It’s Time to Start Recognizing Doug Pederson as One of the NFL’s Top Coaches
The offseason is a few months underway, which means some notable head coaching rankings are being posted by numerous media outlets. In those rankings, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson is still being underrated, despite being very successful over the past few seasons.
This is far from the first time that Pederson has been overlooked by others in terms of the hierarchy of NFL head coaches, too.
Back when Pederson was hired by the Eagles in 2016, he was ranked as the worst coaching hire of the offseason by ESPN. Pederson was one of six head coaches to be hired that offseason, with the others being Hue Jackson (Browns), Chip Kelly (49ers), Adam Gase (Dolphins), Dirk Koetter (Buccaneers), and Ben McAdoo (Giants).
After just one season in Philadelphia, another notable person in the media decided to take a shot at Pederson, but this time, it was even more bold.
Mike Lombardi, who worked in the NFL for 32 years, even for the Eagles at one point as Director of Pro Personnel, called Pederson the least qualified head coach he’s ever seen in his time in the NFL.
Here is more from Lombardi’s piece about Pederson:
“Now, everyone knows Pederson isn’t a head coach. He might be less qualified to coach a team than anyone I’ve ever seen in my 30-plus years in the NFL,” Lombardi said. “Pederson was barely a coordinator before he became head coach.”
Lombardi continued slandering Pederson, saying only one person could protect Pederson from being fired.
“Look, the Eagles looked increasingly sloppy and unprepared as the 2016 season limped along. That ain’t changing in ’17. Only Carson Wentz can save Pederson’s job, and Wentz actually got worse during his rookie year, not better,” said Lombardi. “When will the Eagles admit their mistake? Will they throw away 2017 by stubbornly sticking to the Pederson Principle?”
Now, after finishing his third season with the Eagles, Pederson has safely proved Lombardi, the ESPN ranking, and all of the other doubters wrong.
Pederson is the last head coach standing from the 2016 hiring class. In 2017, the Eagles didn’t throw away the season, but instead 13 regular season games, which completely shuts down what Lombardi believed.
Not only did they win 13 games, but the Eagles went on to win the Super Bowl, without Wentz for the record, who was supposed to be Pederson’s savior.
Pederson has certainly earned some respect around the football world and even received an apology from Lombardi, be he is still being disrespected a bit.
“Sporting News” released a 2019 NFL coach ranking, and Pederson finished seventh on the list. Seventh isn’t bad, but considering some of the names who are ahead of him, that ranking is unjust.
Ahead of Pederson is…
1. Bill Belichick
2. Sean McVay
3. Sean Payton
4. Andy Reid
5. Pete Carroll
6. John Harbaugh
The most glaring coach that was ranked ahead of Pederson was McVay.
The Eagles and Rams have faced each other twice under Pederson and McVay. The Eagles are 2-0 in those games, which were both in Los Angeles, and they outscored the Rams 73-58.
The Eagles and Rams also both faced the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. The Eagles came out victorious, winning 41-33, while the Rams played arguably their worst game of the season, losing 13-3.
Pederson has yet to lose to McVay, and Pederson had his team far more prepared for what can be considered the biggest game of their lives, which is more than enough alone to rank Pederson higher.
Another coach Pederson can be ranked higher than is Harbaugh. Since 2016, the Ravens have a record of just 27-21, while the Eagles are 33-20. Pederson has also won four playoff games in that time, while Harbaugh led the Ravens to just one playoff appearance in that time, losing that game at home.
Harbaugh’s time in the NFL is noteworthy, but Pederson has done enough in his first three seasons as a head coach to surpass him.
Injuries are part of football and shouldn’t be used as an excuse, but considering some of the cards Pederson has been dealt, it’s impressive what he’s been able to do with the Eagles.
In 2017, Pederson lost his star quarterback in Wentz, who was on pace to win MVP, for the season. For most teams, that would mark the end of the road and lead to a quick end to the teams season. Instead, Pederson kept his team focused and motivated, and perfectly drew up plays to Nick Foles’ liking, which made him very comfortable, allowing him to lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl victory.
In 2018, Pederson’s offense got imploded in terms of health. Wentz missed the first two games of the season along with the final three games of the regular season. Running backs Jay Ajayi and Corey Clement were both lost for the season, along with Darren Sproles missing a significant amount of time due to injury, leaving the Eagles with Wendell Smallwood and Josh Adams as the running backs for a large chunk of the year. On the offensive line, Jason Peters dealt with torn biceps, Isaac Seumalo missed three games due to injury, Jason Kelce was forced to play with a partially torn MCL, a broken foot and a torn elbow, Brandon Brooks tore his Achilles (in the final game of the season), and Lane Johnson played with a strained MCL.
The Eagles were also just 6-7 at one point, coming off a crushing overtime loss on the road against the Cowboys, with the season looking bleaker than ever. Despite that, Pederson told his players to stay locked in, because anything could happen. Thanks to that, the Eagles ripped off three straight wins to finish the season, narrowly making it into the playoffs for consecutive seasons.
Not too many coaches have had to face as much adversity as Pederson. Looking at the big picture, since 2016, Pederson should be a lock as a top-five coach in the NFL.
Nowadays, teams are making head coaching hires in hopes of finding the next “Sean McVay”. Instead, teams should be looking to find the next “Doug Pederson”.
Pederson’s job in Philadelphia has been far from easy, and yet, he has been able to lead the Eagles to places they had never been to before. Pederson may not be the best coach in the NFL, but he is completely deserving of being ranked close to the top of the list.
Featured Image: Matthew Emmons/USA Today Sports
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