asked how the process that led him to Chicago unfolded. After providing a brief answer, the call was about to include when Foles interjected to make sure he answered the question.
Dales asked her question again, and Foles provided a three-minute answer. In it, he highlighted how his willingness to agree to such a drastic restructuring of his contract is really what enabled the deal to happen. It was noteworthy in that it seemed clear Foles had a strong desire to move on from Jacksonville, and an equally strong desire to end up in Chicago with Matt Nagy.
It was the capstone moment of a phone conference that saw a confident, veteran quarterback take control of the situation, answer questions candidly while demonstrating a strong grasp of the subject matter. Again, it’s only a phone conference, but it was refreshing to hear nonetheless.
