Getty Head coach Doug Pederson of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates after defeating the New England Patriots 41-33 in Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Jon Gruden announced his resignation from the Las Vegas Raiders following reports of inflammatory and insensitive emails dating back to 2011. He cited not wanting to be a “distraction” to the team, according to ESPN.
Now the talk turns to Gruden’s successor in Sin City. Assistant coach Rich Bisaccia was named the interim leader, but the former special teams coordinator might not be the long-term answer. Twitter went wild with rumors in the immediate aftermath of Gruden’s exit. The top candidate on everyone’s list? Doug Pederson. Go figure.
The move would make a ton of sense for both parties. Raiders general manager Mike Mayock knows Pederson well from his days serving as the Eagles’ preseason TV color analyst, plus he’s a Philadelphia native who attended The Haverford School.
.@Raiders have reached out to #DougPederson to be the new HC #RaiderNation
In addition to the Mayock connection, Pederson has been complimentary of the Raiders’ organization in the past. Remember, the Super Bowl-winning coach spent three seasons in the AFC West as offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs.
He was out there in 2014 when Derek Carr was drafted and had a front-row seat to watch his development. In fact, Pederson compared his young Eagles team to Carr and the Raiders during an appearance on SportsRadio 94WIP in 2016.
“I came from a division where the Oakland Raiders went out and drafted Derek Carr and some young receivers and young defensive guys,” Pederson told Angelo Cataldi. “And they struggled their first couple of years. I bet you back then they were saying, ‘Hey we’re heading in the right direction.’ They’re building something special, and that’s what I see here in Philadelphia.”
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Eagles Fans Clamoring for Pederson
Pederson’s name was trending on Twitter during the first half of the Eagles-Panthers game. Nick Sirianni’s squad was only trailing 15-6 at halftime but the offense looked inept. And the first-year head coach was getting bashed for bland play-calling.
Sirianni wouldn’t commit to the run or take any deep shots down the field. Naturally, the Philly faithful were calling for Pederson’s return. They wanted a redo for the only man to raise the Lombardi Trophy in franchise history.
Remember when Andy Reid or Doug Pederson stressed “next man up” after guys got injured? Sent a decent message about moving forward. Nick Sirianni almost seems to dwell on guys who aren’t available to him with the visor stickers. My column:
No creativity on offense, looks like the same bland play-calling from last season. Take some deep shots. Get your playmakers open in space. Somewhere, probably in Florida with a beer in his hand, Doug Pederson is laughing. #Eagles #FlyEaglesFly
Sirianni Evaluates Play-Calling, Decisions
Sirianni was asked to reflect on the way he’s handled the play-calling duties through the first five weeks. The Eagles rank 14th in total offense (1,863 yards), 15th in total points (115), and 11th in red-zone scoring (64.71%).
“Definitely want to be better in that area, in the red zone, for different reasons here and there,” Sirianni told reporters. “Also, too, just also want to be able to mix it up, run, play action, screens, pass, different circumstances call for different things in each game. I get that.”
The head coach also lamented not getting his skill players more involved, specifically the tight ends and running backs. Sirianni didn’t mention Miles Sanders by name, although the implication was clearly there. Sanders only saw 11 carries in Week 5. The feature back has just 48 carries for 214 yards and no touchdowns.
“It’s always like, ‘Man, I want to get him the ball more and I want it get him the ball and I want to get him the ball more,’ and, sometimes it’s not always that simple,” Sirianni said. “The defense dictates how that goes, too, because Jalen [Hurts] has reads within the play.”
“Everything always comes down to fundamentals and technique.”
Nick Sirianni joined the @WIPMorningShow on @SportsRadioWIP to discuss the Eagles’ win over the Panthers, the team’s red zone struggles, and more.
FULL INTERVIEW ➡️: t.co/2nboTOyIGH