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.
I can't believe the support people are giving this Castillo crud defense.— Norm3- Did anybody get the number of that bus that just ran over Juan.— robbyag
- Bowles should help, YES, but the talent level is still not very good and that is AR's job...Fire him Jeffery....and if you look real hard at the o-line you will find it all needs to go....NONE can play at this level....— nuggett
- As several people have pointed out, this guy is not the guy to be saying anything. He's lucky to have a job and the guy he's tossing under the bus had something to do with that.— PhillySubsMac
- Hey Graham, maybe you should take some blame instead of throwing your coach under the bus. It is you who does not have a sack. Is that his fault? Maybe if you played like you should, he wouldnt have been fired.
We will see how good you are now that the D will be changing flavors. But I am guessing, you will still stink, no matter who the DC is.
— Pat c - How many sacks does Graham have?— markperantoni
- funny seeing all these posts by people sitting on their fat butts wishing they were good enough to play in the nfl..The Eagles need to get their act together there's no question about it but they do play one of the toughest schedules in the nfl and if they were able to make the playoffs they certainly would be in position to do some damage because of that schedule..plenty of football to be played folks— philly19
- You are kidding arent you??...One of toughest schedules in NFL??..Before the season started everyone was predicting 10-13 wins as the EAGLES were so much better then everyone else....with JUMBO (REID) as head coach and even more so with DUMBO ( VICK ) as QB this team has no shot..zero..NADA..add to that spoiled punks like Jackson its the recipe for disater this year just like last year....There are no leaders and please dont give me VICK...where are the Reggie Whites...Jerome Browns...Dawkins..Westbrooks...Runyans....etc etc...not one on this team — flyers1000
- Another example of a whint spoiled athlete blaming it on someone else....whah///whah...whah...just play the game the way you are paid...if you and your teammates di their would be no issues with Castillos coaching...pass the buck thats the way to do it!!— flyers1000
- I will be very surprised if the Eagles defense doesn't get at least 3 or 4 sacks this Sunday against the Falcons. I'll be totally stunned if they lay another goose egg.— SteveS11
- I won't be surprised if the D steps it up a bit this week. Emotions do play a part in football and there is no doubt that these guys want to prove that the problems were on the sideline not the field. The problem is that is not really true, and they will run low on emotional fuel as they get torched by Matty Ice!— bentlip
- The Bears run cover 2 90% of the time and seem to do okay with it. It's about execution and intensity.— dlivesay
- Graham stinks. Who cares what he thinks...— Apollo Creed
- The entire defensive line stinks this year. To have been considered a strength of the team at one time, they are a disappointment now. The best that could happen for Graham is to get out of Philly and onto another team where he can contribute. It's dead end here in Philly if nothing changes.— Dexter
- Players don't need to yap period. Coaches coach. Players paly. Vanilla. Dream Team. Dynasty. This team just needs to STFU and play good football.— John Dealoni
