Adrian Fedkiw
Doug Pederson continues to be the opposite of Chip Kelly, even when handling the media.
But is that a good thing?
Kelly remains persistent in his attempt to deflect all of the blame away from himself when pertaining to the dumpster fire that was the 2015 Eagles, while Pederson has been unbearingly honest when fielding questions from reporters.
He doesn’t contort the truth and isn’t snarky the way Kelly is. He doesn’t possess the “I’m smarter than you” mentality. It’s refreshing, but as Philly.com’s Jeff McLane explained in his story Monday, it’s led to some head-scratching answers from the first-year head coach.
Check them out, starting with his NFC Coaches Breakfast response about whether the starting left guard is on the current Eagles roster.
Asked if the Eagles’ starting left guard was on the roster, Pederson said, “Yeah.” Asked the obvious follow-up – “Who?” – Pederson said, “Jason Peters and Jason Kelce and [Malcolm] Bunche is in that group.”
Clearly, Pederson had a momentary lapse, but he had already had similar gaffes. Asked a few weeks earlier about why the Eagles traded Murray, Pederson initially mentioned free agency before correcting himself and noting that the running back wasn’t a free agent.His answer during his introductory new conferences to a query about his involvement during the Chiefs’ final drive in their playoff loss to the Patriots also didn’t inspire much confidence about his ability to react on his toes.
Pederson’s news conference aptitude is hardly how he will or should be judged. He’s never been an NFL head coach before and should be given time to mature. But his early goofs are further proof that he failed to impress during his only interview with the Eagles, as several sources familiar with the meeting have told the Inquirer.
Pederson winning over his players is obviously going to be a lot more important than winning a silly news conference. He’s just learning the ropes. I remember Pederson’s response to the left guard question and how he hesitated for five seconds before answering it. It was a clear lie, especially when he threw Malcolm Bunche’s name into the mix as a potential starting left guard.
Pederson has yet to learn the art of manipulation.
His answer about the Kansas City Chiefs’ final drive against the New England Patriots left much to be desired. His brutally honest response made me seriously question his clock management ability, which was obviously not Andy Reid’s strength when he was in Philadelphia.
Then there’s Chip and his defense tactics.
Roseman has been culpable for his part in the dysfunctional front office. Kelly absolved himself of nearly everything that happened last year.
He “didn’t ask” for final say. He “never saw” Roseman. He “never was a GM.” He “never ran personnel.” He “never negotiated a contract.” Asked if his offense had become vanilla, he said, “You look at statistics, I don’t think so.”
Told that the Eagles increasingly got worse in yards and points per drive over three years, he said that you had to “look at where we were from . . . a health standpoint.” In regard to player complaints about his demeanor, he said, “You just can’t say, one person said one thing so I’m going to change.”
Typical Chip.
I thought the utter failure that was 2015 might’ve humbled Kelly, that it would’ve made himself look in the mirror and learn from his transgressions. And maybe he is doing so behind closed doors, but he hasn’t shown that side to the public. To them he’s still the same cocky, brash, arrogant bullshitter that he’s always been.
Two different coaches.
Two different ways of handling the media.