Nihilistic Philadelphia sports fans believe new Philadelphia Phillies manager Gabe Kapler is their version of ex-Philadelphia Eagles coach Chip Kelly. If this is the case, who will become their Doug Pederson?
The city of Philadelphia is riding high after the Super Bowl victory earlier this month. When the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the New England Patriots, the city transformed. Even before this, many in Philadelphia were drawing a comparison between Philadelphia Phillies manager Gabe Kapler and a former Eagles coach, Chip Kelly.
Both known for their analytical approach, Phillies fans are hopeful Kapler’s stint ends differently. Kelly was a bust in Philadelphia whereas his replacement, Doug Pederson, did what no other coach in the team’s history has done: win a Super Bowl.
If Kapler is indeed the Phillies’ version of Kelly, then who is their Pederson?
To guess this, we need to know a little bit more about Pederson.
During his playing days, Pederson spent a year as the Eagles quarterback back in 1999. This was the period right before Donovan McNabb took over and helped turn the franchise’s fortunes around.
Pederson didn’t perform well in his nine starts for the Eagles. The next year, he joined the Cleveland Browns. Overall, he’d finish his career with a 3-14 record.
Fortunately, Pederson got along well with longtime Eagles head coach Andy Reid. Reid even gave Pederson a job with the Kansas City Chiefs prior to his current stint with the Eagles. If not for Reid’s trust in Pederson, he never would have come to back to Philadelphia.
Knowing the tale of Pederson, it’s clear we also need Phillies version of Reid.