PHILADELPHIA -- Most of the attention was directed at quarterback Carson Wentz, but the rookie wasn't the only one make his NFL debut on Sunday.
It was also the first game for Doug Pederson as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles.
And unlike Wentz, who said he wasn't nervous at all, Pederson admitted after the Eagles beat the Cleveland Browns 29-10 that he had some butterflies before the game began. Pederson joked around with Wentz during pre-game warm-ups and the coach said that was his way of dealing with the pressure.
"I was just trying to lighten things," Pederson said with a smile. "I don't know if it was more for me or for him - my nerves were a little high. I was a little jittery going out. But once the ball was teed up and kicked off, it was business as usual."
That business included calling the plays and monitoring Wentz's development as the game went along. Wentz and several other offensive players praised Pederson's play-calling and the way it kept the Browns' defense off-balance for much of the game.
"You can tell he just has a feel for that, what to call and when to call it," said Eagles tight end Zach Ertz, who caught six passes for 58 yards. "And I think Doug did a terrific job with Carson, giving him a chance to throw the ball early with some high-percentage throws and get some early confidence.
"Really, when you think about the two most important things a coach can do on game day - call the right plays and have that great rapport with his players - and Doug really showed that today. I thought he called a heck of a game, honestly."
Ertz was involved with Pederson's gutsiest call of the day. The Eagles led 15-10 midway through the third quarter when they went for it on fourth-and-4 from the Browns' 40-yard line. And they got it when Wentz fired a 5-yard pass to Ertz. On the next play, Wentz hit wide receiver Nelson Agholor with a 35-yard TD pass and the Browns never threatened again.
Pederson said he had the option of trying a long field goal - and kicker Caleb Sturgis had already missed a 46-yard attempt - or going for the first down and the math indicated to him that he should go for it.
"And then you do it, man, that's great - you're rolling," Pederson said. "And we were so fortunate - Carson and Zach made a great play. So, for me, it was just a great opportunity to keep our drive going."
-- The Eagles took a 10-0 lead in the second quarter, after Cleveland botched a fake punt. The Browns - who had a total of eight offensive yards in their first three possessions - lined up with running back Duke Johnson Jr. in the punter's spot. He tried to run to the right side, but rookie linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill ran him down for a 6-yard loss and the Eagles took over on the Cleveland 35. That led to a 22-yard field goal by Sturgis, and the Eagles led 10-0 with 12:30 left in the second quarter.
Browns coach Hue Jackson said his special teams coach, Chris Tabor, saw what believed was a flaw in the Eagles' punt return team and Jackson felt that it was the right time to try the trick play, which ended up blowing up in his face like a trick cigar.
"Totally my responsibility," Jackson said of the botched play. "It doesn't matter what the circumstances were, we didn't get it done right. It put the defense is a tough spot and I thought the defense responded by holding them to a field goal."
-- The Eagles' wide receivers have heard plenty of criticism the last couple of years and their young pass-catchers hadn't developed under former coach Chip Kelly. But they came to play on Sunday, especially Jordan Matthews, who had game highs in receptions (seven) and yards (114).
Agholor, last year's first-round pick who struggled most of his rookie season, caught four passes for 57 yards, including a 35-yard TD that broke the game open.
Dorial Green-Beckham, who just joined the Eagles two weeks ago in a trade with Tennessee, had two catches for 14 yards.
"We've heard the (negative) talk about our receivers, but just because we hear it doesn't mean we listen to it," Matthews said. "We know what we can do and now it's just a matter of going out and doing it. We showed something today that we can build on as we go through the season."
-- As previously noted, most of the attention was directed at Wentz, but the Browns also had a first-round rookie make his NFL debut.
Wide receiver Corey Coleman, drafted No. 15 overall out of Baylor, started for Cleveland and caught two passes for 69 yards. One of them was a 44-yarder from QB Robert Griffin III down the left sideline that set up the Browns' only touchdown.
"It was fun, exciting out there," Coleman said. "They drafted me here for a reason and I have to make plays. Every ball isn't going to be perfect and you have to find a way to adjust to it."
Said Jackson: "I thought he was a little inconsistent early, but I thought he got his confidence as he went."
-- Griffin isn't a rookie, but this was still a landmark game for him. For one thing, he's hardly played the last two seasons and now he's with a new team, and a club that hasn't won many games the last few years. Griffin didn't exactly shine in his Browns debut - he completed just 12 of 26 passes for 190 yards and one interception and his passer rating of 55.0 was almost doubled by Wentz, who had a 101.0.
"We came up short today, and it started with me," Griffin said. "We had opportunities to win. I can't turn the ball over and we have to be more efficient. I just have to do a better job."
Jackson was asked what Griffin needs to do better, he said, "Just manage the team."
Griffin also injured his right shoulder late in the game, but he said the injury was minor and he'll be ready for next week's game vs. Baltimore. And just as Griffin began his post-game press conference his cell phone rang. He looked down at it and managed a smile.
"It's my mother," he said. "She's very worried about me."
