Eagles to hire Bowles; Castillo remains DC
Philly.com, Inquirer, and Daily News coverage of the Eagles
Eagles to hire Bowles; Castillo remains DC
Jeff McLane
The Eagles will keep Juan Castillo as their defensive coordinator. (Clem Murray/Staff file photo)
The Eagles are set to hire former Miami interim head coach Todd Bowles to be their defensive backs coach and Juan Castillo will remain defensive coordinator, an NFL source told The Inquirer on Monday.
The team will meet with Bowles, who remained under contract with the Dolphins until only recently, today and it is expected that he will accept the job. He will be in charge of the entire secondary so safeties coach Mike Zordich will be under Bowles.
The announcement will come later today and Eagles coach Andy Reid will meet with the media on Tuesday.
The Eagles had a vacancy after Johnnie Lynn was fired earlier this month.
The decision to keep Castillo as defensive coordinator ends weeks of uncertainty over his future. Reid obviously decided that the final four games of the season in which the defense showed improvement was enough to keep Castillo in charge of the unit.
There have been reports, since confirmed to The Inquirer, that the Eagles had shown interest in bringing former assistant Steve Spagnuolo back to run the defense. But Spagnuolo chose to take the defensive coordinator job with New Orleans.
Castillo, in Mobile, Ala. last week to scout the Senior Bowl, declined to comment on his status.
"You got to go through Andy,” Castillo said, deferring Reid. "I'm just working."
The 48-year-old Bowles has vast experience as a defensive backs coach in the NFL. He had been Miami's secondary coach since 2005. He was also assistant head coach from 2008-11. Before Miami he worked in Dallas, Cleveland and in New York with the Jets. He has never been a defensive coordinator in the NFL, but held that role at Grambling State in the late 1990s.
Bowles had a hand in developing Miami safety Yeremiah Bell, who represented the AFC in the 2010 Pro Bowl. In his three years in Dallas, three Cowboys defensive backs were chosen to a combined five Pro Bowls, including three by safety Roy Williams. In 2007, three-fourths of Dallas’ backfield cornerback -- cornerback Terence Newman, safety Ken Hamlin and Williams -- was selected to the NFC All-Star squad.
Bowles is a Temple graduate. He played eight seasons in the NFL with the Redskins and 49ers from 1986-93.
Bowles' days in Miami were up when the Dolphins hired Joe Philbin to be their next coach and it was decided that he would not be retained. Bowles had interviewed for that opening along with the Oakland Raiders head coaching job.
The Raiders, who had also interviewed Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, hired Denver defensive coordinator Dennis Allen instead.
Comments (168)
Nothing will change as long as Lurie/Banner are running this team.— Lil Ratman- i think this newspaper must be owned by lurie thats why you wont post my original comment....nice job philly.com.....so much for freedom of speech......sell outs!!!!— Eaglesfrontofficeajoke
- still haven't addressed the linebackers!— bdouble
- Castillo should have been offered a HC spot somewhere after leading his D to a TOP 8 ranking on the other side of 38 turnovers. Morningweg should be FIRED.— Dallasrulez
- Gents I was hoping to be rid of Mornhinweg. The play calling has cost us alot these past couple of years. Overall we have not been consist putting points on the board each qtr. The run game has been better but the play calling has become predictable. I think if Juan can fix the LB and DB play the defense will be better next year.— cpage73
- Andy Reid has developed the Eagles via his trades and draft choices into a team that can compete with Washington for bottom of the division. He surrounds himself with followers , but doesn't bring any NEW thinking to the organization. This coaching staff is built for a 1 year run.— tulsaphil
- I'm truly shocked. I expected the Eagles to adhere to their (stubborn) tried and true practice of appointing, from in-house,and naming the senior book keeper in the Accounts Receivable Department as Lynn's replacement. At any rate, it's obvious to all that Johnnie Lynn was the ONE person that was preventing the Eagles from reaching that elusive Super Bowl goal. Now, it's on to New Orleans for Super Bowl XLVII.— essell
This is actually great news about Castillo. We all know the D will stink again so that means a total house cleaning this time next year.— Mr.Spock- and BTW---Andy is very, very, FAT!!!— ANDY-IS-FAT
- This off season Eagles have made the exact moves I would have made to help ensure Fat Boy is gone and that we start over in 2013. Anything less would be unacceptable. Now please don't do something stupid like sign Manning and ruin Reids final year of futility.— woody7236
- billrowan, you are using excuses. Every other team didn't have an offseason and every other team had new personnel. Let me ask you, what's Frisco's excuse? The Niners didn't have an offseason. They had a rookie coach from college ball, a whole new coaching staff and system, several new players and a QB who had done nothing in five years. Yet, they just missed making the Super Bowl. And they didn't make any excuses for losing the title game. Reid has no excuses.
— mike l - UNREAL. what a freaking joke this team has become. castillo has no business coaching d and now we are to think he can become an elite d-corrodinator after one year of experience (failure)!!??!!?? it takes guys years and years to become decent d-coordinators and reid expects us to believe he will turn the corner after 4 good games against deplorable COMPETITION??!!??!! if he fails again and he will, reid needs to go. that simple, his hire, his failure, he needs to go down with the ship and pay the price. I CANNOT BELEIVE WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH ANOTHER SEASON OF JUAN 'BAD DEFENSE' CASTILLO. Hey Juan, if you really love this team and want to thank andy for the free ride all these years, then save his job and the eagles season and RESIGN!!!!!!! no excuses for this season, full offseason, so no more excuses (not that it even was a valid excuse in the first place).— psualum
- Something is fishy here . . . I find it hard to believe that Reid would let Castillo to hang out there for so long if he knew he was keeping Castillo all along. That's pretty sorry to treat Castillo that way. I can't help but wonder if there was some kind of behind-the-scenes struggle between Reid and Banner/Roseman. Lurie doesn't help things when he says that Castillo wasn't the first option, but then says that Reid is in charge of coaching personnel. If Reid knew all along that Castillo was coming back, he really threw Castillo under the bush. He didn't deserve that.— El Tel
- Disgraceful— Ssteve115
As unpopular a choice this may be among many of my fellow Eagles fans I would like to point out a few things. First was the huge influx of new players on defense. Second and im not using this as an excuse but the strike shortened offseason definitly had ALOT to do with all these new players along with all the new coaches and assistants on defense not being able to play as a team and that is why they really didnt get better until late in the season. Last but not least in my opinion it would be a much bigger setback changing coaches yet again after McDermott and now Castillo. The new system is in place, the new players had time to come together and learn the system and as the season progressed there was definitly signs of improvement so I think blowing things up with yet another new D coach and another new system it would do nothing if not have the D spinning its wheels basically starting all over again. Lets see what comes together with a FULL training camp and all the new players having had a year to gel under their belts. If they arent better than last year then significant changes should be made just not this year. I would rather see what we got one more year because nothing makes a team better than continuity.- The eagles are a joke! Lurie and his prep school friends have ruined a team I have followed since 1974.— jtcigar
- Good. He'll have Vick and Castillo back next week. REcipe for another 8-8 season,— mario1239
- The angry tools who want to use Andy Reid as a virtual pinata are to be pitied and ignored. His demeanor in front of a microphone may frustrate and irritate many of us, but no Eagles fan should ever dismiss his record, which has made him the most successful head coach in franchise history. As a rule, Reid has coached and developed his teams well, and he has hired and appointed good people as position coaches. Howard Mudd and Jim Washburn are masters, and I think Todd Bowles is an excellent acquisition. Where Reid has struggled, and where the Eagles front office has been sadly second-rate is in personnel decisions, particularly on defense. Reid can be given some slack on this issue, I think, because the FO has done FA in terms of providing a strong voice to counter his penchant for drafting mediocre non-stars. The fact that the 2011 Eagles defense started 5 free agents along with Trent Green, Mike Patterson and 4 unremarkable draft picks is evidence enough that the core problems with the team are not on the sidelines, but sitting in a Lincoln Financial luxury box.— gnarlyscuzz
- I like the hire of Bowles. He's a young coach who gets 100% out of his players. I think without a doubt he'll be a HC in another few years. I also like the non move at DC. Castillo had the defense playing better down the stretch, and to make a change just for the sake of change would be worse. Castillo seemed to be calling games better and the players seemed to be used better down the stretch also. You can't totally blame Castillo. He was offered a promotion, and he took it...of course he would. It wasn't his choice to use the wide 9. He wasn't the one that drafted the LB's. He didn't hire any of his staff. Last year was the result of trying to overhaul a entire defense in a shortened offseason, and this happened because of the poor play the year before. So change doesn't always get you the results you want. If there was some mastermind defensive coach out there I'm sure they might have considered them, but there isn't. So it makes sense to not make a change and just focus on improving the roster, and building from the end of last season.— Eaglecheesehead
- Juan Castillo is overmatched as a defensive coordinator. Those who point to the last four games as a sign of improvement should remember that at least two of the last four teams the Eagles beat, Dallas and Washington, had nothing to play for. In the games that really mattered, Castillo's defense blew lead after lead in the fourth quarter. The Eagles failed to make the playoffs after Joe Banner declared the team "all in" for the 2011 season. What will it take to force a coaching change?— brian23173
- here's the deal...this team could not win it all when j.johnson was defensive coordinator...the problem is the head coach and general manager stink— 1stamendment
- So the answer to last year's debacle is to do it again since they played ok against some sucky, uninterested teams at the end of the season. Absolutely ridiculous. I'll save my ticket money for some Sixers games.— burholme
- I know the article was about the defense, but only one complaint about the offense/Vick debacle? All those close, come from behind loses in the beginning of the season where Vick couldn't drive down the field once or twice when it counted would have made it a very good playoff season. Vick's not that good (and that includes getting hurt so much) - where did the offense get rated? 8th or better? As a Temple grad I like seeing the Bowles hire - he was one in that period when Temple was sort of Defensive Back-U (Anthony Young, etc). Anyway, let's see what happens next season and then make judgements.
- you nailed it Cheesefry, this says it all really without all the lame fat jokes. "Our fairly good coach has run his course and the team needs someone else to get to the next level."— peteike
- Andy really knows football! That's why B-DAWK is still making the pro-bowl....And we got those all pro safties in our back-field....YUP andy really knows football..— daydreamer09
- The same movie every year! A bleeping NIGHTMARE!!!!!!Please fire Andy and take Juan "WIDE-NINE" Castillo with HIM! Please......— daydreamer09
- This team gives you zero reason to like them. Barley above .500 over the past 5 years and 1 playoff win. The direction is heading in the wrong way, yet they will point at fools gold and tell you that it is real— yourdaddy!
- Glad the Eagles completely ignore the idiot fans and make decisions based on the facts. The Eagles will win the NFC East next season with ease. They will thump the Giants. Juan is going to be a top DC in the league.— MikeP
- You can have a great wide 9, and 3 all pro-defensive backs, and still lose games in the fourth quarter. Oops, isn't that what happened in 2011??? I am sorry, but the Eagles are doomed to another frustrating season in 2012. Unfortunately, the Eagles will lose fan base, and not fulfill the expectation of reaching the Super Bowl. I would have given them a shot if Andy was willing to make some serious adjustments on defense. If the linebacker situation does not significantly improve next year, it doesn't matter what they do.— Mule53
- Between the blown draft picks over five years and telling us an offensive line coach can make a chamionship defense there lies an ugly truth - as plain as that moustache on his face. Our fairly good coach has run his course and the team needs someone else to get to the next level.
Reid will claim that he has "burnt out" by week 9-10 and "retire" at the end of next season.— cheesefry - Castillo rebounded as DC to the tune of EIGHTH defense overall after a slow start and a lot of turnovers by the offense. Times yours, idiot eagle "fans"— Leegles
Comment removed.- Can't blame Juan for being hired. Blame the incompetent individual that did. Blame the man that has yet to prove he can win the big game. Getting close means nothing if you are the longest tenured coach in the league.
His loyalty is with the team that pays him. Doubtful will a long time Eagle fan jump ship, he will when he is canned and finds work elsewhere.
Lets see he's blamed: McNabb, McDermott, Akers, Vick. Whose next? Before you figure that out play the song "Man in The Mirror" it says it all.— John Shaft - Only good thing here, is it keeps some consistency. I was and still am a critic of Juans hiring (mostly) and the job he did. Learning on the job in the NFL is not a smart idea. That being said, you do need to keep some consistency unlike the Raiders who hire new coaches every year. Thats the only good thing here per Juan.— peteike
- Great - Let's begin with a Juan Castillo scratching his head photo - c o o l. In very short order the sports franchises are not going to be able to attract A list athletes to play in Philadelphia. The media is only interested in stoking the hate flames in order to build a readership base that "will NEVER be happy!" Fair enough. Low hanging fruit we get it - but we're not buying it.
Now the Eagles bring in a first rate head coach to address the most striking need the team has on defense (the secondary), and the Haters crow like the school kids they all are. This was a brilliant move and I applaud the team for addressing in short order the need to reverse a leadership liability and turn that into an performance asset.
Haters hate, that's what they do. That's all that they do!— Laughingaloud123 - I like that picture of Castillo. He seems to be saying, "Geez, what a great gig this is. Fifteen years here, and I still have them stumped on what I actually know and do."— watsonmr
- This is going to be a nightmare but the Eagles painted themselves in a corner and this is all they could do at this point. It's hilarious that people are okay with this because Juan "came on strong at tne end of the year" when the Eagles themselves essentially left Castillo flailing in the wind while they tried to get someone else.— guyguy4
- What do you people want? We had the 8th overall defense in the NFL. Sure there are areas to improve but by the end of the season with everything coming together we ended up 8th in overall defense. You don't get rid of a guy who has the defense that high. Do you guys understand what a Coordinator does? Now that we have a pretty decent guy leading the secondary, a pretty decent guy working with the D-line, don't know about the LB coach but the coordinator schemes and gets the unit working together. We had our issues but if you watched the games the scheme was good, players didn't make the plays, can't blame Juan for guys who miss tackles, won't tackle or wait for the other guy to make a play on the ball.— TNEaglesFan
- Since Andy been here...Giants win SB,with chance for another.New England three SBs and going for #4! Please Just 1 super bowl Jeff?— bill the pill
- Bottom line, this is a good hire. Ranks up there with the Wash and Mudd hires. Juan will be fine. Again, pick up some quality linebackers, stop Vic from just half his turnovers and all of a sudden this is a 11 win team— 09
- This clearly will not be enough to improve this Defense - I wonder who they will hire to coach the Linebackers, clearly the weakest link? Oh - wait - that would cost more money - like spending for a real DC.— Tom Man
- Now he gets to keep working 22 hour days! lol— With all this talent who needs a real defensive coordinator 2011
- People need to realize that Andy and his cronies will not be here next year because for him to stay the Eagles will have to at least reach the NFC championship game. The owner will not extend Andy’s contract and if he does he is the biggest fool.— ex-resident
- Reid has compromising pictures of Lurie. Castillo has pictures of Reid. Can someone get me the name of the photographer? Maybe I can land a job with the Bird-brains.— iceman
Great move Miami's D backs showed tremendous improvement while Bowles was in Miami with a full off season the D Backs on this team just got more aggressive.- If Peyton Manning is released by March 8th, Andy better make an all out blitz at getting Manning. If we don't, Jeff will be kicking the tires of some other HC hopeful. But then again, maybe Joe Banner will assume that role and let the fun begin!— walt1
- Joe, the negativity is warranted. Hell, we're the ones paying top dollars for parking spaces and hot dogs!! Just givecusvthevbest that you can give us, that's all I ask for, your best!— don369
- Everyone's a critic in Philadelphia. There is a reason why we pay these guys to play/coach football. Because these guys know more football than any of us will ever know.
Your talk is cheap. You can say fire Andy or cut player X, but when things don't work out, you have nothing to lose. While these guys deal with the consequences everyday. You can say what you want about football, at the end of the day, it is just a game to us. You can say you bleed green or breathe football, but in reality, you goto work and can feed your family just fine without football. These players and coaches live football!
With that said, I still have faith in this regime to win a superbowl. Everyone knows once you get into the playoffs, it becomes a crapshoot. (see NYG and GBP).— penncrow19 - One more year for Andy and then Lurie makes a trade for a No 1 draft choice from San Diego for Andy's 14 glorious years of service to the Eagles. Can't wait. This will be monumental in more ways than one!— walt1
- Comment removed.
- Did you really try and use the Dallas secondary as an example of talent development? Roy Williams might go down as the most over rated safety in the last decade. Every one of the DB's listed is the Dallas version of Izel Jenkins— xlGmanlx
- Total joke - get ready to watch another run by the Giants next year while we hear how close we are. Total joke!— SDFlyer
- the only thing that difference between fat Andy and Lurie is money,other the that they are just plain stupid— allan1938
- the only thing that difference between fat Andy and Lurie is money,other the that they are just plain stupid— allan1938
- How many ways can I say, "Not Good Enough!" This is clearly not an improvement from what they had before and there's still NO ONE to coach the linebackers who knows anything about good defense - Unbelievable!— Tom Man
- Keep crying for Reid's firing. Oh, and keep buying tickets, jerseys, those big finger things, etc. It's only January so we still have 7 months until the season begins, so let's start the whining now. I'm sure Lurie is reading this and getting ready to do what most of you want. I think the word is sucker. Oh, for ten bucks I can get an Eagles insignia stamped on your forehead.— fredgwynne
- Give Castillo another chance and stop whining you intolerable pansies.— jimqk
- It ia a good sign for the Eagles. Unfortunately, the talent evaluations on the Defensive side of the ball are horrible. So who are we going to mold? The guys that keep getting hurt? Lets just put them all in the zone again and expect the safeties to stop the run because the LBs can't stop it.
This is a no win battle. Unfortunately, he will be looking for a job this time next year when the current crew gets hired after finishing 2nd or 3rd in the division. And before I hear people saying otherwise, please show me one thing since Jimmy died that tells you this Defense can rebound or that this staff can change their logic. You can't teach an old dog new tricks, or clock management, or defensive talent evaluations, or second half adjustments, etc...— SlinkTMP - There's a serious leak down there at One Novacare Way.— PhillySubsMac
- Fools Gold Standard— Luriesucks
- No, NO- you ALL have it all wrong. Reid will be gone and CASTILLO will wind up as head coach.— mrjarn
- Juan is developing. Now he´s getting one of the final pieces of the puzzle: the secondary coach. Let´s get a couple of good linebackers and with all that, plus the experience we´ll be fine. Mark my words: this is the trophy year. GO EAGLES!!!!!— Mexican Eagle
- Bringing back Castillo is like going to war with a water pistol! Lets see: Stubborn HC who refuses to run the ball, CHECK, Failed Offensive Line Coach as DC, CHECK, Accountant/Lawyer/Valet as GM, CHECK, A super rich, uncaring Owner with no sense of accountability, CHECK. Yep, the Eagles are still the laughing stock of the NFL. Looks like they're "ALL IN" again!— younged
- I think Andy Reid should be fired due to the way he handled last offseason; primarily the hiring of an inexperienced DC and not bringing in a lb with experience in a shortened season. Period. With that said, I like this hire. Bowles has a nice resume, and really had those guys in Miami playing good, tough defense. In theory he should be an asset to Juan. I agree with others as to the fact that this may be Andy's replacement.— sore richard
- Same old S--T from the same old Asses . Just remember wait till next year— allan1938
- I still think the defensive woes had much more to do with players not making plays than with schemes or coaching. Sure there was a learning curve, and a lack of experience/talent at the LB and safety positions, but not sure one can fault Castillo for those. Everyone who wants Castillo gone will be eating their words after next season, they'll be top 3 next year!— Dude-in-Antwerp
- Duck, duck, duck....Goose...— ssaun
- Luv it! A philly-fan worried about emasculating a coach, let alone, one unfit for his duties. Let me guess 'regassert6', you're one of the blind faith fans that defends Andy with the profetic lines of:
- winningest coach in franchise history
- gives us the best chance to win
- his W-L record speaks for itself
To 'regassert6' and the rest of the 'happy with mediocrity' fans like you in this town: Move to Green Bay!!— whydoicare - @phillynupe. what specifically did you see from the defense last season thats the reason for you wanting castillo gone? my guess is your problem is more with the lack of talent on this team, and you feel like heads should roll because of it. but going into the season with casey matthews, jamal chaney, and moises foluo as the linebackers - come on now, tell me how anyone could be successful with that group?— CosmoK
- The good news is this: Next year is FF Andy Reid's LAST year!!! Finally! Because when the 2012 season craters - AND IT WILL - Lurie will have no choice. Fellow Birds fans, we just have to get through ONE MORE YEAR!! We'll have to suck it up, though. It's not as bad for you as it is for me, however: I work in Manhattan!! Noooooooooooooo!— 5NOT4
- Reid never publicly praised Castillo after the season, as he did last year with McDermott, so I figured he'd stay. As history shows, praise from Reid for a player or coach is generally a clue that he's about to be thrown under the bus. Last 4 games meant nothing. Can't wait for the 2013 season.— ijj
- All the Castillo backers please let me know what style of defense he played. Was it zone, heavy blitz, man, base defense or anything that claimed a certain style. If he has no clue what style to run imagine how the players must be confused when they dont know there role.— killamagilla
- The oversight of Todd Bowles will allow Zordich to continue his development as a coach.— Eagle_1960
- Bill Parcells had Tom Coughlin and Bioll Belicheck among others as his assisant coaches. A great leader hires smart leutenants and unless i am wrong how many AR coaches have become head coaches. Clearly AR will be in sunny San Diego in 2013 with a million dollar job. Not a bad fall back and he gets to use Castillo as his scapegoat one more year.— killamagilla
- I can't wait to hear Andy talk with the Media tomorrow. Let's count how many times he starts off a sentence with "Listen". I can't stand how he speaks to the media like he was talking to a misbehaving kid!— rjw817
- Looks like Bowles is lined up to be the next head coach after Reid fails in 2012. It all makes sense now...— BleedPhilly
- Looks like Bowles is lined up to be the next head coach after Reid fails in 2012. It all makes sense now...— BleedPhilly
- regassart6, were you in a coma last season and just woke up? Jus sayin. Phila Phans, hiring Bowles was a good move, but keeping Castillo? Were you in the same accident with regassart 6 and fell into a coma also?— phillynupe4
- There was no way Lurie was going to fire Andy with 2 years left on his contract. He may do it next year with 1 year remaining. If they don't make the play-offs this season Andy will be in out and probably neaded to San Diego. Bowles will HC next year.
— henry hill - Well, this move cost me a 5th of Templton Rye. A bet that I had with my son. He said that King Andrew would keep Juan. I said no way. JC is a great guy, just not a compitent DC. I like the Bowles hire. Now we need some Brian Dawkins like safties and some stud Lb's. I should have known that King Andrew's arrogance would not let him admit that he made a mistake. We only improved against medicre teams the last 4 games. Let's see what happens next year. have you seen our schedule?— usedtobefromphilly
- This is a good hire. Welcome to the Birds Bowles! The Eagles didnt make the playoffs last year because of Vick's poor play and Jacksons attitude problem made it a perfect atmosphere for mistakes to be made, hence all the turnovers. Castillo is fine. Adding Bowles will solidify our D backfield which gave up a TON of passing TD's last season. I like this hire.— LennyFromPhilly
- That picture of Castillo kills me. He looks like Curly of the 3 Stooges trying to get an idea out. Curly: "I'm trying to think but nothing happens."— LarsMendte2
- Right on HARRY. For the first 12 games. CASTILLO had the linebackers playing 10 yards off the line of scrimmage. He also played zone with 2 of the better corners in the league. Total incompetence. The buck stops at REID. He is the problem, not the solution. I've been an EAGLES fan since 1947, and I am thoroughly disgusted.— tudj
Ugh. Just another reason to abandon this franchise. Have some spine and boycott!- Comment removed.
- is anyone really surprised? In a move that is completey in line with how he thinks and acts - he goes against popular opinion. Whether he does not agree with the popular opinion or if it is the fact that even if popular opinion makes sense I'll show'em who's boss...it really does not matter - he does what he wants to because he is sooooo much smarter than everyone else (as evidenced by his multiple championships and SB titles). If I did not think that my job was on the line for performance why would I not do exactly what I wanted to? Without fear of reprisal or recrimination...this is what happens. So, now people will think ok then - if this defense fails this year it will cost the head coach his job, right? That is faulty thinking - history has shown that accountability may be given lip service but nothing more that that. Todd Bowles in - Johnny Lynn out - that's what this defense needed. Who knows Juan castillo may prove us all wrong. Now all they have to do is address their glaring deficiencies in the middle of that defense; LB's and safeties. Maybe Todd will make Nate Allen and Jaqwuan Jarrett players, and show Moises Foiku how to tackle....— roddieb
- i like it - this move will help shore up the secondary. hopefully he can teach them how to tackle.
please take an LB in the 1st round. would be nice to have a cornerstone LB for the next 8 yrs like baltimore, chicago, etc.— chadp1234 - A good organization ALWAYS has their next scapegoat in place; after next season, Castillo takes the fall and Bowles steps in as DC! This my friends is how the gold standard thinks!— JBinPA
- Juan Castillo still around???? Why? Terrible NON-DECISION! A big sigh of relief from the other NFC East teams.
- Blah, blah, blah - the Eagles suck, blah, blah Fire Reid, blah,blah, blah- Fire Castillo, blah, blah, blah, 6-10 next year, blah,blah, blah and the when they win next year.....all of the people will jump on the band wagon and say how great the Eagles are.— Fat-Andy
- Yeah, we'll all jump on that bandwagon for the five or six wins we manage! — gdibig
- Yeah, we'll all jump on that bandwagon for the five or six wins we manage! — gdibig
- the end is near for andy he should have been fired for hiring this guy yes he is a nice hardworker but so am i and about a million unemployed people! th4e guy had the players it was his on the job training fiasco that bothered us— harry
- What does it take for you fans to open up your eyes and see what has been going on for the last 7 years? Last time! Laurie & Reid must go! I said 2 weeks ago nothing was going to change! Laurie sold you some mor kool-aid and you drank every drop!— losteagle
- This reminds me I gotta go take a dump. Time yours— chilenos
- I have mixed feelings about Castillo as DC. Bowles is a great move. I am anxious to get to September to see what the D will really look like. I am optimistic as usual.— Clt Philly Fan
- Eagles in 2013 baby. Hopefully Bowles is renting because the new coach is going to want to bring in his own people and run his own system. The Tonner's going to go have a couple Genny Cream Ales to ease his troubled mind.
- Huh?? where am I? what just happened??— chilenos
- Huh?? where am I? what just happened??— chilenos
- If the defense had the same performance this year (8th in the league) with Jimmy Johnson as the coach, there would be no calls for his head. The negative reaction is based upon Juan's lack of experience – not based upon the defense's performance. He was provided no impact players, and a defensive line coach who was already in place with a system that he had to work around. With all that against him, the D was still in the top 10 in the league. The difference between the Eagles being 8-8 and 11-5 was associated with turnovers – not the defense. Don't let the facts get in the way of your vitriol over Juan Castillo…— Bobphxville
- Don't let football knowledge get in the way of your blind faith! Look at the records of the teams we played and tell me again how good the D was! The only team we beat with a winning record was the Giants. Every other team with even a decent QB ripped our D apart! What was their standing before the last four "fools gold" games? Cr@p! — gdibig
- sad day u guys that are doing damage control for the eagle mgt we know who u r— harry
- At this point who cares? I mean really is it worth it? They don't care what the fans think, they're going to do what they want to do. They've lost me hometown or not. I'm done!— Nunzscar
- For all the posters who have nothing to say other than about Andy's weight, please post your own weight and supply a pic in your avatar showing your beer gut— 09
- The defense doesn't need a DC. They need talent. Trade Asante, free up some cap room and make a play for a few FA's. Bowles is a stellar hire. Good to see a Temple guy coming back to town.— beegal99
- it will be a nasty ugly place for andy aand j juan they will be glad to leave!!!been there before— harry
- Castillio will still be in charge of headbutts and boo boo kisses.— ej610
- "They still have no safeties or line backers" --- see, for example, jimloughery knows this because he called the Eagles, requested the game tapes with notes on what they were running, and then evaluated every single defender on the field against what they were supposed to be doing. Jim, do us a favor -- hit the road. Become a Union fan -- Macy's has those Union stoles on sale.
— Murrayman - The defense was non-existent in the Red Zone the last two seasons. The defense surrendered fourth quarter leads in what, five games this past season? They may be ranked 8th in Defense in the NFL, but they are good at rushing the passer and not much else. They still have no safeties or line backers.
It's time for a major overhaul. Andy must go and take Howie Roseman and the rest of the pathetic front office stafft. The Eagles will never win the Super Bowl, the only think left that matters, with Andy Reid as Coach/Personnel Man and Howie Roseman as his GM. Never. I'm embarrassed to be and Eagle Fan.— jimloughery - Ugh! Lucky if we are 8-8. Need to wait until 2013 and AR goes away.— alwaysphil1
- Let's start the defense off with the fundamentals....this is a football, this is a ball carrier, tackle ball carrier.— NC Eagle Fan
- So all the blame is on Johnny Lynn?— TVGuy22
- Anyone not immediately impugning this decision needs to get on board with the most passionate, the most knowledgable fan base in the NFL. You have to realize that its okay for the fans to think Castillo is incompetent and didn't go a good job after all these fans knew what every call was on defense on every down, what every player was supposed to be doing on every call, and watched the replay of every snap -- so they could use their good judgment to come to the decision Castillo is incompetent. And of course LB is of utmost importance look at the two SB teams and their full roster of top rated LBs... did you see the Ravens vaunted LBs chasing Gronkowski, Hernandez, and Welker around the field? I sure didn't... Its important to remember, of course, that every other team had been able to stop the Patriots this year except the Eagles...— Murrayman
- Would you like another glass of Eagles Denial Punch? I guess your happy enough never winning a Superbowl while the Giants have been there TWICE and won it once and maybe a second time next weekend since Reid was hired. Keep send bucket loads of your money to this mediocre team! — gdibig
- Calm yourselves ladies...if you want Reid gone you don't want improvement so Lurie has no excuse to keep him...if you want the Eagles to win then this is a good move...said JC would be back long ago and it was the media that was fanning the flames for his replacement [Spags nonsense], the same media with the anti-Reid agenda. Stop with the hysteria.— tpizza
- Phila Phans & regassert6 - agree with you both.
And yeah, there's a disappointing, and disgusting, level of ignorance that's flaunted on these boards. No only not informative or enlightening, but not even fun to read. Sigh.— FishFryFrank - Who really cares anymore, Reid making about 4.5 to 5mil per year, laughing to the bank having a ball messing with people during interviews, not talking since season ended not they he has anything too say so why as fans do we get so flustered over high paid cry-babies. AS long as this ownership feels they are Gold Standard nothing will changed until the turnstiles stop clicking period Time Yours— william20
- The rest of the NFC is smiling (laughing) today. 6-10 next season. I need a roast pork. Time's yours.— ANDY-IS-FAT
- I guess Juan turned down all the job offers he got from other teams,
and decided to stay here with the Eagles. Whats Jeffreys response, since he said at his year end speech, that Juan wasn't the first choice last year, and circumstances caused them to hire Juan. I guess the circumstances this year was that Andy took an extended vacation, while every other team made their moves.— watsonmr - i love that picture of Juan - pretty much says it all! lol
3-13! Go Draft 2013— With all this talent who needs a real defensive coordinator 2011 - Who cares about Fat Andy talking. He will give the media nothing !!
He will tell us how Juan did a great job and the defense got better the second half of the season. His ego (yes, Jeff your coaches ego) would never allow him to get rid of Juan. That would mean he made a mistake !!— AJL99 - We'll be fine ladies.— Richard Saunders
- Castillio is back. Did anyone really expect otherwise. You can always, always, always count on Reid to shoot himself in the foot. He always finds a way to make a crucial bad decision. If anyone really believes that this man is going to win a championship, then you need your head examined. Lurie needs a padded cell.— Carlos2
- I said about a week ago they were rumored to be interested in Bowles. Good hire.— simplefreedom
- You have GOT to be kidding me.
- What 4philly4ever and Phila Fans Said.— eaglesfan
- Comment removed.
- This is Insanity....right Joe, Joe...Joe where are you Joe.— jtcigar
- Andy will never admit that the Castillo decision was a mistake because Andy never makes mistakes. Just ask him. The picture of Juan above is priceless and pretty much sums up the decision to make him DC. He looks lost and clueless because he is. Lurie doesn't care because his favorite team is in the Super Bowl and they are minting money at the Novacare complex. The next bit of excitement for our supposed NFL franchise will be watching the Lawyer blow the upcoming draft. Get your popcorn ready!— coloradoeagle
- What an embarrassment! It just show you that Lurie doesn't care about the team. He only wants to make money! Solar panels, green stadium? Great but WIN a Super Bowl!— jtcigar
- Looks like a good addition. The Eagles could hire Jesus, the Buddha and Confucius and people wouldn't think they hired the right guy.— Elbarad
- Hiring those three would actually be EXACTLY what the Eagles would do! Three great people, hard workers all, with absolutely no football experience! — gdibig
- Castillo's future was never in doubt. We were being played by both Lurie and Reid. Not that it matters because Castillo should be given a second shot.— drog
- Spags and a 1st round linebacker would have taken some heat off Reid. Now I don't know. Is it the red hair that makes him so arrogant and unlikeable?— dragoon6
- This is a head scratcher. I thought they might hire Bowles as the new DC. There has to be more to this than meets the eye. He (Bowles) has been in charge of various teams secondaries for over a decade so this can't hurt. We all know Juan needs as much help as possible. If Andy actually comes out at his press conference and starts throwing around stats about last years defense and how the defense "improved" in the last four games I am going to scream. Well, then again I usually scream whenever Reid opens his mouth and speaks nonsense.— Honeybadger Dont Care
- Bowles has worked for people like Bill Parcells on defense, and did a great job. He'll be the defacto leader of the defense without embarrassing Castillo.Good hire.— drbob1
- I'd rather keep Castillo now, since the targeted D Coordinators are already all taken anyway. Keep the same system and scheme instead of having another MAJOR change going into next year...— bjm5028
- I like the decision. Juan had a rough 1st season. He basically got thrown in to in with no off season to teach his scheme. Did we really expect a O-Line coach to have a Top 5 Def his 1st season with no time to teach his scheme? He will get better as the players trust him more you’re not going to have an in-sync Def with a new coordinator every season. They played like a team end of season yeah they were sh!tty teams but comon we lost to the Cardinals so I’ll take those wins as improvement.— mamba710
- I'm just sad. We've got to watch the Giants play in the big game AGAIN! And all we get to look forward to is another failed season from horrible Castillo and Fat Andy. And yes, Andy is fat!— king_of_lincolnfield
- Arrogant Andy cannot admit he makes mistakes so JC will be DC...Bowles is jsut happy to have a job....and Spags did not want to be part of an organization run by an accountant and a mail boy....and with out linebackers and safties that can acutally play at this level it does not matter who the coach is.....Thanks Jeffery....You and your organization are "Completely Unacceptable"— nuggett
- it is possible no one wanted the DC job because allthough not actually stated by the owner reid is on shaky ground. I guess fools gold was gold enough.— joed12
- We can argue whether or not Castillo shouldve been appointed defensive coordinator last offseason, and i agree that was a questionable move (even worse move was hiring washburn before a dc, thus preventing themselves from hiring a dc with credentials LAST year, but i digress). but this is the right move, keeping castillo in place. he deserves more than 4 weeks to grow into the role, and since the defense performed well in the last several games of the season, his status was locked in for next season. and for those that take the position that the eagles really didn't play anyone in the final weeks, i will rebut by saying that the defensive looked horrendous earlier in the season against equally futile competition, which to me suggests improvement later in the year. They will be FINE with Castillo, the real problem on this team is lack of personnel on defense. So until talent is upgraded significantly, it doesn’t matter who coaches the defense.— CosmoK
- Andy is too loyal to players and coaches that are not up to par and this has been a major weakness on the Eagles for years. Late round picks who are average players at best get starting positions on the D and coaches with good personalities who work hard (but not smart) are rewarded with positions they did not deserve or have the experience for. This is the NFL and not high school or some division 2 football program. Andy might be sealing his own departure after this season if the Eagles do not make it deep into the playoffs!— connorjr
- What's the big surprise about this "big" news? Nice that they'll have Bowles in the wings if Castillo screws up yet again. Nevertheless, he'll be a great DB coach :-)— petergou
- Castillo's defense ranked 8th in the NFL. His defense was fine. Besides as the Pats and Giants showed defense isn't all that important. You need less turnovers on offense. That is how the 49ERS LOSt by turnovers. Less turnovers on offense and we are well in the playoffs. Get your facts straight nukkas— tremo12
- 7-9 in 2012. Reid era comes to an end. Gold standand to pig iron standard. Eagles become national laughing stock. Banner says we won as many games as fill-in-the blank did in last 5 years. Laurie announce he is "really mad" at team's performance. Hires Catholic League champion's coach as replacement for Reid and predicts multiple super bowls in next few years. Lemmings still buy new gear every year. Nothing changes.— jimmymack
- You forgot to add? "Reid move upstairs to front office to devote full-time to second part of previous dual responsibilities as Head Coach/Executive Vice-President of Football Operations." Where he, no doubt, will continue to meddle in the affairs of ...well, football operations. We can then proceed to kiss any hope of a Super Bowl goodbye as Reid will continue his faultless practice of selecting 5-11, 235lb players for the all-smurf dream team. — essell
- Castillo moves to hot list of Head Coach candidates after Eagles win Super Bowl next year!— yoadrian
- And then, you suddenly awoke to the sound of birds chirping...your wife downstairs cooking breakfast, the smell of brewing coffee in the air. You marveled at the dream you had. Drenched in sweat, you wished, "If only there some way to make dreams come true..." — essell
- Why is it necessary to attack the man's weight or personally attack him because you disagree with whatever it is you disagree with? Some disgraceful folks, man.
The Todd Bowles move is a good hire. Excellent secondary coach with experience in running a defense. Can help with back 7 alignment. It's a good, smart move.— Phila Phans - now we just need to find safeties worthy of cashing an NFL paycheck. — coloradoeagle
They are already here. Zordich had two years to teach them. That's why Bowles is coming.
— CCRichards- rothstein12--take your foul ignorance elsewhere. You add nothing to the discussion. What a waste of life you are.
— 4philly4ever - because no one cares about emasculating anyone! this is football, not the Boy Scouts. it's about winning football games, not sparing people's pride.— The Boston Strangler
- This is an excellent way to improve the defensive staff without emasculating Juan Castillo. Not sure how this is bad.— regassert6
- it's bad because Juan is incompetent. — coloradoeagle
OK, Rise and shine campers, and don't forget your booties cause its cold out there..... It's Groundhog Day!!!— DaFatman- Reid's an idiot.— Unstable1
- That's fat Andy's ego(and his arrogance) getting in his way again. Afraid to admit a big mistake.— Picklehead55
- Let me guess Juan Castillo will be the scapegoat next season?— eaglessuck@life
- The facts show that our organization has been extremely successful over the last 10 years and Jeffrey and I don't understand all of the negativity. Have faith in the #1 team in Philadelphia.
Joe - Seriously Joe? The #1 team in Philly? The Eagles organization was a top three in the NFL organization. Those were the golden days! The Jeffery, Joe, AR, and Howie team are now at best middle of the pack. You lost your edge Joe. The long term planning of this organization has been its absolute downfall. When JJ succombed to cancer, it became painfully obvious that you were completely unprepared and nepotism carries you only so far. Your personnel department is in absolute shambles and your VP of Football Operations needs fired and refocused on his coaching responsibilities. Who is being held responsible for the wonderful draft picking by this team. It was what made this a dominant organization. Now you've become nothing short of being the northern version of the Washington Redskins....good luck this year! — Truth Become
- #1 team? the only team in the city to not make the playoffs #fact — MrBigDizzle
- See, that's what the Kool-Aid will do. You believe that the only non-playoff team is actually the best team in the city.
OR
These might be the effects of smoking crack.