Washburn said to be unhappy over Babin release
To no great surprise, Jim Washburn was nonplussed when his protege, Jason Babin, was released by the Eagles on Tuesday, sources close to the defensive line coach said.
Washburn said to be unhappy over Babin release
Jeff McLane
To no great surprise, Jim Washburn was nonplussed when his protege, Jason Babin, was released by the Eagles on Tuesday, sources close to the defensive line coach said.
Washburn was upset, according to one source, because he believed that Babin was being scapegoated for the deficiencies of the Eagles defense, especially up front. Andy Reid said Tuesday after he cut Babin that Washburn was OK with the move.
A request made through the Eagles to interview Washburn was declined.
Babin led the Eagles with 5-1/2 sacks through 11 games, but his production had dipped from last season when he recorded 18 sacks and made his second straight Pro Bowl. If he isn't claimed him off waivers before 4 p.m., Babin would become a free agent.
Trent Cole, one of Babin's closest friends on the team, said his fellow defensive end found out he was being released when he fielded a call from Reid in Cole's garage.
"I was surprised," Cole said. "It's the NFL. I've been in the league for eight years now and seen people come and go. It's just business."
With Babin gone, Brandon Graham will start at left defensive end. Reid cited the opportunity to play younger players as the reason for Babin's release. Graham has made the most of his limited plays this season, but has tailed off recently.
"This is my shot. This is what I asked for," the third-year end said. "This is what I wanted. And now it's here and I got to take full advantage."
Vinny Curry is another young defensive end that is expected to see more playing time with Babin gone. The rookie played in his first game Sunday against the Panthers and led all defensive linemen with five tackles. He played only 21 snaps.
"It was just shocking," Curry said of Babin's release. "I learned a lot from watching him. But at the end of the day I don't control that."
MATHIS TO CENTER?
With Dallas Reynolds sidelined with an ankle sprain, there's a strong chance that Evan Mathis will move from left guard to center for the Eagles' Sunday night game at Dallas.
Mathis told reporters that he was the first team center during Wednesday's morning walkthrough. Danny Watkins, who missed the last three games with an ankle injury, was at left guard in Mathis' spot.
Reynolds was not practicing Wednesday. He said there was still a chance that he would be ready to play on Sunday. He does not have a high ankle sprain. The other option at center would be for the Eagles to start backup Matt Tennant.
NOTES
-- Michael Vick was scheduled to undergo an ImPACT test at noon. The Eagles quarterback had failed to reach baseline in several other tests since he suffered a concussion on Nov. 11. Vick was last said to be in Phase 4 of the Eagles' five-phase protocol for return. He isn't expected to play Sunday and rookie Nick Foles will get his third straight start.
-- LeSean McCoy was spotted in the Eagles locker room during the open media session for the first time since he suffered a concussion on Nov. 18. The running back sat out Sunday's game against the Panthers and is unlikely to play this Sunday at Dallas. Reid said Tuesday that McCoy was still in Phase 1.
-- Fletcher Cox was not practicing on Wednesday. The rookie defensive tackle has a lower back contusion. Cox said that he expected to be able to play Sunday.
-- Jason Avant (hamstring) returned to practice. The Eagles need the wide receiver after DeSean Jackson was placed on Injured Reserve Tuesday with fractured ribs. The Eagles did not add another receiver to the 53-man roster as of Wednesday afternoon, however. They still have two roster spots to fill.
-- As Reid hinted on Tuesday, there were no major changes in the secondary as the Eagles prepared for the Cowboys. The unit has struggled over the last five weeks, especially safeties Kurt Coleman and Nate Allen. Backup David Sims said he was frustrated, but that he was ready to go if called upon.
Comments (88)
Washburn is a cancer like Babin. It seems it has spread to Cole.— Earl J
Boo-Freakin'-Who. You should be next Washburn!!— Squizzy Magee- Agreed. It was Reid whoo orchestrated all these moves and it all started with his decision to run the wide 9 D. Castillo took the job because no other candidate wanted to run it. The secondary has been BAD all year and that's on the guy who was PROMOTED(?) to take Castillo's job?? Reid and Reid alone is ruining this team. I know Howie has his own agenda (me big man, great GM, me sign big names!)but his colors will show when (if) we get a real talent evaluator in as head coach... Wash is washed up and his wide 9 is a gimmick, not a great D!
— desjones - Musical chairs or revolving door. Which is it??? No wonder the Eagles are 3 and 8. Enough said.— oneway
- Why even bother putting Watkins back in? We'd get the same results with a tackling dummy.— Squizzy Magee
- AND TO THINK THAT WATKINS WAS A FIRST ROUND PICK. FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, WHY DOES REID STILL HAVE HIS JOB? — bedpan
- This is not new. Hank Fraley was just as bad -- RIGHT UP THE MIDDLE -- during our SB year. McNabb didn't stand a chance.
- UP HAPPY LOL— hoopfan11
Ok, give "Coach Wash" the boot now so can follow Babin out the door.— HappyBob
Washburn will get his opportunity to work with him again after the season ends.- Babin was another scape goat that Reid used to take the focus off Reid...I am not a Babin fan, but Reid threw him under the bus to save his own behind...glad to hear Washburn has the guts to say it was wrong.— jim35
- Washburn and Wide 9 are antiquated, let's move on....— Mike Boryla
- They should have fired Washburn when they released Babin. In fact,they should have fired him when they gave up huge chunks of rushing yardage to get their 50 sacks last year. Tell him he's getting fired on New Years Eve with the rest of the staff but if he'd like, it can be even sooner.— drbob1
- When I look at this coaching staff Reid, Washburn, Bowles, Mudd, Mornhinweg, etc., maybe, just maybe, Castillo was the best of the bunch.— VitoCorleone
- Aint that saying something — damrvrhunter
- Let's hope Washburn is "upset" enough to quit.— 1republican
- HIREJAWSFIRST is a page on facebook where you can show your support for Ron Jaworski as the new VP of Football Operations for the Philadelphia Eagles. Go and like it if you agree it's a good idea. Thanks— bentlip
- Babin had 18 sacks last season...and has 5 sacks so far this partial season....Trent Cole has only 1 sack, and others have less than that....so why did Reid throw Babin off the team.— jim35
- Washburn can go too and take his wonky wide-9 with him.— CoettaGarner25
- The remaining 5 games are: at Dallas; at Tampa; home against the Bengals and Redskins; and at the Giants. Does anyone see any wins here with McCoy and Jackson out, Mathis oving to center and Watkins back at guard? No, I didn't think so. 3-13 and the draft looks like a stinker talent-wise. Way o go Andy. Just leave. Don't bother turning off the lights. We'll have the cleaning crew in early the day after your departure trying to clean all vestiges of your fat, greasy fingerprints from every aspect of the team. Bill Cowher will start work as soon as the maintenance people finish.— 1republican
- Eagles will get a very high top 5 draft pick....there will certainly be some very good players there like QB Matt Barkley or Offensive tackle Jockel from Texas A&M....but will Howie blow it again by trading out of first round for three sixth round picks...LOL— jim35
- Babin will be OK, his wife is a little minx— Blue Hens Rule
- Oh hell to the yes!
http://www.contactmusic.com/photo/sara-babin-and-jason-babin-attends-greenhouse-presents-the-1st-annual_3316083— MikeWizowski - LOL
Eagles: Washburn was fine with us releasing Babin
Press: Can we ask Washburn that?
Eagles: EFF NO!!
Ah, the Gold Standard— Only in Philly... - When all is saifd and done, the real issue will be the defense and it will be reflected in the players who go. Nnamdi, DRC, Coleman, Cole unless he takes a paycut, outside LB...probably Vick is the only significant Offensive player that will not be here next year. Speaking of LB and the Eagles drafting ability, as much excitement as kendrick provided in the pre-season(way over done since he was continuously burned in the passing game in between solid play against the run, it looks like he was at least the 4th and maybe even lower LB to this point. Kuechly is worlds the bettter player and in the second round both Bobby Wagner and Lavonte David look better...heck, Burfict has had a better rookie season. I am sure if I followed a few more of them there are others from the draft that look better than Kendrick. So really there is no hope becasue Roseman still runs the draft and this team lacks talent preisely because they haven't drafted well on defense or O-line, the most important positions in football. Picking a Interior D-lineman as high as they did in a 4-3 is just stupid. It is the least impactful position on either side of the ball(besides fullback), and they moved up to do it.— UncleStosh
- Andy Reid is a spineless, gutless excuse for a man. You don't wimp out and fire someone over the phone.
Reid has sealed his fate in Philadelphia. My only regret is that the Fast Food poster boy will get a fresh start somewhere else and does so leaving the Eagles in shambles. We as fans, will suffer for years as Reid moves on to a new exciting challenge. Pathetic!— gentian - Reid is throwing the defense under the bus..He fired defense coordinator Castillo and now d-end Babin.....but the offense gets a free pass...Vick has been awful and has led the Eagles to last in points scored in NFL, and has averaged only 16 points per game, one of the lowest in NFL...why doesn't the offense guys like Vick and Morningwig get fired also?— jim35
- It's a dictatorship you idiot, quit if you don't like Andy's decisions.— jspet51
- Lurie should have Reid on the phone today..and tell Reid he is fired.— jim35
- Lurie should call Reid on the phone....and tell Reid he is fired.— jim35
- Why are the Eagles stopping Washburn from expressing his opinion to the Press?....are they allowed to muzzle people from talking?— jim35
- Washburn has been a failure, as has his scheme. Someone listed a number of eagles coaches that need to be fired, I'll add to that list the abject failure Bobby April. The special teams have been putrid, with the exception of the field goal unit...— Getinline
- Sorry, Rowdy Yaytes but Babin was claimed by Jacksonville. They will see a Super Bowl the next time they are the host city but the Jaguars won't be playing...— Getinline
- I would wash my hands from him and let him go do a slow burn!
W A S H B U R N BY BY!— lost eagle - I would wash my hands from him and let him go do a slow burn!W A S H B U R N BY BY! (HTML deleted)— lost eagle
- @1republican: Bill Cowher will be willing to go to work for Jeff Lurie and Howie Roseman on the same day that pigs fly.— drbob1
- In context this whole thing reminds me of Good fellas after the lufthansa heist Andy Reid is Henry Hill....— Smittyaecs
- The collapse of the Eagles began with the hiring of Howie Doody and has gone downhill ever since! Moral of the story; Accountants should never be hired as NFL GM's. If an Accountant does get an NFL GM gig, they usually wind up with 2010 and 2011 Drafts where everybody selected is special team's fodder or worse (see Danny Watkins)! Now we are further screwed because this Putzwaffle is going to select the next Head Coach! Mr Lurie, please sell the Team!— cooperhawk
- A total disaster....— topwonk
- Babin's release was totally un-called for. It's like the Walrus was sitting around and thinking to himself, " Before I'm outtahere, is there anything I haven't done so far to wreck this team? I think I've tried everything: bad time management, rotten plays, stubborn refusal to admit or change stupid mistakes......Ohhh, wait a minute, I can release some important players. I'll go down the list alphabet-ically....Babin. Yeah, that should hurt them." And Cole's name begins with a "C". "Stop this guy before he kills more"!!!!!!!!— jiminy cricket
- Maybe Washburn should have taught him the fundamentals -- like NOT going offsides on a crucial play. Doubt if he was teachable. Thick.— 2smart4philly
- The Wide 9 for the defensive front is bad but the Wide 4 in the defensive backfield is worse. The wide coach on the sidelines is still the real problem. Is this over yet?— Ballgame
- I miss Jim Johnson.— rode hard and put away wet
- Ain't that a fact! Now that he is gone, it show how great of a defensive mind he was. He goes down as one of the best at his coaching position.
- Now you know how Roman Gabriel felt!— quigly46
- allen and coleman are very very very poor safeties. play sims please...nothing to lose.— psualum
- Maybe philly.com should just stop covering the Eagles all together. This is like a bad dream and I can't wake up. Clean house.— tedsupreme
- I don't think Howie is a rigid GM, I think an ideal head coach will know personnel well and give Howie the shopping list and he will do his job. Anyone who says the 2012 draft was not good has no clue and is being irrational.— MidGreen
- Hey Washburn...call 1-800-wah and tell somebody who cares.— NC Eagle Fan
- Andy's great picks, especially, Washburn and Mudd have all bombed.— bobnj2009
- so the article i read last night said washburn was ok with it..now i read he isn't...hey guys..lets get the story straight for once..this is like a game of darts played by blind men.— Shemp Howard
- Unfortunately, Graham is as bad as Babin. Another gigantic wasted draft pick -- and another reason why Reid and the accountant have to go.— snakeplissken
- three years too late to whack AR. Too many people didn't want to confront the reality that the team needed new direction even as it was still posting winning records. Progress toward the ultimate goal - the Super Bowl - had stopped, and so many personnel decisions since were flawed at best and disastrous at worst.
Reid'done. Too bad the team needed to deteriorate to this extent while waiting for ownership to step up to the task of whacking him. Now, they're lucky if they're a playoff team in the foreseeable future. The roster is decimated, save for a stud running back.— advantasux - WHO? Fire Washburn you one-trick pony.. the NFL has the Wide 9 figured.. way to sabotage the defense— Nezhy
- Has Reid lost it? Ever since his son died things have been in reverse. I think he needs help. Somebody needs to step in and right this ship, the skipper is insane.— krautmef1
- so washburn is upset? leave too, who cares?— DONDEN31
- Cryyyyyy— fman727
- He'll make a great Jaguar— bobmc
- what ever happened to that Phillip Hunt? Just disappeared.— watsonmr
- His players were the worst in the league, and he is upset that one of them, a crank, was booted? He should be relieved of his duties too.
Bowles and Washburn, the coach wants to see you, bring your playbooks.— Cazptain Philadelphia - Why not play wide 10s, and let the D sit in the stands.— hallux
- Why not play wide 10s, and let the D sit in the stands.— hallux
- What's TO up to these days? We should sign him for the rest of the season.— croozn
- Rowdy Yates could be right. Lets see where Babin lands before we pile on a wounded lame duck coach.— harbo
- He landed in Jackonsville, so much for his winning aspirations. Apparently, no good teams felt he was worth it. — mike l
- What a pathetic bunch of high priced morons. Vick will end up in the DOG House— strange brew
- Babin was 3ed in NFL in sacks, everyone is down in sacks this year. All teams, except Eagles, have learned how to chip block, then get into pass pattern quickly. The game has evolved, and eagles are built to lose.— camasbud
- Ray Didinger said today that Babin registered ZERO tackles, ZERO sacks in the Dallas game. Not even a dirty look, he said. Said that Dallas probably didn't know Babin was still on the roster !! And we're to care about Wash(edup)burn's opinion ? Maybe he can join Reid on his next team and take that gimmicky swiss cheese defense with him. Any coach who supports zero results from any player should be shown the door, and it's this permeating stench that has made this team a laughingstock throughout the league.
- MCNUTT!!!— rubbergash
- Here is the best thing about Babin getting cut, Big Red said it was done to "give the younger guys more playing time". That means when Big Reds biggest mistake in 13 years is healthy again, he will ride the pine and watch Foles play with the devistated O-line (1 starter from last year remains healthy, big red can't do anything about that!). Thats right he cannot say he wants younger guys too play on the D and not the O. So thanks be to Babin and hopefully that is the last we see of Vick. You know anytime we had to play the Falcons in the playoffs back in the day, you knew the Eagles were going to win cause Vick was not a good QB then. Should have taken the draft picks for him when they had the chance.— Atlas
- This clown can take his garbage wide 9 scheme somewhere else next year too
— pflynn20 - Where the heck is Phillip Thomas? He looked good in the preseason - they cut him even though there was no depth, then bring him back for a cup of coffee and then release him again. But, we keep Coleman in there. What's the definition of insanity? Oh yeah.— fammarlin
- Everyone seems to believe that Reid will have teams lining up to give him another chance somewhere else. I'm not really sure of that. He's been in Philly 14 years and has never won a championship. I'm not a die-hard Eagles fan and don't watch them every week, but I've seen over the years that the Eagles are not a very disciplined team. They've always had the 'me-me-me' players and bring in new players -- cast offs from other teams that are not team players -- at high salaries that simply do not perform. What does that do to a team? The coach's main concern is that his players play as a team and Reid has never been interested in doing that. Good-bye Reid and good riddance. If he ends up anywhere it will be with a low-ranked team that will not get any better with him as coach.— Ron T
- NONE of this matters. This team is now the basement, and I do mean basement, of the NFL. Eagles ARE the worst team in the NFL.— warrentheape
- I have posted many times the disintegration of the Eagles started when
Reid brought in Mudd and Washburn and compounded it by naming Castillo
defensive coordinator. It is obvious that Mudd and Washburn operate
on their own and paid no attention to Castillo and even Reid who is
so busy ordering up 50 or60 passes a game with his boy Mornigwheg. The
team is a tower of babble now and it shows on the field.— naplesfan - please fire the entire coaching. The Incompetence is incredible.— joeynick
- Castillo was the only coach on the staff who was any good...Reid should have fired himself and Juan could have been interim coach..at least the players respected him. Can't say the same for Reid or any other coaching staff members.— sedale
- Washburn's unit just hasn't got it done. His opinion isn't all that relevant anymore.— armchairGM
- Cole = overrated. He needs to go.— joemani28
- I'm upset Washburn is still here. so there.— Tyrone Biggums
- Get rid of Washburn at the end of the season. The Eagles need to move on and cut their losses. Mornhinweg should've been gone yesterday.— p-diddy
- Will the last rat off the ship please turn off the lights?— jjthree
- interesting take on washburn...
http://www.profootballweekly.com/2012/11/28/wednesdays-60-second-rant-eagles-demise-began-with— raoool - Start Sims already!!! No way he is worse then Coleman and Allen. Both our sateties SUCK. Get Sims out there with Colt Anderson and see how they do since season is shot and we already know Coleman and Allen should not be out there— connorjr
- I don't think Babin was made a scapegoat. I think Lurie wants the wide nine scraped and Babin only can play the wide nine. Washburn will be gone at the end of the season and the wide nine with him— mcchucker
- @damrvrhunter....... Hey it sure does and what that says is this staff was once good but know they are all jokes that are out of touch!!!— eaglesfaninalvintx
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