Philadelphia Eagles: Firing Doug Pederson is a band-aid, not the cure
The Philadelphia Eagles’ issues run deeper than Doug Pederson.
“Boy, if some coach ever brings a Super Bowl back to Philly, they’ll be handed a lifetime contract.”
If you’ve been a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles for longer than it takes to earn a Bachelor’s degree, you’ve surely heard someone – a friend, a grandparent, a rando in line for a cheesesteak – say some amalgamation of this sentiment scores of times because frankly, many genuinely believed it.
After failing to win a Super Bowl for 50-plus years, people are going to get a tad dramatic with their internal bargaining.
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Well, as it turns out, the actual cache of good faith delivered onto such a coach is one losing season, an unhappy quarterback, and a Bud Light-sanctioned statue outside the stadium.
Did Doug Pederson deserve to be fired? Yes. No. It depends.
If Pederson truly prioritized elevating internal coaches like Press Taylor and Matt Burke over hiring the best external options, all the while causing an increasing rift between the organization and their franchise quarterback, I can fully understand why Jeffrey Lurie pulled the plug so soon. Heck, if Pederson really didn’t see that the Eagles’ issues run a whole lot deeper than who is his 1b on offense, I could go so far as to say his firing was inevitable, if not this spring than next.
Maybe the Eagles will now go out, allow Howie Roseman to spearhead the hiring of a third head coach in nine years, and the Eagles’ problems will suddenly all work themselves out. Pederson sure found a way to turn a motley crew of players that quit under Chip Kelly into a force with only a few major adjustments – most notably at the QB position – and win a Super Bowl in only his second professional season as a head coach.
Could another coach – Robert Saleh, Eric Bieniemy, Joe Brady, or even Lincoln Riley – march triumphantly down Broad and suddenly provide the Eagles with stability for the next decade-plus? That’s possible, but why would they want to? The Eagles’ salary cap is a mess; they have quite a few players who aren’t happy with their contract/internal status, a quarterback controversy that has rocked the fanbase, and most notably, a front office structure that soured their relationship with arguably the most successful head coach in franchise history.
Make no mistake about it, when Doug Pederson eventually hangs up his visor, he will be remembered as one of the most notable head coaches in franchise history. He has a 53.1 winning percentage, made the playoffs in three of his five seasons, and, oh yeah, won a Super Bowl. Why would a promising young coach, especially one in high demand, pick to coach in Philly when they just saw how a coach like Pederson was kicked to the curb after one bad season? Why sign here when coaches like Bill O’Brien and Matt Patricia were allowed to make bad decisions with the Texans and Lions respectably with much longer leashes?
Do the Eagles think Pederson will speak glowingly about the organization when one of those coaches – or their agents – reach out? Or will he instead breakdown all of the organization’s broken relationships while serving as the ultimate red flag to avoid the situation?
Did you read Pederson’s official statement on his firing? It doesn’t sound like he holds a lot of ill will to the City that made him a champion.
Next. The “Doug Pederson-era” is officially over for the Philadelphia Eagles. dark
Objectively speaking, the Philadelphia Eagles’ problems aren’t solely based on one person, player, coach, or scout. No, the team’s biggest issue is a lack of continuity. It took Andy Reid seven years in Kansas City to win a Super Bowl. It took John Harbaugh five years to do the same in Baltimore, and after eight more years without one, he remains gainfully employed because of his willingness to change everything about his offense to accommodate Lamar Jackson. If Doug Pederson was truly unwilling to adapt his ideal to be successful moving forward, then maybe change is good, but between you and me, I imagine we’ll be in a similar situation again this decade, as you can’t build a dynasty by playing reactionary defense.