Jim Schwartz has been an NFL head coach before so he understands the pressure that comes with that job.
Doug Pederson is feeling that pressure now.
Because through 12 games, the Eagles have a pathetic 3-8-1 record. A season that started with playoff hopes is likely going to end with a top-10 pick and potentially major changes on the horizon.
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“I think the whole staff has Doug’s back,” Schwartz said on Tuesday morning. “We know what he’s going through and we feel the pressure on ourselves to go do our jobs better to take some of the heat off of him. I think that’s what a good staff does.
“Doug’s had our back in the past, we have his back. I think it all works together that way. I just think everybody needs to be more efficient at their job. I think everybody needs to recognize their part in it.”
We have no reason to not believe that Schwartz and the entire coaching staff have the head coach’s back, but it might also be self-serving. After all, if a head coach is fired not many coaches are typically retained. The Eagles in 2016 were somewhat of an outlier.
When we look back at this 2020 season, we’ll probably remember the offensive shortcomings more than the defensive ones. Because the offense has been a bigger problem, which a quick look at the Eagles’ rankings show:
NFL
Points scored: 26th
Points against:19th
Offensive yards: 29th
Yards allowed: 13th
While the offense has clearly been the bigger problem this season, the defense hasn’t been perfect either. On Sunday, Schwartz’s unit gave up 437 yards and 30 points to Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay offense. With how the Eagles’ offense is playing, that just wasn’t going to get the job done.
“Like I said, this last game, I thought there were opportunities for us to make,” Schwartz said. “We got back in the game, started making some plays, getting some stops and had a chance maybe to get the ball back one more time and didn’t do it. We had a good run-stopping blitz up and we gave up a 77-yard touchdown run. We can do our part better to help out the offense, to help out the head coach, help out the team.”
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