Staff
The Eagles have, through their head coach Doug Pederson, hinted that they may have to temporarily let Nelson Agholor go. It is an undeniable fact that Agholor is a fine player, but his dismal performance this season has made people question the wisdom of keeping him on the team. Given his postgame comments after the loss in Seattle earlier this week, Agholor is just as disappointed about his performance as everyone else.
The Eagles went from 3-0 to 5-5 in a hurry, and the latest Super Bowl odds have reflected that. So what can they do? Let’s delve.
Nelson’s Nightmare Season
To say that this season has been tough for Agholor is an understatement. In the 10 games he played this season, he didn’t record more than 65 yards in any of them, and grabbed 27 receptions for 264 yards with just one touchdown. This past Sunday’s game against the Seahawks added insult to injury, as he didn’t manage to catch a single pass. He also ended up dropping a crucial pass that would’ve left him with a huge open field. The end result of the game was the Eagles squandering a golden opportunity, losing 26- 15. It was devastating for the fans and the rest of the team, but the person who felt the sting the most was Agholor. He expressed his frustration at his own pitiable performance, and apologized profusely to Eagles fans.
Although people were quick to point out Agholor’s faults, which were completely justified, they still need to cut him some slack. In the eyes of Doug Pederson, people need to recognize that the position that Agholor is in is not exactly the most enviable. He faces immense pressure both from within and the people around him. And although admitting that he succumbs to the pressure of trying to be perfect may seem easy enough to most people, experiencing that kind of pressure every single day of his life is anything but easy.
The Way Forward
According to the Eagles’ head coach, the best way to help Agholor out of this situation is to get him out of the team for a while. Using the arrow analogy, he thinks that sometimes, one needs to be pushed back a little so that they can be launched forward by an even greater force. At a news conference at NovaCare Complex, he quipped that perhaps the best approach is to let Agholor stop playing on the team for some time. This will give Agholor some much-needed time to get his act together. Pederson illustrated just how effective this approach can be using himself as an example. In 1999, he was benched as the Eagles’ starting quarterback. Although it was a step back for him, it still did help him improve his game a great deal and land a starting job elsewhere.
Pederson however insisted that no formal decision has been made about Agholor just yet, and that the final decision would be announced after a meeting to be held on Wednesday. The team however announced that Paul Turner had been promoted to the 53- man roster, and that Nelson would continue playing as usual in rotation of Turner, Jordan Matthews, Bryce Treggs and Dorial Green- Beckham.
Conclusion
One has to admire how supportive Pederson is of Agholor. He is convinced that if Agholor is relieved of the pressure to perform that is constantly weighing him down, his old self will re-emerge. And one has to admit that Pederson’s theory is a rather sound one.