Doug Pederson will have mine and all Eagles fans’ respect for life for bringing the city their first Lombardi trophy, but it was time for Doug to go. 

Just 3 years after Doug Pederson led an undermanned team to the Eagles’ first Super Bowl win, he has been fired. Making the playoffs 3 of their last 4 years under his leadership, the state of the team looked great until this season. It was a rather unceremonious firing, as rumors were kicked up in the weeks leading up to his dismissal. 

Pederson had lost the locker room. After the season finale, reports started swirling that multiple players had approached him aggressively, needing to be held back by other teammates. The fact that this was even a report is concerning, as there should never be these types of rumors going around if you’re the head coach of a football team. With the Wentz/Hurts debate, the locker room was essentially split in two, which is yet another sign that Pederson had lost control of his locker room and was struggling to gain it back.

Since the 2017 season, the team has steadily declined year by year. The quality of play looked worse, results on the field looked worse, and standings looked even worse. The Eagles had one of the worst drop offs for a championship defending team in league history. The team was one of the most feared in the 2017 season, and in just one year with little change to the roster, the team declined notably. The failure of Pederson to hire the right assistants and be internally vocal with the types of players he wanted just showed a general disinterest in the job, which was also backed up by some reports. 

Philosophically, Pederson and owner Jeffery Lurie did not see eye to eye in terms of the future. Pederson is still a good coach, who will be sure to find some success at another team. The Eagles just need a fresh start. A head coach who will bring a new culture to the team, coach Carson Wentz and push him to be the MVP caliber player he was in 2017. A coach who pushes his players to be the best and make them work hard. Just a fresh face in general. 

The Eagles’ fan base thanks you, Doug, for everything, but it is time to move on.