The Philadelphia Eagles fired Doug Pederson as head coach on Monday after both parties differed about how the franchise should be run. It also could be he wasn’t happy about being the fall guy when he was likely forced by management to throw seldom-used quarterback Nate Sudfeld against the Washington Football Team in the fourth quarter that played a role in the Eagles’ 20-14 loss to them, costing the Giants a playoff spot and the NFC East that went to WFT.
The Jets have an opening for their head coaching vacancy. Jets general manager Joe Douglas used to work with Pederson from their days in Philadelphia.
Connect the dots, and you can see a fit for both parties.
To me, hiring Pederson is the only way to go for the New York Jets. This franchise desperately needs a head coach that brings gravitas. After hiring coaches learning on the job for a long time now, the time has come for this team to hire an experienced coach that knows what he is doing. He fits the criteria since he won a Super Bowl and he led the Eagles to the playoffs three times in the last four years.
Pederson knows how to lead, coach, teach and develop players. He coached in a big-market city that demands so much in Philadelphia, so he can handle New York. He’s fearless and full of conviction when it comes to going for two-point conversions and going for it at fourth down. This is the type of coaching the Jets need after years of having coaches that coached passively.
As you might know, the Jets have the No. 2 pick in the 2021 draft. They could either draft Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields or BYU quarterback Zach Wilson or they can draft Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith or Oregon offensive lineman Penei Sewell and stick with Sam Darnold at quarterback. So in this case, this is where Pederson’s expertise comes in.
He knows offense to identify what the Jets need to do with the No. 2 pick. He can believe he can fix Darnold or he could tell the Jets to move on and go draft a QB. He can also help the Jets address what they need in making their draft pick.
The Jets must fix their quarterback situation once in for all, and for that to happen, they must hire the right coach. The opportunity presents itself with Pederson being available in the coaching market.
Now is not the time for the Jets to hire an assistant coach learning on the job as a head coach. They experienced it enough. They haven’t hired an experienced coach since Bill Parcells in 1997. It’s way past time to do something different for a change. This team failed to make the playoffs the last 10 seasons, so it would behoove them to get a coach that knows what he is doing out there.
This makes sense that the Jets should hire Pederson this week. The sooner, the better, especially with many teams having coaching vacancies. As soon as the Jets interviewed him, they need to lock him down in the city and get an agreement quickly.
There’s no reason to make this complicated by interviewing every head coach out there. The Jets know they got a head coach in the market that checks all the boxes.
Pederson is a quarterback whisperer. He can either fix Darnold or he can start developing Wilson or Fields. Hiring him soon makes sense since he can watch Darnold’s tapes and then work with Darnold privately before he offers his input on what the Jets should do with their quarterback situation. His success with Carson Wentz, Nick Foles and Jalen Hurts make him qualified to be a quarterback whisperer.
He knows a great deal about offense, and the Jets could use so much of his expertise in making this an offensive team. It’s been forever since the Jets became an offensive powerhouse.
The Jets lacked identity since Rex Ryan was fired. They could use one, and that’s where Pederson gives them that by being aggressive on offense. The Jets can have a chance to win games because of Pederson. You can bet this team won’t be intimidated to play against Bill Belichick and the Patriots under Pederson since he knows how to beat Belichick’s Patriots from the Super Bowl several years ago.
In a league revolving around offense, Pederson fits what the Jets need.
Douglas should do his due diligence in getting his coach, but he also should try to keep it simple and not make it complicated.
Monday’s news in Philadelphia should make Douglas’ head coach hiring process simple and to the point.
Agree with Leslie, or should I call him Leslie from Fort Lee (aka Radio Royalty). Big Les finds a way to cut through the noise and deliver the analysis.