Doug Pederson was the coach who put quarterback Jalen Hurts in the Philadelphia Eagles’ starting lineup. Four games later, Philadelphia fired Pederson.

But in his second full season as the Eagles’ No. 1 QB, Hurts led Philadelphia to a franchise-record 14 regular-season victories and into Super Bowl LVII as the NFC champion.

Appearing on the latest “Takeoff with John Clark” podcast, Pederson said the former Alabama standout’s success was “no surprise to me.”

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“The things that impress me the most are probably the things you see off the football field,” Pederson said. “The leadership ability, his work ethic, the way he approaches the game, the way he studies the game, the way he wants to be coached – he wants to be coached hard – the things that sometimes the fans don’t see. They obviously see the end product on the football field.

“He’s a tremendous kid and a tremendous talent. Again, it’s no surprise the success that he’s had and he’s having right now leading that football team. He’s the right guy for that job and just wish him nothing but great success moving forward.”

Pederson inserted Hurts in the Eagles’ lineup for the final four games of a 4-11-1 season in 2020. Fired three seasons after leading Philadelphia to victory in Super Bowl LII, Pederson returned to the sidelines last season and guided the Jacksonville Jaguars into the playoffs.

Back in Philadelphia, where Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni replaced Pederson, Hurts finished second in the voting for The Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player Award, made second-team All-Pro, was chosen for the Pro Bowl and became the first NFL quarterback with a passer rating of more than 100 to score at least 10 touchdowns in 2022.

The Eagles fell to the Chiefs 38-35 in Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12, even though Hurts had 304 passing yards, a touchdown pass, 70 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns. No other player in NFL history has reached those four stats in the same game.

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That level of achievement showed Hurts’ dedication since his rookie season, Pederson said.

“Obviously, you have to work to get to this level that he’s playing right now,” Pederson said. “And, obviously, we’re trying to do the same thing with Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville and get him to play at that same level. But he had all the intangibles. He had the work ethic, he had the right attitude, he had the right mindset, he’s a tremendous athlete, he throws the football extremely well, and so it was just a matter of getting the right players around him, the right coaching staff around him and just continuing to grow to his talent. And again, that’s why it’s no surprise he’s had the success.”

The Eagles added Hurts after his single season at Oklahoma with the 53rd choice in the 2020 NFL Draft. Philadelphia used a second-round selection on a quarterback even though it had an established QB. Carson Wentz had been under center for four seasons after coming aboard as the second choice in the 2016 NFL Draft and had signed a $128 million contract extension before the Eagles chose Hurts.

Clark reminded Pederson that the coach and Philadelphia general manager Howie Roseman were high on Southern Illinois safety Jeremy Chinn during the 2020 draft. But the Eagles chose Hurts 11 picks before the Carolina Panthers selected Chinn.

“Not everybody has to be on the same page, but there were a lot of us that were on the same page with Jalen Hurts during that draft,” Pederson said. “And look, that’s one of the things that I love about the draft. You pick the guys you want – guys that are going to help you win championships – and, obviously, Jalen’s the right guy for Philadelphia.”

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Both the Eagles and Jaguars are scheduled to hold their first practice of training camp on July 26.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.