Chip Kelly says fans, players admire toughness

Nick Foles, Eagles quarterback, Raiders Nick Foles leads the entire NFL in passing. Credit: Getty Images

Nick Foles got beat up pretty bad by the Redskins defense last Sunday.

And according to Eagles head coach Chip Kelly, nothing could endear him more to the Philadelphia fans (aside from perhaps a Super Bowl title).

“You look at just what this building is like when Brian Dawkins shows back up,” Kelly said. “There is an admiration for someone that’s just a tough, hard‑nosed football player.”

None of what Foles demonstrated when he got up, dusted himself off and made the defense pay a few plays later with a game-tying touchdown pass really shows up in the stat book. But it resonates among everyone in the huddle and on the sidelines.

“I think you’ve got to respect Nick,” Kelly said. “I’ve said it all along. I saw him do it in college. We hit the heck out of him when we were at Oregon and he played at Arizona and he just kept getting up and throwing and standing in there. I think it’s a very underrated quality for a quarterback.”