:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/51095809/610402094.0.jpg)
On Tuesday we started a series of approval polls to mark this moment in Eagles franchise history, September 2016, when franchise confidence may be at its highest mark in years. We asked you yesterday what you thought of Howie Roseman. As of midnight, the mark was hovering around 98 percent approval. The day before, Jeffrey Lurie’s approval rate ran about 96 percent.
Today we turn our attention to the head coach himself, Doug Pederson. Pederson’s only been subjected to one approval poll as the Eagles’ head coach, back in May, when BLG titled it a "confidence" poll since, you know, Doug hadn’t actually done anything yet.
Did you all have confidence back then? Well, the numbers finished like this: 46% yes, 18% no, 36% unsure.
It was a pretty fair evaluation of Pederson, considering he’d never been a head coach before, and had never even called his own plays. He was coming in to try and calm a fairly tumultuous situation after the departure of Chip Kelly, and he was going to try and succeed in a city not exactly known for its patience when it comes to its sports teams.
So, yeah, 46 percent sounded about right.
But then players started to talk about how much they liked Doug. And then the season started and fans started to like Doug, too. Not just because he’s led the team to a 3-0 start heading into the bye week — although that’ll certainly do the trick — but because of the way the team is playing, and interacting with one another, and with him.
Doug has seemingly ushered in a new Era of Good Feelings at NovaCare. All three phases are playing well, players seem excited to give each game their all for their head coach, and the key players — including, you know, Carson Wentz — are young.
Now, it's totally fair to wonder if these first three games could end up being a mirage, a product of not enough tape and just enough talent. There are 13 games left in Pederson's inaugural year. Plenty of time for him to slip on a banana peel, or simply return to reality.
For now? He looks pretty solid.
Do you approve of the job Doug Pederson is doing as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles? Vote now in the poll below and leave your thoughts in the comments.