The thought that the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles could possibly win their first Super Bowl with a second-year head coach and backup quarterback seemed unlikely, especially when facing the dynastic New England Patriots. That, however, is what happened, which makes the story of Eagles head coach Doug Pederson more than a little interesting. Not only is he inclined to be unconventionally bold in his sideline decision making, or “Fearless” as this biography describes it, but he is doggedly persistent. Despite being an undrafted rookie free agent who was cut five times, Pederson spent 14 years as a backup quarterback in the National Football League, then began his coaching career absent fanfare at Calvary Baptist Academy in Shreveport, La. How he came to land the Eagles job and take the team to its first Super Bowl championship makes for an engaging memoir.
Here’s an excerpt from Fearless:
“A lot of coaches don’t listen to their players, but I do. I know it goes against conventional wisdom. After all, coaches are the ones studying the tape all day, right? But we’re not the ones playing the game – they are. So if my offensive lineman says, ‘Hey, Coach, we can really run this play,’ I’ll listen to him. It’s a two-way communication, and I value what they see on the field. That’s part of my process. I’ve talked about it publicly and had good responses on that from coaches around the league. I listen to my players in how we practice too. It’s almost a reward. If they keep showing consistent improvement, then I’ll listen to them. If I see or hear at any time that they are sluggish or tired, practices are starting to dip off, that’s a sign to back down, to pull the pads off, to do something different to keep them fresh on game day.”
