Is Doug Pederson becoming too much of a player's coach?

Following the off-field issues with Nigel Bradham, some of the concern in Philadelphia is that head coach Doug Pederson might be too lenient on players.

There are some concerns about head coach Doug Pederson that aren’t related to offensive and defensive preparation. Former head coach Andy Reid provided consistency with the Philadelphia Eagles and led the team for 14 years. Whether true or untrue, the perception is that the only major issues he had was managing the personalities of strong minded players like former wide receivers DeSean Jackson and Terrell Owens. For the most part, Reid was respected, but he truly had control of what was going on with his players for the majority of his tenure in Philadelphia.

More from Inside the Iggles

Chip Kelly was the exact opposite. He was more of a drill instructor. His theory was, rather than manage strong personalities, you just ship them off and replace them with guys who will kind of fall in line. That didn’t work either. The players rebelled. That would prove to be a strategy that, in the long run, would be part of the reason why his era in Philadelphia, overall, is viewed as a failure.

Then there’s Pederson, and since he’s taken over as head coach, there’s already been two major legal issues with two players that are expected to have important roles on the team in 2016. In all fairness, wide receiver Nelson Agholor wasn’t drafted by the current Eagles regime, and neither Pederson or any other member of the coaching staff are responsible for what happened with what’s happened with Nigel Bradham and definitely have nothing to do with Agholor’s decision to visit a gentlemen’s club or any occurrence that followed.

Still, in the wake of all of this, questions like “are the inmates running the asylum?” are starting to be asked. So far, there hasn’t been any disciplinary action from a team standpoint, and Pederson seems to have dismissed both incidents as guys just being guys. Here’s two clips of Pederson commenting on both Agholor and Bradham:

Is that the right approach? Most wouldn’t see anything wrong with either one, but there are also those that disagree. There are still others that have subscribed to the theory that Pederson is here to be a head coach and not to be, and this isn’t meant disrespectfully, a babysitter. Ultimately, two players on his team have clearly made bad decisions that have happened within a few weeks of each other. What isn’t needed is distraction, and when you combine potential starters, the police and that aggressive Philadelphia media, all of this can quickly escalate to one.

Next: Training Camp: 5 Philadelphia Eagles To Watch

This all needs to stop now, and Pederson, one way or another, needs to get a handle on things if he hasn’t already, and fans, players and the media need to know, without a shadow of a doubt, that the head coach and not the players are running the team. You absolutely can’t punish anyone without all the facts, but is it also fair to ask the question of whether or not these players would end up in these situations if they were concerned about the consequences? That’s the question. Do the players like the coach or do they respect him and like him?

We believe in you Doug, but every story becomes bigger when uncertainty surrounds a team. Ultimately, how Pederson manages people will be one of the biggest factors in determining how successful this Eagles team ends up being.

We’ll all be keeping an eye on this one.

Home/Eagles News

Is Doug Pederson becoming too much of a player’s coach?

By Geoffrey Knox | Jul 28, 2016

Following the off-field issues with Nigel Bradham, some of the concern in Philadelphia is that head coach Doug Pederson might be too lenient on players.

More from Inside the Iggles