Doug Freaking Pederson

Posted: June 2nd, 2018 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 1 Comment »

The Eagles did win the Super Bowl, right?

Doug Pederson is the coach, right? This isn’t some episode of the Twilight Zone?

I ask this because there are times when it all seems too good to be true. Pederson proved to be a brilliant X’s and O’s coach last year. He really came out of nowhere to become one of the best gameplanners and play-callers in the league.

The NFL just released a really cool video with Pederson, Brian Baldinger and Ron Jaworski.

This is a terrific special.

Pederson is interesting, insightful and even humble. He gives credit for Philly Special to Press Taylor. Pederson then talks about taking an idea from Chip Kelly that helps the RPOs work smoothly. There is a play from the Vikings game where Pederson came up with a wrinkle on his own and he’s embarrassed to take credit for it.

There are times when he feels too good to be real.

One Vikings DB says “They scheming us” as a complaint about how the Eagles are moving the ball so easily. That ties into something I saw in the All or Nothing special on Dallas. LB Anthony Hitchens notes that Eagles receivers are always wide open. Hearing comments like that from opposing players is about as good a compliment as an offensive coach can get. Amazing.

One of the things I loved in the piece is that Pederson mentioned he told Foles to “just pause” after the snap. There was going to be a lot happening. Foles needed to give Corey Clement and Trey Burton time to get the play going. Foles waited for a second or so. That let the defenders focus on the ball. He then went into the end zone wipe open and the play worked brilliantly.

That reminded me of another great play in a big game.

That wasn’t just a lucky play. Duke practiced that on a regular basis. In the huddle prior to the play, Mike Krzyzewski told Christian Laettner that he didn’t need to rush the shot. Coach K told Laettner he would have time to catch the ball, dribble and then shoot.

Think about how often basketball players panic at the end of games. They shoot the ball early because they have no sense of the situation.

Great coaches understand details and teach them to their players. That worked for both Coach K and Pederson, with both men winning titles.

If you get a chance to watch the Pederson special, do it. Great stuff from him, Baldy and Jaws.

*****

We’re past June 1st and that’s important for salary cap reasons.

According to Over The Cap, the Eagles now have about $5.9M in cap space.

The Eagles could go sign S Corey Graham to give the secondary better depth. They could go sign a cheap DT or possibly a LB.

They could also see about using some of the cap space for an extension. Brandon Graham would love to get a new deal.

We’ll have to see what Howie and the gang can pull off.

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One Comment on “Doug Freaking Pederson”

  1. 1 Eagles News: Philadelphia has one of the top 10 NFL players over 35 years old – Daily Gandhinagar News said at 12:34 PM on June 3rd, 2018:

    […] Doug Freaking Pederson – Iggles BlitzPederson is interesting, insightful and even humble. He gives credit for Philly Special to Press Taylor. Pederson then talks about taking an idea from Chip Kelly that helps the RPOs work smoothly. There is a play from the Vikings game where Pederson came up with a wrinkle on his own and he’s embarrassed to take credit for it. There are times when he feels too good to be real. One Vikings DB says “They scheming us” as a complaint about how the Eagles are moving the ball so easily. That ties into something I saw in the All or Nothing special on Dallas. LB Anthony Hitchens notes that Eagles receivers are always wide open. Hearing comments like that from opposing players is about as good a compliment as an offensive coach can get. Amazing. […]