Eagles quarterback Nick Foles plays like a, well, rookie

As if it wasn't already clear, the Eagles confirmed Sunday that their season is beyond the point of repair. If the last hope of the hopeless, the untested rookie quarterback, can't turn things around and write a storybook ending to the season, then the Eagles will remain locked in the non-fiction aisle. And the facts there aren't pretty.

Through no fault of his own, Nick Foles - the 6-foot-6 backup quarterback who has become a favorite for some fans simply because he isn't Michael Vick and because he hasn't yet failed - had to actually take part in the disaster that is the 2012 season.
He came onto the field in the second quarter after Vick suffered the inevitable concussion that has been stalking him since the opener. Ernie Sims bounced Vick to the ground on the quarterback's final play of the game, but the concussion might have happened when Vick scrambled and dived forward on the previous play.
Not that it matters which it was. Vick was out, Foles was in, the score was tied and the fans rose to give the kid a standing ovation. Maybe they did so because the sight of anything different this season is welcome. Maybe they were saying goodbye to Vick. Maybe, considering the state of the offensive line, they were just congratulating Foles' courage.
How did he do? He did exactly as you would have expected for a rookie quarterback taking his first regular-season snaps. He did some things well. He did some things poorly. He managed the offense decently enough to look like he belonged in there and, ultimately, he made enough mistakes to lose the game.
"You can't turn the ball over twice," Foles said.
He did that, however, with an interception that was returned for a touchdown and a fumble into his own end zone that was recovered for a touchdown. The fumble was almost after-the-fact, but the interception, a ball thrown slightly behind DeSean Jackson and into tight coverage, came when they Eagles were still in the game. Foles threw two other balls in the second half that could have been intercepted as well.

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To be honest, it was nice that he got out of the game without getting hurt, but otherwise there wasn't much to inspire confidence yet. Nick Foles, given an offseason with the first team and a lot of practice, could become a really good quarterback, or his name could be appended to the long list of saviors in baseball hats who didn't come through when finally given a helmet.
There is no way to tell, and there is no way that this season is going to provide the answer. The team is too far gone, the offensive line won't protect him, and whatever his true potential, it will be cloaked within a cloud of handoffs and checkdowns.
Andy Reid said Vick, when healthy, is still the starting quarterback of the Eagles. He could continue that role as soon as next Sunday in Landover, Md. against the Redskins. Vick suffered a concussion against Atlanta last season and was cleared to return for the next game. This time, he might not be back as quickly, and that guess is made only because Vick still looked very woozy after the game when he was led through the locker room by a member of the training staff.
If Foles gets his first NFL start against Washington, he will have the benefit of a full week of preparation and practice time with the first unit. The game plan will be modified to account for his lack of experience. He will be given every chance to succeed, but success isn't guaranteed just because it would be a nice story, or because he did a few good things in the exhibition season.
"It doesn't matter who the quarterback is, we've all got to keep working hard," Foles said. "It's a tough time."
There's no reason to think that will change before this season comes to a merciful end. It got tougher on Sunday as the Eagles slid to 3-6 and Reid slid closer to the edge. There aren't going to be happy endings and storybook finishes, or, in the case of a rookie quarterback, maybe not even a storybook start.