Washington Football Team 20, Philadelphia Eagles 14
Q. Obviously a lot of decision being paid to the decision to put in Nate Sudfeld in the fourth quarter. They said on the broadcast that was your hope coming into the game. Did you have input from Jeffrey Lurie and Howie Roseman on that decision, or was that only your decision and/or you coaching to win tonight?
DOUG PEDERSON: Yes, I was coaching to win. Yes, that was my decision, solely. Nate has obviously been here for four years and I felt that he deserved an opportunity to get some snaps. Listen, if there's anyone out there that thinks that I'm not trying to win the game -- Ertz is out there, Brandon Graham is out there, Darius Slay is out there. All our top guys are still on the field at the end.
So we were going to win the game.
Q. You pulled your quarterback when you were down three in the beginning of the fourth quarter. I don't know anyone thinks that you weren't trying to do something in terms of tanking the game, so my question to you then is: Why would you do that? Is this just for the draft picks or is there something else that we're missing here?
DOUG PEDERSON: Pretty simple. I wanted to get -- the plan this week was to get Nate some time. I felt like it was time to get him in the game.
Q. There's a report that Carson Wentz is expected to ask for a trade. What's your reaction to that? Do you expect that to happen and do you think he can still be the quarterback here in the future?
DOUG PEDERSON: Look, I've answered this question quite a bit and you know how I feel about Carson Wentz. I've got the utmost respect for him, and I feel like that we can together get these things corrected and get back on track. That's my mindset going into the off-season. That's where I'm at.
You know, all this other stuff, I believe, is just sort of you know, what's out there, I haven't really seen any of that stuff. I still have total faith, total trust in Carson Wentz and myself, together, to get the job done.
Q. There was also reports that Jim Schwartz will let his contract expire and leave the Eagles. Can you confirm that? What has he meant for you over the past five years, as obviously a very important member of your coaching staff.
DOUG PEDERSON: Yeah, you know, as you guys know, these are the conversations that we're going to have here in the next couple of days, and Jim and I will obviously sit down and talk and just see where he's at, if that's the case.
I can tell you this: That I truly appreciate Jim, Jim Schwartz, and the five years that we've worked together and helped the Philadelphia Eagles win a championship in 2017, and he's really done an outstanding job for us, for me, and obviously the organization.
So whatever he decide moving forward, obviously I will support that and we will have these conversations here in the next few days.
Q. As far as Carson Wentz goes, after his rookie season, he hired a personal coach to work with in the off-season to help with a lot of things, mechanics. Would you necessarily encourage him to maybe do that again, especially if you're going to be in a situation where you might be limited again with kind of an uncertain off-season with person-to-person contact?
DOUG PEDERSON: These are things that players do obviously around the league, particularly quarterbacks and work with guys that can help work on things in the off-season, because as you know, we can't -- we don't have access to our players and it's unfortunate the rules or that way.
If he can get some work in, and as long as the work is in line with what we teach and the things that we're doing to help him, then yeah, I'm all for that kind of stuff and getting himself better. I just wish that we had an opportunity as coaches to really work with our players a little bit more in the off-season.
Q. In the report specifically, it said that your relationship with Carson is fractured beyond repair. Curious from your vantage point how you view your relationship with Wentz right now.
DOUG PEDERSON: I don't understand where these are coming from. My relationship with Carson has been good. It's been professional. We've communicated over the last month of the season.
You know, listen, I know he's frustrated. He was the starter, and I get that. That's understandable. I have so much confidence in him and myself that we can work on the things we need to work on and get it done.
Q. Jason Kelce spoke pretty passionately with us a few weeks ago about always doing everything possible to win games, no matter what your record is, and even if you're playing to win, as you say, most people wouldn't see it that way. Is there any concern about the long-term ramifications that a game can have on the culture of your locker room and the prideful veterans in it?
DOUG PEDERSON: No, I don't think so. I just think that we were in a situation to get some guys in the football game and play and help us try to win this game, and Kelce, obviously, he's such a great competitor and just like all the guys that want to win and do everything in their power who are out there playing.
You know, he's obviously a great leader, but I don't think there will be any issue with our culture moving forward.
Q. What made you want to pass up a field goal there on that fourth and goal near the end of the third quarter, and what did you think about Jalen Hurts passing to the end zone? Was that one of the respects why you decided to take him out, too?
DOUG PEDERSON: No, that wasn't the reason why. I told you the reason why I put Nate in the game.
Yeah, you know, they switched personnel, went to five; five bigs, five D-Linemen, put a little extra pressure on the quarterback there. We had a couple runs, successful runs, and that's why they made their switch. Made it a little bit harder there to run the ball.
Yeah, I would say credit Washington. They covered our guys pretty well. We had an opportunity there on the fourth down just a throw that Jalen would probably like to have back to Quez and he can make that -- make that play. But that's going to be a learning moment I think for all of us and obviously for him in a situation like that.
And as far as going for it, my mindset down there is when you're that close, just go ahead and continue to stay aggressive and try to score.
Q. What was your last message to the team in the locker room and these next two, three days, what's the plan for you?
DOUG PEDERSON: I told them that I was proud of them. It's obviously not the season we all had hoped for at the beginning of the year, and this team faced, with a lot of adversity in a lot of scrutiny, and whether it was right or whether it was wrong, they hung together. That's what I'm most proud of this football team and how guys stood up week-in and week-out, and through the face of adversity battled, battled right to the end, and that's what I'm the most proud of.
These next couple days are just going to be that, just evaluations, we'll finish up with the players tomorrow and get them in, and do the exit physicals and things of that nature, and then sit down and we've got to -- as a staff, we have to evaluate everything from our players to just about everything that we've done this season and get a plan for 2021 moving forward.
Q. Did you ask Carson about that report today? It's a pretty important report given the stakes here, if Carson Wentz wants to be traded. Did you approach him about that at all or ask anybody else if that were the case?
DOUG PEDERSON: No.
Q. We saw Zach Ertz sitting alone on the bench after the game for a while. He's someone whose future is uncertain, had some struggles with injuries this year. What have you seen from veterans like him throughout this year and how have you seen the emotions from older guys like that as the season ends?
DOUG PEDERSON: It's tough on the veteran guys. I know exactly how they feel. I've been there. You know, they give everything to the organization and to their teammates.
And in Zach's case, it's not the season he had hoped for, either, with the injuries and the things that he dealt with this season. But he gave everything he had today and left it out there and he battled right to the end.
It's hard. It's hard when it's the last football game of this season, of 2020. You know, you just want to take it all in and soak up the emotion and you think about the immediate future and your plans and as a player. But then at the end of the day, you get back in there with your teammates and just support each other.
But it's hard. It's a hard thing for these guys because they put so much into each season.
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