Doug Pederson Is The Most Overrated Head Coach: He’s Not Good
It blows my mind how highly people think of Doug Pederson as a head coach. He’s not good. He didn’t unlock MVP level Carson Wentz, he destroyed him.
I wanted to see what the general perception of Doug Pederson is. So, I looked at three different rankings and I found he was no lower than number 15. Excuse me, what? Sports Illustrated had him at 12, Pro Football Network had him at 11, and Pro Football Focus was the lowest with Pederson at 15. I wouldn’t have Pederson in the top 20. Let me explain why.
He Brought Out The Worst In Carson Wentz
Carson Wentz had a great year in 2017 — almost an MVP year. In my opinion, Doug Pederson should get no credit for Wentz’s success. Frank Reich was the straw that stirred that drink. (Yet Sports Illustrated and Pro Football Network have Frank Reich behind Doug Pederson in head coach rankings.) When Frank Reich left, Carson Wentz’s play steadily declined, then fell off a cliff in 2020. When Wentz rejoined Reich in Indianapolis for the 2021 season, his play improved. The point? When Pederson was the one responsible for his quarterback’s development, it didn’t go well. Yes, Jalen Hurts is decent and has developed fairly well (although a large chunk of that is as a rusher). But, the fact that a quarterback who played at an MVP level regressed to the worst starter in the NFL is too big of a deal to ignore.
His Teams Are Not Prepared
Go back and watch the 2020 Philadelphia Eagles. No team looked more unprepared and undisciplined. They led the league in “snap to what the hell is going on here” plays. They had guards pulling into each other, running backs going the wrong way on play action — it was an absolute mess. I believe this directly led to Carson Wentz’s regression. As the coaching failed the team, Wentz felt he had to be superman to overcome the setbacks, resulting in more trouble for him. It was a no-win situation.
Doug Pederson has proven to us that we should have little faith in him. In fact, the only reason I believe the Jaguars might have hope is that Pederson is not Urban Meyer.
