Doug Pederson Responds to Former NFL GM Mike Lombardi's Criticism

Less than a week before the Eagles kick off their second season under Doug Pederson, the head coach was asked about his qualifications to be in his position.

The questions on Monday afternoon stemmed from comments made by former NFL GM Mike Lombardi, now with The Ringer (h/t BleedingGreenNation).

"Now, everybody knows Pederson ins't a head coach," Lombardi said. "He might be less qualified to coach a team than anyone I've seen in my 30-plus years in the NFL. Pederson was barely a coordinator before he became a head coach!"

Pederson, of course, was the Chiefs' offensive coordinator for three seasons before the Eagles hired him. The biggest criticism came because he was an offensive coach under Andy Reid, another offensive coach. While, Pederson started play-calling in second halves of games later during his time in Kansas City, there were plenty of questions about his qualifications coming out.

What did Pederson make of the comments?

"I haven't seen the article," he said. "I'm not sure what you're talking about. So I don't pay attention to that.

"Listen, I'm confident in what I do. He's not in the building. I coach our coaches and coach our players. And I think if you ask any one of our players or our assistant coaches, I think they would maybe say something a little different. I have not read the article so I can't respond to it."

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That's when it was explained to Pederson that Lombardi questioned the head coach's qualifications to be a head coach.

"Somebody here, Mr. (Jeff) Lurie, Howie (Roseman), the guys, thought I was qualified," Pederson responded. "In my opinion, that's good enough for me. This organization is behind me 100 percent. And I think you could ask the guys in the locker room, and that's my concern, that's my focus."

Pederson's Eagles went 7-9 in his first year as head coach. And he agreed that wins and losses are the easiest way for a coach to prove he's qualified.

"To me, it's something amazing how people put just that, obviously that's what you see are the wins and losses and nothing else," he said. "I pour myself into these guys each and every day. I want them to see that."

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