A little less than three years ago, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson was on top of the world. He and backup quarterback Nick Foles had just guided their club through a memorable playoff run that culminated in a Super Bowl victory over the Patriots, thereby bringing a Lombardi Trophy to Philadelphia for the first time and solidifying Pederson’s status in franchise lore. But things change quickly in the NFL.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, Pederson is on the hot seat. The Eagles have lost three in a row and now sit at 3-7-1, good for third place in the dismal NFC East. After the club’s loss to the Seahawks on Monday night, prominent players like Carson Wentz, Brandon Graham, and Jason Kelce held a meeting, for which Pederson was also present. Accountability and responsibility were among the items on the agenda, and it’s never a good sign when such conversations become necessary.
Team leaders also organized a players-only meeting on Wednesday, and while this past week of practice was described as lively and spirited, the Eagles are heavy underdogs in their matchup with the Packers this afternoon. If they cannot squeeze a postseason appearance out of a historically-bad division and an expanded playoff field, Pederson may very well be looking for new employment in 2021.
Indeed, Rapoport says that the 52-year-old head coach has not received any assurances about his future from owner Jeffrey Lurie, and there is speculation in the team’s facility that Pederson’s job is on the line. The tension and frustration in the building is said to be palpable.
Pederson has ceded some play-calling duties, but Wentz’s struggles and Pederson’s inability to find answers for those struggles has been a major theme of the season. In each of the past two seasons, though, Pederson’s troops have rallied in the final weeks of the campaign to secure a playoff berth, and they hope that 2020 will have a similar ending.
If Lurie does elect to part ways with Pederson, the Jets are one team that could have interest, as Rich Cimini of ESPN.com writes. New York is expected to fire Adam Gase at season’s end, if not sooner, and GM Joe Douglas worked with Pederson for three years as Philadelphia’s vice president of player personnel.
In his four-plus seasons as the Eagles’ head coach, Pederson has compiled a 41-33-1 regular season record, along with a 4-2 postseason mark. The team has won two division titles (and, of course, a Super Bowl) in that time.
Good. It feels as though he’s given up on coaching this team. That he is fatigued and wants to be fired.
I read prior to the season he was getting burned out. Guess that’s true.
That may be true but also this roster is very poorly constructed lacking talent at critical positions and lacking the depth to overcome injuries. I would clean house not just the head coach.
The roster sucks … Wentz is terrible , Ertz is old , Jeffery Is old , Reagor will be another Tavon Austin, Peter Warrick , John Ross … he’s too small to be an every down #1 … the only bright spot is Sanders ….there’s some pieces on defense to build around but the offense needs an overhaul..jury is out on Hurts , not sure he’s the answer but I can’t imagine him being worse then Wentz if given the opportunity. Maybe he has a spark to help them. I think nows the time.
Maybe this guys cocky attitude is catching up with him
Maybe Frank Reich was the brains behind the operation and Pederson was long for the ride
Fact!
Opinion!
Wentz isn’t a quick release guy. He holds onto the ball too long (unless he fumbles it). A shotty O-Line is best for a Foles and Warner type of QB. They need to retool at WR, OL, LB, Safety. If Wentz isn’t getting hit or sacked hes still capable of being a starter, or Top-20ish QB. 2017 is never going to happen again. That’s just not reality. People that call into radio stations and use 2017 as an argument for Wentz are the same dudes that are 270lbs and talk about how they used to run track in high school – that’s all in the past brother.
Should’ve done what Buck Shaw did. Win the title and retire.
Philly has been smart org. This stuff is dumb. Your roster is depleted and ravaged by injuries. Every organization has years like this. Take the high draft picks and stop signing Jason Peters. As a Giants fan I pray they fire him and get rid of Wentz. Wentz is a very good player. He has no line and no WR that scares anyone and Ertz has been hurt.
Wentz is not a good player, at least not this season, and that fact is independent of his line and WRs. He holds onto the ball too long, is inaccurate, and makes really bad decisions. The line and his WRs may not be good, but Wentz should shoulder a great deal of the blame.
Correct, he’s been making poor decisions, making poor reads and the balls are rarely on the money.
Just took 2 straight sacks and pushed the O out of field goal range. Those sacks were on him, looked lost with the ball and just sat their to get pummeled.
Only in Philadelphia could the head coach be on the hot seat just three years removed from giving the franchise its first Super Bowl title.
Winning a Super Bowl can only give you protection for so long. Howie and Peterson has gotten stale and a change would be fine.
And again I’ll never feel sorry for a coach getting canned. These guys get fired and then get to sit home and collect their full salary to NOT have to work.
That said, Doug has made some horrible game decisions between playcalling that he insists upon, personnel decisions and everything in between. Yeah they’ve had a ton of injuries, but Wentz has been regressing and also making poor decisions on the field. Peterson needs to turn over the playcalling duties to somebody else. The whole Hurts drama is idiotic, never should’ve drafted him but when they put him in it’s the same old unimaginative play with Wentz split wide and Hurts keeping it. The decision to keep playing JasonPeters when Mailata has outplayed him and has potential to be a key moving forward was dumb. Ditto for Alshon stealing reps over the young guys. How Fulgham goes from nobody to hero and back to zero again has been baffling. How Miles Sanders goes from being great to barely getting and runs has been even more baffling. There’s so much wrong with this team and if no changes are made it will continue to spiral downward like it’s been all season.
The Jets are beyond incompetent. Say what you want, but Pederson is no better than Gase at this point
Every available coach will want the Jets job next year. They can ride Trevor’s coat tails.
To where? The Jets need a whole lot more than just a QB to make that team relevant. Lawrence may well be a start, but that’s all.
Also most cap space and a boat load of picks. Nice place to start from stratch.
Not sure how it can be a coach’s fault when you have no offensive talent. The GM is the one who should be shown the door. His draft picks are horrible
Did you watch that Monday night game? Washed up Jeffrey played over Fulgham, Sanders barely received any touches, the clock management was horrid, and a screen was called without any targets! The offense has clearly declined since Reich’s departure, which indicates the Superbowl victory probably had more to do with him than Pederson.
Even last season, the team was completely unprepared at times. They let Diggs obliterate their secondary and allowed Dallas to blow them out on SNF. Now that Wentz has regressed and Pederson doesn’t have high talent to ride on, his ineptitude is showing. I would give Howie and Wentz another year on the hot seat, but Pederson has overstayed his welcome.
Roseman made some great choices to BUILD a contender, but his management skills have been stale since the 2018-19 offseason. (Reagor over Jefferson, Arcega-Whiteside over Metcalf, and neglecting the linebacking corp are some examples). He’s had success in the past, but it is time for him to re-establish his pedigree.
I’m not sure what is wrong with Wentz. His confidence looks shaken and he’s standing in the pocket for an eternity. The makeshift offensive line doesn’t help, but I think he needs some time in the film room to sharpen his game. Hopefully he’s not damaged goods, but a young offensive mind might be able to revitalize his career. It’s like he’s going anywhere given his contract, so I would give him one last shot
He should be, you’re right. But the offense has been horrendous as well, Doug has done a horrible job managing them and much is correctable.
Duce to the rescue.
maybe they might actually use the best player on the team…more than 10 times a game…all for it
I’ve said it from the beginning Wentz is overrated they should’ve resigned Foles, traded Wentz and draft a qb
Bieniemey to the Eagles in 2021?? Another OC from KC who is an Andy Reid understudy. Seems like it could be a great fit on paper. I think Pederson has done some great things for this team and the city, and he’s certainly got his strengths. But it’s quite clear how much this team misses Reich and DeFilippo. I don’t think it’s as much a Foles/Wentz thing as it’s a product of missing Reich and DeFilippo. And people shouldn’t forget that the entire medical staff was overhauled after the Super Bowl, for a reason I haven’t heard an explanation for yet.
Should’ve never let Foles go after that Super Bowl
If the Bears decide to move on from Nagy, Pederson ( if available) will most likely be the guy they target as a replacement.
STOP WORRYING !!
Turns out he was just taking a SAUNA !!
That was pretty damn good, nentwigs.