Eagles News: “Many players and coaches were shocked and outraged” by Doug Pederson pulling Jalen Hurts

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links ...

Eagles players, coaches were shocked by Doug Pederson’s QB switch, resulting in sideline confrontations - Inquirer
When Doug Pederson pulled Jalen Hurts for Nate Sudfeld early in the fourth quarter in Sunday’s season finale against Washington, many Eagles players and coaches were shocked and outraged, team sources told The Inquirer. Some were angry. Two defensive players had to be held back from approaching Pederson. Center Jason Kelce and another offensive starter went to the coach to ask him why he had pulled the starting quarterback with the Eagles trailing by only three. Hurts was distraught, as well. Even though he had been told Wednesday that there was a chance Sudfeld could play, he couldn’t understand why Pederson would make the switch, sources close to the situation said. The NBC broadcast caught Hurts on the bench after he was replaced apparently saying, “That’s not right.” [BLG Note: I mean, there’s zero chance Pederson pulled Sudfeld without directive or clearance from the front office.]

Eagles remind us that tanking is cool and smart - Liberty Ballers
On Sunday night, the Philadelphia Eagles lost to the Washington Football Team, 20-14. The Eagles were already eliminated from the playoffs, and the win clinched the NFC East title (and therefore a playoff berth) for Football Team. The Eagles finished 4-11-1 and will now have the sixth pick in the 2021 NFL Draft; if they’d won the game, they’d be picking ninth. If Washington had lost the game, the 6-10 New York Giants would have made the playoffs. So of course, Giants players were upset on Twitter when the Eagles, down just three points in the fourth quarter, pulled their starting quarterback Jalen Hurts and inserted Nate Sudfeld, who had been the third string guy all season. People became indignant at what seemed like a purposeful tank job by the Eagles to close out the season. But here’s the thing. Giants players placing the blame for missing the playoffs on a four-win team not trying hard enough is lame. Going 6-10 and attributing the fate of your team to anything other than your terrible record is lame.

Carson Wentz might help the Eagles facilitate a trade. What does that mean? - BGN
Wentz clearly wants to be a starter somewhere else and has his eyes set on Indianapolis. He might need to become comfortable with other landing spots, or the idea of competing for a job, to open up the suitors for Philadelphia. All it takes is a Philip Rivers return for the Indy job to close. Other than that, the situation might call for him pushing back his roster bonus — a small move with little impact — or surrendering some base salary — a potentially huge move with earth-shaking impact. That he’s game is good news; but the coaching and personnel decisions of the next few months could either sweeten or sour him on Philadelphia, affecting his willingness to help the Eagles create a deal. And with Wentz on board, this deal is a bear; without him, it’s even trickier. In the NFL, these things often get done — but nobody may end up happy with the hoops they have to jump through to build Wentz’s life raft out of Philadelphia.

The Eagles suspicious loss sends Washington to the playoffs - SB Nation
The Washington Football Team had one job: beat the Philadelphia Eagles and clinch the NFC East. They accomplished that goal with a 20-14 win that sends them to the playoffs, but how they were potentially aided in that quest has been a source of great debate. Did the Eagles tank? Head coach Doug Pederson can deny it all he likes, but it certainly looked like it on Sunday night. Is it a stain on the NFL? Some people would argue it is, but that might be a tad dramatic.

The Eagles should stop gaslighting us about the 2018 and 2019 seasons - PhillyVoice
Certainly, bringing the Lombardi Trophy to Philadelphia for the first time in team history was kind of a big deal. However, lumping the slightly better than ordinary 2018 and 2019 seasons in with it is creating a perception that the team has had some sort of impressive three-year run, as opposed to something closer to a one-off “lightning in a bottle” season in 2017. [BLG Note: Preach. This organization hasn’t been honest with themselves. They’re now 23-27-1 since the start of 2018.]

Facing the Music - Iggles Blitz
“One bad moment” was a very poor phrase. Howie and the Eagles have had a bunch of bad moments in recent years. That’s how you build a 4-11-1 roster. You have to acknowledge that in order to make changes. Howie’s PC didn’t change my opinion of things. I still don’t think he is the right guy to fix this mess. I didn’t come away thinking “He really gets it and might be different going forward”. I certainly hope he is. I’d love for Howie to prove me wrong. Go have a phenomenal draft and add some solid veteran talent. I just don’t think that’s very likely.

Howie Roseman reflects the Eagles’ operating principle: We always know best - The Athletic
It was unclear if the “one bad moment” referred to the decision to draft Jalen Reagor over Justin Jefferson or the choice to use a second-round pick to concoct a quarterback controversy out of thin air. It could have been in reference to the selection of J.J. Arcega-Whiteside or the trade-up for Andre Dillard or the second-round bet on an injured Sidney Jones. Maybe the bad moment was when the Eagles guaranteed Alshon Jeffery’s 2020 contract or expected a 33-year-old DeSean Jackson to solve their lack of speed. It’s possible Roseman could be alluding to a moment not seized upon, like when they passed on acquiring DeAndre Hopkins or Stefon Diggs. And yet, the sentence that preceded the “bad moment” slip is even more troubling for Eagles fans. “We have also been incredibly successful,” Roseman said. Earlier in the news conference, he referenced the Eagles’ 35 wins, including the playoffs, from 2017-2019. Buoyed by the Super Bowl season, those 35 wins tied for the fourth most in the NFL during that three-year stretch. But it’s easy to pick endpoints to suit your argument. For instance, the Eagles’ 23 total wins from 2018-2020 rank 19th in the league, just behind the Browns and Cowboys. They have a losing record since winning Super Bowl 52.

Carson Wentz’s silence speaks volumes - NBCSP
But the lack of any sort of comment from Wentz speaks volumes. Maybe he just doesn’t believe it’s necessary to refute a media report quoting anonymous sources. It’s possible. There’s no rule that he has to say anything to anybody. But Wentz has always been very aware of public opinion and quick to shoot down unsubstantiated rumors or address anonymous reports in the past. More likely, he really does want out, and the next time we hear from Wentz it’ll be at a podium in front of a banner that says “Colts” or “Patriots” or “Bears.” Anything other than “Eagles.”

Eagles get creative with the salary cap - Over The Cap
In an interesting twist the Eagles have restructured the contracts of two players most assume are headed out the door in Alshon Jeffery and Malik Jackson. So odds are they will still be on their way out but the Eagles pulled a nice little cap move that I talked about as a slim possibility regarding Carson Wentz and have mentioned as a way for the Saints to handle Drew Brees if he retires. The trick the Eagles are attempting to use here is the post June 1 designation but to what I would assume is the maximum extent. Every year the NFL allows you to designate two players as a post June 1 cut which allows you to prevent any future bonus money from accelerating in the current league year. However there is a caveat and it’s that you have to keep the players cap charge on your roster as is until June 2. So for the Eagles this would be a massive $18.49M for Jeffery and $13.6M for Jackson.

Philadelphia Eagles GM Howie Roseman: Not talking about trading Carson Wentz right now - ESPN
Long after Sunday night’s game against the Washington Football Team ended, Ertz, Wentz and center Jason Kelce, who has been pondering retirement the last couple of years, gathered for over a half-hour along the Eagles’ sideline at Lincoln Financial Field, perhaps sensing the change at hand.

Final 2020 DVOA Ratings - Football Outsiders
[BLG Note: The Eagles finished 28th overall in DVOA. Only the Denver Broncos, Cincinnati Bengals, Jacksonville Jaguars, and New York Jets were worse.]

Giants keeping Dave Gettleman as GM — report - Big Blue View
It appears there will not be a change at the top of the New York Giants. The New York Post reported Monday night that Dave Gettleman will remain as general manager. The Post reported that ‘ownership believes the team is headed in the right direction and Gettleman is the right man to continue the building process alongside head coach Joe Judge. The Giants just completed a 6-10 season, falling one victory short of winning the NFC East despite their losing record. The Giants have gone 15-33 in the three seasons Gettleman has been general manager.

Kellen Moore’s close call with Boise State highlights the Cowboys’ narrow window - Blogging The Boys
After the Cowboys completed their blowout victory of the Eagles in Week 16, Mike McCarthy was asked about his offensive coordinator, Kellen Moore, being courted by Boise State to be their head coach. While McCarthy didn’t say anything one way or the other, the answer sure seemed to suggest he believed Moore would be accepting the job. Less than a week later, the night before the Cowboys’ season finale, to be exact, Moore signed a contract extension with Dallas and said in a statement he was no longer a candidate for the Boise State job. While this resulted in a big sigh of relief for the Cowboys, it should also serve as a notice of just how narrow the team’s championship window is right now. It’s strange to think that about a team whose biggest stars are all under 28-years-old and just finished up their first year under a new head coach, but the Cowboys must strike before all their talent, both on the roster and in the coaching room, gets broken up.

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