Fearless

By: Doug Pederson, Dan Pompei - contributor

Narrated by: Robert Petkoff

Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

How does an underdog become a champion? One of the most innovative, gutsy, and dynamic head coaches in the NFL reveals the strategies behind building the Eagles team that shocked the world by winning the Super Bowl.

Doug Pederson is the very definition of an underdog. He was an undrafted rookie free agent who would go on to play 14 years in the NFL as a backup quarterback. He was cut five times, yet kept getting back up and into the fray. He would win one Super Bowl, with the Green Bay Packers. When he retired, he decided to coach, but not at the pro level. Instead, he was head coach of Calvary Baptist Academy in Shreveport, Louisiana. After a successful four-year stint there, he returned to the NFL as an assistant coach under Andy Reid with the Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs, where he was instrumental in the development of quarterback Alex Smith and his string of 3,000-plus-yard seasons of passing.

When he was offered the job as head coach of the Eagles, he jumped at it, though few thought he would succeed. In the first season, a year of rebuilding, they finished 7-9. Some doubted his abilities, and before the 2017 season, one "expert" called Pederson the least qualified coach in 30 years. Plagued by the sidelining of seasoned players and devastated by quarterback Carson Wentz's season-ending knee injury, the Eagles managed a 13-3 record and home-field advantage in the playoffs. Yet they were still the underdogs in every single game, including the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots, one of the greatest dynasties in the history of the NFL. It wasn't until they stunned the Patriots that people finally believed in Pederson and his team.

In Fearless, Pederson reveals the principles that guided him through the ups and downs and tough times of his career and what it took to become a champion. Through it all, Pederson sustained himself with his faith and the support of his family. He shares the defining stories of his life and career, growing up with his disciplinarian Air Force dad and his tenderhearted mom, developing friendships with Dan Marino and Brett Favre, and learning from mentors such as Don Shula, Mike Holmgren, and Andy Reid who helped mold him into the man and coach he is today.

Fearless captures Pederson's coaching and leadership philosophies and reveals the brilliant mind and indomitable spirit of a man who has entered the pantheon of great coaches.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2018 Doug Pederson (P)2018 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Required reading for modern coaches in any sport...Pederson [is] the perfect example of intelligent risk-taking....The book's not just for Eagles fans. Coaches, and fans, in all sports will learn from it."—Peter King, NBCSports.com

The story of Eagles head coach Doug Pederson [is] more than a little interesting....An engaging memoir."—Christian Science Monitor

"Philadelphia's head coach may have done something even more impressive than winning a Super Bowl: He wrote an interesting and entertaining football book...Pederson is one of the handful of coaches on the cutting edge of the sport...A love letter to aggressive play calling [Fearless] give[s] good insight into the modern football world."—TheRinger.com

I am not an Eagles fan, but this is still a GREAT book!!!

I was not sure this book would be for me given the focus on the Eagles. I was pleasantly surprised that this is a really great story told in a way that any football fan will relate. Though there seemed to be criticism that Coach Pederson didn’t have much of a life to already tell his story, i would respectively disagree that this is a great story and something that almost anyone will find compelling. I listened to this book in one day while working around the house and wish it wasn’t over already. I highly recommended this book for any NFL or sports fan, and if you are an Eagles fan i am sure you will love this book even that much more!!!

More of an epilogue to a great season

It’s a good book, but one I feel only a big Philadelphia Eagles fan will appreciate, unlike some other sports classics. The reason is simple: Coach Pederson is a humble and pretty normal guy who is defining feature is his resilience and fearlessness. What this means is that the book doesn’t show any extraordinarily different aspects about his personality or deep insights into the team or leadership. It’s all pretty straightforward-what you see with Coach P is what you get. So don’t expect to learn any great James about metre ship or deep insights into Doug or the minds of the Philadelphia Eagles, rather, expect to have a fairly light journey into the recent past and touch up on some nice moments about his upbringing, but nothing more. As a big Philadelphia Eagles fan, I enjoyed the book, but I would not play this audio book in the car with my spouse having to listen to it because it’s just not interesting enough to the general public.

great read

Great book. Doug gives a unparalleled look at what makes football so special and what it takes to make a name for yourself in it.

I’m not a eagles fan but more than love this book

I’m not an Eagles fan at all, but really love this book. It really gives an inside look into what makes a championship team and love his stories about his days as a player

Coaching insights

I liked the coaching insights in this book. I'm not an Eagles fan. But, I am now a Doug Person fan.

Ok … more of an overview

This is more of an an overview and interview about Pederson and the eagles super bowl team . I was looking for more insight to the person

A Champions Mindset

Coach is a model citizen and leader of men. His story is worthy for anyone who wants to be their best. There are many nuggets of wisdom throughout.

Eagles Fan Bias Review

I listened to this audiobook after Doug was fired by eagles in 2021. Doug was a great HC for Eagles and shouldn't have been fired.

The book was overall good but a few points and omissions were annoying. The woe is me narrative is a bit much. The relationship based HC position hire is not working your ass off and being denied but rather knowing the right people at the right time. Doug seems to have very little regard for NFL fans, especially the Eagles fans. Also, he didn't highlight defensive special plays to same degree as offensive.

The narrator aggressive mispronounced 3 names of players.

Great listen!

Perfect book for any sports fan, but obviously especially an Eagles fan. Learned so much about behind the scenes of the super bowl and Doug’s NFL journey. It’s great to hear the struggles he went through to get to where he is. It’s not too long either which is great!!

Not really the best football coach book

There are better ones out there. This felt like a money grab post super bowl, rather than someone who felt the need to write a book.