Mike Lombardi 'Admits He Was Wrong' About Doug Pederson
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Mike Lombardi finally apologized to Doug Pederson, sort of.
"I admit, I'm wrong," Lombardi said. "Doug Pederson was way better than I thought he was going to be."
But Lombardi also mentioned how good of a defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz is and still said, "I'm not sure how great of a coach Doug is."
.@mlombardiNFL admits he was wrong about Doug Pederson's ability to lead the #Eagles pic.twitter.com/ZWTIWqoW0w
— The Ringer (@ringer) January 15, 2018
94WIP's Howard Eskin called out Lombardi and asked for a "real apology."
Mike you just can't apologize the right way. To say you were wrong about #eagles HC Doug Pederson was a LONG time coming BUT, you can't help yourself with caveats. Mentioning DC Jim Schwartz unnecessary. Let's see how Pederson does next week, unnecessary. Need a real apology https://t.co/7e5FZh9rE9
— Howard Eskin (@howardeskin) January 15, 2018
Five days before the start of the 2017-18 NFL season, the former NFL GM and current analyst for The Ringer went after the Eagles head coach.
"He might be less qualified to coach a team than anyone I've ever seen in my 30-plus years in the NFL," Lombardi said of Pederson on Sept. 5.
Eight weeks later after six straight wins, Pederson was publicly asked about the comments.
"Who?" Pederson said on Sunday, Oct. 29 after a 33-10 Eagles win over the 49ers. "That's so far in the past I can't even remember that."
Related: Porter: Doug Pederson Is Obvious NFL Coach Of The Year
Of course, the Eagles finished the regular season 13-3 and are now hosting the NFC Championship game on Sunday. Pederson is among the favorites for NFL Coach of the Year.
Did you know right away that Doug Pederson would be this successful as an NFL head coach?
— WIP Morning Show (@WIPMorningShow) January 16, 2018