January 15, 2016
Now that Chip Kelly is gone, I am sad to report that the number of Eagles takes will likely dramatically decrease. San Francisco is now Take Town, USA. That said, now that the team has hired Doug Pederson as its next head coach, we can still have our takes.
Bring on the takes!
Give Pederson a chance: Paul Domowitch, Philadelphia Daily News
Like everyone else, I remember Pederson as a bad quarterback who frequently made me wonder, “Why won’t they just put in McNabb already?”
Many Eagles fans have looked at the outside of the book on Doug Pederson and already have concluded that he’s a horrible hire. Maybe you’re right and maybe you’re not. But at least give him a chance. Stop holding those nine 1999 starts against him.
Pederson probably was a fallback choice for Eagles: Jeff McLane, Philadelphia Inquirer
That title is pretty self-explanatory:
The Eagles may not have offered the position to Adam Gase, Ben McAdoo or Tom Coughlin, but they had strong interest in all three, and were prepared to make their pitch to two of them, according to several NFL sources familiar with the team's search.
Eagles' coaching search was far too narrow: Andrew Kulp, The 700 Level
Kulp thinks Messrs. Lurie, Roseman, and Smolenski should have talked to more people:
Instead, they seemingly ignored half of the candidates out there. Where were headliners Hue Jackson, Sean McDermott, Josh McDaniels and Matt Patricia? Why did reported interest in Dirk Koetter, Paul Guenther, Doug Marrone and Teryl Austin never materialize? How about some quality assistants who didn’t receive interviews anywhere, such as Mike Shula or Greg Roman? They spoke to Tom Coughlin, so why not a retread like Lovie Smith or even Mike Shanahan? Heck, give Juan Castillo a call. The more the merrier.
If the Eagles were uncertain as to who they want out of a relatively boring and anonymous field of coaches, that’s understandable. But the solution to that was to talk to everybody. Anybody. Why not give more people the opportunity to sell themselves as being the right man for the job?
‘I Think They Went With A Safe Pick’: Tim McManus, Philly Mag
Good idea by McManus to reach out to current and former Eagles for their opinions. Here is what Jeremiah Trotter had to say:
"But I think they went with a safe pick. The fact that Andy had a lot of success here and has had success in Kansas City really helped the Eagles make their decision. I think they are going to like Doug. He's a really good guy, a guy I played with. I think he's going to be a player's coach. The guys are really going to like and respect him. But this is a hard town to play in. The fans and the media, they can be tough on you. But if he can weather that storm and have success...anytime you have success, that makes everybody happy.”
Eagles rumored to be interested in Chiefs' Brad Childress as offensive coordinator: Brandon Lee Gowton, Bleeding Green Nation
We’re getting the band back together! Childress’ current job title with the Chiefs doesn’t sound real:
Eagles fans will recognize Childress as Andy Reid's former quarterbacks coach (1999-2002) and offensive coordinator (2003-2005) in Philadelphia. Childress was hired as the Vikings' head coach and served from 2006 through 2010. He spent a season as the Browns' offensive coordinator in 2012 before joining Reid's current staff in Kansas City. His current title with the Chiefs is "spread game analyst/special projects coach."
Not only has Pederson worked with Childress in Kansas City, but the former Eagles quarterback played under Childress in 1999. This would be a logical hire. Childress has extensive play-calling experience, unlike Pederson.
Winners and losers from Thursday's coaching hires: Gregg Rosenthal, NFL.com
Rosenthal puts Andy Reid in the “winners” category from yesterday, and it’s kind of hard to argue with him:
Three years after getting deposed in Philadelphia, Andy Reid will see his protege, Doug Pederson, take over the team. Lurie entered the offseason saying he wanted a coach that could stabilize the team with "emotional intelligence." Ultimately, Lurie chose to return to the same coaching tree that he chopped down a few years ago.
Pederson, currently the offensive coordinator in Kansas City, can't be announced as the team's coach until after the Chiefs' playoff run. (Look for sarcastic tweets from Eagles fans about the slow motion Kansas City offense sometime around the second quarter on Saturday in Foxborough.) Andy Reid proved he's one of the best coaches in football once again this season with the Chiefs, and the respect that Pederson has earned only furthers that reputation. With Brad Childress also possibly returning to Philly, it feels like Lurie wants a mulligan.
What Kelly, Koetter, McAdoo and Pederson can bring to new teams: ESPN Stats and Info
Under Pederson, the Chiefs have done some good things on the offensive side of the ball:
During the 2015 season, the Chiefs ranked in the top 15 in yards per play (12th), yards per rush (3rd), yards per attempt (15th) and Total QBR (7th). The Eagles were in the bottom 10 in each of those categories, including 30th in Total QBR.
Alex Smith finished with a career-high 3,486 pass yards and a 66.5 QBR. Smith went nine straight games without an interception, the longest such streak since Tom Brady went 11 straight in 2010.
Philadelphia Eagles reportedly turn to Doug Pederson as next coach: Frank Schwab, Yahoo Sports
We’re going to be hearing a lot about Andy Reid again, aren’t we?
The Chiefs aren't known to have a dynamic offense, though it has been effective, and Pederson is not a dynamic name as the Eagles' new head coach. His close connection to Reid will probably lead plenty of folks to ask why the Eagles didn't stick with Reid if eventually hiring Reid's offensive coordinator is how all of this played out.
But if Pederson can replicate some of Reid's success in Philadelphia, which included six division championships and one NFC championship, Philly fans should warm up to him quickly.
NFL hiring tracker: Eagles set to hire Pederson as Kelly lands with 49ers: Sports Illustrated
Now that they have a coach, the Eagles will have to make many personnel decisions:
The Eagles will have to determine if soon-to-be free agent Sam Bradford could enjoy an Alex Smith-like surge under Pederson’s watch. If not, Mark Sanchez will enter the off-season as Philadelphia’s No. 1 QB, at least until the position is addressed in free agency or the draft. Pederson should be able to transition the remaining offensive weapons to his system without too much of an issue—Kelly didn’t get far in swapping out the roster. DeMarco Murray could benefit in a big way.
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann
