September 27, 2016
Sometimes it's hard to exactly quantify the impact a head coach has on his team. But there's no doubt that Doug Pederson has played a huge role in the Philadelphia Eagles being one of the five remaining undefeated teams in the NFL.
How, then, has someone with just three years experience at the coordinator level, a guy many were less than thrilled with when the Eagles hired him over the winter, spent the first month on the job looking more like Don Shula than David Shula?
The answer, as you might expect, isn't simple and will vary depending on who you ask. It's a combination of things, a confluence of events that have not only put Pederson in a place to succeed, but also one that allows the rookie head coach to play to his strengths while relying on those around him to fill in the blanks.
And, whether you want to admit it or not, there's been a little luck involved -- had Teddy Bridgewater never suffered a season-ending injury during the preseason, Carson Wentz would likely have spent the first three weeks of the season inactive rather than taking the NFL by storm.
With that in mind, let's take a look at a few of the reasons Pederson has found so much early success, focusing on the things he can actually control and not just how things play out on the field on Sundays.
Unlike his predecessor, Chip Kelly, Pederson is a former player. And while you may think that is just one of those things people say to bolster a coach's resume, it's one of the things that immediately helped Pederson win over the locker room. Here's what WR Jordan Matthews had to say following their Week 1 win over the Browns:
“I felt like Coach Pederson went out there and he did his thing. Like I said, the best thing about Coach Pederson is just his authenticity. He’s played the game and not only has he played the game, but he’s been in our shoes. And when I say ‘our shoes,’ he’s played in the city of Philadelphia.
"Playing in the city of Philadelphia - it’s not like any other sports state. When they’re playing football in here, it maximizes that much more. So he’s been in those trenches before. When I see him, it’s not even as much as I see a coach, it’s like ‘Yo Pops, I got you.’ That’s a blood brother right there, no different from those guys in the locker room.
"Sometimes Coach Pederson doesn’t even have to say much. We already feel that family vibe from him so we just really want to go out there and win for him. I feel like that’s his best asset. I felt like he called a great game. Obviously he’s going to be hard on himself too. He’s going to make sure he goes back and corrects some things. But at the same time as a collective unit as need to just hone in realize it’s one game, put it behind us and get ready for Chicago.”
See, not only has Pederson been on the other side, but he's done it in Philly. He knows exactly what these guys are going through. Therefore, at least according to Matthews and others, that makes him just one of the guys.
When things are going well -- and they clearly are at the moment -- Pederson's background may not have a huge impact. What it will do, however, is help when things aren't going quite as smoothly. Remember how quickly players began jumping off the Chip Ship as soon as they hit some rough weather? I'm not saying all the players will go down with Pederson like the captain in "Titanic," but they certainly won't go all Billy Zane on him.
I picture them more like the string quartet huddled on the deck playing "Nearer My God to Thee." And that's just fine.
Don't let his Georgetown education and aviator sunglasses fool you; Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz is a bad man, the kind you don't cross unless you want to be put in your place. But he's also been arguably the greatest reason for Pederson's success. He's experienced, successful, and knows exactly how to dial up a blitz when it's needed.
As a result, Pederson hasn't had to worry one bit about his defense, allowing him to instead focus on the development of Carson Wentz and the team as a whole. The coach has said before that Schwartz has autonomy over the defense, but when he was asked about it on Monday, it was still surprising (and somewhat refreshing) to hear just how little input he has on defense.
"I don't spend any time with [Schwartz] game planning," Pederson said. "That's not my side of the ball. That's not my expertise. But we do communicate. We communicate on the practice field during the week on certain things, whether it be personnel or packages that he's wanting to put in, how many reps we might be giving a guy or something like that. We're constantly talking that way. "
"But it’s a comforting thing for me knowing that he's called a lot of games in the National Football League as a defensive coordinator. He's [also] been in my position as a head football coach. It's just kind of turn that side over to him and let him roll. He's got those guys playing great right now."
Great might be an understatement. The Eagles defense leads the league in points allowed and has yet to allow a passing touchdown all season. In fact, opponents are averaging just nine points and less than one offensive touchdown per game.
There are two things needed to make a relationship such as this a successful one: First, you need a coordinator who is experienced, and with a resume that includes head coaching experience, Schwartz is certainly that guy. Second, and more importantly, you need a head coach whose ego will allow him to fully hand over control of one side of the ball to an assistant -- and not just any assistant, but one who ultimately has the credentials to be your replacement should things go south.
What it's allowed Pederson to do from an offensive play-calling and game planning perspective also can't be overlooked.
For the record, Andy Reid never interfered with Jim Johnson's running of the defense.
— Paul Domowitch (@pdomo) September 26, 2016
So far, it couldn't be working out any better for the Birds.
Doug Pederson doesn't subscribe to the Herman Boone coaching philosophy.
Remember the Snow Bowl? Remember how the Eagles stormed back in the second half to rout the Lions in one of the signature wins of the Chip Kelly era? Do you remember anything else about that game?
Kelly was praised following the win because of an in-game adjustment he made based on something the players on the field, specifically Cary Williams, suggested to their coach. Here's how Kelly recalled that interaction back in 2013:
“It was funny, Cary Williams was the one who came up to me, and he was like, ‘Coach, this is what you’ve got to do because you can’t make up speed if the guy makes a stick move on you just because of the footing,’” Kelly said. “Cary was kind of the one, and it’s coming from a defensive guy saying, ‘Hey, if you have an opportunity to either throw a post or throw a corner route, it’s hard to make that up.’ Finally we hit Riley [Cooper] on it. It was almost like that kind of got us going, got our confidence back a little bit, and then we got rolling there.” [phillymag.com]
Kelly received praise for his willingness to adapt his gameplan based on what the player on the field were telling him, especially given the absurd weather condition in which they were playing. It was something he was deserved credit for, but as far as this writer can tell, that was the first and last time Kelly was that open to such advice.
Pederson, on the other hand, has been quietly doing that all along.
"I listen to players all the time, all the time," he said after the win over the Steelers. "I listen, obviously being mic'd up and talking to some of the players and just building those relationships and those bonds with those guys. In the course of the week, practice and preparation, and then obviously in-game situations, I think as a head coach or as a coach in general, if you are not listening to your players [it's a problem] – because they are the ones that are playing the game.
"And it happened yesterday. We were able to make adjustments based on the information they were telling us. We see it from a different perspective, but they are playing the game. We are able to make adjustments based on that information. I think it's valuable. For me, I just think it's important personally to listen to the guys and take all the information in."
This ties in to Pederson's willingness to let Schwartz run the defense on his own. He's always listening, always trying to find the best answer, whether it's his, one of his coach's, or a player's.
One thing that Pederson had going for him is the fact that almost nobody was expecting things to start quite this well for the Eagles. The burden of great expectations is one of the hardest to overcome in sports and becomes increasing more dangerous when they're unwarranted. But after three weeks, the Eagles are already halfway to the win total projected by many writers and so-called experts, including me and my colleagues.
That allowed the Birds to fly under the radar throughout the preseason, even after they traded Sam Bradford to the Vikings and named Carson Wentz the starting quarterback. Now? There's a definitely target on their back, one the will increase in size with each passing win.
How is Pederson planning on dealing with that?
"We just have to approach it the same, one day at a time," he said Monday. "That's the way this business goes. You are on top of the world one minute, and you can be at the bottom of the heap the next. Just got to keep things even-keeled and can't get too high, can't get too low. Approach it the same. Like I mentioned earlier, you can't substitute for hard work. That pays off on Sundays. We just have to stay the course. Again, a lot of football left."
But with the Eagles heading into the bye and essentially having a week off from work, there's a danger of players letting this unexpected success go to their heads. Pederson also has a plan for that.
"The biggest thing is complacency," Pederson said when asked about the dangers of success on a young team. "You think you've arrived. You think you are all that. When that creeps in, that's when you get beat. It's my job not to let that creep in. I've got to keep the guys focused and grounded. I told them this week they're going to travel and go home and people are going to pat them on the back and say how great they are.
"But next Monday, I'm going to tell them, ‘Hey, we're back to work. We're zero and zero. This is game one and let's go.’ That's just the way it has to be. You are building for one ultimate goal and that's a few weeks down the road. That's what you are trying to get to. But you can't get there unless you take care of the next opponent. It's my job to keep them focused that way."
He's trying to keep his team level-headed -- certainly more level-headed than the fanbase at large -- and that's going to help when the team eventually loses a game.
This isn't entirely a credit to Pederson, but he's certainly played a role in Wentz's early success, just as Wentz has helped his coach. But the fact that basically everyone is on board with the rookie QB has a lot to do with the coach's confidence in him.
And the winning certainly helps too.
"Obviously, just the way he plays," Pederson said when asked how Wentz has impacted the coaching staff. "He's so aggressive on the field. When I say aggressive, it’s not necessarily from a physical standpoint, but from a mental standpoint. His personality, I mean, he's always constantly smiling. It's infectious. Guys have gravitated to that.
" I think there was maybe, you know, three weeks ago when I named Carson the starter, there were obviously some eyebrows raised. But now these guys have bought in. They have bought in. They've got the leader of the football team. You saw it yesterday. You watch the tape and you see it on film.
"These guys, these veteran players, have really embraced it. They will do anything they can for a guy like that."
And, at least to this point, it seems like those same players will do anything they can for their new coach.
