Graham on Castillo's D: We ran the same stuff over and over
The Philadelphia Inquirer Blog - Eagles
Graham on Castillo's D: We ran the same stuff over and over
Jeff McLane, Inquirer Staff Writer
Getting a grasp on what Todd Bowles' defense will look like has been a difficult chore, but the beginning of one tenure and the end of another has provided some details on what led to Juan Castillo's firing.
Several players have stated since Bowles first met with them on Monday that his main message has been that the defense will no longer be predictable, especially in the fourth quarter. The defense's struggles in the fourth under Castillo have been well-documented. Defensive end Brandon Graham gave some insight as to what the problem was.
"I think we started running the same stuff over and over," Graham said Wednesday. "We 're not switching it up as much. You could hear it on the sideline -- a lot of times we run the same coverage."
In the Eagles' 26-23 overtime loss to the Lions on Oct. 14, Castillo was criticized for late-game adjustments that cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha said played into Detroit's favor. But for the many of the Eagles' close games over the last two seasons, Castillo's play calls gave offenses obvious looks depending upon the down and distance.
"That's what he talked about -- not being predictable in the fourth quarter," Graham said of Bowles. "By the fourth quarter everybody know what we're going to do. That's how we get beat."
Graham said that Castillo kept things vanilla on game days rather than using all the schemes the Eagles had practiced on during the week.
"Coach Bowles -- it's going to be fun to see what he's doing because I think everything we run in practice we're actually going to run in the game," Graham said.
The third-year end said that he's hoping to see more time under Bowles. Graham has been relatively productive when he's seen the field, but with Trent Cole and Jason Babin ahead of him on the depth chart it's been difficult to crack the lineup.
"I know right now they're trying to figure out who they're trying to play," Graham said. "I'm just trying to make sure I keep chopping at it, keep working hard, and hope everything goes my way."
The defensive line has not had a sack in the last three games and has only six of the team's seven this season. In limited playing time, Graham has a half sack, 13 hurries and nine tackles.
and the all talk team strikes again and continues to do what they do best..talk a big game and come up short on the field...i predict more of the same
by the way the most "vanila" aspect of the eagles defense is BIG TIME BUST BRANDON GRAHAM....do not worry graham..no more "vanila" defenses to run..you will be out of football soon enough!— eaglesgreenfly- You're an idiot. Graham was productive his rookie season, then was injured. This season he has been the most productive player, play-for-play, on a supposedly stacked defensive line. — wpnX20
- Productive is averaging 1 tackle a game as a rookie? He's averaging barely over that this year. Come on now. He's Jerome McDougle 2.0
- All talk team is right eaglesgreenfly. The Gold Standard Dynasty. It all starts at the top.
- Trade Graham for an O-lineman— blueye7
- I will take vanilla (boring but reasonably competent) over whatever flavor Brandy thinks the O is (31st in points scored).— 2ndNlong
- i think you misread that... the DEfense was vanilla. the o-line is just a steaming pile of crud right now. vanilla would be an improvement.
- Is this the Dream Team or the Dynasty? I can't tell.— jak55555
- Least we forget that Reid put Castillo in the co-ordinators posiion. Succesful delegation requires inspection at times, not turning your back and then throwing your promotion under the bus. Amazing how important loyalty was to Reid, until the message received is "Playoffs of Gone"— ox
- Graham may not be able to shed a block, but he can toss you under a bus real good!— FatBoy90
- Who's kidding who ..unless Bowles turns into the second coming of Jim Johnson no one's gonna be happy.
Spags is the best candidate for that incarnation.— robinlupe - Spagnola could come here, (Which he refused) and it still wouldn't make a difference. As long as Washburn is running that ridiculous wide-9 scheme, the defense will remain the same. — LetTheTruthBeTold!
- Now we know why Andy picked this guy. It wasn't to play DE. It was to provide commentary on the play calling. Play calling is the whole reason why this guy sux compared to JPP.— Bama
- Have stood up for him but he is the last one who should be throwing stones. But hey lets everyone pretend it was the defenses fault so we don't hurt Vick and Reid's feelings.— Sidewinder7
