Pederson has Moved on from Clowney, So Should You

PHILADELPHIA (973espn.com) - Lost in the parsing of Doug Pederson's inartful comments on Mike Groh and Carson Walch less than 24 hours before the coach was steered to fire them, was his more practical take on the Jadeveon Clowney hit that cost the Eagles Carson Wentz early in their 17-9 Wild-Card loss to Seattle.

"It's unfortunate," the coach said Wednesday. "Did I feel like it was potentially an illegal hit? It's possible. But listen, it's part of our game. It happens. It gets missed."

The fan base, however, still wanted their pound of flesh when it comes to Clowney, who was not flagged for the bang-bang, helmet-to-helmet hit that ultimately forced Wentz into the league's concussion protocol after the QB reported that he wasn't feeling right to backup Josh McCown once leaving the field on Philadelphia's second series.

The NFL reviewed Clowney’s hit this week and decided not to fine the Seahawks defensive end, a league source confirmed to 973espn.com. Jon Runyan, the Eagles' long-time former right tackle is the NFL's VP of Policy and Rules Administration and is responsible for doling out any fines.

The hit was clearly borderline but the over-the-top nature of the response by some has been sour grapes and the fact that Pederson himself refused to go down a Sean Payton-like path of constant complaining is worth lauding.

"It's unfortunate for Carson. I'm disappointed for Carson that he couldn't finish that postseason game and it’s unfortunate for our team," Pederson said. "But I'm not going to focus on the past. I'm moving forward now. I'm not going to dwell on one hit or one play. So that's that."

It's officially time to move on.

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