POWERSPREAD

Andy Reid is the resident “genius” in the NFL. No disrespect to Bill Belichick who’s widely recognized as the best coach in the NFL and one of the best of all time, but when the talk shifts to Scheme, there’s no one more highly regarded than Reid.

His longtime student is Doug Pederson. Pederson’s  ability to scheme on offense rivals that of his mentor. His ability as a Head Coach surprisingly may surpass that of Andy Reid or anyone in the NFL at the present moment.

My Doug Pederson Story

I have been ranting and raving about Doug Pederson for two years now. I have all kinds of private messages, videos and podcasts sent to friends and colleagues detailing his brilliance. I labeled him Coach of the Year – LAST YEAR – stating that the Eagles would have been lucky to win 4 games without him. I also stated repeatedly that Carson Wentz’s progression was attributable to the teaching and schemes of Pederson and his staff.

No Pederson = No Wentz =  No Eagles. At least not the “mvp” Wentz that Philly fans were drooling over all season long and the Fly Eagles Fly Team that has found themselves in Super Bowl 52.

The feeling I got during my time in Philadelphia lastt fall was that the newfound Eagle Success was due to Wentz, with a little bit of help from the defense. Any mention of Wentz possibly being overrated was met with some degree of hostility. Especially when I argued that Wentz could easily get hurt and it still won’t matter in the end. As long as Pederson was there the Eagles had a chance to go to the Super Bowl.

Unlike Chip Kelly (more on that later), I stood my ground versus anyone who would listen and amazingly have been proven out as both happened. Wentz was hurt. The Eagles behind Doug Pederson are in the Super Bowl anyway.

Power Spread Archives on Doug Pederson in 2016

This week I actually went back and listened to a part of my podcast on the Eagles close loss to Dallas last year. One of their many close losses in 2016. Even in the loss, I talked of Pederson’s brilliance with both the Eagles and their “small college” rookie QB at the helm. The progress Wentz made under Pederson’s tutelage that first year was actually more amazing than the progress he made this year.

I also looked at some videos I made as well. I thought about taking the time to put some of this on my site – but I decided against it for now. The Super Bowl is around the bend and I need to take time to post some articles. Plus a lot of what I have is really raw and off the cuff. It speaks my truth and is even funny at times – but I want to be careful rubbing any coaches out there the wrong way. I will have to give more thought to releasing this material in the future. If I do, I will need a disclaimer first. 🙂

My goal this offseason is to make some new videos/podcasts detailing Pederson’s brilliance and possibly adding the old stuff in when and if it fits. For now I will explain how I become such a big Pederson fan and why. Here’s how the story goes…

Chip Kelly or Chip Silly

First off I want to clarify that I have respect for Kelly’s intelligence. I say things “tongue in cheek” to my friends with no harm meant. Thus the Chip Silly reference that I made a lot during the 2015 season.

In reality, I actually feel that Chip Kelly is a true Football Explorer. And while he had a rough time in the NFL after a great College career, his time is far from over. I wouldn’t be surprised to see something so innovative from him in the next decade that it could effect the rest of Football History. Essentially putting him on a small list of great offensive innovators like Bill Walsh, Sid Gillman and Francis Schmidt.

For now, Kelly is a work in progress. He just got the head coaching job at UCLA and people are excited to see if he regains the magic he had with Oregon almost a decade ago. He may. For sure he will continue to explore the realms of football heading into the next decade. But his time in Philadelphia was really a mixed bag.

His valiant and brave attempt to “force” Power Spread into the NFL failed miserably after some initial success. This is not because Power Spread had no place in the NFL – as now every single NFL team uses PS Concepts – but because it had to be meshed with many different factors both on and off the field. I think this was a case of Kelly’s own brilliant mind getting ahead of itself. Down below I further detail the evolution of Power Spread to Pro PS and the ways in which top coaches have melded a Pro System with Power Spread.

What is Power Spread?

Power Spread deals with Space Time Team – the manipulation of which brings forward Energy thru Scheme, Teaching and Talent. In that order. The Plan, the Execution and the Attitude. The precepts are Aggressive Flexible Variety. Mainly just Aggressive Variety for now with Flexibility as something for the future. People are only now experiencing a true exploration of Variety without limits and have yet to grasp the deeper effects of the time bending, mind altering Flexibility to come.

Again, Kelly is a smart football man who will continue to explore and come up with new ideas, but his time with the Eagles turned from a tricky situation into a mess rather quickly! Without a deeper understanding of Power Spread- especially in terms of Personnel or Team – his attempt at an empire came tumbling down fast.

I will keep it short, but basically QB Sam Bradford was the leading gaff in a series of poor personnel moves by Kelly. He simply didn’t fit the Kelly Offense – mainly due to a bad knee causing a lack or “fear” of mobility. Having Pat Shurmur as his right hand man didn’t help either. Shurmur was a long time “West Coast Offense” guy who had a history with Bradford.

Shurmur’s success with Bradford years before was in an old school West Coast Pass Offense based on route designs, progression reads and personnel match-ups. Spread Passing is different in that receivers look for Space, while QBs throw to that Space. It is not supposed to be design or personnel driven. Also there is a lot of Time manipulation in both the play design and calls – be it play-action, mis-direction or simply Tempo No-Huddle.

Shurmur is getting it now with Minnesota, but he wasn’t getting it back then in Philly. For sure his experience with Kelly and later Norv Turner helped transform his ideas into running a top notch Pro PS Offense this year. But a couple years back, he and Kelly struggled to mesh the 2 concepts while keeping the Offense current.

What happened to Kelly’s Power Spread

Basically, Kelly didn’t stick to his guns on bringing his Power Spread to the NFL, because he really didn’t understand deeply enough what it really entailed. The core concepts I have attributed to Power Spread are very simple on a scheme or design level, but deep on a conceptual level. Without this framework, it’s like building a glass house. One crack and the whole thing goes. The Bradford move by Kelly was the crack that did him in – in my opinion.

Kelly never married the two offenses, therefore he needed to stick with what brought him to this point. Power Spread. He didn’t. Bradford couldn’t. The Eagles wouldn’t.

This is when I started to text my friends and say – “do we have Chip Kelly today or Chip Silly” – because some of what I saw, on the field, during the 2015 season shocked me. A non-mobile QB who was running Read Option – WHICH REQUIRED A MOBILE QB TO WORK EFFECTIVELY!?? That was the biggest shocker of all, but there were many others. By the end, Kelly was losing control of his team and his relationship with the fans and ownership. This signaled the end of a short era and the start of something even more shocking.

Enter Doug Pederson

So there I was in the Summer of ’16 glancing at an Eagle exhibition, telling my friend there would be no more Eagles analysis from me now that PS Guru Chip Kelly was gone. I had no more reason to keep on eye on Philly.

Suddenly, before I could blink,  I see the Eagles Offense break into a No-Huddle Tempo and move right down the field and score! WHAT WAS THAT!!?

I immediately looked up their Offensive Coordinator. Ahhh, now I see – Frank Reich – the well-known backup to Jim Kelly when the Bills were famous for an early type of No Huddle Spread Offense – The K-Gun!

Well, I thought, this was a heckuva a decision by Pederson to bring along a smart upcoming OC like Reich. Pederson certainly isn’t going to run the Old Pro West Coast Offense that was about to be ushered out to make way for the new combo of Pro and Spread Offense. A football first combining both College and Pro ingenuity into a melded one. Pro PS.

Pederson wasn’t going old school at all. He was all new school all the way. Not only would he be joining the procession of burgeoning Pro PS coaches, he was about to blow the top of the whole thing with an aggressive attitude usually reserved for college coaches. He would be the future – not the past nor the present. I didn’t see this coming that fateful summer day in 2016. Not even close. But I caught on quick!

The Staff

The first thing I did is look further into the Staff that Pederson had assembled. I couldn’t believe it. Pederson had it all! From well known names such as Reich, John DeFilippo and Jim Schwartz, to experienced unknowns such as Jeff Stoutland, Mike Groh, Chris Wilson, Ken Flajole and Cory Undlin, and finally to several former NFL players in Tim Hauck, Phillip Daniels, Eugene Chung and the one and only – Duce Staley – of Philly Fame!  He also had some good up and coming talent on his staff in Press Taylor and Justin Peelle. Not to mention a great Special Teams coach left over from the Kelly regime – Dave Fipp.

For a guy that was never a Head Coach, this was not only impressive – it was amazing. I had yet to learn much about what Pederson’s schemes, teaching or people skills, but he already seemed to have an all out Power Spread Strategy in place when it came to hiring a staff. Delegation is a HUGE priority with any leader of any organization and Pederson seemed to be off to a flying start!

Not only was there experience and talent on his staff, there was thought given to the meshing of personality amongst the staff, plus within the organization and amongst the community. A guy like Duce Staley adds value not only with his experience and smarts, but also as a loyal and recognized member of the Philly community.

Then there is the ever important SCHEME. Pederson has surrounded himself with coaches who’s lineage goes back to some of the smartest men in football. Here is a list I compile for every NFL Team – Head Coach, Offensive Coordinator and staff, Defensive Coordinator and staff. Anyone interested can look up the staffs on Wikipedia and do their own research.

Philadelphia

1. HC Doug Pederson
2. OC Frank Reich
   1. TMiles(Jagodzinski/SElliot(AppSt PS))  
   2. Peele(Harbaugh, CKelly)   Stoutland(Saban, CKelly)  
   3. Staley(Reid, CKelly)   MGroh(AlGroh)  
   4. PTaylor(Tulsa PS, CKelly)
3. DC Jim Schwartz
   1. CWilson  (STOOPS, KOENNING)
   2. Undlin(Belichick, Crennel, DelRio, Fox)  
   3. THauck (Fritz Shurmur)

Needless to say, the brilliance is everywhere. From Nick Saban to Bill Belichick. One of the great Defensive Innovators in Fritz Shurmur (Pat’s Dad). Stoops connection and the 3-3 Defense of Vic Koenning. Al Groh, Jim Harbaugh, Chip Kelly. Appalachian State and Tulsa Power Spreads. And more. Pederson made some contacts in his time. Given his likable personality, it makes sense.

Trent Miles

Miles was hired this year to help with the QBs. His OC at Georgia State was Shawn Elliot (now HC) who ran the Appalachian State Spread Offense. My guess is that Miles was hired to help implement and teach more Power Spread to the Eagles and their QBs.

More specifically, Miles was to teach the RunPassOption schemes known as RPOs. This is an extension of the Read Option, the early hallmark of Power Spread, where the QB, out of the Shotgun, has the Option to keep the ball or handoff to the RB. When the pass is added to the equation, the QB can now handoff, run or pass. Triple Option. Of course, add another back in the backfield and you have a QB who can handoff, keep, pitch or pass. Quadruple Option.

Sure enough, Wentz showed great improvement in the RPO designs by the end of the year. He was taught to be a much better ball handler than he was the prior year. Backup Nick Foles actually learned a similar scheme in  College where he ran a Spread Offense at Arizona. Of course the transition to Pro PS is a little different and RPOs relatively new.

This is just one example of how much influence a coaching staff has in the team’s success. Who knows if we see any RPOs this year without Miles there to teach it. Pederson or Reich could teach it as well – but it’s a matter of time and expertise. The RPO designs really propelled the Philly Offense to another level the 2nd Half of the year.

Shocking

Pederson was never a Head Coach before. His ability to put together this kind of staff is somewhat revealing. Hiring another top notch assistant this year to add to his already great Pro PS Offense is even more revealing. The man knows what he’s doing!

As shocking as Kelly’s decline was to me, Pederson’s brilliant maneuvering so quickly was even more shocking. Starting with his hired staff and moving right through to his abilities in three phases as a Head Coach, QB Coach and Offensive Coordinator. I don’t think anyone saw this coming and I’m not sure anyone fully understands what this man has done.

Pederson as Head Coach

Besides putting together a coaching staff, Pederson had a lot of other responsibilities when he took this job. Fix the Kelly mess. The personnel mess. Solidify the schemes and the culture. Build momentum. All while keeping the Philly faithful and Front Office at bay. How in the world was he going to pull this off??

Basically all of social media was questioning this move by the Eagles. Sure he was a former assistant under former Eagle great Andy Reid, but what credentials did he have to be a Head Coach?? Basically none.

I myself thought, like so many, that this was just a desperate move to get back to the Andy Reid days of old. If that were true, then we would be looking at a disaster right now. For in life there is no backwards – only forwards. To go back to the old school West Coast Offense, with old style personnel and business relationships, would never have worked.

Personnel

Well I found out quick that Pederson was far from old school. He was bringing in the newly formed Pro PS that he had already been experimenting with the last 2 years under Andy Reid at Kansas City. But before he even got his players on the field, he had to figure out what kind of players he wanted on the team.

Right away it became obvious to me that Attitude before Talent second would dominate his thinking. This is very much what I call Power Spread Recruiting. Take the best talent available – regardless of scheme or position – with Attitude as the #1 factor. The #1 Physical Attribute should be speed. Other physical attributes would then be based on scheme. Big guys for heavy pro sets, little speedy guys in 3rd down packages, etc.

Carson Wentz

Pederson’s “recruiting” showed up strongest in the QB he chose. The Philly God, Carson Wentz. Wentz’s talent level, while very high, was certainly not the greatest anyone has seen – unbeknownst to most Philly Fans – but he certainly had the smarts and more importantly the attitude to work for Pederson.

Not only would his attitude help him in any sport or organization, but he was “Philly Tough”. Pederson and CEO Jeff Lurie picked up on this right away. Brilliance. The Philly Fans will give more leeway to mistakes made by “one of their own”. Bradford never fit this style. In reality, neither does Nick Foles. Wentz does – to a T!

Organizaion

This is a broad category, but for the sake of time I will keep this segment under the category of Organization. Dealing with the Front Office, Coaches, Players, Media and last but not least – the Fans – Pederson has been nothing short of superb. Obviously his people skills are off the charts.

Pederson vs Belichick

Take a look at Super Bowl interviews this week. Even Post Game – see how Pederson answers questions compared with Bill Belichick. Not every coach is a curmudgeon like Bill and honestly, I sometimes don’t blame him. I’m not sure I could deal with all the ridiculousness these guys deal with on a daily basis.

That being said, there is no comparison in demeanor or class when comparing Pederson and Belichick. In fact, Pederson would have it over a lot of coaches out there. He has an amazing way of handling the media and even the fans. Saying just the right thing, keeping the positive focus on his players and the negative focus away from them. This is not an easy craft and one that Pederson is shockingly good at.

Now, of course, Belichick is a genius in many other aspects of being a Head Coach. He’s proven it time and again. I am not putting down Bill. I’m simply claiming that Pederson’s abilities as a Head Coach are so shockingly good that in some aspects, or at least one for sure, he is better than the great Bill Belichick!

Cleaning Up the Mess

Pederson’s ability to come in and deal with the mess left behind by Chip Kelly and have the Eagles in the Super Bowl in 2 years is beyond shocking! To get rid of a veteran and start his tenure with a Rookie QB from a small school is simply incredulous. He’s won over his executives, players and coaches. He’s won over the media, other coaches and fans in the NFL. Hopefully, now he is finally winning over the Philly Fans.

Pederson as QB Coach

Pederson spent time as a QB Coach under Andy Reid in Philadelphia before he became the Offensive Coordinator in Kansas City. Frank Reich and Trent Miles have also been QB Coaches. John DeFilippo is the current QB Coach for the Eagles and has been doing it for a long time in both the NFL and College. I can only analyze what I see in games, as I am not at the practices to see what is really going on behind the scenes, but I can definitively say this – WHOEVER IS COACHING UP WENTZ AND FOLES HAS DONE AN ABSOLUTELY AMAZING JOB! Period

My guess is that this is a combo effect of all 4 guys. My guess, again, is that Miles had a specific assignment related to the Spread Schemes from college and bringing that into the Wentz skill set and adding to the Foles Spread Skill set. I don’t know for sure.

All four men have been noted in the past for their abilities as QB Teachers or as people like to say, QB Whisperers. In all my podcasts and videos in 2016,  I would note, on almost a weekly basis, the incredible job the Eagles coaches were doing with Wentz. His improvements were not only due to his own intelligence and hard work, but the way he was brought along.

Scheming for Greatness – 2016 Wentz

Pederson never demanded too much from Wentz in 2016. He kept his “reads” to a minimum and the passes short. In other words, Wentz, like most young QBs, struggled to read the Defensive Schemes. What happens is that a young QB either holds the ball too long in the passing game and gets hit – hard – fumbles or makes bad throws. Both of which happened to Wentz a lot last year, but was again kept at a minimum thanks to Pederson’s brilliance.

Fans got antsy as Wentz was not allowed to unleash the ball down the field much last year, but again this is brilliant. Not only did Pederson keep rookie mistakes to a minimum, he built Wentz’s confidence. That’s why I say – No Pederson = No Wentz. Imagine Wentz trying to scramble around, throwing balls all over the field last year. There would have been so many mistakes – big losses – and eventually a loss of confidence. Possibly a benching. Worse case – Fans booing this QB who had signature “Philly Toughness” and should have been a fan favorite!

This is why, when Pederson first got rid of Bradford and went with a Rookie as a full time starter,  I thought the season was over before it started. After the Mess of Chip Kelly and the personnel/coaching changes – being led by a Rookie QB from North Dakota State??? No way! Yes way!! But it took brilliant patience and scheming from Pederson and his staff. Including the addition of RPO Schemes this year with the hire of Trent Miles.

2017 – The MVP Stats – Wentz a Big Man’s Doug Flutie

Now we enter 2017. Even though the Eagles started out slow in the First Half of Games on Offense throughout the early part of the year, Pederson was continuing to give Wentz more responsibility. First he let him throw downfield more. Then he added more mis-direction ball handling to the schemes. Wentz continued to improve and show command, but he limited his ability to read defenses was still below par.

Eventually, though, Pederson began to add Pre-Reads. This is where, thru scheme, a QB can try to read what the Defense will do before the snap of the ball. If this is accomplished, then he will not have to try to read the defense after the snap (post-snap) when big defenders are running at him and speedy defenders are running around ready to intercept the pass. Brilliant strategy by Pederson. Keep schemes and post-snap reads simple. Do everything pre-snap.

As the year progressed, Wentz began to flourish. His pre-snap reads were good, deep passes and ball protection improved greatly. He would strike if the play worked – but made sure to run or throw the ball away if it didn’t. He proved to be a really top notch runner/athlete for a big guy and became the ultimate improvisor. Almost like a BIG MAN’S DOUG FLUTIE! Perfect for the future Pro PS Offense!

Of course with this came great stats. Yes Wentz continued to struggle making post-snap reads, but by season’s end, thanks to Pederson’s patient progression, Wentz even starred to show some skill in going through his progressions on west coast route designs.

I have to give Wentz credit for a lot of this, but again – No Peterson=No Wentz – and no way he accumulates the stats of an MVP QB in 2017.

Enter Nick Foles

As I said to my Philly buddies back in October  — what if Wentz gets hurt? Amongst several panicked looks, I said “as long as they have Pederson, the Eagles will have a chance”. With one friend in particular, we actually took a look at the Philly QB backups in November. I must admit I wasn’t a Foles fan at the time. But I still had faith in Pederson. Even saying to my friend – with all my talk of the great job by Pederson – he still continues to shock me in Personnel moves and Schematic innovation. If he likes Foles, then I will trust it.

Well, Wentz did get hurt. No surprise. I love the scrambling and designed runs – but Wentz has a big frame – easy for defenders to get a good shot and injure him. Hopefully when he comes back he won’t be “gun shy” and continue to use his legs. But he needs a course in the “Art of the Slide” and in getting out of bounds. Pick and choose his big hits wisely and when he does – go for it – lower the shoulder and smack the defender so that he’s dishing out the punishment – not taking it. Obviously, much easier said than done.

So now Foles is the starter. Right away I noticed he was a quicker decision maker than he was during his time at Philly previously with Chip Kelly. My guess is, again, the brilliant simplicity of Pederson’s Schemes making it easier for Foles to execute. Pederson runs a very QB Friendly Offense.

I did remember though that Foles always had a quick release and played in a Spread Offense in College. I could see immediately that Foles was a better Spread Passer than Wentz. YES – I SAID BETTER. Only in that phase of the game., but for sure, Foles  made quicker reads and had a quicker release than Wentz.

What he couldn’t do, was scramble and make big plays from nothing like Wentz. A Doug Flutie he was not. I figured Pederson would go more to Spread Pass Formations and even more RPO designs than he had done with Wentz. I was right. A seasonal letdown and some bad weather contributed to bad play by ALL the players at the end of the year, but it predictably turned around quick in the playoffs.

Absolutely Amazing!

Again Pederson showed steady logical progression in the way of handling each of his QBs. Sounds simple – it is – but so many coaches muck it up with complications. And while the simplicity is easier to see from a far – it is a lot harder to attempt from inside the battle zone.

Pederson’s staffing, teaching and scheming, along with the teaching and input by Reich and the work of DeFilippo and Miles has been nothing short of sensational.

Pederson as Offensive Coordinator

Finally we go back to that fateful summer day when I noticed something shocking with the Eagles. They may actually have more Power Spread now that Kelly has left!!? How did this happen??

I was back on the Eagles Watch that I was on the whole 2015 season. From that exhibition game, I jumped on the regular season and started to notice a lot – fast!  I saw all kinds of interesting play-action and mis-direction, orchestrated with great Power Spread  Aggressive Variety. It actually looked more aggressive than Chip Kelly. Especially when he got Silly at the end and basically ran a bad version of Read Option football into the ground.

For sure, Pederson brought his West Coast schemes with him from KC, but they were expertly meshed with Spread Concepts. Then Power Spread Concepts. This is something Kelly and Shurmur never figured out.

PRO PS

To understand some of what happened, I need to explain briefly what has happened in the NFL of late. There was a time when the NFL and it’s fans thought they would never see the day when those college “spread” schemes would infect  The League! Problem was that a lot of the talent coming from College ran exactly that type of scheme. The QBs were now dual-threat. RBs and WRs were used to more simple schemes where they simply exploited the space and did it fast with a lot of tempo. Even the Olineman were used to quick set ups and spread plays all over the field. The NFL had to change. And when they did, they finally realized that these schemes were actually sound and innovative. They encompassed everything that was, is and will be Football.

At first, the spread’s introduction to the NFL was a fractured mess. Belichick actually added a pro style pass spread for Tom Brady long ago after his visit with Urban Meyer. Jim Mora Jr added some read option “spread to run” offense for Michael Vick in the 00s. The guy who was with Belichick when he went to Urban, Josh McDaniels, attempted to bring the Spread to Denver with Meyer’s former QB, Tim Tebow, late in the decade, to mixed results. Then of course there was Chip Kelly’s brash attempt at full on Power Spread.

The coach who really put it together – a Power Spread Offense that could mesh with old Pro West coast Concepts – was Jim Harbaugh. With Dual-Threat QB Colin Kaepernick, Harbaugh ran some Pro Heavy Run Sets, mixed with West Coast Pass Sets and Power Spread Sets. His creation also included what I call, Spread Power. Spreading athletes all over the field from Power Sets. Approaching Power Spread Concepts from the  opposite end. Power Formations to Spread Pass + Run.

Still, even with Harbaugh’s creation, the NFL struggled to meld two very different ways to play wide open Offense. Finally great minds like Andy Reid started to find a way to mesh the two approaches. Instead of a Fractured Multiple Offense as I called it in 2014 and 2015, there were signs of a Cohesive Pro PS offense in 2016. Reid’s scheming was at the forefront.

Andy Reid

Reid was known for his brilliant West Coast Offenses with the Eagles in the 2000s. Reid’s ideas stemmed from many minds, but always incorporated the original creator’s ideas – Bill Walsh. The thing is, before Walsh there was Sid Gillman. He was the true creator of what we see in the NFL Passing game today. Walsh was inspired by Gillman. Reid by both.

Most forget or do not know that Reid learned his trade at BYU. BYU was famous for a “college” approach to the West Coast Offense. This simply means, they had a more flexible scheme that incorporated running QBs and Spread Passing with the standard route designs of Walsh. In other words, a more creative version of West Coast Offense.

Thus, it makes sense that Reid would be the one to really explore what Pro PS had to offer. He had the creative mind & background plus one other item. Another former Urban Meyer QB in Alex Smith – who was all Power Spread in College. Reid’s new style Pro PS offense is copied on a weekly basis by other NFL teams and is the biggest reason – after Harbaugh – that the NFL is now a PRO PS League.

Pederson’s Pro PS

THIS is where Pederson’s background starts and ends. At first I figured he would be just another Reid copycat. I was wrong. Big time.

After the initial shock, I realized that Pederson’s understanding of Pro PS may be deeper than any other coach in the NFL. The reason I say this is because of what I’ve seen on the field – week to week – for two years. It is not simply the wins and losses. It’s his use of SpaceTimeTeam in a simple cohesive manner always with Aggressive Variety. I describe this more in detail here, by breaking down a series of 3 plays during the Atlanta Divisional Playoff game.

I don’t know what Pederson actually knows, nor do I know how he teaches it, what he calls it or why he believes in it…BUT…he gets it. Plain and simple. He understands the need for Aggression at all times and the Variety that goes with it. Today’s football world of  “high tech schemes + monster athletes” requires nothing less. The margins are finer than ever and Pederson gets it.

He’s also very innovative scheme and play calling. Just when I think I’ve seen it all, he shocks me again. As he did in the Divisional Playoff Game. His scheming went to another level once the playoffs started. It may raise again still, for the Super Bowl. There never seems to be an end in site for him. The only coach in all of football right now that consistently surprises me.

One of my videos from this year showed Peterson, in a Monday Night Game, having a quick 3 shifts in progression(Offensive players moving into different formations before the snap), and a fourth right before the snap. Unfortunately the LT jumped off sides. That was the craziest shifting I have ever seen. Jon Gruden said that Pederson has all sorts of innovations like this in his playbook.

More importantly, he sees space – it seems almost the same as I do – and understands timing – both in play calling and play design. He knows his Personnel is important and never acts as if it isn’t, but he also seems to have it in perspective. Space and Time are big factors for him in freeing up his talent. Making execution so easy as to almost disappear. Expanding space/time for his team while squeezing it for the opponent. Effectively increasing his talent and decreasing the opponent’s with the simple equation of PS=st².

Perception is everything and with Pederson the Eagles are constantly MORE while the opponents LESS.

Andy Reid Plus

The reason I call Pederson “Andy Reid Plus” is because he always stays with simple Aggressive Variety, while Reid vacillates between simple and complicated, aggressive and conservative.

Whether it’s age or simply personality. Trying to be too smart or maybe Andy IS too smart. Maybe in the end, Reid just has an obsessive perfectionism to somehow eliminate all risk in a perfect scheme. Unfortunately this is an impossibility since Aggression is directly proportional to the amount of Risk.

Whatever the issue, every year like clockwork, Andy will get conservative when victory is in his grasp. He’s done it in basically every playoff game he’s ever coached and every successful season he’s created.

He exemplified this idea again in 2017 – with great Aggressive Variety early in the season – only to struggle at the end with too much complicated conservatism. The playoff game?  Same thing. Aggressive first half with great results. A conservative, disastrous end that knocked his team out of the playoffs yet again.

Pederson = Aggressive

You won’t see this with Pederson. He keeps the pedal to the metal, while making the schemes simple for his players to execute. Even when DC Jim Schwartz starts to go back to his older conservative roots, Pederson will nudge him. Not about scheme – Pederson’s too smart to interfere on Defense, which is not his skill set – but just about the basic premise of Aggression.

He keeps the whole team aggressive and the Front Office as well. Just look at the moves the Eagles have made both in the off-season and in-season since Kelly has left. One aggressive personnel move after another – just like Bill Belichick.

As I have said throughout this article – I have a load of info about all of this in the form of writing, audio and video. I will find a way to share this soon – either new stuff or the archived stuff – but for now BELIEVE ME WHEN I SAY, Pederson is unbelievable and is breaking tendency not only on the field, but in the way the Football World thinks. It may not be apparent now, but it will be in the future.

What Power Spread is All About

I know that Pederson wouldn’t take credit for all of this. He’s too smart. Maybe too humble as well. Either way he is correct. What he’s created now has a life of its own. It’s own Energy.

Energy

Always, this is the end result of Power Spread. For All. In All Ways. From Player to Fan. Coach to Executive.

Players are “free to fly” in a PS System. Fans free to enjoy. Pederson has talked about letting player individuality flourish from Day 1. Eagle’s players have loved it. The fans have too. Everything was in place for this to happen.

This Energy is a result of much Thought and Work. E=mc². In human terms-SchemeTeachingTalent. In PS terms-SpaceTimeTeam.

Pederson Fast Forward

Pederson created this very powerful engine and is now the driver of a very fast car. Will it crash and burn? Maybe, but even if it does, Pederson has given me every reason to believe he will rebuild it and make it even stronger.

I am still shocked at all I’ve seen from Pederson. And I still don’t know exactly how or what he thinks – or why, for that matter – but I’m definitely a believer and have been for two years now. The guy is meshing Power Spread with the NFL like no one else. I don’t see any reason why that will stop anytime soon.

~PS