Eagles' Bowles: 'We've got to finish and win games'
Todd Bowles is introduced as Eagles defensive coordinator
Eagles' Bowles: 'We've got to finish and win games'
Rich Hofmann, Daily News Sports Columnist
Wearing a Temple hoodie, new Eagles defensive coordinator Todd Bowles channeled a little bit of Hyman Roth from “The Godfather, Part II” at his introductory press conference. It was the this-is-the-business-we-have-chosen line from the movie, and it was used in reference to the sudden firing of his predecessor, Juan Castillo.
“Me and Juan had a great relationship,” said Bowles, who was brought in to coach the secondary this season. “To come in this morning and find out...He’s a great guy, he’s a great coach, he works hard, we had a great relationship as a staff. That’s going to be sorely missed.
“But for us, in this business we chose, we’ve got to move on and try to make the best of what we can. That’s what we’ve got to do.”
With that, a page turns.
“The only way (the defense) can be different is on the scoreboard,” Bowles said. “Hopefully, we come up with wins, it’ll look different. But in the end, the main goal is to get the victory, however we’ve got to get it.”
Bowles also said, “We’ve got to finish at the end of the games. We’ve got to finish and win games. The bottom line is, when you’re out there on defense, it doesn’t matter what happens. When you’re out there at the end of the game, you’ve got to finish.”
“Tweak” was the word he used to describe what he would change. Bowles said he has not yet decided if he will work from the sidelines, as Castillo did, or from a skybox, where the view is better and the emotions are less hot. And as for new tactics, he naturally was pretty circumspect.
As for the wide-9 defensive front, which has drawn so much commentary since defensive line coach Jim Washburn brought it here last year, Bowles said, “We run a wide-9 -- that’s what we do. But game plan-wise, it depends on whether we do other things along with it.”
And blitzing?
“If it works, great,” Bowles said, smiling. “If not, don’t do it.”
Poll: Do you have confidence in Andy Reid?
Andy and Marty won't be unemployed long... San Diego is a much nicer city with better weather!— jmb53
Time to start asking the question......Cowher in 2013???- I would have thought April would have been fired by now.— Horst Muhlmann
- Juan, thanks for your hard work and enthusiasm over the last 15 years. Good luck. Enjoy the paycheck. We'll see you back in the NFL before too long.— tommy_the_k
- Now we have to fix the offense. It's simple. FIRE MARTY. NOW.— rad205
- @scootch: he coulda gone ANYWHERE, but...— dasher
- OK so you fire a DC! Fans go crazy and jump for joy! Don't worry it will be same results! EAGLES YOU ARE PATHETIC and the NFL is laughing at you! Fans go back to bed..your team is done! GO GIANTS!— MRD
- Marty should be next--his 2 or 3 great play calls a game are overshadowed by 30 or 40 WTF calls..... Get someone in who will commit to the run and go for the home run sparingly..... Offensive time of possession should be the focus and metric of success (turnovers too, but that's easier said than done).— IdahoMoose
So it wasn't Juan's decision to bring in the wide9 and it's not Todd's... but the good little soldiers will walk the walk and suffer the slings & arrows while Reid takes FULL RESPONSIBILITY! We will not see a SB until Reid, Marty & Vick are GONE! FIRE ANDY REID NOW!— desjones
