The Vikings are fools if they don't nail down Keenum; Likewise the Eagles, if they let Foles slip away!!!
By Minnie Apolis
Bob Sansevere of the Twin Cities Pioneer Press recently wrote that the Vikings should pursue Nick Foles instead of keeping Case Keenum.
I say fooey to that. Keenum did just great and helped get the Vikings into the playoffs, right? Now that he has a little playoff experience under his belt (as well as the rest of the team), the Vikings should perform even better next year. He's only 29 years old, with lots of years of service ahead of him assuming he stays healthy,
Sansevere is right about one thing – like he said: “It’s not every day — actually, it’s never — that you have a shot at acquiring a Super Bowl MVP quarterback within months of him winning that award.”
But wait, what about the 'bird in the hand'?
Let's look at Keenum and what he has done in the regular season. He threw for over 3,500 yards with a completion rate of 67.6 percent. He averaged 227.4 yards per game. In addition, he ran for another 160 yards! Everyone has interceptions, but his amount to only 1.5 percent. What's not to like?
In addition, the Vikings have Sam Bradford in backup, and some football talking heads seem to think he has more potential than Keenum. So I think the Vikings would be far better off to develop the talent they have rather than blow the budget on some bright and shiny new celebrity quarterback.
Minnesota always does this. They spend oodles of money on some proven commodity rather than growing the talent they already have under contract.
Back in 1993, they bought themselves Jim McMahon as their shiny knight, convincing themselves that his record with the Super Bowl Bears would work its magic on the Vikings. Well, obviously that never happened.
Some years later they lured Bret Favre to play for the 2009-2010 seasons, but apparently treated him so badly he did not even want to return for the 2010 season. He was probably a bit past his prime anyway, but if he had been allowed to call his own plays, I think everyone would have been greatly pleased with his performance.
Favre was one of a long line of players who benefited from the Green Bay quarterback academy. They tucked him into their greenhouse and after a bit of tender loving care, the guy who had been languishing in a backup position with the Falcons blossomed into a league-leading player.
Minnesota would do better to take some of their money and try to lure a productive kick-return specialist, or a running back who has a knack for getting into the end zone.
Now let us take a look at Nick Foles. Wow! Especially in that playoff game against the Vikings, he was playing like Secretariat!!! But Foles has a special place in his heart for Philadelphia. Players are not widgets that are interchangeable parts, able to play equally well on any team. Some players definitely play best WHERE THEY ARE HAPPIEST!!! And Foles is very happy in Philly.
But Foles has a strange contract with the Eagles. Sansevere describes it like this:
“Foles signed a five-year contract with the Eagles, but it has a weird clause that actually makes it more like a two-year deal. If he is on the roster in February 2019, the final three years of the deal automatically void and he’s a free agent. In other words, he’s really got one season left on the deal. The Eagles will trade him. It’s just a matter of whether it’s now or after the 2018 season, and he’ll bring a lot more now.”
Now I am not an expert on sports contracts. But Sansevere has it backwards a bit. Foles' value is greatest not on the trading block, but in the hand!! And I would not take it as a given that the Eagles will trade Foles either now or in a year. The Eagles would have to be nuts to let him get away.
For one thing, Carson Wentz may never be 100 percent after his ACL injury earlier this year. Teddy Bridgewater of the Vikings is still not back in service after a similar injury last year. It could take a lot longer for Wentz to get game-ready than anyone thinks. Best to have a top quarterback ready to play --- um, how about Nick?
[You can read Sansevere's sports editorial at https://www.twincities.com/2018/02/04/vikings-need-nick-foles-not-case-keenum-or-kirk-cousins/ ]