The head coach was fired after five seasons and lead the franchise to a Super Bowl title
PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia Eagles fired head coach Doug Pederson, the team announced Monday, Ending a society that awarded the first and only Super Bowl title in the history of the city.
Pederson was expected to remain as coach despite finishing the 4-11-1 season, however, multiple meetings with owner Jeffrey Lurie over the past week left his boss suspicious that Pederson had a clear vision of how address the many issues facing the team, Sources said a ESPN, From leading Carson Wentz’s situation to fixing an offense that finished in No. 26 in points scored (20.9 per game) and No. 28 in air yards (207 yards per game) in 2020.
Lurie was also unconvinced of Pederson’s plans regarding his body of attendees, sources said. Pederson pushed for air attack coordinator / quarterbacks coach Press Taylor to be elevated to offensive coordinator instead of leading to a more established candidate. The issue of how to fill the gap left by defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who plans to take a year away from American football in 2021, has not been resolved either.
– Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) January 11, 2021
“I have spent the last few weeks evaluating everything from this last year and looking to the future. We are very disappointed with the way our season ended and eager to change things, not only for the season but also for the future. of the franchise, “Lurie said in a statement. “Coach Pederson and I had the opportunity to sit down and discuss what this collective vision would look like in the future. After taking some time to reflect on these conversations, I think the best thing for both of us is to separate.
“I have known Doug and his family for over 20 years and they will always be a family to me. I have great respect for him and for everything we have achieved together over the last five seasons. Everyone in the organization understands the kind of man and coach he is and how much he means to all of us as well as to the city of Philadelphia.we all look forward to the day he is inducted into the Eagles Hall of Fame as coach in any Super Bowl winner and we are confident that you will succeed with your next team.
“But as the leader of this organization, it’s imperative for me to do what I think is best for everyone as we look to the future and move on to our next chapter. I know we have work to do to get back to where we want to be, but I also think we have an exceptionally strong group of people in this organization who can help prepare them for future success. “
Wentz had a dramatic setback in his fifth year and was replaced in the lineup by rookie Jalen Hurts during the final quarter of the season. Wentz plans to ask for a change in the offseason because his relationship with Pederson is irreparably fractured, according to league sources. Confidence issues between the two affected in both directions, sources said, all while Pederson noted recently that their relationship with Wentz was fine.
Sources describe an offensive in 2020 that had no identity, in part as a result of a sizeable and unequal group of assistants and consultants who arrived in the low season who had trouble staying on the same page. The absence of a central vision of how the offensive should look made the quarterback position uphill and all voices created a dissonance for both Pederson and Wentz, sources said.
As for Hurts, recruited in the second round of the draft last April, there was no clarity on the part of Pederson as to whether he had the feeling that the franchise had its quarterback in the future if the Eagles broke away from Wentz. . The handling of the last game of the season in which Hurts was sent to the bench for the entry of Nate Südfeld in the 20-14 defeat against Washington also left doubts as to whether Pederson had lost the confidence of his players.
Pederson became the eighth head coach to win a Super Bowl in his first two years in office when the Eagles beat the New England Patriots to win the Lombardi Trophy during the 2017 season. first of three consecutive playoff appearances for the Eagles under Pederson’s orders before everything derailed in 2020. Pederson held a 46-39-1 record for five seasons with the Eagles, including four playoff wins.
Information from Chris Mortensen was used in writing this note.