Bob Brookover’s NFL Report

Chip Kelly said he did not want to trade Nick Foles after he traded him. Foles said he loved Philadelphia and was thankful for his time in the city after he landed in St. Louis. What we had, if we can believe the two men, was an amicable separation handled maturely by both sides.

It may be true that Kelly did not want to trade Foles. Perhaps he wanted Sam Bradford to come in and compete with Foles for the No. 1 job. But the fact that the coach/personnel director was also willing to surrender higher draft picks than the ones he received in return from the Rams speaks volumes about which quarterback he thinks is better.

The deal, of course, is going to be scrutinized for years to come and it started with the season-opening games for the Eagles and the Rams last week. The legacies of Kelly and Foles and Bradford, for that matter will depend on how they perform. Round 1 went to Foles and the Rams.

Foles, a year younger than Bradford, could not have had a better debut with St. Louis. He completed 18 of 27 passes for 297 yards and a touchdown and led the Rams to a 34-31 overtime victory against the two-time NFC champion Seattle Seahawks. What impressed his teammates most was how he handled adversity.

Doom and gloom were setting in along the St. Louis sideline after former Eagles cornerback Cary Williams pulled off a late-game hat trick. Williams sacked Foles, forced a fumble, and ran it in for a touchdown that gave Seattle a 31-24 lead with only 4 minutes, 39 seconds remaining.

Foles calmly responded by leading the Rams on a 12-play, 84-yard touchdown drive that tied the game with just 53 seconds remaining. The quarterback went 5-for-9 for 78 yards on the game-tying drive, including a 37-yard touchdown to Lance Kendricks. In overtime, he set up the game-winning field goal by threading a 22-yard pass to Stedman Bailey between cornerback Richard Sherman and safety Earl Thomas.

“If there’s time on the clock, the game’s never over, no matter what the score is,” Foles told reporters afterward. “That’s been my mentality as a little kid, something my parents instilled in me.”

Apparently it is something he is trying to instill in the Rams, a team that has not been to the playoffs since 2004.

“He’s got a lot of presence and he made some great throws,” Rams defensive end Chris Long told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “He’s tough. All the things you want in a guy that can lead your team. I’m excited we got him.”

Would Foles still be in Philadelphia if he had been able to play and done something similar for the Eagles in those consecutive season-crushing losses to Seattle and Dallas last December? We will never know, but we will keep watching and comparing.

Off the grass

The Houston Texans decided after Week 1 that they are going to switch from natural grass to a turf field for the remainder of the season because there were too many uneven seams in the grass-tray system they were using at NRG Stadium. Texans general manager Rick Smith said the team plans to return to a grass surface next season, but some believe the tray system was a problem as far back as last year.

That’s interesting from an Eagles perspective, because that is where inside linebacker DeMeco Ryans suffered a noncontact knee injury that ended his 2014 season. Texans first-round draft pick Jadeveon Clowney also suffered a knee injury last season in Houston’s home opener that many felt was field-related.

Manziel’s Pennsylvania ties

It was impossible to root for Johnny Football, the show-me-the-money, egomaniacal, Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback who came out of Texas A&M. It is much easier to root for Johnny Manziel, the humbled recovering alcoholic who will make his third career start at quarterback Sunday, when the Cleveland Browns play Marcus Mariota and the Tennessee Titans.

If Manziel can continue his recovery and become a quality player, much of the credit will belong to Caron Pennsylvania, the Berks County treatment center where the quarterback sought help for 10 weeks during the offseason.

Thumbs up

The Buffalo Bills’ marketing and merchandising departments deserve kudos for taking a subtle jab at the New England Patriots. With quarterback Tom Brady and the Pats going to Ralph Wilson Stadium on Sunday, the Bills are selling handheld air pumps in stadium stores, according to Buffalo television reporter Lauren Hall. It was not promoted, but they are there just in case anyone needs them.

Thumbs down

Delisa Lynch apparently likes to type a lot more than her son Marshawn likes to talk. Mama On her Facebook page, Delisa Lynch attacked the “smart azz media” before calling for Seattle offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell’s job after her son failed to get a first down on fourth-and-1 in overtime, sealing a loss to the Rams. The thumbs down goes to Bevell and coach Pete Carroll. They continued to kowtow to Marshawn Lynch with weak responses to his mother’s rant, which likely echoed his feelings.

Sunday’s best

Top Sunday early afternoon game: Atlanta at N.Y. Giants

Are the Falcons really as good as they played in the first half against the Eagles? Can the Giants recover quickly after giving away a game in Dallas? We should have a better idea about both teams by 4 o’clock Sunday.

Top Sunday late afternoon game: Dallas at Eagles

It’s difficult to call a Week 2 game a must-win, but the Eagles need to rebound and cannot afford to lose when the Cowboys are without Dez Bryant. Byron Maxwell and company also need to restore some confidence in the Eagles secondary.

Sunday night game: Seattle at Green Bay

This is a rematch of the NFC championship game that Green Bay would have won if Brandon Bostick could have covered an onside kick. He was supposed to let Jordy Nelson field the ball. Neither Bostick (cut) nor Nelson (injured and out for the year) will be around for the rematch.

Monday night game: N.Y. Jets at Indianapolis

Jets coach Todd Bowles won his head-coaching debut in lopsided fashion against Cleveland despite playing backup Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback. Andrew Luck completed just 53 percent of his passes and was intercepted twice in the Colts’ loss at Buffalo.

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