Flawed Message

Doug Pederson knows there is blood in the water. He can sense the sharks gathering every time he goes through a press conference and is asked tough question after tough question. That’s what happens when you’re 4-10-1. You have to face the heat. This isn’t the time for softballs.

When asked about the future, Pederson turns to the past. He wants to talk about making the playoffs in three straight years (2017-2019). Pederson mentions the Super Bowl, as he should. That’s an accomplishment that carries tremendous weight and should factor into every decision.

The problem is that Pederson doesn’t seem to want to deal with reality. Jeff McLane asked him a tough question about the team’s demise since winning it all. Pederson gave a snarky reply thanking McLane for his support.

Guess what, Doug…McLane isn’t here to support you. No member of the media is. Their job is to report what happens, sometimes offering their opinions on the subject at hand. They are not cheerleaders. Nor should they be. Yikes.

McLane’s point is dead on the money.

2017 – 13-3 – Super Bowl champs

2018 – 9-7 – 2nd in division…won playoff game, lost by 6 points in divisional round

2019 – 9-7 – won NFC East (only team w/ winning record) … lost by 8 in wildcard round

2020 – 4-10-1 – will finish last in one of the worst divisions in NFL history

You can point out the playoff appearances, but they need context. Clearly this team is going in the wrong direction. I don’t see how that is remotely up for debate.

Pederson talked about injuries as a factor. He’s right. The Eagles have been hit as hard as anyone in the league over the past three years. What we don’t know is if this is purely bad luck or the organization has some fault. Is this the Football Gods making the Eagles pay for winning the Super Bowl? Is this a roster that has too many old players, a questionable medical staff and a mixture of bad luck?

The Niners are the most injured team in 2020. They are 6-9 and play in a better division than the Eagles. That team has done a better job of overcoming injuries and making the most of the players they have. They are better coached.

Pederson talked about the need to focus on fundamentals and having a full offseason. No one would dispute that a full offseason would help this team in a big way. But there are 31 other teams out there that would also benefit. Jimmy Bama asked Pederson about the fact the Eagles had the only returning coaching staff in the NFC East and somehow are at the bottom of the division. The other coaches had to install schemes, evaluate players and learn on the fly. Those three teams are all looking down at the Eagles.

Fixing this team goes well beyond improved fundamentals. Fixing this team goes beyond one person or facet of the organization.

My big concern with Pederson right now is that he’s not communicating that message to the public. He might be saying the right things behind closed doors, but he’s saying the wrong things to the media. That makes me wonder if he truly gets it. Instead of asking if he’s got the answers, we should probably be asking if he knows the questions. The more Pederson talks, the more my concern grows.

I understand that he can’t throw everyone under the bus. I’m not looking for that. He just sounds way too simplistic when talking about the future. When you factor in the fact this team has been going in the wrong direction for a few years, that becomes a major issue.

Watch Pederson’s press conference. See if you feel differently.

Watch live as Head Coach Doug Pederson speaks with the media. https://t.co/JAgm2SdycG

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 28, 2020

This is going to be an important and complicated offseason for a variety of reasons. The Eagles need to understand the problems they are facing and have a clear plan for how to address them. That’s on Jeff Lurie, Howie Roseman and Pederson. We haven’t heard from the other two so we focus on Pederson.

I hope Lurie understands just how bad this season is.

• Last place in one of the worst divisions in NFL history
• Wins over Nick Mullens, Ben DiNucci, Taysom Hill. Daniel Jones is the only starting QB the team has beaten
• Eagles have trailed by at least 10 points in 11 of 15 games this year (not just a play or two away)
• Serious problems on offense, defense and STs
• Underachieving players all over the depth chart
• Three Pro Bowl players were all drafted between 2010-2012

I hope Pederson understands what a mess this is. I can’t tell if he does and is just covering to protect his players and coaches or if he’s truly delusional and thinks things are actually that bad.

A week from now we’ll start to get some answers or at least some hints.

Until then let’s just focus on fundamentals and see how that goes.

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