Philadelphia Eagles: Should They Be Excited About Doug Pederson?
By Nick Ziegler
The Kansas City Chiefs were eliminated from the playoffs on Saturday night by the New England Patriots, which means the Philadelphia Eagles will officially have their new coach.
In 2015, the Chiefs appeared to be one of the worst teams in the regular season early on, but a 10-game winning streak quickly made them a team to be feared in the playoffs. Injuries had a huge impact on the Chiefs’ offense this season, as the loss of Jamaal Charles was thought to cripple the team.
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After the injury to Charles, the Chiefs’ offense was able to play very well led by Alex Smith and his offensive coordinator Doug Pederson.
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The Eagles decided to part ways with Chip Kelly, which left them with a need for a new head coach. After talking with Tom Coughlin, Ben McAdoo of the New York Giants and a few others, the Eagles eventually landed with Pederson.
Pederson has been with former Eagles’ head coach Andy Reid since 2009 and was the quarterbacks coach for two seasons with the Eagles. When Reid made the move to Kansas City, Pederson took over as the offensive coordinator, which has been his position for the last three seasons.
The Chiefs’ offense hasn’t been explosive under Pederson but it has been efficient and one of the best rushing offenses in the three years that Pederson has been the offensive coordinator.
After the Chiefs lost to the Patriots in the AFC Divisional Round, two of Pederson’s players and former Eagles said that the Eagles should be excited about their new head coach.
“I think he understands the personalities around a locker room. I think that’s the first important step of being a head coach,” former Eagle Jeremy Maclin said, via Comcast Sports Net’s Derrick Gunn. “I’m excited about what he does in the future up there in Philly. … I think Philly should be excited.
“He’s a guy who understands how things are supposed to be done. I think he’s going to do great things. I’m excited for him. He deserves it, and I’m looking forward to seeing what he does up there.”
“He’ll do a really, really good job,” Jason Avant, another former Eagle, said to Gunn. “He’s a great man, he knows this game and I think he’s harsh enough, offensively and defensively, and especially demanding the best out of his players.”
Pederson will be taking over an Eagles team that has seen a lot of change in recent years under Kelly, as he was attempting to acquire players that would best fit his system. Pederson has seen a quick rise through the coaching ranks in the NFL, as he was a high school coach just seven years ago.
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The hiring of Pederson does come with some concerns, as like when he was with the Eagles, Andy Reid had a lot of say in the play-calling.
There may be a lot of change for the Eagles’ roster this offseason, as quarterback Sam Bradford is a free agent, but the Eagles’ organization believes that Pederson is the right man to help groom a quarterback in Philadelphia.