The Eagles announced they have named Anthony Patch as Director of College Scouting and Rick Mueller as Pro Personnel Executive.

 “We are very pleased to promote Anthony and add Rick to our scouting staff,” GM Howie Roseman said in a statement. “Anthony has been one of our top talent evaluators during his tenure as a college scout, has great relationships throughout football and is an extremely hard worker. Rick brings a wealth of NFL experience while giving us a new and fresh set of eyes to evaluate incoming talent. They will both play a role in helping us prepare for this offseason of free agency and the draft.”

Patch, 33, spent the last 10 seasons on the Eagles scouting staff. He first joined the team in 2002 as a college scouting coordinator, was quickly promoted to college scout before being named assistant director of college scouting in 2010.

Mueller is a veteran of 15 NFL seasons with New Orleans (2000-08) and Jacksonville (1994-2000). With the Saints, he was vice president of player personnel from 2006-08 and director of player personnel from 2000-2006. He worked as the Jaguars director of college scouting (1998-2000) after 5 years as a college scout (1994-98).

Mueller, 44, most recently spent two seasons as an executive in the UFL, serving as general manager of Omaha in 2010 and as vice president and general manager for all four teams in their inaugural season of 2009.  

The most significant move in the personnel department will involve finding a replacement for Ryan Grigson, who left to become the general manager of the Colts. Roseman suggested this week at the Senior Bowl that the move might not come until after the draft. The contracts of most personnel people run through the draft.

MOBILE, AL. -- Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said today that though he is considering internal candidates for the vacant job of personnel chief, he might wait to fill the position until after the April draft, when contracts would expire for candidates from other organizations.

In a wide-ranging session with Daily News and Inquirer reporters between today's Senior Bowl practices, Roseman left the whole defensive coordinator situation to head coach Andy Reid, but addressed several hot-button topics.

"Just like with players, if there was an opportunity to improve ourselves, we'd look at that," Roseman said when asked about the personnel spot vacated when Ryan Grigson was hired as general manager in Indianapolis. "We're gojng to try to look there at all the options and not make any rash decisions ... We've brought in some people (over the past few years who are candidates) and we're looking at some people who can help us in the short term as well."

Former Browns and Ravens exec Phil Savage, who works with the Eagles more or less as a consultant, is in Mobile as part of the Eagles' party.

Asked to reflect on all the changes the Eagles made in last year's truncated off season, Roseman said: "I think that when you're 8-8 and you're at the Senior Bowl (instead of the Super Bowl), you obviously look back and think that there are things you could have done a different way - draft picks you'd like to have back and some signings you'd like to have back. But when you step back and look at the core of the team, the blend of youth and experience and talent, we have an opportunity to be competitive and be competitive for a long time."

Roseman hinted that the Eagles tried to address the linebacking situation during the hectic August free agent period after the lockout ended, but were unsuccessful. "It's not a buffet" where you can just pick out everything you want, he said.

Roseman said the Eagles "still have high hopes" for 2010 first-round pick Brandon Graham. He said the team wasn't surprised that Graham, a defensive end, struggled in 2011, coming back from a torn ACL and microfracture surgery. "There is a huge sense of urgency for Brandon Graham (this year). He knows that," Roseman said.

Roseman's two drafts since taking over the GM title from Tom Heckert have been widely scrutinized. He indicated he was willing to second-guess them himself, wondering if he pushed players too far up the rankings to fill needs. He said the fact that so far the Eagles have gotten more help from the bottom of their last few drafts than the top might mean they need to adjust their evaluation process.

Asked about the fact that the 9-7 Giants are in the Super Bowl, Roseman said he didn't think it was productive to wonder whether the Eagles could have mounted such a run, if they had gotten into the playoffs. He said the Giants are succeeding with the formula that has brought them success in the past -- strong quarterbacking from Eli Manning and a fierce, relentless pass rush.

The Oakland Raiders have narrowed their coaching search to three and Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg is not among them, according to CSNBayArea. The Associated Press has filed a similar report.

A person with knowledge of the situation said the Raiders are down to Broncos defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, Green Bay assistant head coach Winston Moss and a "mystery candidate." ESPN says the team is negotiating with Allen to fill the job.

Mornhinweg and Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. are no longer in the running, according to the source. Former Vikings head coach Mike Tice, scheduled to interview today, will not be interviewed.

Moss, a former Raider who has ties with new general manager Reggie McKenzie, has been presumed to be the front-runner all along.

Scuttlebutt at the Senior Bowl still has Mornhinweg as a possibility in Indianapolis, although the Colts have not asked permission to talk to him. Owner Jim Irsay has said that the Colts are expected to have a coach in place by the end of the week.

Has Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg emerged as one of the favorites to become the next head coach of the Oakland Raiders?

That seems to be the case from a variety of reports over the weekend following Mornhinweg's interview with new Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie on Friday. ESPN's Adam Schefter, citing multiple sources said Mornhinweg was "impressive" in the interview. The National Football Post's Dan Pompei said Mornhinweg is a "strong candidate."

Mornhinweg worked with McKenzie in Green Bay and was the quarterbacks coach when the Packers won the Super Bowl with Brett Favre.

The candidates are almost split evenly with those with an offensive background and those with a defensive background, but reports in the Bay Area suggest McKenzie and Mark Davis, Al's son, might be looking for an offensive coach. The presumed favorite had been Packers assistant head coach/linebackers coach Winston Moss.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports there are "whispers" that the Raiders would like to have a coach in place by the end of the week. ESPN also reported that timetable.

Three others have already interviewed -- Dolphins interim coach Todd Bowles, Saints offensive coordinator Peter Carmichael Jr. and Broncos defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, who is scheduled for a second interview this week at the Senior Bowl, according to ESPN. Former Vikings coach Mike Tice is scheduled to interview tomorrow at the Senior Bowl in Mobile. The Raiders also have received permission to talk to Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers, according to CBS' Charley Casserly, although that interview has not happened.

Mornhinweg is from the Bay Area and spent four years on the coaching staff of the 49ers before his ill-fated turn as head coach of the Detroit Lions. 

MOBILE, Ala. -- With Michael Vick turning 32 in the offseason and Vince Young expected to move on in free agency, the Eagles might very well look for a quarterback somewhere in the early rounds, especially since they have an extra second-round pick, courtesy of the Kevin Kolb trade with Arizona.

Stanford's Andrew Luck is expected to become the top overall pick in the draft, and Baylor's Heisman Trophy winner, Robert Griffin III, is expected to go soon after, long before the Eagles draft 15th overall. In any case, neither Luck nor Griffin will be in Mobile this week, and what looked like an extraordinary QB draft class lost a little luster when Oklahoma's Landry Jones and Southern Cal's Matt Barkley decided to stay in school.

But there are Senior Bowl QBs who could interest the Birds, particularly in the second round or later. They include Arizona's Nick Foles, Oklahoma State's Brandon Weeden, San Diego State's Ryan Lindley, and Michigan State's Kirk Cousins.

Foles, a transfer from Michigan State, hails from a school that has never produced a prominent NFL quarterback. But he's 6-5, 240, and is said to possess excellent tools.

Weeden, 6-4, 220, is intriguing in that some observers think he might be a first-round talent, but he almost certainly won't be drafted there, at age 28, having spent five years playing minor league baseball. Eagles fans no doubt will draw a parallel with Watkins, the ex-firefighter. Lindley is a 6-4, 230-pounder whose draft stock suffered this year when he managed to complete only 52.5 percent of his passes.

Cousins, 6-3, 205, had an excellent year and could be on the rise from his early third-to-fourth round projection.

I've gotten some emails and tweets from people who say they will be just fine, if the Eagles decide to do nothing to shake up their defensive decision-making hierarchy, in the wake of Steve Spagnuolo signing on with the Saints. Their thinking, of course, is that Juan Castillo's defense improved dramatically down the stretch, that players talked of having needed time to come together and grasp their roles, get a sense of one another, so on and so forth.

No question, the Eagles' defense improved, allowing no more than one touchdown in each of its last four outings, yes, against subpar quarterbacks, but looking much better than it had looked against equally subpar quarterbacks earlier in the season. (Ryan Fitzpatrick? Tavaris Jackson?)

Castillo is an earnest, decent man who doesn't deserve to be cast aside summarily. And if you're going to retain Jim Washburn and the Wide 9, which seems advisable, the easiest way to do that is to keep Castillo in place. Still, I want to see a prominent, experienced voice given a position of power on the defensive side, with Juan, in place of Juan, whatever.

The Eagles missed the playoffs for two reasons: Turnovers and Castillo's learning curve. The turnover thing they're going to have to fix by beating Michael Vick over the head with it all offseason. The Castillo problem isn't just magically cured by the former offensive line coach having one season on defense under his belt now.

Yeah, they'll shore up the linebacker position and maybe safety, too, and that will help. But how do we know Castillo won't stand and watch Larry Fitzgerald beat him again when Larry Fitzgerald is the only real weapon on the field for the other team? As much as I like Juan, I don't want to see him matching wits with, say, Bill Belichick, or even Drew Brees, in the third quarter of a close game. There is no way Castillo is going to have the grasp of defensive nuance of someone who has worked on the defensive side for many years, no matter how hard Juan works. My feeling down the stretch was that players and other coaches got Juan to simplify things, to blitz more, to junk the complex zone coverages he'd designed. I don't trust the man's instincts, based on what he planned for his rookie season.

I still think it's inexcusable that the Eagles missed the playoffs in large part because Andy Reid couldn't forsee that making his offensive line coach the defensive coordinator in a lockout year, with no offseason preparation, was going to be a disaster. The lockout didn't just sneak up on anybody. Teams knew it was coming, for a couple of years.

I don't think "well, what the heck, Juan seemed to be catching on there, let's see what happens" is a good way to prepare for a Super Bowl-or-bust season. Reid was incredibly lucky that last year's Castillo decision didn't cost him his job. This year's Castillo decision still could.

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Note to people who might read a couple of the comments below: The Eagles' ranking of 8th in defense pertains strictly to yardage, which is close to meaningless. Ask the Patriots, who ranked 31st there.

The Eagles gave up 27 touchdown passes last season despite having rich talent at the cornerback position. That figure ranked 24th in the NFL, and that stat DOES mean something. They were 30th in red zone defense. They tied for 17th in the league in interceptions, despite tying for the league lead in sacks. When you're getting such good pressure, it ought to convert into turnovers. It didn't.

And I don't think I'm the one bending stats to fit an agenda.

Eagles defensive end Jason Babin, on his way to his second consecutive Pro Bowl, weighed in on the Juan Castillo situation during an interview with Yahoo's Shutdown Corner.

Like many around the Eagles, he pointed to the improvement at the end of the season rather than the hole that the team dug for itself by blowing those fourth-quarter leads.

"Early on, Castillo was more or less a transition, when you go from offensive line coach to coordinator, you're doing more than just coaching; you're creating a style, a system," Babin said. "So that can take time. It took a little longer to work out than we would have liked and I'm sure he would have liked. I think there was a lot of growing going on and that's what makes him good as a coach. He listened, we listened — we all learned."

Babin also said the players fully expected Andy Reid to return as coach.

"None of us saw it going any other way and we expected coach Reid back, that was the player perspective," he said. "We weren't on the roller coaster of the media, the fans."

Babin said the Eagles went from "ok to friggin good" at the end of the season and despite the disappointment, the onus is the on the players, not the coaches.

"I think we found answers on both sides of the ball, answers we can take to next year," he said. "We had the ability, the talent, everything was there. You can't get mad at the coaches. We went out there and just didn't play that well. Could we have gotten it done? Absolutely. I feel we can do better as we get ready for this next season."

When it finally happened, it wasn't a big surprise. Fox's Jay Glazer reported this evening that Steve Spagnuolo is going to be the new defensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints.

It was apparent several days ago that Spagnuolo was in no hurry to return to the Eagles, for whom he was a defensive assistant from 1999-2006. The Eagles have never disclosed whether they wanted Spagnuolo back or not -- and now that he has signed somewhere else, expect word to filter out that they really didn't, regardless of whether that is the truth.

Apparently, Juan Castillo will go to Mobile for Senior Biowl practices next week as the Eagles' defensive coordinator. Will that be the case for the 2012 season? We don't know. We do know Eagles coach Andy Reid STILL hasn't done his season wrapup news conference. Reid might or might not go to Mobile, an Eagles source said today.

New Orleans might offer Spagnuolo less overall defensive talent than the Eagles, but there's no question that improving the Saints' leaky defense is a high-profile job that could get Spagnuolo back into the head coaching mix very quickly. As long as Sean Payton is the head coach and Drew Brees is the quarterback, the Saints will be prominent NFC contenders.

Spagnuolo was fired after going 10-38 in three seasons as the head coach of the Rams.

No other names have surfaced in connection with the Eagles.

The Indianapolis Colts have not requested permission to interview Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg for their head coaching position, the Eagles said.

Mornhinweg is expected to interview this weekend with the Oakland Raiders in their seemingly ever-widening search for a coach.

That they have not done so yet does not necessarily mean the Colts are not interested. Mornhinweg's name surfaced when the Colts hired former Eagles director of player personnel Ryan Grigson as general manager last week. Grigson had been with the Eagles since 2004; Mornhinweg has been with the Birds since 2006.

The Colts have received permission to interview Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Jerry Gray and New Orleans offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael, according to reports. It is also possible the Colts might be interested in Steve Spagnuolo, who interviewed for the defensive coordinator position Monday with Grigson and Jim Caldwell, before Caldwell was fired the next day.

In Oakland, new boss Reggie McKenzie said he had a short list of candidates and the expectation was that three or four candidates would be interview with a quick decision to follow. Instead, McKenzie has already interviewed former Miami interim coach Todd Bowles and been given permission to interview the Saints' Carmichael and Denver offensive coordinator Mike McCoy and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. Former Vikings coach Mike Tice is also scheduled to interview early next week.

McCoy is among three finalists for the Dolphins job and was so confident that he reportedly canceled his interview with the Raiders. Bowles is also among the finalists in Miami.

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To read our earlier post about TO and Jeremiah Trotter, click here.