Pederson’s tolerance could hinder coach’s rookie campaign
As the Eagles drafted one, then another, then another player who had exhibited questionable collegeyears behavior, it was clear: Doug Pederson was going to be a talent-first, character-last football coach.
That’s his choice. He’s not the first to embrace the troubled athlete in an exchange for game-day fulfillment. Spoiler alert: Eventually, Pederson will be judged on his wonloss record, whether it is boosted or butchered by players previously known mostly for their misbehavior. Just because he’s never coached a game above the high school level, it doesn’t mean he has to be a high-paid molder of behavior.
What Pederson’s attitude does do, however, is complicate his task. So it happened again recently when linebacker Nigel Bradham was arrested for allegedly breaking a cabana-worker’s nose on a Florida beach.
“In April, at my first team meeting, you always lay out your expectations, what you expect on the football field and off the football field,” Pederson has said. “You’ve got to make smart decisions. We’re in a high-profile business in the city of Philadelphia, which is going to be magnified a little bit. You’ve got to be smart and careful. We all suffer from our bad choices and decisions.”
All of a sudden it’s Philadelphia’s fault for magnifying alleged ill-behavior by an Eagles’ player? What? They don’t magnify pro football in Miami or Denver or Green Bay?
Bradham is supposed to start at outside linebacker. He will start training camp under that controversy.
Pederson may or may not be able to coach. Odd, though, how his personnel and discipline choices, and those of the Eagles’ front office, are adding to the workload.
Before his next trick, Jon Dorenbos must make sure that professionalism doesn’t vanish.
Dorenbos, the Eagles’ long snapper, is deep into the competition on the TV show, “America’s Got Talent,” having mesmerized panelists and viewers with his magic tricks. He is so deep into it that it’s possible that he could have to miss some of training camp.
Asked about that possibility, Pederson replied: “We have to see. We went through his show and obviously he will be back for the conditioning test. We will see where it ends up over the next couple days.”
Have to see? Have to what?
Obviously, there are reasons why any player could put practice behind life, from injury to family obligations. But competing on some goofy talent show is not one. So even if Dorenbos’ outside interest is slightly more reasonable than Randall Cunningham leaving a preseason game early to attend Whitney Houston’s birthday party, Pederson must reject Dorenbos’ request for personal time. That’s unless he is tricky enough to be in two places at once.
In the history of cold, canned refreshing drinks has anyone, and that means anyone, ever actually used one of those rubber sleeves that supposedly keep the cans cold?
Seems there is a mystery, if not a region-wide angst, over the lack of passion for the Eagles as they have begun training camp.
The theories are plentiful, everything from the organization’s strange decision to appoint one of the least popular players in club history as the head coach to the mothballing of the No. 1 draft choice to the reality that Las Vegas is doubting that the Birds can play .500 football.
Here’s another: The chronic selfish behavior of a franchise that literally has tried to hide behind overgrown brush and intimidating security gates ever since it moved into its training center.
For many reasons, the NFL has matured in recent years, agreeing to downsize training camp to a more practical and, all tend to agree, healthy schedule. So the days of Dick Vermeil ordering six weeks of twoa-days in the West Chester heat are over.
But whether it was West Chester or Lehigh, at least the Eagles were visible at training camp, where fans who may otherwise not have been able to afford seat licenses to watch regular-season games could enjoy something resembling pro football in the summer. Anymore, it takes a special pass or connections to be invited into the NewsControl Compound to watch camp. And even if the Birds occasionally will open the Linc for a more public practice, by then the customary training camp momentum will have been lost.
Just a hunch, but the NFL might remain popular, even in Philadelphia, closer to football season. Don’t let that get around. But if there is a reduced buzz in July, any organization that so relentlessly tries to remain private can only blame itself. When did food trucks become tourist attractions?
By now, sports fans should have had their interest heightened in a dream basketball team, in track, in field, in gymnastics or cycling or swimming, what with the Olympics less than a week away.
But what were the stories heading into the Rio games? They were about viruses, and construction issues, and doping standards, and would-be participants declining the invitation. And exactly how is that supposed to make anybody emotional, patriotic or excited at the sight of the Olympic flame?
Philadelphia has not had much sports luck in the last four decades. But it had the good fortune not to be dragged into hosting the Olympics, even though that once was a thought, if not a movement.
There has been some chatter that the Olympics ideal has hit the finish line, that it has become a professionalized money-grab, that international rivalries have been reduced, that cities bidding for them are doomed only to lose money. And the Olympics might never be as captivating as they were during the Cold War. But if they bring anybody joy, well, let them continue.
Just the same, keep them as many continents away from Philadelphia as possible. Get bubble tea?