New Eagles head coach Doug Pederson makes pitch to keep Sam Bradford

The ball seems now to be in Sam Bradford’s court.

In his introductory press conference Tuesday, new Eagles head coach Doug Pederson, in no uncertain terms, told reporters, Eagles fans and Bradford himself that the former Heisman trophy winner and Rookie of the Yearis wanted in midnight green.

“Looking at the quarterback position here, I think Sam is a quality quarterback,” Pederson said, adorning a green tie and Eagles pin. “He’s atop notch quarterback.Look at the numbers he was able to put up last half ofthe season. He fits perfectly into the system I am going to bring.”

What system is that? Well, some combination of the West Coast and spread offense, Pederson explained.

“The core values and principlesare West Coast-ish, but we’ve developed a hybrid-type system,” the Chief’s former offensive coordinator said.”We use our players strengths.”

This in the face of the most recent regime, which saw Chip Kelly force his players to work around his system, not the other way around.

In Kansas City, Pederson called plays during the second half of games and says he will do the play-calling in Philadelphia. And it sounds like his first order of business will be shoring up the receptient of his play calls.

“I think Sam has all the tools,” the coach said, “there’s no denying that. He has good size, a good arm and a good mind for the game. It’s about plugging him in and cutting him loose, and utilizing his strengths in this system.”

Bradford, who Pederson is yet to talk to,was stellar during hishis last six starts with the Eagles.The quarterback completed 175 of 256 passes for 1,959 yards and 10 touchdowns for a 99.1 rating

He also set team records this season in both completions (346) and completion percentage (65.0%), while finishing with the fourth-highest single-season passing yardage total (3,725).

“I think he’s a tremendous player, I liked him coming out of college,” Pederson said of Bradford, who was acquired for Nick Foles and a second round pick last offseason from St. Louis.”He is someone I do want to reach out to and talk.

“I think Sam brings a whole skillset that benefits him. [My system]is a pass friendly system but it’s not as much of a vertical system as people think.”

No offensive coordinator has been announced yet and Pederson says he is still evaluating candidates. Frank Reich was reported to be a favotire, but Pederson would not confirm that. He also said Pat Shurmur is still a candidate for the job.