Sunday: Juan Castillo's job is safe (1 Viewer)

[Hipple Long Ware & Peete]

http://www.kffl.com/gnews.php?id=817237-eagles-more-changes-could-be-coming

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid said the decision to fire defensive coordinator Juan Castillo was his alone, and he hinted that more changes might be coming. Reid continues to say that QB Michael Vick is the starter "as I sit here right now." "I'm going through and evaluating our football team, both coaches and players. This is one of the moves. We'll see where this goes from here," said Reid, who said firing his loyal assistant of 14 years was "one of the tougher things I've had to do."

2012-10-16 11:23:39 | Source: Philadelphia Daily News - Les Bowen

 

[delusional]

I actually called this last game. That Juan would get axed and TB takes over. Just didn't think it would happen so soon.

What needs to be asked is why did it stop there? How much more slack can they give Andy???? This wasn't his decision and his alone either lol.

 

[Amused to Death]

I actually called this last game. That Juan would get axed and TB takes over. Just didn't think it would happen so soon.

What needs to be asked is why did it stop there? How much more slack can they give Andy???? This wasn't his decision and his alone either lol.

Andy's slack runs till January."This team has all the ingredients to get to the Super Bowl...I expect a substantially improved team." - Jeff Lurie

Just checked the weekly power rankings at NFL.com. I don't know who does the rankings or write ups, but here's what was written about the Eagles (14th, btw):

So defensive coordinator Juan Castillo loses his job, which is essentially a "The defense is why we've been .500 for the better of two years" move. Or it's a knee-jerk, "Your defense blew back-to-back late-game leads and we're 3-3" move. Cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha was clandestinely critical of a change in tactics late in the Detroit loss. And everyone knows that the Castillo hiring was never a popular move -- due to his former role on the other side of the ball as an offensive line coach. OK, that's all real cool stuff, but this just in: That defense ranks 13th in the NFL in points allowed, while the offense is 31st ( 31st!) in points scored. Not quite the discrepancy you were anticipating, huh? Does Michael Vick (13 turnovers) lose his job, too? Oh, and who hired Castillo in the first place?

 

[unckeyherb]

I actually called this last game. That Juan would get axed and TB takes over. Just didn't think it would happen so soon.

What needs to be asked is why did it stop there? How much more slack can they give Andy???? This wasn't his decision and his alone either lol.

Andy's slack runs till January."This team has all the ingredients to get to the Super Bowl...I expect a substantially improved team." - Jeff Lurie

Just checked the weekly power rankings at NFL.com. I don't know who does the rankings or write ups, but here's what was written about the Eagles (14th, btw):

So defensive coordinator Juan Castillo loses his job, which is essentially a "The defense is why we've been .500 for the better of two years" move. Or it's a knee-jerk, "Your defense blew back-to-back late-game leads and we're 3-3" move. Cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha was clandestinely critical of a change in tactics late in the Detroit loss. And everyone knows that the Castillo hiring was never a popular move -- due to his former role on the other side of the ball as an offensive line coach. OK, that's all real cool stuff, but this just in: That defense ranks 13th in the NFL in points allowed, while the offense is 31st ( 31st!) in points scored. Not quite the discrepancy you were anticipating, huh? Does Michael Vick (13 turnovers) lose his job, too? Oh, and who hired Castillo in the first place?

Exactly. That doesn't even mention ST play, which has been in the bottom of the league across the board for the last 2 years...

 

[Hipple Long Ware & Peete]

Posted by Mike Florio on October 16, 2012, 10:16 PM EDT

AP

As Eagles coach Andy Reid contemplates his next move in Philly, there are plenty of reasons to think that the next move could entail quarterback Mike Vick moving to the bench.

And so now it’s your chance to chime in, via the weekly Rapid Reaction, sponsored by our friends at Wendy’s.

The question is whether the Eagles need Reid or Vick more, go to the Sunday Night Football page on Facebook and make your views known.

We’ll share the best during Wednesday’s PFT Live.  Which if you don’t know by now airs at 12:00 p.m. right here, by clicking the box in the right rail.  Until then, here’s a slice of Tuesday’s Pro Football Talk regarding the possibilty that, with defensive coordinator Juan Castillo out, Vick is likely next.

 

[Saint]

As a lifelong Eagles fan, I was right there with y'all last year in getting rid of Castillo. What was his background? What was his expertise? All he said was that he was going to implement the Wide 9 because he thought it was the hardest defensive line position to block against as an Offensive Coordinator. Now what he found out, is that while the Wide 9 does get you the QB faster, without a solid LB core, you get destroyed up the middle with the run. So what happened? They drafted a LB and signed Ryans. Good moves for the Wide 9 play.

So does Castillo deserve to get fired? Maybe, but I'll be honest, I'm going to eat some crow here. I think Castillo has actually done well as the DC. Most of my issues are with offensive play calling and special teams. Here's some shocking statistics on the current Eagle Defensive stats based on www.nfl.com.

[*]4th (tied) in Rushing TDs Allowed at 2 TDs

[*]9th in First Downs Allowed per game at 18.7

[*]9th (tied) in Interceptions at 7

[*]12th in Total Yards per Game at 330.8 yds

[*]12th (tied) in Total Passing TDs Allowed at 7 TDs

[*]13th in Total Points per Game at 20.8 pts per game

[*]15th in Passing Yards per Game at 226.3 yds

[*]15th in Rushing Yards per Game at 104.5 yds

[*]27th (tied) in Fumble Recoveries at 1

[*]29th in Penalties at 46 penalties to date

[*]30th in Sacks at 7

Overall, I don't think they are as bad as folks are making them out to be. I agree with the posters saying that if wasn't for the turnovers, the Defense would not be as criticized. Right now the Eagles are ranked 2nd in the league for Fumbles Lost, and 7th in the league for Interceptions resulting in a Turnover ratio of -9, 31st in the league. That's the issue, not the defense.

So yes we fired Castillo, but count me in the minority but I don't think firing Castillo was the answer. He improved drastically from last year (or else he really had a good set of ACs behind him). From my perspective, sacks aren't everything. The issue is sloppy penalties and turnovers.

That's my two cents ...

 

[Hipple Long Ware & Peete]

As a lifelong Eagles fan, I was right there with y'all last year in getting rid of Castillo. What was his background? What was his expertise? All he said was that he was going to implement the Wide 9 because he thought it was the hardest defensive line position to block against as an Offensive Coordinator. Now what he found out, is that while the Wide 9 does get you the QB faster, without a solid LB core, you get destroyed up the middle with the run. So what happened? They drafted a LB and signed Ryans. Good moves for the Wide 9 play.

So does Castillo deserve to get fired? Maybe, but I'll be honest, I'm going to eat some crow here. I think Castillo has actually done well as the DC. Most of my issues are with offensive play calling and special teams. Here's some shocking statistics on the current Eagle Defensive stats based on www.nfl.com.

[*]4th (tied) in Rushing TDs Allowed at 2 TDs

[*]9th in First Downs Allowed per game at 18.7

[*]9th (tied) in Interceptions at 7

[*]12th in Total Yards per Game at 330.8 yds

[*]12th (tied) in Total Passing TDs Allowed at 7 TDs

[*]13th in Total Points per Game at 20.8 pts per game

[*]15th in Passing Yards per Game at 226.3 yds

[*]15th in Rushing Yards per Game at 104.5 yds

[*]27th (tied) in Fumble Recoveries at 1

[*]29th in Penalties at 46 penalties to date

[*]30th in Sacks at 7

Overall, I don't think they are as bad as folks are making them out to be. I agree with the posters saying that if wasn't for the turnovers, the Defense would not be as criticized. Right now the Eagles are ranked 2nd in the league for Fumbles Lost, and 7th in the league for Interceptions resulting in a Turnover ratio of -9, 31st in the league. That's the issue, not the defense.

So yes we fired Castillo, but count me in the minority but I don't think firing Castillo was the answer. He improved drastically from last year (or else he really had a good set of ACs behind him). From my perspective, sacks aren't everything. The issue is sloppy penalties and turnovers.

That's my two cents ...

 

[Amused to Death]

As a lifelong Eagles fan, I was right there with y'all last year in getting rid of Castillo. What was his background? What was his expertise? All he said was that he was going to implement the Wide 9 because he thought it was the hardest defensive line position to block against as an Offensive Coordinator. Now what he found out, is that while the Wide 9 does get you the QB faster, without a solid LB core, you get destroyed up the middle with the run. So what happened? They drafted a LB and signed Ryans. Good moves for the Wide 9 play.

So does Castillo deserve to get fired? Maybe, but I'll be honest, I'm going to eat some crow here. I think Castillo has actually done well as the DC. Most of my issues are with offensive play calling and special teams. Here's some shocking statistics on the current Eagle Defensive stats based on www.nfl.com.

[*]4th (tied) in Rushing TDs Allowed at 2 TDs

[*]9th in First Downs Allowed per game at 18.7

[*]9th (tied) in Interceptions at 7

[*]12th in Total Yards per Game at 330.8 yds

[*]12th (tied) in Total Passing TDs Allowed at 7 TDs

[*]13th in Total Points per Game at 20.8 pts per game

[*]15th in Passing Yards per Game at 226.3 yds

[*]15th in Rushing Yards per Game at 104.5 yds

[*]27th (tied) in Fumble Recoveries at 1

[*]29th in Penalties at 46 penalties to date

[*]30th in Sacks at 7

Overall, I don't think they are as bad as folks are making them out to be. I agree with the posters saying that if wasn't for the turnovers, the Defense would not be as criticized. Right now the Eagles are ranked 2nd in the league for Fumbles Lost, and 7th in the league for Interceptions resulting in a Turnover ratio of -9, 31st in the league. That's the issue, not the defense.

So yes we fired Castillo, but count me in the minority but I don't think firing Castillo was the answer. He improved drastically from last year (or else he really had a good set of ACs behind him). From my perspective, sacks aren't everything. The issue is sloppy penalties and turnovers.

That's my two cents ...

I think the general consensus among Eagles fans is that the defense is/was not the biggest problem, just the easiest for Andy to point to and make a move over the bye. He watched the team start out 3-1 and everyone (including Andy) was feeling pretty good. Then we all saw them blow 2 4th Q leads (and almost a 3rd) in consecutive weeks. Suddenly they are 3-3 with their next 2 opponents being Matt Ryan and the Falcons followed by Drew Brees and the Saints (on MNF). Andy's suddenly facing the prospect of being 3-5. He knows he's on the hot seat as dictated by Lurie. A panic move.He can't fire Marty. Marty=Andy. Even though its very obvious the offense has been the bigger problem. Next you'll see the ST coach go and then the QB. Andy's fighting for his coaching life right now.

 

[unckeyherb]

As a lifelong Eagles fan, I was right there with y'all last year in getting rid of Castillo. What was his background? What was his expertise? All he said was that he was going to implement the Wide 9 because he thought it was the hardest defensive line position to block against as an Offensive Coordinator. Now what he found out, is that while the Wide 9 does get you the QB faster, without a solid LB core, you get destroyed up the middle with the run. So what happened? They drafted a LB and signed Ryans. Good moves for the Wide 9 play.

So does Castillo deserve to get fired? Maybe, but I'll be honest, I'm going to eat some crow here. I think Castillo has actually done well as the DC. Most of my issues are with offensive play calling and special teams. Here's some shocking statistics on the current Eagle Defensive stats based on www.nfl.com.

[*]4th (tied) in Rushing TDs Allowed at 2 TDs

[*]9th in First Downs Allowed per game at 18.7

[*]9th (tied) in Interceptions at 7

[*]12th in Total Yards per Game at 330.8 yds

[*]12th (tied) in Total Passing TDs Allowed at 7 TDs

[*]13th in Total Points per Game at 20.8 pts per game

[*]15th in Passing Yards per Game at 226.3 yds

[*]15th in Rushing Yards per Game at 104.5 yds

[*]27th (tied) in Fumble Recoveries at 1

[*]29th in Penalties at 46 penalties to date

[*]30th in Sacks at 7

Overall, I don't think they are as bad as folks are making them out to be. I agree with the posters saying that if wasn't for the turnovers, the Defense would not be as criticized. Right now the Eagles are ranked 2nd in the league for Fumbles Lost, and 7th in the league for Interceptions resulting in a Turnover ratio of -9, 31st in the league. That's the issue, not the defense.

So yes we fired Castillo, but count me in the minority but I don't think firing Castillo was the answer. He improved drastically from last year (or else he really had a good set of ACs behind him). From my perspective, sacks aren't everything. The issue is sloppy penalties and turnovers.

That's my two cents ...

This is a good posting, but I think the proof will be in the pudding. I agree that this defense hasn't been terrible but they've definitely been a liability. My thinking is that most of the deficiency has been in the play-calling and that this defense has performed IN SPITE of being one of the most basic, vanilla, non-blitzing, ordinary defenses in the league. The talent level on this team is immense-imagine what can be done with a DC that actually knows what he's doing and can dial up some exotic play-calls throughout the game (I am assuming that Bowles can do this-maybe he can't). That is what I mean when I say the proof is in the pudding-this defense has the talent, they just need the leadership. One thing is for sure-Bowles knows Def-Backs as he was one; so I can guarantee we won't see Nnamdi being used incorrectly any more.

 

[Amused to Death]

Lurie says he was skeptical of the Castillo promotion

Owner Jeffrey Lurie tells Paul Domowitch of the Philadelphia Daily News that the man who writes the checks had reservations last year about bumping up the man who’ll now get a buyout.

“Yes I did,” Lurie said of the decision to make Juan Castillo defensive coordinator in 2011. “But I let Andy make that call. I respected his decision. He felt it was the best thing to do at the time, and I don’t interfere in that area.”

Lurie also said that the decision to dump Castillo also was Reid’s and Reid’s alone.

“The way I operate, a coach is responsible for his staff,” Lurie said. “[He needs to] succeed or fail based on who he chooses and his own performance. I don’t trigger that.”

But Lurie did everything but pull the trigger in August, making it clear with chilling nonchalance that Reid will be fired if the Eagles have another .500 season. And while Lurie likely knows Reid well enough to know that he can bear the pressure of coaching for his job, Lurie likely underestimated the impact of his words on everyone else, from Castillo to Mike Vick (who has 15.5 million reasons for Reid to return) to anyone and everyone else with a vested interest in Reid staying put.

It could be that this was Lurie’s way of countering agent Bob LaMonte, who tried to make a clumsy power play on Reid’s behalf not long before Lurie made clear that, contrary to LaMonte’s contentions, Reid is in trouble. Still, Lurie’s reaction went too far, making it too hard for Reid to get the team pointed in the right direction.

My link

I also want to comment on the bolded part about needing to finish better than .500. Lurie was answering a question when he made that comment. The question was something to the effect of, "Will 8-8 be good enough for Andy to return?". Lurie said no, 8-8 would not be good enough - then also added "I need to see significant improvement" & "This team has all the ingredients to get to the Super Bowl". To me that implies that 9-7 may not be enough. Maybe losing in the first round of the playoffs might earn the axe. Lurie did not limit his ultimatum to "8-8".

 

[delusional]

You are the F'ing owner! If you don't feel confident about the move then you say NO

Hopefully they find a pair of NUTS in the 1st two rounds for Jeffery Lurie

 

[Billy Bats]

As a lifelong Eagles fan, I was right there with y'all last year in getting rid of Castillo. What was his background? What was his expertise? All he said was that he was going to implement the Wide 9 because he thought it was the hardest defensive line position to block against as an Offensive Coordinator. Now what he found out, is that while the Wide 9 does get you the QB faster, without a solid LB core, you get destroyed up the middle with the run. So what happened? They drafted a LB and signed Ryans. Good moves for the Wide 9 play.

So does Castillo deserve to get fired? Maybe, but I'll be honest, I'm going to eat some crow here. I think Castillo has actually done well as the DC. Most of my issues are with offensive play calling and special teams. Here's some shocking statistics on the current Eagle Defensive stats based on www.nfl.com.

[*]4th (tied) in Rushing TDs Allowed at 2 TDs

[*]9th in First Downs Allowed per game at 18.7

[*]9th (tied) in Interceptions at 7

[*]12th in Total Yards per Game at 330.8 yds

[*]12th (tied) in Total Passing TDs Allowed at 7 TDs

[*]13th in Total Points per Game at 20.8 pts per game

[*]15th in Passing Yards per Game at 226.3 yds

[*]15th in Rushing Yards per Game at 104.5 yds

[*]27th (tied) in Fumble Recoveries at 1

[*]29th in Penalties at 46 penalties to date

[*]30th in Sacks at 7

Overall, I don't think they are as bad as folks are making them out to be. I agree with the posters saying that if wasn't for the turnovers, the Defense would not be as criticized. Right now the Eagles are ranked 2nd in the league for Fumbles Lost, and 7th in the league for Interceptions resulting in a Turnover ratio of -9, 31st in the league. That's the issue, not the defense.

So yes we fired Castillo, but count me in the minority but I don't think firing Castillo was the answer. He improved drastically from last year (or else he really had a good set of ACs behind him). From my perspective, sacks aren't everything. The issue is sloppy penalties and turnovers.

That's my two cents ...

Not really. He had no choice but to run the wide 9 because they hired Washburn before a defensive coordinator. I posted this in the Eagles thread...

That was the biggest problem. I still don't understand how you hire a D line coach before the DC. And also I assume one of the main reasons why Steve Spagnolo didn't sign on as DC when pursued in the off season. Once Washburn was hired, his wide 9 was forced on any DC coming in, which is why I think Castillo was hired. I don't think any incoming DC would appreciate being told what kind of defense he had to run. Now if you hire,say, the OL coach to be DC, then you run the wide 9 with no questions asked. It was a train wreck from the start.

 

[Insein]

I said it in the Eagles thread but Juan is the scapegoat just like he was designed to be.

The Eagles in the offseason 2011 hired Oline coach Howard Mudd and DLine coach Jim Washburn almost immediately. McDermott had been let go only a few days before these hirings. Juan was essential removed from his role as Oline coach and was prepared to be the "assistant head coach," a role Marty Morningwheg once held. Its a placeholder position for Reid's friends till he can find a spot for you.

Anyway, the Eagles went about interviewing candidates for the Defensive Coordinator position all offseason. The main thing they told these candidates though was that Washburn and the wide 9 were a package deal. If you come to Philly, you run the wide 9. What coach wants to come in and run another guy's system? Its why guys who had previous ties to the organization like Spagnola turned the job down. The Eagles were getting desperate when no one was accepting the offer. Juan is a loyal friend of Andy Reid. So when Andy came to him and said he needed someone to stand in there, Juan helped him out.

It was obvious from day one that it wreaked of desperation. You don't hire an Oline coach and jump him straight to Defensive Coordinator. Even Andy isn't that arrogant to think it would work. Juan did the press conferences and held the sheet on gameday while Washburn ran the scheme. Everyone knew that if this went bad, which was almost a certainty, Juan was the fall guy. Andy knew it. Washburn knew it. Hell Juan knew it. But he was the good soldier. He took the bullet for his captain to deflect the blame for a little bit longer.

The truth is, we really don't know how much input Juan truly had in this Defense. It wasn't his to begin with and he was just calling plays handed to him. However, this will be the end of the Andy Reid era in Philly if they don't make a playoff run. I doubt that's coming with the way the offense has been playing.

 

[Saint]

As an Eagles fan... this is just brutal. At least we didn't blow the lead in the 4th quarter.

 

[Insein]

As an Eagles fan... this is just brutal. At least we didn't blow the lead in the 4th quarter.

At least Juan's conservative approach kept us close till the 4th where presumably we should be up by 20 with our offense. They decided to collapse in the first this week.

 

[delusional]

I think i seen Kurt Coleman gie up 4 TDs this season on plays he simply blown.

 

[Warpig]

I just wanna be the first to say it...

Andy Reid has got to go.

 

[Saint]

I just wanna be the first to say it...

Andy Reid has got to go.

First? You should check out the Eagles thread. This was being said last year.

 

[Warpig]

I just wanna be the first to say it...

Andy Reid has got to go.

First? You should check out the Eagles thread. This was being said last year.

 

[Saint]

I just wanna be the first to say it...

Andy Reid has got to go.

First? You should check out the Eagles thread. This was being said last year.

Okay... with ya.

 

[delusional]

LOL i think i hold that card, i been saying this for years now here

 

[Insein]

LOL i think i hold that card, i been saying this for years now here

Yea you've had that "first" down since 2005.

 

[Hipple Long Ware & Peete]

how's that new defense working out?

 

[Bigboy10182000]

how's that new defense working out?

It looked better then last week. Improved?

 

[Amused to Death]

how's that new defense working out?

It looked better then last week. Improved?

I'd say its working out great. The purge has begun and it shows that Andy has a lot more holes to fill than DC. Next should be the ST coach. Then Reid can fire himself.