Eagles icon Nick Foles recalls legendary Philly Special during Super Bowl LII vs Patriots: "I have no clue why I asked it"
The Philadelphia Eagles' Philly Special play call in Super Bowl 52 against the New England Patriots ranks among one of the most memorable moments in NFL history. Then-Eagles head coach Doug Pederson and quarterback Nick Foles earned universal praise and admiration for making one of the gutsiest decisions ever in the biggest game of their lives.
However, the signal-caller who infamously told his coach that he wanted to run Philly Philly is unsure why he asked for it. During an appearance on "The Green Light with Chris Long," the host and Foles' former teammate asked the quarterback what prompted him and Pederson to call the play. He said:
"We had a speed option from the shotgun, and every time [in practice] we butchered it, and it was awful. That was actually the play that was called. And then we called a timeout, and I ran over the sidelines and asked for Philly Philly. To this day, I have no clue why I asked for Philly Philly, because it's Philly special."
Foles revealed that they had planned to run the Philly Special in the NFC Championship Game against the Minnesota Vikings but withheld it. They then planned on using it in the second half of the Super Bowl. But the quarterback felt the Eagles should run it in the dying seconds of the first half.
He noted that Pederson could've declined to run the play as it was 4th-and-goal from just beyond the one-yard line. However, the coach trusted his quarterback and the rest of the offense to execute it and they came through.
The Philly Special was immortalized with a statue
The Eagles' decision to go for the touchdown proved critical as it extended their lead to nine at halftime instead of six, had they gone for the field goal and converted it, or three if they had failed to get the ball in the endzone.
Their eight-point win over Tom Brady and the Patriots saw the franchise win their first Lombardi Trophy and their first NFL championship since the 1960 season. While the Eagles had a slew of memorable plays in the high-scoring encounter, the Philly Special stood out and, with Bud Light's help, became the game's lasting memory.
The brand commissioned a nine-foot bronze statue of Nick Foles and Doug Pederson discussing the play on the sidelines, which now sits outside the Lincoln Memorial Field. The Philly Special is now in a trick play in every coach's playsheet. However, it will always be associated with Foles, Pederson, and the Eagles for running it on 4th-and-goal in the Super Bowl.