An early victory for the Philadelphia Eagles over the New Orleans Saints

The Philadelphia Eagles will wear their home jerseys when they face the New Orleans Saints in Week 11.

If Doug Pederson announced today that he was calling it a coaching career, he probably would have already earned himself a place in the Philadelphia Eagles‘ Hall of Fame. Being the first coach in team history to win the Super Bowl will do that for you. Coach Pederson’s victory tour has seen everything from standing ovations at league meetings to appearances at concerts with country music legends.

Now, we’ve learned, those of us who didn’t already know, that he has a pretty mean golf swing as well. That led to a friendly wager between two friends and NFL head coaches, a wager that Pederson won.

Wait. You didn’t think he’d come up on the losing side, did you?

How do you define a psychological edge?

There’s a statement that’s been made about Muhammad Ali so many times that it’s hard to remember who said it first. Many have credited Ali with having an innate ability to beat his opponents psychologically before he even stepped in the ring with them.

The Eagles won’t face Sean Payton and the New Orleans Saints until Week 11 of the 2018 NFL season. When they do, however, they’ll be wearing their home jerseys at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome (yes there are two stadiums carrying the Mercedes Benz moniker).

This thanks to an apparent whipping the Eagles’ head man gave Payton at the NFL Owners’ Meetings in March during the coaches’ annual golf outing. Mike Triplett, a staff writer for ESPN, was first to report on the story.

Hold up. That’s not really an edge, is it?

Okay, maybe that’s not the same level of psychological advantage that we discussed with Ali and his opponents, but in what should be a chess match between two offensive geniuses, it’s safe to say Pederson and company have an early edge.

Whether or not it has anything to do with the game’s outcome won’t be determined for a while.

Next: Would the Eagles consider trading Brandon Graham?

There’s another part of this story that isn’t getting mentioned as much. Pederson’s victory ensures his coaching staff will get some of that fine New Orleans cuisine.

That may prove to be a better prize than the jersey thing.

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