Urban Meyer is being replaced by a Jaguars offensive-minded coach. However, he is not the choice of most people.
Doug Pederson, a former Eagles coach, has been hired. After NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport and ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the team was hiring, the team announced it late Thursday night. Pederson led Philadelphia to victory over the Patriots’ now-retired QB Tom Brady in the 2018 Super Bowl. In that game, Pederson entered coaching legend by letting Nick Foles run the trick play “Philly Philly”, also known as “Philly Special”, on fourth down, near the goal line of the first half. The Eagles won the game thanks to the play.
The magic did not last. After the 2020 season, Pederson was fired and he spent 2021 out of the league. He’s now back and inherits a potential franchise quarterback just like he did with Birds.
Why did the Jaguars choose Doug Pederson to be their head coach?
At first glance, it appears that there are two major reasons for this move. Pederson’s championship year with the Eagles and Byron Leftwich’s withdrawal. Let’s take a look at each separately.
Pederson led Philadelphia to the Super Bowl as NFC East champions in 2018, but without No. Carson Wentz, the No. 1 quarterback, was injured in his knee in Week 14 of 2017. Wentz was replaced by Nick Foles, a journeyman backup. He went 5-1 (regular and playoffs) to win the title. Pederson will be working with the No. 1 draft pick, Trevor Lawrence. Trevor Lawrence, the No. 1 draft pick, will be Pederson’s first choice. The Jaguars have also the first pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Shad Khan, Jaguars owner, stated that Doug Pederson won a Super Bowl four years ago as the head coach of a team pursuing its first world championship. I hope Doug can recreate that magic in Jacksonville. But what is certain is Doug’s proven leadership and his experience as a successful head coach in the National Football League. This is exactly what our players need. It’s the only thing that matters.
Combining this with his offensive acumen, you can see why Doug Pederson is the Jacksonville Jaguars’ new head coach.
Leftwich was hoped to be able to make Lawrence a star. The Buccaneers’ offensive coach was drafted by Jags. He was their starting quarterback for four years. Leftwich was a key player in Tom Brady’s MVP-level performance during his two seasons with Tampa. Unconfirmed reports from this week claim that Leftwich said in a job interview to Jaguars management that he didn’t want to work for Trent Baalke as general manager. Baalke has a reputation within the league of creating organizational dysfunction. Baalke was Jacksonville’s general manager when Urban Meyer was hired one year ago. Meyer played 13 games and won two. Darrell Bevell was appointed interim coach, and he went 1-3.
Doug Pederson Coaching, Playing Career
Pederson, 54 years old, was the Eagles’ head coaching coach for five seasons, going 42-37-1. After three consecutive winning seasons, including a Super Bowl record of 13-3, Pederson won two division titles and lost his job in 2020 after a 4-11-1 campaign.
Before taking over the Eagles from Andy Reid, he worked as an assistant in Philadelphia and Kansas City between 2009 and 2015. For three seasons, he was Chiefs’ offensive Coordinator (2013-15). Alex Smith was the quarterback and KC finished among the top 10 in scoring.
Carson Wentz, the second draft pick in 2016, was Pederson’s primary starting quarterback with the Eagles. They were at their best together in 2017, when Philadelphia was third in the league for points and seventh in yards.
As a player, Pederson was also awarded a Super Bowl ring. He was a Green Bay third-stringer when the Packers won in 1996. Reid was a member of Mike Holmgren’s coaching staff. Pederson completed 286 out of 522 passes during his 14-year NFL career (1991-04), for 2,762 yard, 12 touchdowns, and 19 interceptions.
