Doug Pederson: I’m going to keep encouraging Nelson Agholor

Nelson Agholor had a brutal game against the Seahawks on Sunday, including committing a key penalty that cost the Eagles a touchdown, and dropping an easy pass over the middle with no defenders around.

The wideout has failed to improve from what was widely regarded and accepted as a disappointment of a rookie season in 2015.

After the game, Doug Pederson addressed the rookie’s struggles. Here’s what he said:

On what went wrong on the touchdown that was called back:

“We didn’t have enough guys on the line of scrimmage. Obviously a big play that negated a touchdown. Hurt us in that situations. We just have to be a little more aware in those situations, make sure those guys are in their proper formations.”

On whether it’s all Agholor’s fault:

“It’s a little bit of him, a little bit of the quarterback, a little bit of me. I’ve got to make sure that everybody understands situational football, and formations, and the types of things we do. We just have to coach that better.”

On what’s going on with Agholor:

“I’m going to keep encouraging the kid. He works hard every single day now. I’m going to keep talking, keep loving on him, encouraging him. By no means am I going to be down on him. This loss today, this was on me. I’ve got to make sure I’m doing everything I can to get these guys ready to play.”

Was that penalty on Agholor a game-changer?

“Yeah, it’s definitely a momentum changer. It puts you right back into the football game. It’s tough to overcome, sometimes. This is obviously a tremendous football team and place, and it’s loud. Their defense — the Seahawks, they’re a team that obviously ... and we’re headed in the right direction, too, and I see the Philadelphia Eagles doing some of the things they do, offensively and defensively, and we’re headed in the right direction. But I’ve got to continue to do my part and coach better.”

Were you aware he wasn’t lined up on that play?

“We were.”

Could you have called a timeout?

“Could have. Again, sometimes the receivers look to the sidelines, the officials trying to wave them up. He was trying to wave him up. I didn’t necessarily want to burn a timeout in that situation. It’s just unfortunate.”

What do you do when a player goes through a stretch like this?

“Any time a player goes through a rough spell, yes, it can play on the psyche of the player. From my standpoint as a coach, I need to keep putting him out there, keep trusting, keep encouraging, keep working, and keep fighting because he’s part of our team, and we’ve got to keep plugging away. He’s got to fight through it, he’s got to learn to not listen to the outside world, and just focus on the internal and focus on getting better.”