Castillo: It Wasn't THAT Bad
Eagles defensive coordinator Juan Castillo met with reporters Sunday for the first time since his first-team defenders struggled badly in the preseason opener Thursday against the Steelers.
Castillo: It Wasn't THAT Bad
Les Bowen
BETHLEHEM --- Eagles defensive coordinator Juan Castillo met with reporters Sunday for the first time since his first-team defenders struggled badly in the preseason opener Thursday against the Steelers.
Specifically, tackling and getting off the field on third-and-long proved to be a challenge, just as they were last season, which made it more alarming than the first few series of a preseaon opener might normally have been.
"There are some things we have to improve on," Castillo allowed. "Initially just the third-down package, you saw that we worked on third down [Saturday], really some of the scenarios we had in the game, trying to get some things in and work on some coverage things."
Same problems as last year? Castillo pointed out that the Eagles weren't doing a lot of those things during their 4-0 stretch run to end the season. (Which might indicate these are correctable problems, but also would seem to be pretty darn frustrating, implying the defense has to relearn last year's painful lessons.)
"We want to go ahead and start where we finished," Castillo said, kind of ignoring the fact that his defense did not, in fact, start the way it finished 2011. But in fairness, maybe he was saying his goal is to start the real season the way the defense finished last seaaon.
"There were some good things, there were some things we need to work on, and that's what we're doing," Castillo said.
The biggest red flag might have been the performance of second-year safety Jaiquawn Jarrett, who started and looked lost. Jarrett got mixed up in coverage and took poor tackling angles, two reasons he had a hard time getting on the field as a rookie. An offseason of tutoring was supposed to have corrected those problems.
"JJ played hard. He did some good things, and there were some things we'll correct, with a [practice] tackle circuit, with the angles, understanding where your leverage is. The way we want to tackle, we want to run through everything, but there will be some things we'll correct and we'll be OK."
Castillo said Jarrett "has had a good camp."
Jarrett, a 2011 second-round draft pick from Temple, said the film pretty much showed him what most of us saw live Thursday night.
"I took poor angles on tackles. I didn't play with the sense of urgency I needed to play with," Jarrett said Sunday. He said he needs to take another step before launching himself, to avoid missing so much.
Jarrett said the coverage mixup between himself and corner Nnamdi Asomugha on the first Steelers touchdown was completely Jarrett's fault.
The Eagles' wide-nine-aligned defensive line seemed to have unlearned last season's lesson about paying proper respect to the run as it tees off on the passsr. That was not the way Castillo saw it -- the back-to-back 14 and 33-yard Pittsburgh runs came off a draw play and an Eagles blitz, he said, with the Steelers experiencing little success otherwise.
LURIE RESPONSE
RE yesterday's Eagletarian post, in which Andy Reid's agent, Bob LaMonte, vigorously defended his client's record and deflected reporters' queries about a new Reid contract by declaring team chairman Jeffrey Lurie told him Andy would coach here as long as Lurie owns the team -- Lurie issued a statement in response:
"Bob is a great agent who we have an outstanding relationship with. As much respect as all of us have for Andy Reid, it is the nature of the profession that all coaches, executives and players are evaluated each year," Lurie said. "That's the way we have always operated. But our focus right now, and I know Andy feels the same way, is solely on the 2012 season."
MACLIN RETURNING?
WR Jeremy Maclin, who sat out Thursday's game after suffering a hamstring tweak in warmups, participated in Sunday's walkthrough and said he plans to practice this afteroon.
Maclin mentioned preparing for the next preseason game, at New England Aug. 20, as if it were the third game, which is the one starters usually use as their regular-season tuneup. This year the third game is just four days after the second game, and is at Cleveland, where the Birds open their regular season Sept. 9. The Eagles probably don't want to show the Browns too much in a preseason game.
If a player needs a coach to motivate him then he isn't worth much to start with, just sayin'...— DJ- If a player needs a coach to motivate him then he isn't worth much to start with, just sayin'...— DJ
- It's only Juan bad preseason game, no worries. And we Juan the game.— MidGreen
- Again...Why was Juan Castillo brought back as the Defensive Coordinator? I've had enough of this. The Eagles franchise is an embarrassment over this. I'm constantly being heckled about the Eagles having an offensive line coach as the Defensive coordinator. If this guy thinks the performance the other night "Wasn't that bad" then he's even more clueless about the defense than we already believed. Last year the excuse was "Well we had a lock-out and didn't have enough time to go over everything in the off-season". Well now they've had OVER a year to work out the issues and it appears NOTHING has improved. Juan says they were pretty good other than tackling and third-downs. Really??? Those were the two major issues they had last year, which destroyed the season, allowed the Eagles to break an NFL record of most 4th quarter collapses by a team in a season, they broke the record in the first 9 games and they paved the way for the F'in Giants to win the division and go on to win yet another F'in Super Bowl. But, according to Juan "the defense isn't that bad". Yeah okay, Juan!!— rich0376
- 1 pre season game and most guys played one quarter. RELAX! I have watched the Eagles and NFL football for 50 plus years. This team will 11 and 5 good. They have a very tough schedule. They will win the division provided they aren't hit with critical injuries. The Packers/49ers/Giants are equally if not better. The NFC is getting stronger then the AFC which makes it harder. Home field advantage as always will be critical but not impossible.— Alpha58
- The problem is the wide 9. It only produces sacks, not TD's or wins.— ej610
- Guess we will see. Because clearly nothing i seen from last 4seasons and in the 1st preseason game of this year is giving me anything to be optimistic over. Not sure where you are getting those 11wins. I will be very happy if we can at least make it to the playoffs and stop all this superbowl talk. However, i happened to watch a 49ers game and MANNN thats a team that plays like they are ready to win now— Yes_General
- This team is full of excuses.— ej610
- @Geno D. Motivational posters are in every locker room. Obviously you've never been in one. Posters don't play the game, they're there to create positive energy. Positive energy is just one more thing you know nothing about - apparently a long list. Stop embarrassing yourself.— BrianM8614
- lol, is that really neccesary. Your critisizing the guy and your not even correct. I have been in the Eagles locker room and there are no motiviational posters (not that there is any room on the walls for any with all the "lockers".) So you are the one that unfortuantely does not seem to know what you are talking about. Also Juan put the posters up in the video room, not the locker room. There is nothing wrong with using posters, but to make it the focal point of all of your offseason efforts in coaching improvements is pretty bad.
- Next time you're in there replace ALL the urinal cakes.
And remove the minicam from the shower room. I mean REALLY!— tpizza - good job pizza. I was there on a tour actually....if I wanted to work for the Eagles, I would.
- You would work for the Eagles if you wanted to in what capacity? Janitorial position? Just kidding and no offense to hard working janitors out there. What is that do you do for work Charlie? I have to admit seeing your posts I have always presumed you either owned your own company, were posting from a prison, or that didn't work. You are seriously enough of a fan that you toured the Eagles facilities? You must look a lot less harmless than you sound ;-)
- you are a fool if you think think team will be a any good this year.— bbewsirhc
