Nick Foles launches a podcast ahead of the Super Bowl, talks fatherhood and replacing Carson Wentz
The former Eagles quarterback opens up about his 2017 Super Bowl run on his debut episodes of "The No Days Off Podcast."
Eagles fans, you may have something new to keep yourselves busy as you count down the days to Super Bowl LIX. Nick Foles, who quarterbacked the franchise to its first and only Super Bowl title (so far), launched two debut episodes of his latest project, The No Days Off Podcast, with cohosts John McCarthy and Pat O’Donnell.
While Foles and his fellow hosts spend much of the first episode talking about fatherhood, Episode 2 is where the really good stuff — at least for Eagles fans — starts. It mainly focuses on Foles’ journey to the Super Bowl in February 2018, an unforgettable time for his entire family. Not only did Foles come off the bench late in the season to lead the Eagles through the playoffs and to the franchise’s first Lombardi Trophy, but he also had become a father the previous offseason.
“[In] 2017, my wife Tori and I had Lily on June 16,” said Foles, who had spent the previous two seasons with the Rams and Chiefs after three years with the Eagles. “We’re going back to Philly, we’re going to help a young Carson Wentz, we’re going to raise our daughter here as long as we’re going to be here and it’s going to be a really special place for us, just because of how much we loved the city from our previous stint.”
» READ MORE: How well do you know the Eagles? Take our Super Bowl quiz.
But then things changed. Foles’ new quiet life as the Birds backup was over when the quarterback took over for an injured Carson Wentz in Game 13, after Wentz tore his ACL against the Los Angeles Rams. Foles recalled the exact moment he realized Wentz was hurt and that he would need to step in, and some of the physical changes that came with that.
“I see him run in [the end zone] and I see him take the hit and I see how he gets up,” Foles said. “And I’ve been around Carson. He’s a tough dude, he’s a very tough quarterback. But I knew from watching him all season that something was up. And he stayed in the next play and I could tell he could not move and he ended up throwing a touchdown to Alshon Jeffery, which shows what type of competitor he is. But I knew when he was coming off the field, my body started ramping up. Your body just knows when it’s game day and you’re actually playing, it changes. Bowel movements increase, mind is attentive, all your senses are heightened.”
Despite those increased bowel movements, Foles dominated in the postseason, leading the team to three straight wins, including a 41-33 win over the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. The game’s MVP, Foles passed for 373 yards and three touchdowns. The quarterback also made history as the first player to throw and catch a touchdown in the same Super Bowl.
» READ MORE: Carson Wentz’s second act has him back in the Super Bowl as Patrick Mahomes’ backup: ‘It’s been a journey’
In a recent social media post from the Eagles, Foles recounted some memories from that night.
But Foles’ proudest accomplishment took place after the game, when he was able to celebrate the win with his daughter.
“I always wanted a child when I was playing the game of football,” Foles said. “I wanted to have that training camp where I come home after practice and I get to hold my kid with my wife and then we get to look back on those photos some day like your dad used to be an athlete, now he’s trying his best at pickleball … Looking back on my career, it’s not the Super Bowl, it’s not touchdowns, it’s not all these things. I am just so grateful I had my kids to be a part of a little bit of that journey.”
In Episode 1, Foles, McCarthy, and O’Donnell discuss raising their children. Foles mentions that the most draining physical activity he takes part in now is pickleball and coaching his daughter’s youth flag football and basketball teams.
» READ MORE: An illustrated recap of the Eagles’ road to Super Bowl LIX
It should come as no surprise that one of the main topics of Foles’ podcast is fatherhood. Foles and O’Donnell founded the brand DAD SZN in order to represent a community of fathers who cherish the daily grind of raising children. DAD SZN even features a special “Philly, Philly” line.
“I love Philadelphia,” Foles said. “That’s always been home to me, just as a player. I love the city. I really resonate with the city. So, we wanted to do something special for it.”