What they're saying about the Eagles

Here's a roundup of what the national media are saying about the Eagles:

Matt Bowen of the National Football Post is buying into Juan Castillo's plan to simplify the defense:

I know there have been multiple opinions on the hiring of Castillo (an O-Line coach) to run the defense in Philly, but if you are going to coach in the NFL, you won't survive without knowing both sides of the ball.

And, to be honest, it is more about teaching and the ability to sell your scheme to pro players in this league. I like the idea here with or without the time constraints of the NFL lockout. Coach fundamentals and let your guys attack the football. We can call it a simple scheme—but often times that is the way to go.

One note on this. The idea of simplifying the defense is not a new one for the Eagles. Before the 2010 season, Sean McDermott and the defensive players answered question after question at Lehigh about how the defense had been simplified.

But that didn't really translate to the regular season.

In other words, it's one thing to have a plan, but another thing to execute it in a way that works.

Dan Pompei of the National Football Post has a list of 10 impact assistants, including Castillo:

The former offensive line coach will be the most scrutinized assistant in the NFL. The possibility of him failing spectacularly is there, but those who know Castillo think there is a much greater possibility of Castillo succeeding spectacularly. Worth noting: Andy Reid has an excellent track record with assistant coaches.

The NFL Network continued its countdown of the league's top-100 players, and an Eagle finally made an appearance. Trent Cole came in at No. 73. The top 60 players will be announced in the coming weeks.

SI.com's Peter King is releasing his own list. He too has one Eagle named between Nos. 61-100, but it's LeSean McCoy at No. 70.

Andrew Perloff of SI.com says the Eagles are one of 10 teams with glaring holes after the draft:

The Eagles need to find a consistent starter at cornerback across from Asante Samuel. Some Philly fans believe the Giants took Prince Amukamara at No. 19 just so Philly couldn't fit that hole with the 23rd pick. The Eagles also need to bolster their defensive line, and ignored all the highly touted defensive ends to take guard Danny Watkins in the first round. The Eagles had the worst red-zone defense in the league last year and need to improve their personnel to help new defensive coordinator Juan Castillo succeed.

In a recent chat, NFL.com's Steve Wyche named the Eagles as a team that could potentially be interested in Albert Haynesworth:

There will be teams that are interested, and one of them could be right up the highway and in the division. Jim Washburn was hired as Philly's defensive line coach and he was the position coach that was able to get the most out of Haynesworth (in Tennessee). We all know that if Haynesworth is motivated, he is a terror, which is why Washington paid him so much. Not everyone will go after Haynesworth, but I don't foresee him not being in the NFL next season.

Brian Dawkins is now on Twitter and was recently asked what the best hit was he ever put on someone in the NFL. He said it was the one on Michael Vick in the playoffs.

NFL.com writers chime in on where they think Kevin Kolb might end up. Most say Arizona or Seattle. Some think he might end up staying with the Eagles. And Michael Lombardi is not ready to rule the Browns out yet.

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