Eagles head coach Doug Pederson will meet with the media on Tuesday during the NFL Combine, his first time speaking in a press-conference setting since the end of the season.
Prior to flying to Indianapolis, however, Pederson appeared on the team's official podcast, answering a good majority of the questions that he will likely be asked on Tuesday.
Here is a sneak peak of what Pederson will likely be saying on Tuesday:
Speed: The Eagles know they need to add speed. Pederson knows they need to add speed, and as they watch prospects this week at the Combine, speed will be a priority.
"Isn't that is what football is about? Speed and explosiveness? I don't think you can ever have enough, right? You can never have enough speed, you can never have enough explosive players, plays, whatever it might be in all three phases," Pederson said. "It is something we have to evaluate as coaches this spring."
So yes, Pederson knows his offense needs speed. The question is how the Eagles will go about getting it and whether they will end up finding the right players.
Coaching hires: Pederson has not spoken publicly about his new coaching hires, and offered up a bit of information on how the newly constructed staff will work.
Pederson said it was his call on who was hired, but he did want the input of Howie Roseman and Jeffrey Lurie. One interesting nugget is that Pederson said he didn't know any of these coaches prior to them being hired. In the NFL, coaching staffs are often built by who a coach has worked with in the past or who has been on his staff in previous years. So far Pederson has not hired anyone he has a history with, either from his first stint in Philadelphia or his time as offensive coordinator in Kansas City. That can be looked at as Pederson being very open to new ideas, which is very possible, or as the head coach not having as much input as other head coaches do around the league when it comes to putting together his staff.
Here are the interesting parts of what Pederson said about the new members of his staff:
Andrew Breiner: "Someone who can fill that mold of pass-game analyst. Which is what I want him to do — I want him to analyze our passing offense. He doesn't have the pressure of coaching a room. He can study our offense, study offenses around the league, he can study college offenses and bring us some fresh ideas and thoughts on things he has done in his career."
Rich Scangarello: "Really, really was intrigued by his resume and where he has come from. How he has worked himself up in this league. He was a coordinator last year in Denver. He has worked with Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco. He has worked with quarterbacks, he was with Kyle in Atlanta. He started as a quality control coach like myself."
Press Taylor: "I think it is important that we don't disrupt that room. I don't want to disrupt the quarterback room. I think Carson is in a great place right now athletically and mentally as a quarterback. So I don't want to disrupt that room, but I do want to give Press a chance to have more of a finger print on the game plans."
Aaron Moorehead: "Former wide receiver in this league, came from Vanderbilt obviously, coaching wide receivers there, has been around some of the top — he's been around Peyton Manning in Indy. He has seen this league, he knows how to play in this league, he knows how to coach in this league."
As to why he didn't give anyone the official title of offensive coordinator, Pederson said since he is the one calling the plays, he preferred this structure. It is also something he has apparently been thinking about for some time.
"It is a question I have really pondered and thought about for quite some time," Pederson said. "Really for many years."
Duce Staley: Pederson insisted Staley was still happy in Philadelphia despite being passed over twice now for a promotion to a larger role in the offense. Pederson said that Staley was considered for the offensive coordinator position, but Staley already has a ton of responsibility on his plate, and mentioned that he is the one who runs the team if Pederson has to step away.
"He is the assistant head coach, let's not forget that," Pederson said. "He is my right-hand guy."
Offensive changes: One clear takeaway from Pederson is that quarterback Carson Wentz is going to be moving around a lot more next season. Wentz struggled in the pocket this year was near the bottom of the league in overall accuracy. The Eagles offense turned around when Pederson got Wentz on the move and didn't have him try to win from the pocket. That appears to be the gameplan starting in Week 1 next season.
"We know that we have a dynamic quarterback," Pederson said. "He is great at play action, he is great at movement, getting him out of the pocket where he can see and do some things with his legs. That is where he excels. We have to start with that."
It seems they will be counting on Scangarello to help make Wentz moving around a bigger party of the offense.
"(Scangarello) comes from a world where it is play action, it is Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco, it is Atlanta with Matt Ryan where it is a lot of play-action pass, it is a lot of QB movement, which is what our quarterback excels at," Pederson said. "So why not have a guy like that on my staff who has these type of ideas who can enhance already what we have and make our offense better?"
Nigel Bradham: Pederson addressed the team's decision to move on from linebacker Nigel Bradham, and as expected, it sounds like they will be counting on younger players at the position next season.
"I do feel really good about our young players," Pederson said. "I thought TJ Edwards made a big step forward last year in playing. We have to look at that as well."
New Norm: The Eagles have had to fight their way into the playoffs in the final weeks the last two seasons, and since winning the Super Bowl, have an overall record of 19-16. Despite the mixed results, Pederson said he is still confident in the "new norm" he promised during the team's Super Bowl parade.
"I am. Obviously, we have been faced with adversity with the amount of injuries the last two years, but being in the postseason these last three seasons, giving ourselves an opportunity to compete for championships is what we want to do," Pederson said. "It is the expectation around here. It is that new normal."
Pederson is correct in many ways. The Eagles have been to the post season three straight years, which is not easy to do. They were an Alshon Jeffery dropped pass away from perhaps making it to the NFC Championship game two years in a row, and Wentz's injury against Seattle was a factor in being knocked out this year.
Still, the results are what they are, and Pederson wisely knows things need to change.
"If we stay the same we are going to be 9-7," Pederson said. "We are trying to be 12-4, 13-3, 11-5."
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
