It’s been a long season. The prestigious ‘Coach of the year’ award beckons and for the Philadelphia Eagles, the man running the show may well be a candidate. Sure, names like Sean McVay will spring to mind due to the incredible turnaround, but the adversity Pederson had battled through is simply remarkable.
But we don’t need to look into statistics for this. We don’t need to look into how Pederson has acted when he lost a star player, just to see the mettle he is made of. We don’t need to dive into every suspension or setback the team faced and how they responded. All you really need to do if you want to see what Doug Pederson represents, is just look at one quote. The one he gave today.
The Eagles are set to play the Oakland Raiders at Lincoln Financial Field on Monday…and in case you maybe forgot what time of year it is, that’s Christmas Day at 8:30PM. So how will Pederson handle the situation
“I think it’s important that they spend time with their families Christmas morning, so I’m giving them an opportunity.” Pederson explained on Saturday. “I pushed the schedule back just a little bit. We don’t play obviously till eight [o’clock]. Yeah, I think it’s important that the coaches and players [spend time with their families].
Listen, you don’t get these times back. You don’t get them back. It’s too important to me, my family. I want to make sure these players with young kids, coaches with young kids, they get a chance to spend Christmas morning together.”
That’s right. There’s more to life than just Football…and as a former player, Doug Pederson understands that. As opposed to allowing the families of 53 players and a ten man practice squad be without maybe a Brother, a Father, a Husband, a Partner, the Eagles Head Coach is allowing his players to have Christmas morning with their loved ones. A special, yet subtle touch that while simple, isn’t a common occurrence in these situations. A touch of humility from Doug Pederson just further goes to show why his players love playing for him.
The Eagles sudden rise to the top of the NFC pecking order is no coincidence. Sure, they were captained by a phenomenal franchise quarterback, but in games where all seemed lost, or moments where the winds of change swept so powerfully that they would unrattle even the most buttoned up of teams, they fought on. Why? Because the Eagles believe in their coach and his vision for this team…and that all comes full-circle. The Eagles believe in Pederson, because he believes in them. Not their stats, not their production, but his players as people.
“One of my favorite things about Doug is one of his biggest mottos, “let your personality show”. Trey Burton said in an exclusive interview with us earlier this year. “You don’t hear coaches say that very often. They don’t want crazy things to happen. Doug used to say that all the time and everytime he would say that, to me personally it gave me peace. It would calm me down and let me be who I am, instead of being like a robot and trying to impress a coach who likes a tighter ship.”
The Eagles may not have a tight ship, but they do have a fleet of warships.
Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
