Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles likened football to a "beautiful dance" during his media session Tuesday.
"It's a rhythm game," he said, explaining why he's not reading into the lack of production out of the first-team offense during their cameos this preseason. "There's a rhythm to our drops, there's a rhythm to the pass protection, to routes. Everything is timed up."
Football hasn't had much rhythm for Foles, though. His career has been more like a giant game of freeze dance, filled with bursts of success and sudden halts.
The difficulty lies in the uncertainty of when the music will cut out. He's the reigning Super Bowl MVP, but all that is guaranteed is that he'll start this week's preseason game against the Cleveland Browns. Beyond that, it gets hazy. Foles is now splitting first-team reps with Carson Wentz at practice. When Wentz is medically cleared to return from his knee injury, it's his show, meaning that even if unlikely, it's at least possible that Foles doesn't see another snap in an Eagles uniform after Thursday night.
"That's the challenge. That's the challenge for anyone in my situation ... you just don't know," he said, "and I think that's where, and I told you all during the playoffs, just staying in the moment, really focusing on today and this moment because that's all I can control. And it's hard at times. There are times when your mind wanders and then you start dealing with it, but that doesn't help you -- it just takes you off the moment and what you need to do right now. And that's what I'm really focusing on ... and that sort of alleviates all of the different anxieties that you may face."
The good news for Foles is he avoided a serious situation against the New England Patriots last week and is healthy. He explained that he separated a shoulder in high school on a play that closely resembled the one last week, when defensive end Adrian Clayborn got a hold of his right arm during his delivery. The jarring sensation concerned him, but other than some soreness, he walked away OK.
Foles and the first team are expected to play at least a half in the third preseason game against the Browns.
From there? Who knows. The decision as to who will start Week 1 against the Falcons could come down to the wire. With Wentz back in team drills, Foles' first-team snaps have been cut in half. He's now getting less work with the opener approaching even though he could get the call.
The seven-year veteran says that his recent time in a backup/tweener role has taught him how to maximize his snaps on the field and still grow through mental reps when he's relegated to the sideline.
If nothing else, he's gained some wisdom through his roller-coaster ride of a career, which he said helped guide him to those crazy postseason heights after a bumpy start when he first replaced Wentz in the lineup at the end of the 2017 season.
"I had a database of information from my entire life of when I played football. It wasn't always great things. There were a lot of great moments, but there were a lot of moments where I threw interceptions, I didn't have good games, I made mistakes. I was benched. I was released," he said. "You sort of used everything you've learned to hone in on that moment and just allow yourself to see the reality of it and handle it the best you can."
He'll use the same approach when navigating the uncertainty surrounding the start of the regular season.
"Whenever the team decides," said Foles. "I got to experience being a backup the last several years where I never really knew when I'd play. I have experience with this. So whatever is needed of me, I'll be ready."