BLOOMINGTON - Super Bowl LII MVP Nick Foles walked toward the podium looking like he got very little sleep. It's a walk that many Super Bowl MVP's before him have made looking just as tired.

Super Bowl LII - Philadelphia Eagles Media Availability
Getty Images
loading...

"I'm running on fumes right now, but I have a lot of adrenaline and a lot of excitement," Foles said. "We had a celebration party that I went to for a little bit. My family wasn't there and everybody was pretty tired. My daughter had to go to sleep. Shortly after that I wanted to go see them and I had some 20-plus people here. I was able to get back to the hotel and spend some time reflecting with them and hanging out.  We have a lot to be thankful for. I am really just staying in the moment and enjoying the moment."

Staying in the moment and enjoying the moment is exactly how Foles has handled the past eight weeks. The roller coaster ride included relieving Carson Wentz in Los Angeles after Wentz suffered his knee injury. Foles carried the baton across the finish line for a win that day. He struggled mightily at the end of the regular season but rebounded to have one of the greatest postseasons in NFL history.

Foles' 113.2 passer rating is the highest in NFL Postseason history. He also threw for 324 yards per game and completed six touchdown passes in three playoff games. Oh yeah, he also won the Super Bowl MVP Award. And in those moments, he focused squarely on his family.

"That is what it is about," Foles smiled. "This journey and getting to see my wife and daughter. My daughter won't know anything that is going on. She is seven months old and to look at her eyes, the whole world slowed down. Just seeing her look at the confetti and to look in my wife's eyes and embrace her and get to know that I get to spend the rest of my life with her."

Foles also shared an emotional embrace with his father on the field following the Super Bowl victory.

"My dad has always been one of my heroes," Foles explained. "We didn't have an easy life growing up. For him and my mom to give me an opportunity to play this game and provide for us as kids. To watch him go through adversity his entire life and overcome it. I got to watch him come home at midnight as a young kid smelling like a kitchen because he was working in a kitchen. I never realized it as a kid until I was older how much he and my mom sacrificed for me and my two younger sisters."

Clearly Foles learned how to deal with adversity by watching his father. From considering retirement a few years ago to standing on top of the world as Super Bowl MVP, Foles remained grounded. He used his platform hours after winning the Super Bowl to try and inspire others.

"I think the big thing is don't be afraid to fail," Foles said. "I think in our society today, Instagram, Twitter, it's a highlight reel. It's all the good things. And then when you look at it, when you think like, wow, when you have a rough day, 'My life's not as good as that.' Failure is a part of life. It's a part of building character and growing. Without failure, who would you be? I wouldn't be up here if I hadn't fallen thousands of times. Made mistakes."

"We all are human, we all have weaknesses, and I think throughout this, to be able to share that and be transparent. I know when I listen to people speak and they share their weaknesses, I'm listening. Because (it) resonates. So I'm not perfect. I'm not Superman. I might be in the NFL, I might have just won a Super Bowl, but, hey, we still have daily struggles, I still have daily struggles. And that's where my faith comes in, that's where my family comes in."

"I think when you look at a struggle in your life, just know that's just an opportunity for your character to grow. And that's just been the message. Simple. If something's going on in your life and you're struggling? Embrace it. Because you're growing."

Foles capped off the 2017 season with a Super Bowl MVP and Super Bowl title. Now that the season is officially over, the question regarding Foles' future moves front and center. He is under contract for one more season with the Eagles. As he has done throughout he past two months, Foles once again remained focused on the present and not the future.

"I am not really worried about my future right now. I am grateful to be a part of the Philadelphia Eagles. I said when I signed with the Eagles that I am grateful and content in this moment and I am staying in the moment. I am not worried about my future right now. There will be a time and a place to handle all of that. I take a lot of pride in wearing the Philadelphia Eagles jersey and it is such a great team. I am excited for Carson Wentz coming back healthy. I get to work with him every day. I am just living in the moment and not thinking ahead."

After speaking with the media Monday morning, Foles departed for Disney World where he will be introduced later in the day. Undoubtedly, he will soak up that moment as he has every other one that presented itself during this amazing and improbable journey.


More From 97.3 ESPN