Andy Reid’s decision to move offensive line coach Juan Castillo to the defensive coordinator position was doomed from the start for a number of reasons.
First of all, the number one job of a defensive coordinator is being a strategist. Castillo never talked about strategy in his first year. His mind was still on the level of a position coach. For the first year, his demeanor was that of a position coach with all the running around and hugging players after a big play.
He was supposed to be staying ahead of the flow of the game, by trying to figure out what was going to be the next move of the opposing offensive coordinator. A coordinator can show his passion, but he must always be thinking ahead.
Second, Castillo never was able to gain the confidence of his players. One of the keys to being a good coach is being able to gain the confidence of your players. They need to believe that their coach will be giving them the right guidance during the game. I was told that he wasn’t convincing in the defensive meetings.
The comments by cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha after the game, questioning the coverages at the end of the game, were a signal that the defensive players didn’t have confidence in him. Castillo’s players knew he was learning on the job and that prevented them from having confidence in him.
The next reason for Castillo’s demise, was the fact that he never developed a feel for the secondary coverages. He came to the job with some knowledge of what went on amongst the front seven, but he was far behind when talking about the passing game and the coverages.
The final reason the Castillo experiment didn’t work was his inability to gain the confidence of his fellow coaches. I was told by a NFL source close to the situation that Castillo never developed a good sense of when to blitz offenses. He didn’t know when the blitz should be called and from what angle it should be coming.
I was told that defensive line coach Jim Washburn had no problem with the defense blitzing more often, but he didn’t have confidence in Castillo’s ability to use the right blitz at the right time.
Now going forward, Todd Bowles will have a lot better chance of succeeding. The team’s defensive backs have already come forward and talked about their confidence in Bowles. He has had more than a decade of experience of competing with opposing offensive coordinators on a strategic level. Bowles has been thinking about and involved with blitz packages and timing of blitzes during his time as a player and coach in the NFL. That’s been about two decades.
This isn’t a stretch. The hiring of Juan Castillo as the team’s defensive coordinator was a stretch.
Reid never should have hired Castillo as the coordinator in the first place. It goes back to Reid thinking he’s the smartest guy in the room. For a guy that supposedly thinks before he acts he blew the hiring and should be held accountable. It’s time to make a change.
Let’s face it, Reid shoulda been fired in 08 after that embarrassment against AZ. AT least I will give home some credit because we were in the Super Bowl and it was close, but 03, 04, and 08 were all jokes and lost opportunities that are so hard to get in the NFL. Maybe by now we would be on the right track with a new regime. The best thing that could happen now is VIck gets an injury, a minor one, and Foles gets a chance to show what he can do. We need to find out sooner than later.
*REPORT* MIKE HOLMGREN TO BE NAMED NEW OC.
One thing i can say about Reid is that the guy cares about his coaching staff. He gave Castillo a chance to make a name for himself and i respect that unfortunately it didn’t turn out the way Reid had hoped. I too like everyone else questioned this hiring, but figured Reid knew something about Castillo that no one else knew. We have such a talented D and truly hope Bowles turns it around before our season is lost.
In my experience, when most people’s compliment for a guy is that he’s “hard-working”, it tends to mean that they can’t find anything else positive to say about him.
I’m sure Jim Johnson was hard-working too, but he also had a great football mind. You can’t get by on just hard work when you are competing against the best in the world.
I disagree about Firing AR after 2008
Now After those Back to Back Blowout losses to the Cowboys in 2009 was the time for a Change.. I said it thern, and stand by it… This Team,Franchise,Coach AR and his Coaching Staff have never been the same since in my opinion
yes, Im in full agreement there, we beat dallas that last game and we’re the nfc’s 2nd seed wew fall all the way to the 6th seed and get our ass kicked again ( Romo’s only playoff win ) and the Cowboys weren’t worthy beacuse the next wk they got their asses handed to them by the Vikes 34-3
He should have went along with McPuke! That was the most opportune time for the rebuild. Now when his inevitable axing comes, we have to start over, & might waste some of the talent we have, with other philosophies coming in. Who knows, maybe other voices make the talent even better. Can’t be any worse than these dip$#!ts, driving the short yellow bus!!!!
Doomed from the beginning…wow, thanks for stating the obvious Gary.
This head coach has been demonstrating a consistant decline from their SB appearance. The family distractions, the loss of his long-term DC, and a failure to improve in decade long areas of play-calling, time management, and asst. coaching personnel management and successful replacements have been very evident to view by even the most casual fan. Too the more hard-core fans it has been extreemly frustrating and until Big Red is removed, it will always be difficult to watch the team we love.
At 3-3 we are still very alive in the NFC East. The offense is ranked 31st in the league, and we go and fire our DC. Sounds like the same logic that would have a coach take a life-long offensive line coach and make him a defensive coordinator. We need to clean house after the season. For his own well-being, Reid needs a change in scenery. The search should be going on as we speak, but I fear that the guy they named as Banner’s replacement isn’t the guy (or Laurie for that matter) who has the experience to make that call.
Castillo was playing it safe and afraid to takes risks and not giving up the big play which means our Defense was playing a slow Death..
the Good Teams make Big Defensive Plays julst like Making Big Offensice or SPecial Teams play and the Eagles Defense for the last 5 Years has been unable to make any big plays on a limitied or consistent bases.. They Sit back and play Prevent Defense which all it does is Prevent a Team from Winning..
Eagles could have overcame Castillo’s SHortcomings if their Offense would live up to their potential and pull their own weight.. This is a Total Team Collapse where all 3 Phases are not getting it down
Offense SUcks, Turning over the Ball at a Record Pace and 31st in Scoring in thew NFL
SPecial Teams Suck and cannot return kicks for positive yards and cannot prevent 30-40 Yard Returns when the Eagles Kick-off..
IS Kicker Alex Henerey the only NFL Kicker who cannot reach the End-Zone from the moved up 35 years line.. Every other game I watch I see Kickers booming the ball deep and usually out of the end-zone where there can’t be a Return.. This Kid needs to get stronger
Cleveland Browns Officially Starts with the Celeveland Browns
GM Tom Heckert has cleaned out his Office and placed his House for Sale and will be moving out to San DIego and wait for Coach AR’s Phone Call in January 2013 and will follow AR to become the GM for the Chargers and oversee the Draft,Scouting Depts..
You have read it here first and Paulman actually doesn’t even need any Sources for this is a done deal (AR, MM, Heckert, Cullie ,Robinson and Castillo all wearing the Powder Blue and Yellow for 2013)
Paulman, I dont think so, why are so many big name( SB ) coaches on the sidelines ?? cause owners aren’t going to give up 8-10 million per season that their commanding. whose gonna pay andy 8-10 mil ?? NOT HAPPENING as the trend is to pay former assistant’s and coordinators on the cheap ( see Tampa, cleveland, miami, jacksonville )
We don’t want them here in SD. So hope your wrong
Why, you would rather have Norv “I couldn’t coach a beer league” Turner, & your cheap @$$, buffoon of an owner?!? They let every star/ weapon leave, that you had for the last decade! Tomlinson, V. Jackson. Spoeles, etc, etc. You’d be better off, with our failed crew!
Why would they want him in San Diego?? That team is the west coast mirror image of us. Good team every year that can’t win the big one……they would be trading one loser for another.
How many points are needed to win a Football Game ?
“For the first year, his demeanor was that of a position coach with all the running around and hugging players after a big play.”
I guess my nickname for the DC Juan Cheerleader was not far off. Any other people in the profession who endorsed Juan were trying to be non critical of Andy.
Reid has made many questionable decisions in his career but this was one of the worst.
I said last year that Juan should not have taken the job. He knew he was not qualified. And if he did not know then he’s dumber than I thought. The NFL is for professionals. The average margin of victory is about 3 points. There is no room for “Bozo the Clown” to get “On the Job Training”.
Controll freak andy reid wanted a patsie on the defensive side of the ball. A scapegoat. That’s McDermott and Castillo Jetisoned. Banner and McNabb.
Everybody but 4 Tons of Fun.
14 wasted years. A merry go round. A dog chasing his tail.
A loser. Does not have the championship heart. You can smell his fear on the sideline in a close game.
He’s too fat. He is one cheeseburger away from a heart attack. If he does not care about his life, then how much can he care about a football team? How can I respect what you say when I look at what you do? Look how fit many of the other NFL coaches look. His team is a reflection of him. They don’t know true sacrifice. “boney James” is the perfect example. Not willing to catch a pass until he gets a new contract. So his word meant nothing on the first contract? It’s called integrity. You know when your around it.
The Eagles and their “Gold standard” illusions. From the front office to the players. They are having a “Johnny Drama Daytime Delusion”
Execution is a part of the talent equation. Disapline is a part of the talent equation. Repetition is the mother of skill.
Sure miss those dirtballs, now that we have the Black Bret Farve.
A turnover machine.
Great post bsm, but don’t miss McNabb , Vick has the heart McNabb never had the problem is Vick is not a good quarterback
I agree with your assesment Mr1Charlton
The other thing you have to look at also is once a COach has one, his inner drive which he has always been chasing sometimes becomes diminshed, the energy level that Coaching Demands and Sometimes as these Coaches reach the Pinnacle of their Profession, they slip a little and just can’t get that extra kick that got them there in the first Places.. Many Succesful Coaches have talked about it (Cowher,Walsh,Vermeil,Gibbs,Shannahan) .. It’s not easy to Win a Championship in the first place and it’s probably harder to get back there again.. Coaching in Today’s NFL with all the Media Access, SUperStar big time players and egos along with just trying to Coach is a very difficult Job, the Top ones are the ones who hire good Coaches and allows that Staff to work togeth to develop Game Plans,Strategies.. Look at the nuts and BOlts of the PAts, Same OL Coach, Same DL Coach, Same Special Teams Coach, that have been with Belechek for Years. A team with a great Staff of Coaches are the NY Giants, SF 49ers, GB PAckers, Chicago Bears, Houston Texans, Steelers,Ravens, and even the Atlanta Falcons also made some great additions to their Staff so it’s no surprise that these are some of the more successful Teams in the NFL
Does anyone have info on Chris Williams the new O-line pickup from Chicago? And do you think he will make a difference?
Chris Williams was a first round pick for Chic…immediately hurt his back….faced multiple injuries over his career….released by Bears,
I wouldn;t get too excited.
The defense was the probelm and the wrong change was made.. Marty Mornenwieg is the problem same plays for 3 years
Researched Chris Williams- 6’6″, 320lbs plays left & right tackle and left guard. But best at left tackle. Can’t be any worse than what we have. However also reserving further comment.
We wind up with both Chris Williams & Ryan Lilja, by the start of the Falcons game! Bank on it! Don’t know if it’s much of an upgrade, but Lilja WAS good, 2-5 years ago?
Guess it’s better than the quartet of Bell, Duncrap, Watkins & Reynolds! They gotta do something, or whoever is QB’ing is gonna get killed!
My bold prediction from my brother .. Head lines today after the press confrense release about the reasons for ANDY REIDS sons death he takes a extended leave of absense…. He then retires , Todd Bowles gets promoted to head coach . Insert Foles and they make the rest of the season a SUPER TIME.
Thursday the 18th day of october… LOL But why are they releasing this info to the public and at a certain time?? But that would be something else..
They fired thr wrong coordinator, the eagles defense is thirteenth in the league, the offense two from the bottom, although Juan shouldn’t have been given the job in the first place, the stark reality is that he and the defense outperformed the offense
Here’s the rub, though, the offense is Andy’s gig, more of a reflection of his failures, so Juan became a scapegoat, deflection from the real problem, an inept offense, led by an undersized, turnover machine at quarterback
NMo more Coaching Changes until after the Season, It’s all too late for any massive changes with 10 Games to go, They will hunker down and go with who they got which is not good enough…
Eagles final 10 Games play out a little like this
Win over the Falcons (30-26)
Loss to the Saints (33-27)
Win over the Cowboys (26-23)
Loss to the Redksins (27-20)
Win over the Panthers (30-16)
Win over the Cowboys (19-17)
Loss the TB Bucs (26-20)
Loss to the Bengals (27-16)
Loss to the Redksin (23-13)
Win over the Giants (17-16) Giants Starters sit this one out as they have clinched the Division Crown the previous week so this game means nothing
Eagles Finish at 8-8 and Coach AR and his complete Staff are Fired on Wed January 2nd in a Press COnference held by Jeff Lurie and GM Roseman
I have been waiting for this for over 2 years now for this and have always stated that the end for the Andy Reid era would be after the 2012 Season based on his Contract Situation.. Time for a new Vision,Philosophy and Identity with this Eagle Franchise..
I can soon sigh in relief.
This defense can be special with a real defensive guy who can get us top safeties and bolster the linebacker positions. Eagles need to get Wade Philips in here to really stoke the Eagles/Cowboys revenge…along with the QB coach of the Atlanta Falcons or Pats to head off the offense.
On another note, the fans were screaming for the Eagles to get Tony Gonzalez who had interest in the Eagles and the apologists claimed he was over the hill and that Celek was up and coming.
What do you think now?
Eagles need to send a message this bye week…Call Plaxico Burress right now to give Vick a big target safety Valve over Avant.
He also should sit Mathis and Reynolds on the damn bench..move slow ass Bell to guard, Vallos to Center, Have Herremans and Dunlap for book ends. That Bulk on the line…Scrap the ballet technique of Mudd and tell the players to smash and backwhip, anything that comes near the QB.
Easgle need a lot songs before seriously competing with the elite teams in the NFC
-Bigger,more Physical Safeties
– Bigger, more Physcial WR’s
-Bigger, Strong DT’s (Fletcher Cxox is improving and is the real deal, Jenkins is on his way down and Thornton/Landri are back-ups in quality
-Big Play TE, A TE who is athletic and strong enough to spread out defenses and open up the field like the Pats,Ravens,Packers,Saints,Falcons,Bengals,Lions,49ers, Colts, etc,etc have done over recent seasons
– Bigger,Natural SAM LB, Ryans set at MLB, Kendicks should play WILL and get a real SAM LB (a 6-4 260 lbs Beast who can tacak, stop the Run Game and either come out in passing sitautions or be a blitzer..
– Get a Real QB who can protect the ball first, read defenses and extend drives by making the right decisions of where to throw the ball.. Not every play has to be a Homerun like VIck tries for force.. Take what the Defense gives you and then strikle Deep when they are set up and biting in..
Paul, I agree with you 10 fold!!!!
I think everyone around Philly is finally beginning to realize that the Eagles are just an average Team.. Too many again have overrrated this Team and Bought into the Overhype and placed very High-Expecations on a Team that is Strictly average across the board in Talent,Toughness and yes, a history of WInning.. Look at the Eagles Top PLayers… and look back over their College and Pro Careers and chance are, yuo see Talented SKill Players that never Won anything… Vick, D-Jax,Maclin,McCoy,Asmo,DRC, Cole,Herremans,Celek.NAte Allen, Ryans,Kendricks ..
I can think of 1 Player (Cullen Jenkins) that has experience in playiung Championship Football.. Many of the younger players have never been or own a Playoff Game… Kind of Scary when you think about it.. We keep saying to ourselves and amongst ourselves, that next year is going to be the years and as the the last few years have gome, this Team/Franchise has become worse,more stale and predictable and to be honest, play with less heart, players not backing each other, Asmo shotting his mouth off, Samuel the last couple of years, C Jenkins saying the DL has to play better .. Really..QB Vick not taking ownership of his turnovers… I am tires of the whole thing, Coach AR has coddled too many player for far too long and then the result is having a bucnh of whiners and yes, losers in the Locker Room and I think that’s about where this Franchise is at during this 2012 Season.. Players will start to fracture and worry about their own stats, etc,etc instead of pulling,playing for one another and tought it out when tough times come..
These next 2 Games versus FAlcons & Saints will tell the tale.. If they Stumble and go 0-2m, then Coach AR or GM Roseman and Owner Lurie better blow up the Team and find out who can play… Can Foles, Brown, Polk,Cooper,HArbor,Graham,Hunt, Curry,Marsh, Matthews,Sims really play at the NFL Level… I am afraid we probably know the Answer to this already..
Gloomy Times ahead for Eagles Fans I’m afraid
What if they go 3-0 over the next 3 games which i think they will?
Will you post comments leading with “as i’ve stated” then?
There underperforming,no question.But quality wins over Giants and Ravens tell me the turnaround is possible.
Bowles experience alone under pressure helps.
Vick knows its benching time for him if he doenst improve,i actually think he did in the Lions game considering HE WAS GETTING PUNCHED IN THE FACE EVERY OTHER DOWN!!!
2nd pick was excusable and fumble is on Reynold,imo.
Sky is falling the sky is falling.negadelph clowns.
Songs…like the Plax idea…mix up things in the r.z.. However shuffling the line like that isnt prudent based on its game 6,thats a week 3 move. Oline needs to PLAY BETTER!!! They can…look at the game they had against the Giants,Steelers.
Never seen someone post more outlandish b.s.then Mountain boy. Claim sources and infinite knowledge of the game.
6FOOT 4 260 pound Sams dont grow on trees…come on bro.
They won’t go 3-0 EROCK,
and even if they did, this Team with it’s current make-up and Coaching Staff is not going to compete with the Top Teams come Playoff time even if they were to sneak in, so who are you kidding, This Team is just not very good and stop being in Denial like many of the Clowns that Run the Eagles are …
Im not in denial…thats a river in Africa.Im just callin you out for being the know it all you act like.As ive stated…several times.
They beat the Champs…so if they get it together on O and play to there potential,why not?
Lets not forget they have 5 divison games left.Why should we assume there done? I understand the concerns with the O. But the defense just got better with a guy who knows how to attack a team.
Lets wait and see what happens…but you wont…cause your Paulmandomis.Your sources are a janitor in your building and a dog you talk to on your morning walk.
Doesn’t take much for you guys to jump ship….LMAO
Like Rats…@ the first sign of water
And you just contradicted yourself..if they go 3-0..they would have beaten the Falcs….isnt that competing with the top teams?Considering they’ll be in the p-offs too?
Falcons know whats waiting for them…grass…rabid fans…a new d cord ready to pounce and a nice set of press corners.Unleash Rancoor!!!
SMH….Paulman, you make no sense! Everyone starts from some where…not everyone was selected or drafted by a championship team. Not everyone was fed with a silver spoon. Not everyone has a DD round booty wife either! Only one team wins the SB a year, while 30 other teams did not play for the ultimate prize. My point there are fewer championship winning players than there those that have “not won anything”….
You look at it as they haven’t won anything so they can’t win anything…I look at it as, they haven’t won anything so they are hungry!
@Erock – Eagle Nation Stand up!
My old lady has some junk in the trunk, speak for yourself! LMFBO!!!!
birdgame…..#ASI’VESTATED
Beat ATL…start there and build.No more no less.
I expect the Eagles to Beat the Falcons who were fortunate to win their last 2 Games in the last seconds over the Panthers & Raiders..
Falcons have never been a good Road Team,but they will be comign off a bye week too..
Defensivley look for DRC to match up with WR Julio Jones
and Asmo to match up with WR Roddy White and TE Gozno
Eagles should be able to run the ball a bit and make some plays over the Top
But Falcons will blitz and new DC Mike Nolan has usually had very good success versus Coach AR & MM
Eagles 30 – Falcons 26 in a up and down game and it will come down to who has the ball last and can execute when it counts
30? What evidence is there that this team can put up 30?
Well…actually, now that I think of it, they do excell at putting up 30 a game, unfortunately its 17 for the Birds and 13 for the oppsition.