Tony Cutillo
As an avid Eagles follower and supporter, the question of When? will always be the point of emphasis in a Philadelphia football debate. The city and its passionate fan base is still waiting to embark on a Super Bowl fairy tale that so many other franchises have enjoyed over the years.
When is it our turn? What kind of timeline are we looking at? Do we have the right coach for the job?
Doug Pederson became the fifth Eagles head coach during the Jeffrey Lurie regime and came virtually uncontested. There was no big time candidates ready to swoop in to steal the job, nor were there any other owners just waiting to get their chance at Pederson. All it took was a phone call from Andy Reid and the Kool-Aid was flowing through the Eagles’ front office like freshly tapped alcohol during a symbolic tailgate event. Whether or not we believed his jumbled up explanation of what happened in the final Kansas City Chiefs playoff drive against the New England Patriots, Pederson and his visor were coming to Philly to rebuild “Chip’s ship.”
The Eagles came into the 2016 season with their heralded rookie, Carson Wentz, under center and a lot of question marks surrounding him. Pederson took this team of misfits and unprepared rookies to a 7-9 record. Were we expected to win? No. Was 7-9 an expected prediction? Sure. However, constant roster mismanagement and head-scratching play calls left us all questioning Lurie’s hopeful resurrection of Mr. Reid. Reid is perhaps the greatest coach in Eagles history, but still has not won the big one. His reign in this town was symbolic for many reasons, and time management quite possibly could have been number one. Consequently, those same blunders are at the top of the list when it comes to the Pederson Era so far. I know it’s only year one, but the future under Pederson is still questionable. Will this be the common flaw during his reign as well?
The NFL is full of good coaches, but only a select few have had their time to shine. Currently, the list stands at six for active head coaches who have won a Super Bowl. On this list are: Bill Belichick, Sean Payton, Pete Carroll, Mike Tomlin, John Harbaugh, and Mike McCarthy. This is a very short list and one, in my opinion, that Dougie P is nowhere near. The jury is and always will be out on him as a head coach in this league. We already know that no one was banging down the door to get a piece of him, leaving Pederson as the safe option for Lurie. Chip Kelly did his best to scare the Birds’ front office away from the hot commodity and ultimately led them back to the boulevard of mediocrity. After that whole situation blew up, the odds of the Eagles landing the next best college sensation are slim to none.
Lurie, along with Howie Roseman and Joe Douglas, will give Pederson some time to prove himself and to develop Wentz into an elite NFL quarterback. How long this period will be still remains a mystery. If we are looking at three years, isn’t it a wasted development period? In three years, the team could have a totally different makeup and Wentz could have to rebuild the core all over again. This is one of my biggest fears. A team full of constant turnover rarely exceeds expectations and that’s the last thing we want for this franchise.
All of these thoughts and opinions brings us back to the heart of the debate. Will Doug Pederson bring a Super Bowl to the City of Brotherly Love? In the words of Stone Cold Steve Austin while he enjoys a nice Budweiser on the very beginning of opposite day, that calls for an emphatic “HEEEELLLLLL NOOOOOOOOOOOO!” When they made that hire, no one in this city was excited. Instead, the phrase, “Just give him a chance,” was being echoed all around town. We are now headed into year two and my stance continuous to remain the same.
What side of the argument do you fall on?
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For fantasy purposes, all my articles are predicated upon a PPR-based system.