PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 22: Head coach Doug Pederson of the Philadelphia Eagles looks on prior to the game against the New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field on October 22, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Sage Rosenfels has a message for why Doug Pederson’s style may not be effective in the long-term.
The Philadelphia Eagles are a first-place team at 3-5-1 thanks to playing in the worst division in football. Carson Wentz no longer looks like the player he once was and the offense in general managed 17 points in a loss to the New York Giants last week.
Doug Pederson has been openly frustrated and plenty of the blame is going his way. Former NFL quarterback and current analyst Sage Rosenfels spoke with FanSided about why the Eagles are struggling with their coach calling the shots.
“The Eagles are going through the same issues I see with Chicago,” Rosenfels said. “Andy Reid knockoff coaches rarely work, because they don’t have the Andy Reid magic or the superb offensive line coaching.”
Eagles and Doug Pederson lacks the special touch
To be fair, the Eagles have been decimated by injuries and Wentz is not getting much help at running back or wide receiver. Still, better coaching could help mask some of the problems.
Rosenfels brings up an interesting point and it can also be applied to coaches like Matt Patricia and Bill O’Brien from the Bill Belichick coaching tree.
He also mentions Matt Nagy who, like Pederson, is from that Andy Reid coaching tree. It is one thing to learn from a legendary coach like Reid. Replicating the success on one’s own and making split-second decisions on Sundays is a whole new battle.
We must not forget that Pederson did guide the Eagles to a Super Bowl victory just a few years ago. However, one could also argue that only happened because Nick Foles played out of his mind.
The goal now is to build around Wentz and his head coach no longer seems able to boost up his quarterback with a creative offense. Wentz’s mark of 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2020 is not exactly what the Eagles planned to pay for.
Reid also faced challenges along the way and Pederson has only been a head coach since 2016. While Rosenfels has a good point, we may need more time to see if this is on Pederson or the roster he has been given.