There were plenty of doubters when Nick Foles began his improbable journey to becoming a Super Bowl MVP.
Derek Long knew better.
As his head coach at Westlake (Texas) High School in Austin, Long saw first-hand the physical and mental toughness Foles exhibited during a challenging senior season in 2006. The experience helped shape the man Foles would later become and lay the character groundwork for future success.
"We approached football as being a microcosm of life," Long told co-host Gil Brandt and me Tuesday night on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “We learn to deal with working with people they don’t like. They learned to work hard, not just on the football field but in the classroom. You learn to deal with disappointment if you’re not a starter or you get injured or lose a game. You learn to deal with success when you win.
"That’s kind of the foundation of our program. I can honestly say Nick epitomized that."
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Long wasn't exactly sure what he was getting when Foles arrived at Westlake. Foles was already 6-4 and 220 pounds, which is ideal size for an NFL quarterback, let alone at QB in the high school ranks.
Football, though, was not Foles' first love. Basketball was his passion.
Foles was good enough to immediately start on the varsity squad even though the Chaparrals played in the state's highest class designation (6A) based upon school size. Foles was later recruited by several Division I colleges for basketball before his decision to concentrate solely on football.
"The thing about basketball is they play in select leagues and all summer long," Long said. “He didn't quite get all the weight training and that kind of stuff you would get if you more concentrated on football. That was always a big thing to me. He had huge upside."
Long said Foles' biggest drawback proved to be quickness, which was evident when he chugged to a 5.14-second time in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine in 2012.
"But if you have that pocket presence and can feel that pressure, if you’re big enough that they can’t just pull you down with an arm, you can get by without having that blazing speed," Long said.
Foles did more than “get by" when becoming Westlake’s starting QB as a junior. By the time his Westlake career was completed, Foles had broken school records for passing yards (5,658) and touchdowns (56) set a decade earlier by Drew Brees.
That gives the Chaparrals bragging rights about having two Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks. And the comparisons don’t end there.
Brees had his NFL career put into jeopardy in 2006 by a torn rotator cuff. That same year, Foles would suffer the same injury.
The start of Foles’ senior season was rough to begin with. One of his best friends was offensive lineman Matt Nader, who collapsed on the sideline during a game because of a previously unknown heart condition.
"His heart actually stopped," Long said of Nader, a University of Texas recruit who was never able to play again. "They had to resuscitate him on the sideline. That was a really traumatic experience for Nick and the whole team. It took a little bit of time to work our way through that."
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After psychologically recovering from that near-tragedy, Foles himself suffered a physical setback while playing the following week against rival Austin High.
"Nick got pulled down a little bit strange and tweaked his shoulder," Long said. "They beat us, but Nick the next week said he was ready to go."
Foles wouldn't let Long know just how serious his injury was while he led the Chaparrals to the state title game.
"The only thing Nick would do is maybe on a Tuesday say, 'My shoulder is a little sore. Can we just work on the short passing game?'" Long said. "I told him that wasn't a problem."
It became one during basketball season.
"He’s playing in a game and goes to throw a full-court," Long recalled, "and I think his shoulder about dropped down to his knee. Somehow he was able to keep that shoulder working during (football) season, and it just couldn't handle basketball.”
Foles was forced to undergo surgery. But as evidenced by his rifle 22-yard touchdown pass to Corey Clement in Sunday’s 41-33 win over New England, arm strength isn't an issue.
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Long, who retired as Westlake’s coach in 2009, watched Super Bowl 52 with pride not just because of Foles’ on-field prowess, but because of the well-respected person he became.
"In reality, our philosophy of the program was winning wasn't the most important thing," Long said. “It was to prepare these young men to be a viable part of society and be able to handle the ups and downs that the world will hand them."
Those lessons are a big reason why Foles is standing atop the NFL universe today.
Alex Marvez can be heard from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET Wednesday and Thursday on SiriusXM NFL Radio.
