In their voyages on the churning seas of the NFL, Doug Pederson and Frank Reich sailed together a few times.
They were career backups in the first QBs room on the Carolina Panthers' first team in 1995. Even though that convergence lasted just four months, Pederson remembered the older Reich as being "just so generous and helpful to me as a young quarterback trying to learn a new system. We made a great connection back then."
For a few years they were AFC East sideline foes, Reich for the Bills and Pederson for the Dolphins. Then in 2016 they reunited in a fortuitous way on the 2016 Eagles, Pederson as head coach and Reich as his offensive coordinator. Reich's contributions to the unit and in particular to the quarterback position were pivotal in helping the Eagles outlast the Patriots in Super Bowl-LII after the '17 season.
From those interactions and more, Pederson has no doubt what Reich can contribute to the Jets as their new offensive coordinator under head coach Aaron Glenn.
"I think this was a great hire by Aaron," Pederson told nyjets.com senior reporter Eric Allen on The Official Jets Podcast. "To go get a veteran coach, somebody he respects, somebody he likes and really somebody who's had the success Frank has had, whether it was with me or in Indianapolis, I think it sends the right message to the team, that they're heading in the right direction."
Pederson knows this because, as the first-time head coach for the East's other green team, he found in Reich as a coordinator candidate someone who could speak in Pederson's voice. Reich was coming off a good year as San Diego's OC with Philip Rivers at the controls in a down Chargers season in 2015.
"Frank was a big part, a big mentor in that room. so his voice matching up with my voice in that quarterbacks room became very important," he said. "That's what I was able to hand over to Frank at that time, obviously the game plans. But more importantly, because I couldn't always be in the QBs room as much as I'd have liked to, Frank having that same voice for me was very important."
Reich's coaching calm also had a lot to do with Pederson's hire, in the development of Carson Wentz, the second overall pick of the '16 draft, and then, when Wentz was injured late the next season, in the nurturing of young journeyman Nick Foles heading into the playoffs.
"Frank is a great teacher. His demeanor, his personality, the way he comes across, he can be very calming during the week," Pederson said. "That's what you want around your quarterback, You don't want somebody that's always going crazy and maybe losing their minds all the time. Having that calming presence, that's very important because the quarterback position is tough enough to play in the NFL. You're always under a microscope, you're always being scrutinized. It's the quarterback and the head coach, right? So Frank was kind of that head coach for me in that room."
Pederson and his DC, Jim Schwartz, had a lot to say about it, too, but Reich's guidance of a top-10 offense (seventh overall, third in the run, 13th in the pass, third in points) and QB nurturing were keys in Wentz setting the stage, then for Foles to become a 538-yard, 41-point Super Bowl-winning QB, leading to Reich sailing on to his mostly successful first head coaching gig with the Colts.
The Jets still have a long way to go before they can hope to match those Eagles of a decade ago, yet Pederson sees the parallels between that Philly team and this Jets outfit both heading into the unknowns of a new season.
"I think it's very similar to what we did and how we approached 2016," he said. "We were looking for a quarterback in Philadelphia, and that's what Frank's going to do. I think Aaron is going to say, 'Frank, find us a quarterback,' and Frank's going to look at the draft, study all these guys, have conversations with all these guys.
"We saw it in Carson to be able to develop him over the course of a couple of seasons. And the situation the Jets are in with picks the next few years, you start building pieces around this quarterback, if that's the direction they go. So it's exciting. I think Frank is definitely up for the task, I think he's built for it.
"I'm pulling for Frank and I'm pulling for the Jets," Pederson said. "Aaron Glenn is a good friend of mine, too. I'm pulling for him, wishing all the best. But he's a got a good one in Frank, that's for sure."
