Doug Pederson explains why he will not use ‘Philly Special’ with Jaguars

Mar 1, 2022; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Pederson during the NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Doug Pederson is regarded as the author of the famous “Philly Special” trick play that he broke out to great effect in the Super Bowl. Just don’t expect to see a repeat of it now that he has taken over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Pederson admitted Wednesday that the so-called Philly Special is not even in the Jaguars’ playbook. The coach said he would prefer to create something more original for his new team.

“That’s a special play, you know, for me. We’ll have versions of it throughout the year, but that’s a play that will be remembered for a long time for being on the greatest stage,” Pederson said, via Armando Salguero of OutKick. “Plus I want this to be unique for Jacksonville, too. When we run plays like that in the future, I want it to be unique to this team.”

Pederson suggested that his new play would be dubbed the “Duval Special” in recognition of Jacksonville’s home county.

The Philly Special, while an effective trick play, is not exactly an unknown to teams. Others have even succeeded in mimicking it. Pederson has a reputation as a creative play-caller anyway, so refining the concept probably isn’t a bad idea.