In Nick Foles, Bears have QB who has "been on the big stage before"

There was quite a discussion going on during the two-minute warning Sunday in Atlanta.

Trailing the Atlanta Falcons by six points, the Bears had two plays called coming out of the break, depending on which look the defense gave them.

If the Falcons showed what quarterback Nick Foles called a “zero blitz” – meaning all the defensive backs were in man-to-man coverage – the Bears were going to send receiver Anthony Miller deep on a post route.

“Get to the L,” Foles told Miller, meaning the L in “ATL” written across the end zone turf.

Foles saw what he was looking for and only just released a deep pass to Miller before the defense converged on him. Miller caught the pass on the L for a 28-yard touchdown. It proved to be the game-winner in Sunday's 30-26 win over the Falcons.

It also cemented Foles as the Bears’ starting quarterback moving forward.

Bears coach Matt Nagy announced Monday that Foles will start in Week 4 against the Indianapolis Colts at Soldier Field. Nagy benched Trubisky for Foles earlier in the game Sunday.

The game-winning touchdown showed just what type of quarterback know-how and experience a nine-year veteran and former Super Bowl MVP should bring to the table. The Bears ran the exact same play in the first half, and Trubisky overthrew Miller, who had beaten his defender by a step.

The Bears kept that knowledge in their back pocket and brought it back at an opportune time.

“[Nagy] trusts me,” Foles said Sunday. “The big thing was he said, ‘Hey, if you see something then go with it.’”

Foles and Nagy are about to learn a lot about each other. While their paths have crossed numerous times in their football pasts, Sunday was the first time Nagy ever called plays for a Foles-led offense.

Nagy said the play calling doesn’t change with Trubisky or Foles in at quarterback, but there is still a feeling out process. Foles has some liberties to make adjustments, as he did on the game-winning touchdown pass.

“For him to be able to add some things to a play here or there that he likes, that are his strengths, we let him do that,” Nagy said.

Bears passing game coordinator Dave Ragone called the touchdown “a winning football play.”

“[Foles] does a really nice job of taking those experiences that he’s had in his past, putting it in the back of his memory bank and being able to use that information to help him execute the plays that he’s being called [to] at certain times,” Ragone said.

It’s a trait that the Bears haven’t had at the quarterback position in a long time.

It will be worth watching how this Bears offense evolves with Foles taking the first-team reps in practice this week. One has to wonder if he’s just now catching his stride after a truncated offseason with limited chances to grow familiar with his receivers on the field.

Trubisky won the starting QB job outright coming out of training camp, and at the time that was the right call. He was the more aggressive quarterback in camp.

But there was no lack of aggression from Foles against the Falcons. Look no further than the touchdown pass to Miller.

“You just see a guy out there who's been on the big stage before, who's played a lot of NFL games and doesn't get sidetracked by too many things,” Ragone said.