Eagles coaching staff is loaded with former players

Doug Pederson stood with the quarterbacks, Duce Staley with the running backs, Greg Lewis with the wide receivers, and Tim Hauck with the safeties. It wasn't a game from the Andy Reid era or a reunion of Eagles alumni, but instead an Eagles practice last week.

When the Eagles hired Pederson as head coach in January, owner Jeffrey Lurie emphasized that Pederson is a former player with an understanding of the city and the franchise. When Pederson assembled his coaching staff, those qualities were coveted assets.

The Eagles have eight former players on their coaching staff, including four who played for the team. Staley (running backs), Lewis (wide receivers), and Hauck (safeties) were all former Eagles during the Reid era, and assistant offensive line coach Eugene Chung finished his pro career trying to make the Eagles in the summer of 2000. Offensive coordinator Frank Reich, tight ends coach Justin Peelle, and defensive quality control coach Phillip Daniels are also former players.

Chip Kelly's coaching staff last season had two former NFL players - Staley and Peelle - and both were retained by Pederson.

"I don't think it was a prerequisite," Pederson said. "I think it helps to have played at this level. Being out there when the bullets are flying for real and putting the pads on and being in that locker room, they understand the dynamic of the dressing room, of the locker room. They understand what it means to be a teammate, a leader on the football team."

Pederson is part of a rare fraternity of NFL alumni who hold head coaching jobs. Only eight of the 32 head coaches played at the NFL level, which amounts to only 25 percent of the league. Two of those coaches - Denver's Gary Kubiak and Carolina's Ron Rivera - coached in the Super Bowl last season. The others are Dallas' Jason Garrett, Los Angeles' Jeff Fisher, Todd Bowles with the New York Jets, Tennessee's Mike Mularkey, and Oakland's Jack Del Rio.

"I think what it gives you is an understanding of what those guys are going through," Del Rio said during the spring. "When they're sitting in those meetings, you've been in those meetings. When you're in camp and they're tired and running at the end of the day, you've felt that, personally experienced that. That's what it gives you: a little perspective, personal experience to draw from."

Of those eight head coaches, only Del Rio reached a Pro Bowl. Pederson, Garrett, and Kubiak spent their careers mostly as backup quarterbacks. So did Reich, who has been a head coaching candidate.

Backup quarterback Chase Daniel of the Eagles has wondered why backup QBs make popular coaches. Daniel said the backups must master the mental side of the game and are always watching the field, like a coach does. They have more practice time and game time to observe when the starter is playing.

"As a backup, you really have a good feel of what's going on on the offensive side, but really with everyone on the team - special teams, defense," Daniel said. "I'm going over to [defensive coordinator Jim] Schwartz . . . 'How are you playing this, how are you doing that?' We can sort of do that as a backup."

Lewis said a reserve player must learn how to fit into the team and be ready for any situation. Plus, they can relate to most players, whereas a wide receiver such as Terrell Owens has skills that go beyond what the average players can comprehend.

"T.O.'s like, 'Why can't you do it - I can do it!' " Lewis said, giving the example of Owens as a coach.

But whether a coach was a backup or a starter, they can all relate to the locker room. Bowles said a coach must understand that he's "upstairs," so he's not in the locker room like he used to be. They still understand the dynamics of the room, though. Hauck noted that a former player's understanding of players goes beyond the field, but also to their psyche. Staley and Lewis added that they can discuss what it's like playing in Philadelphia, living in Philadelphia, and the lifestyle and pressure associated with the Eagles.

In the meeting room, the coach has a certain amount of credibility. It's not required - Bill Belichick didn't play in the NFL; neither did Reid - but it can help to quickly earn respect. Daniel said when Pederson stood in front of the room and pointed to a Super Bowl ring earned as a player, players listen.

"It's all part of being a teacher sometimes [in] using your experiences in these current situations to help teach these guys," Pederson said.

So then why aren't there more coaches who were former players?

One reason is coaching is not a glamorous lifestyle. After an eight-year NFL career, Lewis wanted to coach. He's on his fifth job in five years, starting in Division I-AA before moving to a non-BCS program, a BCS program, an entry-level coaching job in the NFL, and now a position-coaching post in the NFL.

"I want to stay in one place longer than 12 months," Lewis said. "I don't want to keep moving my kids."

Also, his family has learned that his daily schedule became more arduous with coaching. When the players go home at night, the coach still has more hours to log.

Daniel is often told that he'd make a good offensive coordinator and head coach when his playing career is over. He's not certain he wants that lifestyle, though.

"I see the life that they live, and it's a brutal, grinding life," Daniel said. "It's very little family life, and your family has to completely buy in. . . . That would be hard for me, to be away from my wife when I'm done playing, because I'm already away from her so much sometimes. . . . That might change down the road, but I just see how much time and effort goes into it."

Also, many coaches start climbing the career ladder when NFL players are still playing. It can be humbling for a player to go from an NFL huddle to a college graduate assistant job or a quality control job in his 30s.

"It's all about the person, it's all about the hunger of coaching," Staley said. "If you still love the game and want to be a part of the game, this is the next best thing. In my situation, I live vicariously through my players. I love this game. I still wish I could play. The next best thing is coaching and watching them play."

Staley said what former players who become coaches need to know is they're not there to be friends with the players. The relationship only works if the coach is "real at all times." The players can respect that they played, but they need to know them as coaches. . . .

"You as a player don't exist anymore," Staley said. " It's all about you as a coach. You've got to switch gears."

zberman@phillynews.com

@ZBerm