Doug Returns to A Town that Will Always Love Him.
This weekend, when former Eagles-All Pro Running Back LeSean McCoy is inducted into the Eagles Hall of Fame — the former Quarterbacks Coach for one of those great Eagles teams will be on the opposing sideline. That Coach is Doug Pederson.
Doug Pederson didn’t Coach here for fourteen seasons like Andy Reid. He didn’t install a revolutionary offensive system that has changed the NFL. He did, however do what no Eagles Coach has done in Philadelphia, ever.
He won Philadelphia its first Super Bowl.
In thirty-one seasons of owning the Philadelphia Eagles, Jeffrey Lurie has proven that once he determines that a change is needed in Eagles leadership — he doesn’t hesitate. He acts decisively.
When Lurie bought the Philadelphia Eagles in 1994 — he gave Rich Kotite one season for evaluation. And then fired him. Kotite was then hired by the Jets. After three-seasons of Ray Rhodes approach to acquiring and putting hard-to-find NFL talent into successful positions but being unable to advance past the NFC Divisional Playoffs — he was gone in 1998.
After three seasons of Chip Kelly’s revolutionary offense that taxed the Eagles defense and a power-hungry campaign to take over the Novacare Complex — Kelly was out. Even Andy Reid — who transformed the Eagles organization from on the cusp to conference championship contenders— was not immune to Lurie’s quick decision-making.
After the 2020 NFL season — which saw an embarrassing 4–11–1 Eagles Team appear to surrender in a 20–14 loss that gave the Washington Commanders the NFC East Crown by replacing Jalen Hurts with Nate Sudfeld — Lurie and Pederson began a series of meetings about the future of the team including in South Florida. The result was the Eagles moving on from Doug.
Things aren’t going much better for Pederson in Jacksonville — who has been Head Coach since February of 2022. His 2024 Jacksonville Jaguars are 2–6, and his recent games seem ions away from the boldness that he showed in Super Bowl LII with the Eagles. But like his bronze statue outside of Lincoln Financial Field calling perhaps the most iconic play in Eagles history on the NFL’s largest stage — Doug will also be a hero in Philly.
Even if he does describe us as “hostile.”
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