The mark of any great coach is his ability to improvise on the go, sometimes scrapping the scripted plays and making things up efficiently as they come.
Doug Pederson has been a magician and much more over the past two seasons, patching the Eagles up as the bodies fall and reinventing this team at every turn. During this 2019 season, without DeSean Jackson or a player capable of taking the top off of defenses, Pederson has been relegated to allowing Carson Wentz to carry the Eagles while turning his running backs and tight ends into the stars of the team.
Nelson Agholor’s out with a knee injury, Alshon Jeffery is out with a foot injury, Jordan Howard has missed six games with a shoulder issue, and Lane Johnson is nursing a high ankle injury.
One thing has worked consistently this last month of the season has been the Eagles usage of the screen game, with Pederson scheming them up at the right time and allowing Miles Sanders and Boston Scott to run wild on opposing defenses.
Whether it be a well time screen pass or slick formation that allows the running back to run free after hauling in a swing pass, Pederson has once again displayed an adept ability to reinvent himself as a play-caller when the parts become less than interchangeable.
When asked about it on Friday, Pederson had this to say.
“Screens are an extension of your run game, and really, I think screens sort of evolve during the course of the year. You go into each off-season and each training camp with seven, eight, ten screens you work on, right, from a conceptual standpoint.
Pederson talked about “unique and creative ways” to utilize the screen while allowing it to slow down your opponent’s pass rush or to help dictate coverage.