When Doug Pederson arrived in Philadelphia, there was a huge sigh of relief. No Eagles fan wanted to continue through the Chip Kelly tenure after he tore apart the team and lost his locker room. After his firing, many in Philly we’re looking for another big name, and when Doug was brought in officially as head coach the entire city was skeptical. A guy with no head coaching experience is rarely the fan favorite, and that was no different in this instance.
Proceeding the media scrutiny in the offseason, Doug and Howie began to build the team and culture that we have seen this season. His first draft went well, drafting key players Carson Wentz, Jalen Mills, and more. After springing Wentz right into the starting lineup the team impressed early before faltering late and ending up with a 7-9 record, missing the playoffs.
Fast-forward to this season, the additions of Alshon Jeffery, Derek Barnett, Ronald Darby, Jay Ajayi, and more have helped this team tremendously. This needed talent combined with a winning mindset has catapulted the Eagles quickly into the class of the NFL. Carson Wentz seems to have really embraced the coaching staff, and the new players around him. The in-game adjustments the coaching staff has made has really been something we weren’t used to with Chip, and almost any difficult situation the team is faced with they have an answer for.
Sure, the Eagles haven’t had the toughest schedule, but all they’ve done thus far is take care of business. These next two weeks will say a lot about the team, and what to expect once playoffs are upon us. From the outside looking in it really seems that Doug and Wentz have really captured not only this locker room but the city as well. We haven’t seen a team this special in Philadelphia in over a decade. Super Bowl aspirations are something Eagles fans aren’t used to, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be realistic about them. Doug really has had an impact on this locker room, and he is one of the leading candidates for coach of the year. While awards like that are nice to have, the locker room stays focused on the task at hand each week. No matter how the Birds end up, this is the start of something special, and the city can feel it. It is time to once again have high expectations in the city of brotherly love. 