Report: Eagles' brass 'ridiculed and criticized' Pederson's decision-making
Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and general manager Howie Roseman "ridiculed and criticized" every decision former head coach Doug Pederson made, a source told Sheil Kapadia, Bo Wulf, and Zach Berman of The Athletic.
The former Eagles head coach was brought in for weekly meetings. During those sessions, the Eagles' top lieutenants criticized his in-game decisions, and the outcome of the previous contest didn't matter. Pederson was treated "like a baby," a source told The Athletic.
"If you won by three, it wasn't enough. If you lost on a last-second field goal, you're the worst coach in history," The Athletic's source said.
The Eagles fired Pederson after a 4-11-1 showing in 2020, but his tenure was very close to ending the year prior as well.
Lurie demanded his head coach fire former offensive coordinator Mike Groh and wide receivers coach Carson Walch following the 2019 season, an order Pederson fought against. Pederson was then given a 24-hour window to terminate his coaches or be fired himself, The Athletic adds. Groh and Walch were dismissed the following day.
Members of the Eagles organization believed Lurie was planting the seeds for Pederson's dismissal in 2017 too, The Athletic notes. The executive met for a long time with former defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz before the season opener, leading some to feel Lurie was grooming the coordinator to take over if Pederson struggled out of the gate. The Eagles went on to win the Super Bowl in 2017 after a 13-3 campaign.
Philadelphia's brass also often wasn't united on personnel decisions. Lurie is an "active participant" in the pre-draft process, while Roseman influenced the gameday status of players and playing time, according to The Athletic. The Eagles have been questioned about their personnel decisions after drafting Jalen Reagor, Jalen Hurts, and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside in recent years.
The team brought in Nick Sirianni to replace Pederson, and Hurts is expected to become the full-time starting quarterback following the Carson Wentz trade.
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