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Doug Pederson ranked in bottom tier of NFL coaches by national publication

By Geoffrey Knox

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - AUGUST 27: Head coach Doug Pederson of the Philadelphia Eagles looks on against the Indianapolis Colts in the second quarter of an preseason NFL game at Lucas Oil Stadium on August 27, 2016 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - AUGUST 27: Head coach Doug Pederson of the Philadelphia Eagles looks on against the Indianapolis Colts in the second quarter of an preseason NFL game at Lucas Oil Stadium on August 27, 2016 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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This won’t be anything Eagles fans want to hear about their team’s head coach, Doug Pederson.

It’s been a little over 18 months since the Philadelphia Eagles shocked the entire NFL and their fans by hiring one of their former quarterbacks to be the head coach. The Chip Kelly experiment had long been seen to be a failure. After perusing the list of available candidates, a decision was made, and Doug Pederson was the choice to lead Philly as the team’s 22nd head coach. It wasn’t a decision that could be described as overwhelmingly popular.

Sometimes, it feels like the decision still hasn’t been accepted. Recently, USA TODAY Sports released a list ranking every NFL head coach, and Pederson finished 26th among the 32 professional head coaches. That won’t do much to ease the minds of fans who were already struggling with the idea of Pederson leading their favorite team.

Is Pederson truly in the bottom tier of NFL coaches?

Let’s be honest. No one believed Pederson was the next coming of Bill Belichick. He has to be better than Hue Jackson, Chuck Pagano and Jason Garrett right? He’s a little better than Jim Caldwell isn’t he? Apparently, that isn’t the case. Pederson finished ahead of Doug Marrone, Sean McDermott, Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay, Anthony Lynn and the leagues worst head coach, Vance Joseph.

Here’s what was said:

"Pederson’s debut season was not too different from Carson Wentz’s rookie season: It started off on a tremendous high, but as the season wore on, his flaws were slowly exposed. Jim Schwartz’s defense carried the Eagles to a 7-9 season. We need to see more creativity out of the offense in 2017."

Most conversations about Pederson have revolved around the same topics. Does anyone really believe he can lead this team to the next level? What’s going on with his playcalling? How much time constitutes him being given a fair shot?

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One thing’s certain. The Eagles brass have given every indication that the goal is to win and win right now. A playoff berth would go a long way in stating his case. That shouldn’t be seen as an impossibility in a winnable division. This team has the tools to be competitive, especially on offense, so if 2017 closes with the Eagles boasting a losing record, the criticism won’t wane any.

We’ll have to wait and see what happens.

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