DOUG Pederson has to be successful here. The franchise is in serious trouble if he isn’t. Possibly for decades to come.
Back in November of last year (2015) it was clear to me that owner Jeff Lurie was itching to fire (TIK) despite him having posted two straight 10-6 seasons as the team’s Head Coach. While I was all for (TIK) quitting (or leaving by some other means), I wrote on 11/27/15 that firing him prior to the end of his fourth season would be a mistake. Well, on 12/29/15, with a game left to go in the season, Lurie dropped the hammer.
Not only do I still think the timing was bad, but one of my fears soon came to pass. Look at the candidates who came sniffing at the Eagles vacant Head Coach position. Position coaches, and a couple retreads, but no real up-and-coming Coordinators bothered to have serious conversations here.
The fan base was hardly what you would call energized when Pederson was interviewed or hired. We didn’t hate him. In fact, I wrote that I am fully behind him. However, we recognized that Lurie was just running back to the familiar, when he hired him. Pederson was a safe choice for Lurie due to his familiarity and willingness to work with General Manager Howie Roseman, because many coaches in the NFL would not and will not.
If Pederson doesn’t work out here, then naturally Lurie will have to fire him. The problem comes with replacing him. No one wanted this job already. If we’re still trending in the wrong direction, and our biggest problem still seems to be our Front Office, then no one who is clearly worth having, will want the job. We will again have to gamble on a guy being able to grow into the role, and hope that he becomes a gem for us. This is how we ended up with (TIK), and then how we ended up with Pederson.
So we need Pederson to work out. Not just for immediate gratification, but for the long picture as well. Once upon a time the Eagles set the Gold Standard for the NFL as an organization, and that attracted both coaches and Free Agents to us. Today we’re becoming the New Cleveland Browns, as we’re now known more for the talent we lose, than the talent we acquire.
Between the coming years of missing Draft picks, an unforgiving media, and a dysfunctional F.O., our pickings to replace Pederson would likely be laughable at best. We need to be behind this Head Coach. Pederson has to be successful here. Because we are staring into an abyss if he isn’t.
EAGLEMANIACAL.com 