Pederson won’t dwell on quelling critics
PHILADELPHIA » The inevitable question about vindication came as Doug Pederson looked down at his press podium Monday. Not that he had a problem answering, it’s just that a signal being sent from the array of digital devices in front of him was difficult to ignore.
“Somebody’s,” Pederson answered back to the media, “battery is low.”
Let history record Pederson isn’t above the occasional pregnant pause for comic effect.
As for the occasional shots of criticism that have been leveled about his coaching qualifications ... suffice to stay he intends to continue to stay above the fray on that subject.
“Listen,” Pederson said after the recorder alarm was silenced, “I don’t pay much attention to it. I’m focused on this football team, this roster, these guys. It’s a credit to the team really, the coaching staff, everybody involved to be in this situation. We’re blessed to play a great game, and we’re fortunate to be 7-1.”
It hasn’t been common coaching science that has rocketed the Birds to the best record in the NFL.
It hasn’t been Carson Wentz miracle making, or LeGarrette Blount bullrushing or Lane Johnson-led blocking or Malcom Jenkins leadershipping or Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham chaosmaking or Jake Elliott’s long-distance kicking ... or even Doug Pederson head coaching.
It’s been any and all of that; a combination of skill, hard work and yes, coaching patience and diligence that has the Eagles performing at something close enough to peak efficiency for them to have won seven of eight starts.
Of course, that hasn’t won them anything yet.
“We have a bunch of guys trying to make it right, trying to get it right,” Graham said Sunday after a 33-10 win over the hapless San Francisco 49ers. “You can only go upward from there. And I think just with the leaders on this team, Doug does a great job of explaining what we are trying to get done for the week. And we go out there in practice and we get it done. It always shows up on the field and that’s just a credit to how we practice.”
It’s also a credit to a head coach who not only knows to not bother picking his verbal battles, but has shown a quiet aptitude for preparing and motivating his players.
It’s been a long time since an Eagles team has had anything close to this kind of start. It’s also been quite a while since there’s been so much talk from the players about how much fun the ride has been, even if several of the best of them (Jason Peters, Darren Sproles, Jordan Hicks, et. al.) are out with seasonending injuries.
“Even going back to OTAs and training camp, that’s the biggest thing we stressed – that everything was a competition to some extent,” Wentz said Sunday. “We were doing stuff in the weight room competitively, out when we were doing agility drills or whatever, and then that would carry into practice, too.”
But there are potential roadblocks to the ride as the second half looms, beginning with another home game Sunday against the Denver Broncos.
The Eagles face a more difficult opponent with the knowledge that the pass protection was not good enough the previous week against the 49ers, the first game after Peters blew out his knee.
From line breakdowns to some effective 49ers blitzes, Wentz was on the run too much, especially in the first half. He was sacked three times then, suffered several more hits and held onto the ball too long a few more times than normal ... which for Wentz is too often.
That the 49ers’ rush-athon fell short of its early effectiveness in the second half was a good sign. But against the Broncos and certainly against the Cowboys (after the bye week), allowing Wentz to continue feeling such heat is eventually going to drag down the Eagles’ offense.
So you get the idea Pederson and his bosses are already working to do something about that.
For starters, it should be expected that Howie Roseman make a move made to bolster the line with the addition of a tackle, but he has to move fast as the NFL trading deadline looms Tuesday at 4 p.m.
“I like where we’re at right now with our roster, the way guys are playing,” Pederson said Monday. “We’re always looking, obviously. I’m not going to leave it out of the question, but at the same time, the guys that we have in this locker room, we’ve got a lot of confidence in, and we go forward from there.”
Although it would seem the Eagles need blocking help, Pederson admitted he was concerned about messing too much with team chemistry.
“It’s got to be the right fit,” he said. “It can’t just be anybody. From my standpoint, you don’t want to disrupt the chemistry that is going on in the dressing room right now. And those guys are playing with a lot of confidence, and they’re rallying around each other. So it would have to be a pretty special fit to make it work.”
*** As for that trade deadline, two ESPN reports Monday revealed the Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars making inquiries as to the rights to former Detroit Lions star receiver Calvin Johnson.
“Megatron” hasn’t played since 2015, but he’s only 32, and had 88 receptions for 1,214 yards and nine TDs for Detroit in his last season.
Presuming it wouldn’t take him too long to get up to playing speed adding Johnson to any receiver corps would be a huge boost.
But regardless of salary implications, the Eagles seem to have a well stocked group of receivers — especially if Torrey Smith can start contributing more — and have other priorities (read: left tackle) when it comes to movement before the trade deadline.
Johnson hasn’t exactly been publicly promoting the idea of ending his retirement, either (though his agent might be). But on the other hand, his best days with the Lions came under head coach Jim Schwartz, now the Eagles’ defensive coordinator. So there’s that.
*** Doug Pederson confirmed that cornerback Patrick Robinson, knocked out early from the 49ers game, is in the concussion protocol. If he’s lost to the team for the Broncos game, that might expedite an upgrade in the injury report status of Ronald Darby (ankle).