Did Doug Pederson call the "Philly Special" during Super Bowl LII?
Doug Pederson was hired as the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday night, and fans immediately referenced his time with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Super Bowl run.
Pulling off a win over Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots in a Super Bowl is not an easy task. Pederson is praised for his coaching decisions that led backup quarterback Nick Foles to the win.
It was the now-iconic "Philly Special" call that gave the Eagles the edge over the Patriots. Ironically, it was done shortly after Tom Brady and the Patriots had tried their own version of the play, but, to no avail, as Brady dropped the ball.
While it seems that Doug Pederson was given so much of the credit for making the "Philly Special" call, in a resurfaced video posted by the Philadelphia Eagles, it actually wasn't all the head coach's idea.
Was it Doug Pederson or Nick Foles that called the "Philly Special"?
Four years ago today, the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII 41-33. Backup quarterback Nick Foles, who stepped in for Carson Wentz, earned the Super Bowl MVP nod, which included his catch in the end zone on the "Philly Special."
4 years ago today, the Philly special rocked the NFL world during Super Bowl LII. (via @NFLFilms) https://t.co/75Q3g6Jnwd
In a video that was recorded by NFL Films and posted to the league's official Twitter page, Foles can be seen talking to his head coach before taking the field on fourth down late in the second quarter.
Foles asks Pederson, "You want Philly Philly?" The head coach looks at his quarterback, ponders the idea and responds with "Yeah, yeah, let's do it!" This clip proves that it was Foles and his confidence in the call and his offense to get the ball into the end zone.
Foles took the field behind offensive lineman Lane Johnson. Then, he suddenly yelled, "Kill, kill!" The football would end up in third-string tight end Trey Burton's hands. Burton, who did spend time as a quarterback at the University of Florida, threw the ball to a waiting Nick Foles in the end zone.
Former Eagles’ HC Doug Pederson is being hired as the next head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, source tells ESPN.
Now, four years later, Pederson, who spent the the 2021 season out of the league, has now been hired as the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. As an offensive-minded coach, he will have the opportunity to help Trevor Lawrence out of the disappointing rookie season he had in 2021. Both the coach and the quarterback have their work cut out for them, but the former Eagles head coach beat Brady and Belichick at the Super Bowl, so that is enough to say that, sometimes, impossible things can happen.