Who is the best coach (not named Andy Reid) in Philadelphia Eagles history?
Now that Michael Vick has crowned Andy Reid the best coach in NFL history, it’s time to decide who’s the best coach in Philadelphia Eagles history, after Reid of course.
Even though his greatest success came with Kansas City, it’s hard to argue that Reid is the best coach the Eagles ever had. With 130 wins, six division titles and one NFC championship, “Big Red” tops the list while these guys fight for second place.
Nick Sirianni (2021-present)
Behind the microphone, the Colts former offensive coordinator got off to a rocky start with a “deer in headlights” performance at his introductory press conference. But since taking over a 4-11-1 team in 2021, the 42-year-old coach hasn’t had a losing season yet.
Reid had a .500 winning percentage in his first two seasons with Philadelphia, but Sirianni’s is .676. Reid also needed six years to get his team to a Super Bowl while the current coach did it in two.
Considering he did all this with a second-round QB that not even ownership seemed to believe in at times, Sirianni makes a strong case as the team’s second-best coach. But with just two years under his belt, he needs to show more.
Doug Pederson (2016-2020)
Had Reid won a Super Bowl with the Eagles he’d probably still be in Philadelphia. In 2013, he was replaced by Oregon’s Chip Kelly, who Pederson replaced in 2016.
Pederson studied under Reid, first as quarterback, then as coordinator before doing what Reid could never accomplish: Beat the Patriots in a Super Bowl. Pederson didn’t just beat New England, he did it with backup quarterback Nick Foles in a game where Tom Brady threw for over 500 yards and three scores.
As the only Eagles coach to ever win a Super Bowl, Pederson also deserves serious consideration as the team’s second-best coach. But two last place finishes in five years can’t be overlooked, championship or not.
Dick Vermeil (1976-1982)
The former UCLA Bruins coach can hardly be blamed for getting off to a 9-19 start with Philadelphia. Vermeil had no picks in the first three rounds of the 1976 draft, none in the first four rounds of the 1977 draft and no first or second-round picks in 1978.
With so little to work with, it’s pretty amazing that he got the team to Super Bowl XV in just five years. The team lost to the Raiders and he stepped down as head coach in 1982.
Almost two decades later, Vermeil won Super Bowl XXXIV with the Rams and in 2022 he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The Philadelphia Eagles had one winning season in 14 years prior to Vermeil’s arrival. Given what he accomplished and what he overcame, he should be considered the second-best coach in franchise history.
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