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Philadelphia Eagles Rumors: Doug Pederson and Tom Coughlin Emerge As Top Head Coach Candidates

By Phillip Dengler
Published on: 09:03 PST, Jan 10, 2016

Rumors regarding the next head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles continue to come out daily, and some of the long shot candidates can now be crossed off the list. While former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden were rumored to be interested in the Eagles head coaching vacancy, reports have since come out that they are out of the running.

After front-runner Adam Gase decided to accept the Miami Dolphins job, the Philadelphia Eagles have been scrambling to come up with other candidates. At this point, Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson and former New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin appear to be the finalists for the job, and fans and analysts have mixed opinions on the two candidates.

Doug Pederson

Just hours after the Chiefs’ playoff victory against the Houston Texans, the Philadelphia Eagles interviewed Doug Pederson in Kansas City. While there is no word on how it went, New Jersey Advance Media reported that the interview was completed, and it took around four hours.

While Pederson does not have a ton of experience coaching in the NFL, he does have ties to the Philadelphia Eagles and former head coach Andy Reid. Pederson was brought in to mentor former quarterback Donovan McNabb in the 1999 season, and did not exactly set records for the struggling Eagles. While being a great former player is not a requirement for a successful head coach, fans and analysts are not exactly thrilled with the idea of Pederson becoming the next leader of the Philadelphia Eagles.

https://twitter.com/cranekicker/status/686293072846663680

While nothing is final, the Eagles do appear to view Pederson highly. In addition to being a former player for the organization, he was also one of their coaches from 2009-2012. Andy Reid has also been lobbying Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie to hire Pederson, and this is an opinion that carries a lot of weight in the NFL.

While the Chiefs’ offense has been surprisingly solid this year, there are fears that Andy Reid is the reason for the success. He has called the plays for the majority of the year, but Fox Sports reported that Pederson became more involved in December. In speaking to the media, Reid explained Pederson’s new responsibilities.

“I’m looking at the game and kind of knowing what’s going on. If I think we need a change-up, then we go with it. I think it’s also healthy, whether you’re in a slump or not. I just think it’s healthy to mix it up a little bit. Doug Pederson has done a great job. I’ve watched him grow from being a player for me, now as a coach, and each year he’s done this thing — now a coordinator — he’s growing. Unfortunately, he’s got a head coach who’s an offensive guy, so he doesn’t get enough credit for what he does, but I have full trust to turn the whole game over to him and let him call.”

Regardless, Philadelphia Eagles fans want a head coach with a proven track record, and Pederson does not have that. The other top head coaching candidate, Tom Coughlin, also has question marks surrounding his future with the Eagles.

Tom Coughlin

While former New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin has two Super Bowl rings, he has not exactly been consistent in recent years. After winning his first Super Bowl in 2007, the Giants have only made the playoffs two times in eight seasons. While they won the Super Bowl in 2011, they did not win a playoff game in any of the other seasons.

At 69-years-old, Coughlin is much older than Eagles fans want in their next head coach. While older coaches have succeeded in the past, the NFL is changing, and finding a young leader that can better relate to the players is desired. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Eagles will interview Coughlin on Monday.

If it was up to former Giants defensive end Justin Tuck, Coughlin would not go anywhere near the Eagles facility.

While we are likely a few days away from a final decision regarding the next head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, Doug Pederson and Tom Coughlin appear to be at the top of the rumored candidates list.

[Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images]

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