Today's question: Doug Pederson served as Andy Reid’s offensive coordinator for three years in Kansas City. His only head-coaching experience is at the high school level. Are NFC East teams happy to see him roaming the sideline or will teams miss Chip Kelly, whose novelty seemed to have worn off?
Todd Archer, Cowboys: The Cowboys seemed to hold up pretty well against Kelly’s high-motored offense. Only once did Dallas give up more than 30 points in regulation. The team had some ugly moments against Kelly, too, so I don’t think they were sad to see him go. As far as Pederson is concerned, if he manages the clock the way Reid seemed to manage the clock, then the Cowboys will be happy. For all the grief Jason Garrett receives about clock management, that seems to be something Reid has yet to figure out. To me, the No. 1 job of the head coach is about getting his team ready to play while the coordinators handle the X's and O's. The Cowboys need to be more concerned about what new Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz can do to slow down their offense. I think the head-coaching move in Philadelphia is something of a wash for the Cowboys. They held up well enough against Kelly, but shouldn’t be scared of what Pederson brings to the Eagles.
Dan Graziano, Giants: The Giants will not miss Kelly, who went 5-1 against them with the only loss coming in a game in which Matt Barkley played the bulk of the snaps at quarterback for the Eagles. The Giants' worst 2014 and 2015 losses came in Philadelphia, and regardless of venue, Kelly seemed to have a knack for exposing the Giants’ many defensive weaknesses consistently. Now, this all could have had much more to do with personnel than coaching, and Pederson could have the same level of success that Kelly had against the Giants. But they will happily take their chances with the new coach instead of trying again to beat a guy who had bullied them.
John Keim, Redskins: The longer Kelly stayed in Philadelphia, the better Washington fared against Kelly. The Redskins lost their first three games against the Eagles during his tenure, but won the last three. Their average yards per play vs. his offense decreased from 6.08 his first year, to 5.83 in his second, to 5.61 last season. Some of that was the defense feeling more confident in how to defend his system -- it was never the most complicated scheme to diagnose, but it tested their communication because of the speed. And some of that was Kelly getting rid of playmakers. Washington’s offense performed well against the Eagles’ defense in that time as well, averaging 27.5 points per game. So I think there has to be a part of them that will miss Kelly. It’s hard to know what Peterson will do, but he learned from an excellent coach in Reid. I’ll also be curious to see the impact of Pederson’s defensive coordinator, Schwartz. I have a feeling that if nothing else, the Eagles’ players will be a bit happier with this change, which could result in improved play.