Eagles lone Super Bowl-winning coach discusses Jalen Reagor’s struggles
Sometimes, it feels like it’s been longer than 13 weeks. There are days in which it feels like Nick Sirianni has been the Philadelphia Eagles head coach for two seasons, and we’ve been watching Jalen Hurts for far longer than 16 games. We all know that isn’t the case though.
It hasn’t even been 12 months since the announcement was made that Doug Pederson, the lone Super Bowl-winning coach in franchise history, was no longer in Philly’s plans for the future. Tell the truth though. Every once in a while, it’s hard not to think about Doug’s regime and what things would be like if he and his coaches still had their fingerprints on this team.
Maybe the offense would look good with Doug calling plays, Then again, we saw Carson Wentz’s regression, and it’s hard to act like we didn’t see it. Maybe Jim Schwartz wasn’t so bad. Then again, we can’t ignore the fact that Javon Hargrave looks ten times better with Jonathan Gannon than he ever did with General Schwartz.
Nothing is perfect. Doug’s regime wasn’t. Neither is Nick’s, so maybe that’s the reason that Pederson is the perfect voice for discussing Jalen Reagor and the frustration that surrounds the second-year wideout’s struggles.
A former Eagles coach shares a much-needed take on Jalen Reagor’s struggles.
Recently, Doug appeared on the Takeoff Podcast with NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark, and on the subject of the Jalen Reagor/Nelson Agholor comparisons, something you’ve probably heard about, the man who has actually coached both of them offered a few answers.
Take a look:
"(Agholor) was getting beat up in the media, he was getting booed out of the stadium every time he walked out, and it was unfair to the player and it really felt at that time for Nelson, I thought the best thing was to take a week or two (off)… We said, ‘Let’s take one week, you’re not going to play, I want you to just work on the scout team this week, I want you to take every rep there, I want you to feel comfortable, just be relaxed, just open yourself up to the game a little bit, free your mind, free your body and soul a little bit, and let’s just see what happens."
Perhaps a week off or some time on the bench would aid in Reagor’s development. Coach Sirianni seems to disagree with that, but Pederson’s take is definitely worth a read:
"(The decision to sit Reagor) really impacted his life. Even at the end of the season, I can remember how appreciative he was of that moment. It made a big impact on his life and you can see where he’s at now, the career he’s had and is still having, and Jalen, he might be in that same situation right now."
So far, it appears that the Philadelphia Eagles’ theory is they’re better with Reagor on the field than they are without him. The fact of the matter is this though. If what we’ve been seeing from Number 18 continues, he’ll have to sit down one way or another. Perhaps it’s better that he does so while there’s still some confidence?
Perhaps Doug says it best:
"It goes back to some of the anxiety and some of the added pressure, some of the unwanted added pressure, but it’s pressure from the outside, whether it be from media, from fans, from himself, to perform and perform well… You get in situations where you start to tighten up and he’s just got to learn to relax… I’ve got a lot of faith and confidence in him because I’ve been around him long enough to know he’s one of those hard workers and he’s going to do whatever it takes to get better and to help that team win."
With that being said, there isn’t much else that needs to be said. Stay tuned. Newer chapters of the Eagles’, Sirianni’s, and Reagors’ stories will be written on Sunday.