Is Castillo now safe?
The Philadelphia Inquirer Blog - Eagles
Is Castillo now safe?
Jonathan Tamari
So the Eagles won’t get Steve Spagnuolo. Does that mean Juan Castillo is safe?
There’s an argument to be made that unless you can get a slam-dunk improvement, you stick with Castillo and hope the late season defensive improvement was real. The best reason to do that is continuity. Another change and the Eagles will be on their fourth defensive coordinator in five years.
But continuity is only a positive if you’re continuing something good. Continuity is a factor, but it’s not the only one.
You can point to a whole bunch of different factors to make an argument for or against Castillo (i.e. five blown leads vs. late year improvement). But the only opinions that mater are the ones at NovaCare, and the Eagles’ body language has not indicated that Castillo is their top choice.
If Reid was dead set on bringing back Castillo, there was no reason not to say so by now. The team’s silence points strongly to them considering a change. Why let their coach twist in the wind for no reason?
Reid was offered several chances during the season to endorse Castillo, and didn’t. Jeffrey Lurie gave us a list of people who would be back. It included Reid, Joe Banner and Howie Roseman. He allowed that DeSean Jackson might return under the right circumstances. But when he was asked if Castillo would return, he punted.
That says something. When a boss in any field – sports, business, politics – is asked to give a vote of confidence to an employee, the only move is to give it, unless you’re actually considering a switch. Declining to back your own people undermines their standing. The Eagles know that. That's why, within days of the season’s end, Lurie put to rest the speculation about Reid.
Again, if Castillo was back no matter what, there was zero upside in refusing to say so. But there have been questions around Castillo since midway through the season, and the Eagles have never dispelled them.
It doesn’t take much reading between the lines to see that they have at least explored their options. Reid has not held his normal end of season wrap up precisely because last year he backed Sean McDermott in public even though he was planning to fire him. The Eagles (wisely) wanted to avoid a similar situation of having to address the media while moves were still in flux.
(Some argued to me on Twitter that since Reid’s endorsements of McDermott didn’t mean a lot, that it doesn’t mean anything that he hasn’t backed Castillo. These are two different situations. If you’re firing a guy, maybe you hide that for a bit to help him save face and get a new gig. But if you are intent on KEEPING a coach, and believe fully in him, there’s no reason to be quiet about that, especially when people are calling for his head).
This is not to say Castillo should be gone, or is gone. That decision is up to the Eagles, and even if they want to make a change (as I think they do), the uncertainty around Reid’s future might make it hard to lure a hot assistant to Philly. Maybe Spags was never an option. From what I can tell the Eagles haven’t talked to anyone about it – locally, nationally, inter-galactically or otherwise.
But Spagnuolo is hardly the only defensive coach in the NFL, and there’s nothing that says the Eagles had to make a decision by now. They didn’t announce Castillo’s hire until the week of the Super Bowl last season. Other teams are still looking for head coaches. Four pretty good teams are still playing - their staffs could be intriguing.
It's possible that now Reid talks to the press and says Castillo was his guy all along (though I'd doubt it would happen so fast - if only because of appearances so close to Spags' deal). But I think it's more likely the Eagles were looking and keep looking. Just because one big name came off the market, doesn't mean that would have to stop.
- 1ST PICK WILL BE A CORNER......WATCH AND SEE.....DEF WONT BE A LB,DE,O-LINEMAN,OR EVEN A SAFETY.....I WOULDNT BE SURPRISED IF THEY EVEN DRAFTED A KICKER CAUSE THATS THE STUPID STUFF THEY DO...
— devilhawk51 - It's entirely possible Andy wants out after next season and may have communicated that to Spagnuolo, they have the same agent. Andy could have another head coaching job in the NFL if he wanted but I see him eventually going back to Bringham Young.— Will T.
- I'm not thrilled with this past season, but for you folks that insist on ditching Reid. Just remember where the team came from. Unless it's the right coach replacing him. You will all be screaming for the head of his replacement after one year...then it will be someone else's fault. Jut be a fan. The organization doesn't own you anything. If you feel so strongly about a Super Bowl winner, go be a Patriots, Giants or Saints fan. Personally, I'm tired of reading the disrespectful posts on here day after. So wit hthat...this will be the last one I read and comment on. Sorry az mofos— PhillyFanSouth
- Should have kept McDermott. He did just a good with less talent.(or just as bad)— R U Kidding Me
- Stop already with the rankings! How did that 8th ranked defense fare in those blown 4th quarter games? They padded their stats in the last 4 games against slop.— R U Kidding Me
- To the people who think it doesn't make any sense for Reid to stay quiet all this time if Castillo was coming back, just look at it from Reid's point of view. He wasn't going to fire Castillo until he had someone else on board. So, the only thing he could say immediately after the season, or since, was that Castillo was returning. He would have been avalanched for that. So by waiting, Castillo isn't twisting in the wind, he knows he's coming back. Reid isn't getting killed every day in the comments sections. And reasons for keeping Castillo keep showing up in print to make Reid's job of explaining himself easier to a public that has already been partially prepared for the announcement. It's simple human nature and psychology.— calm weather
- Stupid speculation, all of it. If they want to improve on defense and have some 'continuity', they might start by getting some linebackers and safeties that can play.— PhillySubsMac
- Two things: what does it mean when you put a whole paragraph in parens:
(Some argued to me on Twitter that since Reid’s endorsements of McDermott didn’t mean a lot, that it doesn’t mean anything that he hasn’t backed Castillo. These are two different situations. If you’re firing a guy, maybe you hide that for a bit to help him save face and get a new gig. But if you are intent on KEEPING a coach, and believe fully in him, there’s no reason to be quiet about that, especially when people are calling for his head).
and
Can you argue using 147 characters and Twitter. Why do I feel like a tool even asking a question about Twitter....
— roddieb - If McDermott wasn't given the benefit of a doubt why would Castillo? McDermott at least had experience on that side of the ball.— Rappeezy
- I WISH FAT ANDREW WOULD COME OUT OF HIBERNATION.
— Pete60 - if castillo cant do the job, you dont wait until you have a replacement lined up to can him...even if castillo knew what he was doing and had the experience to make in-game decisions, the weakness and linebacker and safety would be too much for most coordinators to overcome. castillo's hiring would have only made sense for a team building up to trying to win 3 years down the road..its just a sad state of affairs, and leaves you with no enthusiasm whatsover for the upcoming season..mccoy can lead the league in rushes..we could lead the league in points, babin could lead the league in sacks..but reid/castillo/safeties/linebackers just too much to overcome to get where fans want to go. we knew it last year, and its status quo for this year..nice job Jeff— jim715
- Do the fans who write things like "Everyone in the league know Reid is on a short leash" have any idea what they are talking about? Reid is the longest tenured coach in NFL. Lurie is committed to him. Since 2009 there were 11 coaches hired..I believe 8 have been fired already NFL stands for Not For Long....unless your Andy and the Eagles. The Eagles pay assistant coaches very well and Reid is very loyal That goes a long way in NFL.— mcat13
- Correct me if I'm wrong, but has Reid given ANY of his assistants a "vote of confidence"? The offense led the league in turnovers but nobody thinks Morningwig is on the hot seat. The specials teams were lousy and nobody is talking about April getting the axe. The FO hasn't publicly stated they are looking for another DC that I know of. So why WOULD Reid sprecifically endorse Castillo? Maybe they kicked the tires for Spags and maybe they didn't. Either way, the only ones that say Castillo is in danger are the media!— irish72
In the Reid regime, only one thing counts...loyalty to Andy. Performance, winning, playoffs mean nothing, its only about being loyal to Fatman. As long as there are no waves from players or coaches, Reid knows he is safe. Better to keep an incompetent LOYAL coach then to risk my job.— Kioto- Spags was never coming to the Birds......No DC worth his salt would take a job where the D-Line coach dictates the defensive scheme,unless he his desperate for a job.— chops10
