QB Coach Press Taylor gets credit for bringing the “Philly Special” to light
11 June 2018 Eagles News
One play that will stand out in the Super Bowl victory vs the Patriots is the infamous “Philly Special”, a play that will be forever played over and over in the minds of Eagles fans when they think back to that day.
While Doug Pederson had to approve of the play call on 4th and 2, it was Nick Foles who had the idea and with a little help from Cory Clement and Trey Burton, the rest is history. Now that we can actually look back at the evolution of the play, it’s nice to see Coach Taylor finally get some shine.
Eagles quarterback coach, Press Taylor, who was an offensive quality control assistant at the time, was responsible for collecting plays and specifically finding gadget plays. When it came time to share his top 5 ideas with Frank Reich, the play was approved and implemented into the offense. During Groh’s time in Chicago, he was familiar with the play call that they ran during the 2016 season.
With the Eagles offense, they’ve stressed it’s all about the collective thoughts that Pederson relies on from his coaches. Whether it’s input from Coach Staley, Coach Groh, Coach Stoutland or former offensive coordinator, Frank Reich, for the Eagles it’s always all hands on deck.
In the NFL it’s always a copycat league and if it works for one team, another team is bound to try it. The Chicago Bears initially got the play from Clemson Tigers’ 2-point play and Press Taylor borrowed the “Clemson Special” from the Chicago Bears and brought it to Philly.
Gayle Saunders Chicago BEars, Doug Pederson, Duce Staley, Mike Groh, Philadelphia Eagles, Press Taylor