What they're saying about Castillo

Here are some links with what people are saying about the Eagles' decision to promote Juan Castillo to defensive coordinator:

SI.com's Peter King admits he was surprised at Andy Reid's choice:

I think, in response to many Twitter queries, I agree with many of you: I am absolutely flabbergasted that the Eagles hired offensive line coach Juan Castillo to be their defensive coordinator. I'll reserve judgment in calling it hare-brained for now or until I can speak with Andy Reid or Castillo in the next week or so, but it sure seems weird to me.

Agent Jack Bechta, who now writes for National Football Post, writes about the time he spent with Castillo in college:

Regardless of whatever position Juan coached, he has and still does emphasize fundamentals. I have represented 4 players who Juan coached in college (including Jermane Mayberry and Jorge Diaz) and they said they never been drilled in fundamentals the way Juan drilled them. The good news for Eagles' defense is that they will most likely end up being the most disciplined unit in the league after Juan gets through with them. He will instruct his position coaches to get back to sound tackling and basic drills which has always been the core of his coaching philosophy.

ESPN.com's Matt Mosley tries to make sense of the Eagles' move:

The Eagles hired a legendary offensive line coach in Howard Mudd to replace Castillo. On the surface, it looks like Reid has continued to put his offense (and his guys) first. I thought this situation begged for an outsider to take a new approach with this defense. But Reid went with one of the most familiar faces in the organization.

I think the players will cheer this decision because they have great respect for Castillo. But if this thing backfires, Reid's not going to be given the benefit of the doubt.

A Pro Football Talk post by Evan Silva is headlined: Presenting the mumbling, stumbling Eagles new defensive boss. Silva writes about a radio interview Castillo did yesterday:

The Eagles' new defensive coordinator stumbles through the interview, speaking in the third person, at one point calling the host "Joe" when his name is actually "Mike," and comparing himself to Rocky Balboa.

And finally, if you haven't seen this NFL Films piece on Castillo, it's worth your time. They do an outstanding job of telling Castillo's story in under nine minutes.

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