PHILADELPHIA — A bronze statue of Coach Doug Pederson and quarterback Nick Foles stands outside the Philadelphia Eagles’ stadium — commemorating the Philly Special, a fourth-down play that helped the 2017 team win the franchise’s first Super Bowl title after over a half-century of shortcomings.
Pederson, the starting quarterback for the Eagles in 1999, was beloved in Philadelphia after that win: Fans were enamored with his gutsy play-calling and embrace of the city’s underdog mentality. (Some fans got “Philly Special” tattooed somewhere on their bodies.) But Pederson’s grace in Philadelphia quickly evaporated, and he was fired three years later, after a four-win season in 2020.