The Eagles defeated their nemesis the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday 17-9, and with one more win next Sunday against the New York Giants, they will win the NFC East. This season every member of the Eagles coaching staff has taken a lot of heat, especially the likes of Jim and Mike Groh. A few weeks ago some fans were also starting to call for Doug Pederson's head, but I'm here to say that those thoughts have been ludicrous.
Doug Pederson has a history in Philadelphia, working his way up from Eagles quarterback to quarterbacks coach, and now to Eagles head coach. Pederson was hired as head coach of the Eagles on January 18th, 2016, and was on a mission to bring a championship to Philadelphia. He did so in record time, taking the Eagles to a 13-3 season in 2017, culminating in the team's very first Super Bowl victory with a win over the New England Patriots.
I know that the Birds had a very loaded roster and coaching can be discredited a bit because of the talent. I agree somewhat with that sentiment, but Philadelphia has a lot of great coaches that have gotten them far. Dick Vermeil got the Eagles to the Super Bowl, but they did not win it. Buddy Ryan had great teams with great rosters, but he could never do anything in the playoffs, and the same thing with Ray Rhodes from 1995-1998, his teams could never do anything in the playoffs. Rhodes teams were talented, but they just fell off of the face of the earth by having the worst season in franchise history in 1998, which led to his firing. Andy Reid from 1999-2012 had the Eagles living a dream, but most of the time, his teams could not do anything in the post-season. The Birds under Reid did get to the Super Bowl once, and the New England Patriots defeated them in a game that the Eagles deserved to win.
Doug Pederson learned a lot of good qualities playing and coaching under Reid, and I feel like the heat Pederson has taken this season is similar to what Reid dealt with in his later seasons.
The main reason I believe why Pederson must stay is because he brought Super Bowl LII to Philadelphia. I will personally admit that if we were further into the Pederson Era then it might have been a different story. For example, Jon Gruden was fired in Tampa Bay seven seasons after bringing them their first Super Bowl in the 2002 season. I think that far down the line you can not bring up past success.
Just remember that two years ago, this man brought home the Lombardi Trophy home to Philadelphia for the first time, and a season after that his team won five of its last six games to secure a playoff spot. Last season the team was essentially a dropped pass away from reaching consecutive NFC Championship Games. Now in 2019, after a rough start the team has won three straight games, and are one victory away from winning its second NFC East crown in three years.
Doug Pederson potentially has two division titles, three playoff appearances, and a Super Bowl victory under his belt in his first four seasons. Any fans that are calling for a replacement need to get a grip.
