Pederson Plays into Bold Comparison

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (973espn.com) - Some might say Doug Pederson took the bait on Thursday, daring to dream that his Philadelphia Eagles could someday turn into what Bill Belichick and Tom Brady have turned the New England Patriots into ... a dynasty.

Asked by a Boston-area radio reporter if he ever thought about building something like what has endured in Foxborough, Pederson didn't go the demur roue as you might expect.

“Even in some of the quiet moments I try to envision that, in this league, if you have a quarterback, and you do things right and surround him with talented players and coaches, yeah, you can have a long career in this business and have the success those two gentlemen (Brady and Belichick) have had,” Pederson said on Thursday.

Over the 18 seasons Belichick and Brady have been together, Sunday's Super Bowl will be the tandem's eighth and a win would be No. 6, extending records they already own.

Maybe the one statistic that defines the Pats better than anything else is the fact that the Eagles will be making their third SB appearance in 52 years at U.S. Bank Stadium while New England will be making its third in four years.

Pederson, however, has already made the big game in his second season as a coach, something Belichick didn't accomplish and although Nick Foles will be trying to finish what Carson Wentz started for the Eagles, the latter is poised for a long run as the on-field leader in Philadelphia.

“A lot of respect to those two and what they’ve meant to this league," Pederson said of Brady and Belichick. "Obviously, that’s something that with myself and Carson and the guys we have around him, it could possibly happen with Philadelphia, yes.”

While that might not be the coaching equivalent of Jeffrey Lurie's infamous "gold standard" comment, the comp would hold up a little better if the Eagles find a way to upset the Patriots on Sunday.

-John McMullen covers the Eagles and the NFL for 973espn.com. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen