I guess it’s time to stop blaming Andy Reid for the horrific waste of precious time during the Kansas City Chiefs’ bumbling comeback attempt last weekend. New Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson admitted in his press conference Thursday that he called the plays on that drive, causing the entire press room to shiver with excitement.
Doug Pederson says he will call plays…says he called plays during Chiefs 16-play drive vs Patriots…is immediately grilled on said drive.
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) January 19, 2016
Pederson explained what happened, saying the Chiefs “didn’t want to give ball back to Tom Brady,” per ESPN’s Phil Sheridan.
Except the Chiefs were going to onside kick after a score, anyway, right? Down by two scores at the end of the fourth quarter, that’s really the only reasonable course of action, one would think.
Another nugget of note during the press conference was Pederson’s expressed admiration for quarterback Sam Bradford.
Pederson "Sam, he has all the tools. Good size, great arm, good mind for the game."
— Reuben Frank (@RoobNBCS) January 19, 2016
Perhaps these aren’t the things Eagles fans want to hear right now. Bradford was mostly mediocre but did have his bright spots. But at this point he’s rightly developed the reputation as a player who just won’t ever stay healthy.
The scariest thing for fans, though, has to be the revelation that Pederson comes from the Andy Reid school of time management, which is a mortifying thought.
Some good news, at least, came out of the press conference. Pederson announced that he has hired Jim Schwartz to come on board as the team’s defensive coordinator, which should be a huge boon to the team’s overall performance.