On Doug Pederson, Andy Reid, Nick Sirianni, and the cost of coaching the Eagles

After the Eagles’ 2010 season, Andy Reid felt he had no other choice but to fire Sean McDermott. Whether it was a move born out of self-preservation or not, it would in retrospect, set off a chain of events that would lead to the end of the then-Eagles coach’s long tenure in Philadelphia.

Eleven years later, Doug Pederson may have saved himself had he similarly sacrificed Press Taylor. But he wasn’t willing to endure another front office-coerced search for a replacement -- among other changes -- and instead fell on the knife and was fired by owner Jeffrey Lurie on Jan. 11.

Reid and McDemott, meanwhile, would have greater success post-Eagles and meet Sunday when the former’s Chiefs host the latter’s Bills in the AFC championship game. All’s well that ends well, and perhaps the same fate awaits Pederson and Taylor in other environs.

But each will have a greater climb after the wreckage in Philadelphia that new coach Nick Sirianni, who was hired Thursday, will be charged with rebuilding. Reid and McDermott are proof that there are second acts in the NFL.

Pederson was let go for reasons other than Taylor, of course, chiefly his disintegrating relationship with quarterback Carson Wentz. But his reluctance to make outside hires and seemingly roll it back again vs. Lurie’s desire to “transition” toward long-term thinking was in ways antithetical to the approach taken in 2010 when the Eagles faced an analogous crossroads.

There were obvious differences. The 2020 Eagles were coming off a disastrous 4-11-1 season and Pederson’s tenure had been much shorter than that of Reid, while the 2010 version went 10-6 and won the NFC East, only to be knocked out of the playoffs in the first round.

At the time, Reid described McDermott’s exit as one that would benefit the young defensive coordinator. But it had more to do with his dissatisfaction with the defense and his hope that a coaching shake-up would break the team out of a period of good-but-not-good-enough football.

It did, but not in the direction Reid had hoped. The Eagles would go into a two-year tailspin, a significant cause not as much the impetus for a defensive coordinator change, but the failure to stick the landing.

Reid, who had once assembled a crack staff, no longer had a Rolodex full of budding coaches and came to rely on Howie Roseman for assistance. The neophyte general manager pushed for the hiring of defensive line coach Jim Washburn, who had been successful with an aggressive 4-3 front.

But when Reid agreed and Roseman lured Washburn from the Titans before a coordinator was added, he limited his options because few candidates ran the wide-nine scheme, and of the many who didn’t, none would want it forced upon them.

What followed was one of the more shocking moments in team annals: Reid tapping offensive line coach Juan Castillo as defensive coordinator even though he hadn’t coached on that side of the ball in 30 years. The rest, they say, is history, with Lurie nearly a decade later trying not to repeat it.

Pederson never had an extensive list of assistants he could call upon. In fact, his initial recommendations during his interview five years ago disappointed the Eagles so much that they started scrambling for another option even though he was already a secondary choice.

Thus began a precedent in which Roseman was compelled to step in and assist with coaching hires (see: former defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz). Pederson made some calls on his own, but often those decisions were only on offense (see: former receivers coach Carson Walch) and they proved to be the wrong ones.

Lurie and Roseman, quite frankly, had become exasperated with Pederson. There was immense respect for the person, how he handled the players and, of course, his near-flawless 2017, when he more often than not made the right decision.

But he didn’t check off many of the characteristics they sought in head coaches -- good organizational skills, a high football IQ, clear short- and long-term vision, and the ability to articulate his ideas to all levels of the operation -- and, in truth, Lurie was prepared to cut bait even as early as the 2016 offseason if the right situation presented itself.

He underestimated Pederson, though, and he would finally put his foot down after last season. It would have served both parties well if the decision was made before the last game, but was he strung along so as to carry out the supposed tanking?

It’s likely those conversations will never come to light, but what is certain is that Lurie was underwhelmed when Pederson favored in-house promotion over outside recruitment. The Eagles had known for some time that Schwartz was stepping away, and yet Pederson didn’t offer any other solution other than to promote Matt Burke or bring back Corey Undlin.

A Super Bowl should have been enough for Pederson to earn the right to pick his own staff, but Lurie and Roseman had already essentially undermined him by forcing his hand with offensive coordinator Mike Groh last year, even though it led to an awkward dynamic that left the position unfilled.

Pederson took Taylor, who became pass game coordinator, under his wing just as Reid had done with McDermott and so many of his assistants over the last two decades. He wanted to train him, promote him, and build his own coaching tree. But Taylor was either not ready or ill-fitted to the task of overseeing Wentz.

He may end being a good coach under different circumstances. McDermott would become the Panthers’ defensive coordinator after leaving Philly, with Reid helping to find him a soft landing spot under former Eagles assistant Ron Rivera.

Reid may have ultimately regretted axing his longtime protege. The Castillo-Washburn partnership never materialized, and both would be fired a year later -- the former for incompetence and the latter for insubordination.

But McDermott, despite initial disappointment, was able to use the setback to re-evaluate his system and reset his goals. The 46-year-old La Salle High product spoke with the Eagles during their last coaching search, but eventually landed in Buffalo in 2017 and has built a sustainable winner.

Taylor, perhaps, can take solace in McDermott’s career path and thrive elsewhere.

And Reid, well, he’s only gotten better. He finally won a Super Bowl last year and solidified his Canton credentials. Pederson told The Inquirer that he’s leaning toward taking a year off. He accomplished much in just five years here, but he was also put through the ringer, both internally and externally.

The Eagles are a tough organization to coach for, a reflection of the city it captivates. Pederson will forever hold a special place in the hearts and minds of fans and, ultimately, may be held in higher regard having not held on for more losing seasons.

Sirianni has big shoes to fill, even if Pederson wasn’t always permitted to stand in them. It’s hard to top winning a Super Bowl in two seasons. But that’s the bar Lurie set when he fired his coach just three years later.