Doug Pederson Likes His Offensive Weapons: 'We're Gonna Be Aggressive'
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The number one criticism of the Philadelphia Eagles is their lack of explosive weapons on offense.
It wasn't long ago guys when guys like DeSean Jackson, LeSean McCoy, and even Michael Vick were wearing midnight green and fans certainly do not forget.
"Well, yeah I understand they're used to probably the DeSean Jackson's and LeSean McCoy's, the guys that could stretch the field and make the big plays," new Eagles head coach Doug Pederson told the 94WIP Morning Show on Tuesday, ahead of the second day of training camp. "And then the next thing you get into is the fans are screaming for, 'Well you're throwing the ball too much. You need to have more of a balance offense and run the ball.'"
Listen: Doug Pederson on the 94WIP Morning Show
However, Pederson likes his team's offensive personnel.
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"I still think we got one of the best special teams / return specialists in the National Football League in Darren Sproles," Pederson said. "Big play capability, not only on offense, but also on special teams. The ability to push the ball down the field. I feel like we got three dynamic tight ends, really throw in four with Chris Pantale -- throw him in there. You've got dynamic tight ends that can stretch the field and create matchups over the middle of the field. On the outside, Nelson [Agholor] is a guy who's got good speed. He's elusive, he's young, he's learning and we're gonna give him a role the utilizes his skill set.
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"And then you got the big Jordan Matthews guy and Reuben Randle might be the guy that's probably the most veteran of the entire group -- knows how to run routes, but the fact of the matter is, if you're gonna throw the ball down the field you better have the protection to do," Pederson continued. "And in the National Football League defenses are getting faster, defenses are getting smarter. You've got to be able to protect the quarterback to be able to throw the ball down the field. So, we're gonna take our shots. We're gonna be aggressive, both in the run and the pass, and I like where we're at. I like the guys we have on the roster and we're gonna utilize their strengths to get the most out of them on game day."
Defensively, Pederson has tremendous confidence in the Eagles' new d-coordinator in Jim Schwartz, who will be running the show on that side of the ball.
"Day-to-day, I've really left that up to Coach Schwartz," Pederson said about defensive coaching responsbilities. "He's obviously the expertise on that side of the ball. He and I will definitely be in communication and talk every day and get his plan and get his idea for the way that he's going to approach opponents and things of that nature. But he's a guy who has coached and taught defense a lot in the National Football League. He's coordinated a lot, he's called a lot of defenses. So my focus, obviously as you know, is going to be primarily offense, but at the same time -- both defensively and special teams -- we'll definitely have the insight to what their plan is during the week."
Pederson, of course, makes sure to stay in touch with his buddy and former Eagles coach Andy Reid.
"The other day I sent him a picture of a coconut cake that I was eating for lunch and [Reid] said, 'Hey just remember I got up to 410 pounds in that city!'"
