Now that the underdog Eagles are the top dogs in the NFL, there are lots of lessons other NFL executives and coaches can learn from their impressive championship run.
Let's start with having a general manager willing to take chances. I'm not just talking calculated risks GMs take with every player drafted, free agent signed and trade made. I'm talking about the big swings and major risks Eagles GM Howie Roseman took as he built this team.
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There was the hiring by Roseman (and owner Jeff Lurie) of a first-time head coach in Doug Pederson, a move that was panned by many Philadelphia fans and media. One national publication ranked it the worst of the seven head coach hires in 2016.
Today, Pederson is the toast of the coaching profession.
There was Roseman's ultra-aggressive trade in the 2016 draft to move up to select franchise quarterback Carson Wentz at the expense of several high picks. The team then turned the keys over to Wentz after Roseman traded starting QB Sam Bradford to Minnesota one week before opening day in 2016 for a first-round pick (Derek Barnett). That paid dividends as Barnett made two huge plays this postseason: a strip-sack of Case Keenum early in the NFC championship game, and his recovery of Tom Brady’s fourth-quarter fumble, the biggest defensive play of the Super Bowl.
Other recent draftees who are major contributors include tight end Zach Ertz, wide receiver Nelson Agholor, offensive tackle Lane Johnson, defensive tackle Fletcher Cox and defensive end Brandon Graham. The many key free-agent signings include safety Malcolm Jenkins, wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, running back LeGarrette Blount and defensive end Chris Long.
As all good GMs do, Roseman also found hidden gems such as undrafted running back Corey Clement, who had four receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown against the Patriots. Roseman made other key trades such as the pick-up of top corner Ronald Darby and running back Jay Ajayi.
And in a move that looked unexciting at the time, Roseman last March signed a backup quarterback who most NFL teams thought was done as a productive player; a guy named Nick Foles, who just visited Disney World as Super Bowl MVP.
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As for Pederson, NFL team execs are seeing what they’ve always known but sometimes have to be reminded: While having talented players is critical, coaching can put a team over the top. That's what Bill Belichick has done for almost two decades in Foxborough, and Pederson just out-shined the game's best coach on the biggest stage.
Pederson did a masterful job of making his team continue to believe when everyone else wrote off the Eagles after they lost their starting QB and MVP candidate in Week 14. Coaches always preach "team,” but Eagles players fully embraced the words of their coach.
Pederson's aggressive play-calling with Foles throwing downfield — after not throwing a pass longer than eight yards in the divisional round against the Falcons — caught the Vikings’ top-ranked defense off guard in the NFC title game. Pederson then knew he had to turn Foles loose and not play conservative against the Patriots, who would surely put up points with Brady leading the way.
Pederson, the former longtime backup quarterback to Brett Favre in Green Bay, was the perfect mentor for Foles. The QB topped his 352-yard, three-TD performance against the Vikings with 373 yards and three touchdowns against the Pats, along with a TD catch on a daring fourth-and-2 call at the end of the first half. Pederson also showed his gutsy nature with the fourth-and-1 conversion on a Foles-to-Ertz pass from the Eagles’ 45 in the fourth quarter after the Patriots had pulled ahead 33-32.
Those fourth-down gambles are emblematic of Pederson's fearlessness and creativity as a coach, qualities that make players want to play for him. Plus he's a true players’ coach who is likable.
Teams and coaches have always embraced the underdog role. The Eagles and Pederson brought it to a new level, as the team was motivated by the disrespect shown by oddsmakers who had the sixth-seeded Falcons and then the Vikings favored over the top-seeded Eagles.
The dog masks were a cute prop, but they sent a message of how the team and the proud city of Philadelphia felt when they were written off as injuries mounted. Besides Wentz, the Eagles lost All-Pro tackle Jason Peters, middle linebacker (and defensive signal caller) Jordan Hicks, elusive running back Darren Sproles, special teams captain Nick Maragos and kicker Caleb Sturgis.
But here's the final lesson for the rest of the NFL: You can overcome key injuries if you stay positive … and if you have quality depth for the next-man-up mantra to succeed.
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Such depth often comes in the form of late-round draft picks, under-the-radar free-agent signings and undrafted free agents who fit in well. A good example is 2016 fifth-rounder Halapoulivaati Vaitai.
Big V had a few rough starts after replacing Peters at the critical left tackle spot, but he got better as the season progressed — credit to him and the coaches who worked with him. He did not allow a sack against Vikings Pro Bowler Everson Griffen or the Patriots pass-rushers who had been so effective in wins over Tennessee and Jacksonville.
Ajayi and Clement offset the loss of Sproles. Mychal Kendricks, Najee Goode and Dannell Ellerbe all helped in the effort to replace Hicks. Rookie kicker Jake Elliott had a good season and made a pressure-packed, 46-yard field goal late in the Super Bowl to put the Eagles up by eight points.
And last but far from least was Foles stepping in for Wentz. It's another reminder for teams like the Texans, who lost Deshaun Watson to injury and didn't have a quality No. 2 quarterback.
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Roseman had traded Foles to St. Louis in 2015 in the Bradford deal, but he hadn't forgotten the skill set that led to the Eagles drafting Foles in the third round of the 2012 draft. The Eagles GM also remembered Foles' Pro Bowl season in 2013, when he threw 27 touchdown passes and just two interceptions. He grabbed Foles after the Chiefs declined his second-year option and released him. Now Foles is the feel-good story of the postseason.
With the 29-year-old Foles under contract for next season and Wentz coming off a serious knee injury, expect Roseman to give aspiring GMs another teaching moment by keeping Foles as insurance in case Wentz is not ready opening day or in the event of another injury.
It's what smart NFL execs and savvy teams do when they're trying to stay on top.
Jeff Diamond is a former president of the Titans and former vice president/general manager of the Vikings. He was selected NFL Executive of the Year in 1998. Diamond is currently a business and sports consultant who also does broadcast and online media work. He is the former chairman and CEO of The Ingram Group. Follow Jeff on Twitter: @jeffdiamondNFL.
