Head coach Doug Pederson of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Maybe Doug Pederson was auditioning for a remake of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” last week. Someone stole his big-boy pants.
Whatever happened in Week 3, specifically that “awkward” decision to play for a tie, Pederson was back to being aggressive and ruthless versus San Francisco. The Eagles head coach had earned the fun nickname/caricature of “Big Balls Doug” in 2017 due to his propensity to go for it on risky fourth-down situations and unnecessarily opt for two-point conversions. Pederson always sided with analytics on those “calculated” decisions
“I love being touted as being aggressive,” Pederson told Sports Illustrated in 2018. “Because if I only get one opportunity in this business to be a head football coach, I definitely want to do it my way and lead my way. Calculated, not a gambler by any means, or on a whim. Very calculated and thought-out and detail-oriented.”
There you go, Doug. Big Balls is back. #Eagles convert 2-point conversion, take 8-0 road lead over the 49ers.
On Sunday, the fifth-year head coach was back to his old bag of tricks. The Eagles went for two after their first touchdown, with Carson Wentz hitting Zach Ertz to make it 8-0. Interesting side note: the Eagles announced that it was the 20th two-point conversion of the Doug Pederson era, the most in the NFL since 2016.
Pederson was just getting warmed up as he later elected to go for a 4th-and-4 at the San Francisco 36-yard line instead of kicking what would have been a 54-yard field goal. Wentz hit rookie John Hightower on a nice pitch-and-catch to pick up the first down with 8:24 left in the fourth quarter. Four plays later, Wentz hit Travis Fulgham for a 42-yard touchdown to put the Eagles up 18-14.
“That situation there, it was just, again, a decision to go,” Pederson said of the 4th-and-4. “We wanted to stay on the field. We needed to get that first down right there. Listen, I just decided to go and put the ball in our hands and trust your players, trust the decision that I made, and you just trust the call, and guys executed extremely well, got the first down, and stayed on the field.”
Wait, there was more. Pederson decided to risk it on a 4th-and-1 with 4:12 showing in the third quarter on the San Francisco 31-yard line. Wentz audibled hard and then moved the pile forward for one yard on the QB keeper. Seven plays later, Jake Elliott connected on a 35-yard field goal to cut the 49ers’ lead to 14-11.
Wentz lines up for QB sneak, fakes the shift, and the 49ers can’t get lined back up in time to stop it
First down
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Malik Jackson Moves the Ball in Viral Moment
Speaking of guys with “big balls,” Eagles defensive tackle Malik Jackson was generating viral buzz on Monday morning for a sneaky veteran move.
Jackson nudged the football back ever so slightly with the tip of his cleat as the referees were trying to sort out where to spot it near the goal line. No one saw Jackson do it. The Eagles were up by 11 points late in the fourth quarter and the 49ers were looking to pound it in from the 1-yard line.
Lmaooooooo
Every inch matters in the NFL, right? The cheating move didn’t work as 49ers running back Jerick McKinnon took it in for the score on the next play. However, Jackson’s creativity should be applauded because “if you ain’t cheating you ain’t trying.”
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‘Big Balls Doug’ Makes Triumphant Return to Eagles Sideline