Spagnuolo: Great move by Andy
The Philadelphia Daily News - Eagletarian
Spagnuolo: Great move by Andy
Les Bowen, Daily News Staff Writer
DALLAS -- You may think Andy Reid’s decision to promote offensive line coach Juan Castillo to defensive coordinator is crazy. But Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo doesn’t.
Spagnuolo, who spent eight years on Reid’s staff as a defensive assistant under Jim Johnson before becoming the defensive coordinator with the Giants, applauded the decision.
"I thought it was a great move by Andy,’’ Spagnuolo said. "The thing about Andy, Andy’s a football junkie. Juan’s a football junkie. Andy recognizes that he’s a good football coach."
"Juan knows football. Anytime I was around Juan for the 8 years that I was there, he didn’t just talk offensive line football. He was always talking football in general. We had a lot of conversations late into the night that made both of us better. I think he’ll do a good job."
Spagnuolo said Castillo’s knowledge of protection schemes as an offensive line coach should help him attack another offense’s protection schemes now that he’s on the other side of the ball.
"In this league right now, we all know that there are a lot of passes thrown," he said. "And we all know that if you’re going to throw the ball, you gotta protect the quarterback. So if you know how to protect the quarterback, you should have a pretty good idea of how to attack those protections. I’m sure Juan will come at it from that standpoint."
"When you’re putting together a (defensive) gameplan and want to pressure the quarterback, you find your way into the offensive line coach’s office and pick his brain. So Juan will already have that advantage."
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sTEELERS DO what 24 of last 25 SB winners did, 1)run ball 28+ times,have 2 players with 10+ sacks(usually LB's) like Woodley,Harrison,Porter,vrabel,charles haley 3)have pocket passer with 65 passing % or higher Reid has never done this....SB teams run and stop the run.....Reid does not do this never will— fireandyreid34- Where are you getting your info from? None of the last 6 Super Bowl champions (or the '10 Steelers) met all three qualifications you listed.
— phillychaos - I think the fact that everyone has to defend every single hare brained move by Andy Reid says something. He says one thing and turns around and does the exact opposite. I have also defended him thus far, but I have to admit he is really looking like the fumbler and bumbler everyone is making him out to be. The Eagles REALLY needed a top guy in defense right now, not another "experiment" following the McDermott "experiment". I do not care how good Castillo may be, this is another bumbling zig zagging move by Reid after a very long history of the same. It is fair and safe to say that Reid has gone as far as he is ever going to go. Now is the time for Laurie to replace him unless they are both satisfied with merely fielding a pretty good team who often makes it to the playoffs. If so, then they are doing great. If they want to win a Super Bowl, this isn't the way, and Andy lost the way a very long time ago, and will never ever find it.— Larry Byrd
- should've never let spagnuolo go!— Geno D
- Spags may be the best head coach and defensive coordinator in the league right now, so he has a lot of credibility with me. Luring him back would have been a great move. I'd call this a good move, and I believe a lot of us were hoping the Eagles would do something great. Time will tell, but if I'm an offensive coordinator on other teams I'm not worried about this promotion.— armchairGM
- What would a head coach willingly go back to being a DC?? Especially when the NFC West sux and he has the best QB, O-line and Def in the division. The Rams will win the West for the next 4 years in a row... — Donald Blake
- Stay in your armchair! He's never won anything yet, not even the game over the Seahawks he needed to get in the playoffs. Nothing wrong with him, but your statement is completely ridiculous. — jimmyj
- Here's what I don't get. If Juan will be so good at diagnosing line protections and be able to beat them, why was he seemingly not very good at diagnosing pass rushes and stopping them? This point is ridiculous.— hunsinator
- Because the players they had on the O-line sucked the last two years? They were pretty good prior to that, and did a good job against the rush. Castillo is considered a pretty good O-line coach. — phillychaos
- If you listen to the beat writers who cover the Eagles you woud think the sky is falling... Bunch a dopes.— MJPD345
- worst hire since Obama— Mottz
- I think Juan is going to surprise people.. he'll have his growing pains but off the bat, he has the players respect.. something McDermott never had..— albertpa
- Wow!!! I'm shocked to hear Spags support the decision of the guy who gave him the opportunity to become a head coach in the NFL. Come on folks, what else was he supposed to say. Publicly criticize the move?? I just don't agree with the timing of the promotion. We have the offense to win a Super Bowl next year, so why gamble on an unproven commodity. The odds of winning a Super Bowl with a first year D coordinator, who hasn't coached defense in 15 years can't be good. They could win, but it would be a miracle and AR would be the genius of all geniusses, which again would be a miracle.— nate
- Spag's record as a head coach is what.....?— mike l
- Look past the record and at the improvement. Team is headed in the right direction.
— tpizza
