NFL.com doesn’t have much respect for the Super Bowl champion Eagles

The NFL’s dead zone is a big time for various “lists” and “rankings.” It’s a way to stir up conversation when there’s no real news to talk about. But while these might be completely meaningless, arbitrary, and reductive, that’s not going to stop me from pointing out their flaws.

We already pointed out how Carson Wentz is hilariously excluded from NFL Network analyst David Carr’s list of the league’s top 10 quarterbacks. Carr then tried to defend his stance.

There’s a very reasonable belief that Wentz will start Week 1, so using health as an excuse is weak.

So is trying to suggest Wentz, who finished as the No. 3 overall player in the NFL Top 100, is a system quarterback.

There’s no denying Wentz’s success has been aided by good coaching. But to act like it’s the only reason is silly. Just look at a Wentz highlight reel and count the number of plays that happen outside of the structure of the offense.

I’ve already wasted too much time on this bad take from a bad former NFL quarterback. Let’s move on to another bad take from NFL.com.

Elliott Harrison recently put together a ranking of all 32 NFL head coaches and somehow Super Bowl champion Doug Pederson didn’t crack the top five. Instead, he’s all the way down at No. 8.

Winning the most recent Super Bowl sure doesn’t hurt. Pederson managed what could have been a calamitous situation -- MVP-in-waiting Carson Wentz going down late in the regular season -- and produced a winner with journeyman Nick Foles at the helm. Pederson’s trust in his players, and the confidence he placed in Foles, cannot be underestimated. He became the first head coach since Mike Tomlin in 2008 to win the Lombardi Trophy before his third year on the job.

Here’s who finished ahead of Dougie P:

1 - Bill Belichick (got outcoached by Pederson in the Super Bowl)
2 - Sean Payton (lost to Pederson in golf)
3 - Pete Carroll (has a Super Bowl and is 2-0 against Pederson)
4 - Mike Tomlin (lost to Pederson 34-3 in 2016)
5 - John Harbaugh (1-0 against Pederson)
6 - Mike McCarthy (lol)
7 - Andy Reid (Huh?)

Pederson doesn’t (yet) have the sustained success that these guys boast, but come on. He’s at least a top five coach in the NFL based on what happened last season. The Eagles won the Super Bowl while missing a ton of key players and having to start a backup at quarterback. Pederson did a masterful coaching job in 2017.

So, to recap, Wentz isn’t a top 10 quarterback and Pederson isn’t a top seven head coach.

Looks like it’s time to break out the underdogs masks once again.