Doug Pederson: “I’m looking forward to my next shot”

Former Eagles head coach Doug Pederson joined Angelo Cataldi and the WIP Morning Show today, discussing his tenure in Philadelphia and his future in football. I don’t know if the whole segment will be made available online, but it would be worth monitoring WIP’s website to see if it pops up on there. It’s definitely a good listen. Here are some choice cuts from the conversation:

On becoming an NFL head coach again, Pederson says, “I”m looking forward to my next shot.”

Pederson mentions looking at a team’s quarterback situation and its roster makeup when evaluating whether he’d be interested in joining a given organization. He says he could be “more selective” during a future hiring process. He talks about going to a team where he “can make [his] mark on an organization.” I wrote back in October that the Jaguars would be smart to hire Pederson to pair with first-overall pick Trevor Lawrence when the Urban Meyer era inevitably ends up in flames. I stand by that. Enjoy Florida, Doug!

Pederson had a murky ending to his stint in Philly. Amidst talk that he refused to make changes to his coaching staff and that led to him being let go, Pederson indicated that wasn’t true. Cataldi wisely followed up with a question about the expectation that a coach who led a team to a Super Bowl win would wield more power within an organization. Pederson gave a fairly political answer of “It takes a lot of people to win championships.”

On the team falling off in the years following the Super Bowl win: “Looking back on 2018 and 2019 and I could’ve done better... I could’ve done better with leadership.”

The topic of Jalen Hurts was brought up. Cataladi asked, ““What did you see last year and do you see [Hurts] becoming a franchise quarterback?” Pederson responded and said, “He’s won everywhere he’s been… He faced adversity. He faced a benching… He went through all that turmoil and came out extremely well. Those are the things that attracted me to Jalen Hurts.

“He’s wired the right way... “He’s got it in him to be [a franchise quarterback].”

Cataldi later asked what Pederson learned from his time with the Eagles and how he could use that knowledge if he becomes a head coach again in the future. Pederson mentioned leadership, being “a little more collaborative” with the front office and ownership and to “be positive and coach hard at the same time.”

Pederson propped up Eagles fans as the interview drew to a close, mentioning how rabid the crowds were during that oh-so-special Super Bowl season. “I’ll never forget 2017. There wasn’t an open seat at kickoff of the NFC Championship Game,” Pederson said.

2017 forever, Doug.