Doug Pederson shares his advice for Nick Sirianni and explains why he hasn’t visited his Philly Special statue
The former Eagles coach helped Sirianni in his transition as head coach, but has still never seen his statue outside Lincoln Financial Field.
The Eagles cruised to a 37-17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, giving the team its third consecutive win heading into Week 9. Now, the team has its sights set on a matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Outside of the Eagles looking to pick up their sixth win of the season, the team will welcome a familiar face — Doug Pederson.
This marks the second time since the split with the Eagles following the 2020 season that Pederson will return to his former home as Jaguars head coach. When asked if he looked forward to being back in Philadelphia, where he also spent time as a player and assistant, he responded immediately.
“I do,” Pederson told reporters Wednesday. “Fans are great. Obviously we won a championship there, you know, and we’ve still got a lot of close friends, family friends. That place is always going to be one of the spots for me that I enjoy going back to.”
Pederson replaced Chip Kelly in 2016 before spending five seasons in Philadelphia. During his tenure, Pederson led the Eagles to their only Super Bowl title during the 2017 season.
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After a disappointing 4-11 season in 2020, Pederson was replaced with current coach Nick Sirianni. Pederson helped Sirianni in his transition to Philly.
“I’ve appreciated Coach Pederson,” Sirianni told 94 WIP. “I obviously respect the heck out of him and all of the things he has done as a head football coach and a player in this league. We’ve had conversations, for sure. He was just so helpful when I first took the job, I really admired that. Kind of talking through the different players, different things. … He was willing to help me as I stepped into the role that he had previously.”
Pederson knew the struggles of being a head coach in the NFL. He believed his experience could help Sirianni in the transition.
“It’s a tough business,” Pederson said. “Just to be a resource, you know, just to be somebody there. I did it for five years and I was an assistant coach there for a long time and really just to be there if he had any questions he could just ask me. It’s just a respect thing. It’s hard enough to be a head coach in this league. Any advice I could give a first-time head coach, I was going to do it.”
Pederson also gave Sirianni advice on handling the passionate Philly fans. Earlier this season, fans voiced their frustrations after watching the team’s offensive struggles and questionable play-calling. After their win over the Cleveland Browns, Sirianni chirped at fans in the stands of Lincoln Financial Field on his way off the field. The coach later apologized for his actions.
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“From the outside looking in, I think he’s handled it well,” Pederson said. “My advice is you’ve just kind of got to keep going every single day, man. You’ve just got to keep your head down, plowing forward, just do your job. Get your team ready to go for another game. And you know, you can’t control anything other than that as a head coach.
“That’s my advice to myself and that’s my advice to him. Just continue to keep doing the job you’re doing. You’ve got to trust your ability, you’ve got to trust what you’re doing, what you’re teaching, how you’re preparing your football team and you’ve got to stick with that and I think he’s done a good job at that.”
As Pederson prepares to make his return to Philadelphia, he still doesn’t plan on visiting the Philly Special statue of himself and Nick Foles.
Asked if he would visit the monument to one of the most iconic plays in Super Bowl history, Pederson laughed and responded, “No, it’s on the other side of the stadium. You want me to tailgate, too, and just say hi to people?”
“Actually I have not seen the statue in person,” Pederson added. “My brother who passed away a couple years ago, he actually [did], when he was up there. Both of my brothers have actually been there and taken pictures.”
Who knows, maybe Pederson can make a quick pit stop on his way out of the city.
Eagles play in Week 9 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from Lincoln Financial Field.