Earlier this week, Doug Pederson had a chance to boast about his accomplishments in his first two years as Eagles head coach and he chose not to (see story).
He obviously could have.
Pederson has guided the Eagles to the NFC Championship Game in his second year after many thought Jeff Lurie made a huge mistake hiring him in 2016.
It turns out, Lurie didn't hire the same guy that stood at the lectern on Friday, just two days before the big game. This version of Pederson is different, better. He's a different coach than when he first started.
"I think so. I just think I'm wiser, smarter," Pederson said. "You learn from past experience. I think I'm a better situational manager in the games and preparing the team and my messaging with the team. I just think you learn and grow every single day, every single week. But at the same time as I grow, I want to make sure that the guys are still seeing the same me every single day. I'm still going to be the same person through the highs and the lows."
One of Pederson's key messages to his players since he took over in 2016 is to be themselves. He wants his players to let their own individual personalities show.
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Pederson is no exception. It's been his goal to simply be himself; he just hoped that would be enough. Earlier in the week, he talked about how important it was for him to not try to be Andy Reid. Sure, Reid is his mentor and did a tremendous job for the franchise for over a decade, but Pederson knew he needed to be true to himself.
And Pederson has been true to himself. It's just that he's naturally changed during that time. One of the biggest noticeable differences is his mounting confidence.
When told he even seems more confident during his press conferences, Pederson sheepishly handed out a "thank you."
"I'm not one to boast and talk about myself," Pederson explained. "It's about the team. But I just think that through experience that you're going to learn. You're going to gain confidence. ... So I don't walk around the building sort of beating my chest or anything like that. I'm just going to be me. I've always tried to exude the confidence and come off as a positive, encouraging person to the team, and that's what I'll continue to do."
