You would be hard-pressed to find a figure in the NFL today with a more unheralded ascent to greatness than Doug Pederson.
When Doug Pederson was announced as the new head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles back in 2016, you would’ve been forgiven for not knowing it happened. The silence from the Eagles nation was deafening at the announcement of a relative unknown being given the reins of their beloved franchise after three tumultuous years under former head coach Chip Kelly.
In an off-season that featured front office upheaval across the NFL, names like Jon Gruden, Sean Payton and Ben McAdoo (shudders) were on the minds and twitter feeds of Eagles fans across the Delaware Valley. Ending up with Pederson at the end of the day felt, to many fans, like going big buck hunting and coming back with a rabbit.
Fast forward to the present day, and Pederson is the only coaching hire from the 2016 off-season who’s still standing. He’s currently regarded as, arguably, the best coach in Eagles history for bringing the coveted Lombardi Trophy back to Philadelphia.
Here’s the thing though. Pederson isn’t just arguably the best Eagles coach, he’s arguably the best coach in the entire NFC. Here’s why.