Eagles hiring Chiefs OC Doug Pederson as head coach

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Eagles hiring Chiefs OC Doug Pederson as head coach

By Chris Wesseling
Around the NFL Writer
Published: Jan. 14, 2016 at 05:41 p.m.
Updated: Jan. 14, 2016 at 06:15 p.m.

The Eagles are turning to a former Philadelphia quarterback as their next head coach.

Owner Jeffrey Lurie has chosen Kansas City offensive coordinator Doug Pederson to replace Chip Kelly, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported, via a source informed of the situation.

The Eagles cannot announce the hiring until the Chiefs are eliminated from the postseason.

“We have concluded our search for a head coach,” a team spokesman said. “No further interviews are scheduled.”

Other candidates for the position included interim coach Pat Shurmur, former Giants coach Tom Coughlin, Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin and Bengals defensive coordinator Paul Guenther. Coughlin withdrew his name from consideration earlier on Thursday.

A long-time backup to Brett Favre in Green Bay, Pederson started nine games as Donovan McNabb’s stand-in for Andy Reid’s 1999 Eagles squad that finished 5-11. His playing history is similar to those of Broncos coach Gary Kubiak and Cowboys coach Jason Garrett, who backed up John Elway and Troy Aikman, respectively.

Pederson ended up spening four more seasons in Philadelphia as offensive quality control coordinator (2009-2010) and quarterbacks coach (2011-2012), before leaving with Reid for Kansas City in 2013.

At the press conference announcing Kelly’s firing, Lurie outlined a vision for his next coach that conjured up an image of the respected and affable Reid, the Eagles coach from 1999 through 2012. It’s no surprise, then, that Lurie would turn to Reid’s first lieutenant while shifting gears from the failed Kelly regime.

Pederson deserves a considerable portion of the credit for Alex Smith’s improved play during the Chiefs’ current 11-game winning streak.

Kansas City’s season turned around when Pederson and Reid placed the offense in Smith’s hands, allowing him to adjust into and out of plays at the line of scrimmage.

A West Coast offense adherent, Pederson recently outlined his preference for a quarterback of Smith’s skill set.

“I’d rather have somebody that way, who is not going to turn the ball over,” Pederson told The MMQB’s Jenny Vrentas, “who is going to use his legs when he needs to run, who uses his brain all the time to get us out of bad situations. And if he manages the game that way and we win, then I’ll take that.”

That doesn’t exactly mesh with the talents of impending free agent Sam Bradford, who is not viewed as a prototypical West Coast quarterback.

Eagles fans will have to wait until the Chiefs’ playoff run is over to find out more about Pederson’s plans in Philadelphia.

Maybe he likes Foles? 😉