PHILADELPHIA _ The phone call that altered Nick Foles' career and set into motion the quarterback carousel that improbably led to Foles vs. Case Keenum in the NFC championship game came on March 10, 2015. Chip Kelly informed Foles about a trade to the St. Louis Rams for Sam Bradford, blindsiding Foles and ending his first stint in Philadelphia about 999 years short of the "next thousand years" quip Kelly offered about Foles' future in December 2013.
Foles went from potential franchise quarterback in Philadelphia to a journeyman, with his starting stint in St. Louis short-lived _ he lost his job to Keenum _ before accepting life as a backup. Foles' fondness for Philadelphia eventually brought him back to where he started his career, although it took a serendipitous series of events to turn Sunday's game between the Eagles and Minnesota Vikings into the Backup Bowl.
Just consider: Foles was traded for Bradford before losing his job to Keenum. The Eagles drafted Carson Wentz and traded Bradford to Minnesota. Keenum signed with the Vikings and replaced an injured Bradford. Foles returned to Philadelphia and replaced an injured Wentz. Now, it's Foles vs. Keenum.
"It's pretty wild, absolutely," Foles said. "I think the big message there is no matter what happens, you've just got to keep believing in yourself, keep working hard and just never give up."
Eagles coach Doug Pederson believed back in June that the Eagles could become Super Bowl contenders this season, suggesting that they had talent comparable to that of his Green Bay Packers teams that played in the NFL's final game in the 1990s. The Packers had Hall of Famer Brett Favre at quarterback and Pederson was the little-used backup.
Even the most optimistic Eagles fans likely wouldn't have figured they'd be hosting an NFC championship game without their franchise quarterback. Yet even the most pessimistic Eagles fans likely would have taken one home game against a Keenum-led team with a Super Bowl invitation on the line. And no realistic fan would have expected Foles vs. Keenum this weekend.
"I know this is what all you guys predicted back in the day, was a Foles vs. Keenum NFC championship," Keenum told reporters this week. "So good job to all you guys who predicted that."
