After Being Scapegoated in Philly, Press Taylor is Back on Track
Doug Pederson is hardly the first former resident of the Deleware Valley to flee for the warmer weather of Florida to recharge the batteries.
Turns out the former Eagles coach won’t even have to leave the state to go back to work, although a slight adjustment from his South Florida home up to the First Coast of Jacksonville is on the docket.
In another world, Pederson might still be in Philadelphia trying to bring along Jalen Hurts instead of rewiring his quarterback incubator with the Jaguars in the hope of unlocking the potential of uber-prospect Trevor Lawrence.
Here in Philly, the QB whisperers were Pederson, now Indianapolis head coach Frank Reich, and John DeFilippo, the trio responsible for turning raw rookie Carson Wentz into an MVP candidate by 2017 before reimagining the entire offense for Nick Foles in record time after Wentz suffered the knee injury that foreshadowed his descent.
By now Pederson’s history with the Eagles after losing Reich and DeFilippo to promotions elsewhere is well known.
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Lost battles over assistants Mike Groh and Carson Walch in 2019 and not liking the results after what were essentially strategic surrenders, the former decided to stand his ground with Jeffrey Lurie after a less-than aesthetic 4-11-1 campaign in 2020.
With the Super Bowl LII glory drifting farther and farther off in the distance of the rear-view mirror, Lurie originally made the decision to run it back and offer his only Lombardi Trophy-winning coach a mulligan as long as Pederson was amendable to the notes of his boss which were going to require some more scapegoating.
Someone had to pay for the drop-off from three consecutive playoff berths and Pederson’s plan of elevating Taylor to OC here was not well received, nor was a defensive plan of replacing “the retiring” Jim Schwartz with either Matt Burke or Cory Undlin.
Tired of the micro-managing that he felt contributed to the drop-off in the first place, Pederson balked at the suggestions to go outside his comfort zone and instead spent the 2021 season cashing Lurie's checks with the intent of returning elsewhere in 2022.
That came to fruition last week with Jacksonville deciding some Super Bowl cachet was worthwhile to the organization Urban Meyer did his best to destroy in less than one year.
Much like Philadelphia in 2016, Pederson wasn’t the Jaguars' first choice but he might be the perfect one to rescue the franchise from an overbearing college coach not smart enough to know what they don’t know but plenty smart enough to sell the sizzle to an unsuspecting billionaire.
Taylor, 34, was once a rising star in the Eagles’ organization brought in as a quality control coach before Pederson ever arrived.
From there it was assistant QB coach under DeFillippo, where he famously mined the "Philly Special" from a meaningless Week 17 Chicago-Minnesota game in which the Bears used a similar play to convert a two-point conversion, a promotion to the full-time position coach when Flip left, and passing camp coordinator in 2020 when Taylor essentially shared OC duties with Rich Scangarella.
When Pederson was fired Taylor was out the door with a soft landing spot as a senior offensive assistant under Reich with the Colts and now he’s in line for the job he should have had here two years ago, only in Jacksonville.
In the battle of Pederson vs. Lurie, the former now has the canvas to prove the latter wrong to the general public.
To actual coaches like Pederson, Reich, and Zac Taylor, Press’ older brother who is currently getting his team, the Cincinnati Bengals, ready for Super Bowl LVI against the Los Angeles Rams, the matter is already stipulated.
Bengals coach Zac Taylor
USA Today
“I think Press is one of the sharpest coaches in this league,” Zac said Monday when talking with reporters virtually. “I speak to him, almost on a daily basis. Of course, I’m his brother and I believe that but just the people he’s worked with, they all want to continue to hire him.”
While Zac wasn’t about to confirm anything as far as the Jaguars go, you can do your own math with only an actual title left to be debated.
“He’s been around some really good coaches, and he has made such a strong impression on the players and coaches that he’s been with,” the older Taylor said. “Scouts, coaches always pull me aside and tell me such wonderful things that make me proud as an older brother."
Still, as a very young coach, the one criticism that was somewhat legitimate when it came to Taylor in Philadelphia was getting too close to Wentz on a personal level, described as more of a friendship than a mentorship.
DeFilippo, on the other hand, was very business-like with Wentz, also on the then-young QB about his mechanics, something that has regressed in recent seasons.
Coaches, however, can grow and evolve just like players.
“It’s no surprise that he’s in the position that he’s in right now," Zac Taylor said of his brother. "I have people calling me all the time to ask if he’s going to be available to hire because the people that he’s interacted with think of him that highly.”
Some of them so anyway and the ones who don’t could be exposed.
“I’m proud of the way he’s always carried himself in some really difficult positions,” Zac Taylor said. “His integrity and his character have always shined through.”
-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on both PhillyVoice.com and YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Eagle Maven and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglemaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
