Doug Pederson Will Embrace New Normal of COVID-19 World

With a preseason roster of 90 players, the Eagles may have to split up the team and have some practice at Lincoln Financial Field in order to adhere to safety guidelines

John Harbaugh recently called the jointly negotiated NFL/NFLPA COVID-19 plan for training camps “humanly impossible.”

“I’m pretty sure the huddle is not going to be six feet spaced,” the long-time former Eagles assistant under Andy Reid and the current head coach in Baltimore said on 105.7 The Fan in Baltimore. “Are guys going to shower one at a time all day? Are guys going to lift weights one at a time all day?”

The frustration was palpable for Harbaugh as he pictured trying to prepare for an NFL season where expectations are through the roof for him and his MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson.

“These are things the league and the [NFLPA] needs to get a handle on and needs to get agreed with some common sense so we can operate in a 13-hour day in training camp that they’re giving us and get our work done,” said Harbaugh.

Eagles head coach Doug Pederson was a bit more even-keeled, as he tends to be when asked about the potential restrictions, which read like a giant list of things you can’t do and just the latest example of smart people volunteering dumb ideas in the effort to legislate a virus into submission.

“We understand, I understand that this is a unique time in our society, in our country, and our world,” said Pederson on a videoconference call Tuesday morning. “This is just what we're faced with.”

The NovaCare Complex is simply not equipped to handle the spacing needs of a tiered approach big on social distancing and virtual meetings when possible. To that end, Pederson intimated that the Eagles would also be using Lincoln Financial Field as part of the plan, presumably both the playing field and locker room.

“We're going to make the most of it and use the resources possibly with the NovaCare facility, possibly with our stadium to take advantage of everything that we can,” said Pederson. “And the No. 1 thing here is making sure that our players and our coaches and all our staff are safe. That's our most important aspect of everything right now.”

One of Pederson’s strengths as a coach is his pragmatism. The rules are what they are and coaches have to adapt of they will perish.

“It's going to look different, it will feel different, but at the same time, we are going to embrace it and we are going to make the most of it,” said Pederson. “Our job as coaches is to prepare our football team for the regular season.”

Every coach, however, will be crossing their fingers for fewer restrictions by late July.

“You can tell by my voice, I’m a little frustrated with what I’m hearing there," said Harbaugh. "and I think they need to get that pinned down a little better. Now maybe we’ll know more in two months and they’ll be able to be a little more realistic and practical in what they’re asking. I expect that to be the case.

“I think good people, smart people are involved in this. But the way I’m reading these memos right now, you throw your hands up and you go, ‘What the heck? There’s no way this can be right.’”

John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John every Monday and Friday on SIRIUSXM’s Tony Bruno Show with Harry Mayes, and every Tuesday and Thursday with Eytan Shander on SBNation Radio. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen