Juan Castillo, Dead Man Walking

Guest post from the peerless BountyBowl:

The headlines say that the players back Embattled Defensive Coordinator Juan Castillo™, but man, the quotes seem to tell a different story. Or maybe I just don’t know what “back” means. Does it mean “Politely acknowledge that his ass is getting fired”? If so, then no problem.

Winston Justice: “Not entirely his fault.”

“I know Juan. He’s a fighter. He’s going to keep going to the end,” offensive tackle Winston Justice said yesterday, as the Birds prepared for this weekend’s visit to Miami. “In the NFL, you have to have a scapegoat, I guess … It’s not Juan’s fault. Not entirely his fault.”

Darryl Tapp: “All you can do is just move forward.”

“It’s been the perfect storm of negatives for him,” Tapp said. “I feel bad that all the stuff is getting directed at him, because we all have a part and we all understand that right now. But all you can do is just move forward.”

JamJax: “It’s just not working out.”

“It’s definitely been a learning experience [for Castillo], I can tell you that much,” Jackson said. “Juan’s a hard worker, man, and he’ll figure it out, as we’ve done in the past, offensively. “Will Castillo get a chance to figure it out? “I sure hope so,” said Jackson, who agreed that in terms of the defense coming together, “from the looks of it, it’s just not working out.”

Dolphins and Eagles: Two Roads Diverged

Vince Young Eagles

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence

Let’s take a trip back to week nine. The Eagles were 3-4 with some momentum, having just defeated the Redskins and Cowboys in back-to-back weeks. It was the high point of the season, when everyone was still talking about Andy Reid’s ability to turn his team around down the stretch.

Conversely, week nine for the Eagles’ upcoming opponent was their lowest point. Miami was 0-7 going into that game, and people were discussing the Dolphins in the same sentence as the Colts for worst team in the NFL honors.

Of course, things didn’t stay that way for long, for either team. The Eagles tanked, winning only one of their next five contests. The Dolphins turned their fortunes around, winning four of five.

So, how did that happen? There are basically two reasons: defense and turnovers.

The Eagles defense over the last five weeks has been atrocious. They’ve allowed an average of 26 points and 365 yards from scrimmage. Miami has only given up 11 points per game and 288 yards over that span. 15-point swing per game? No wonder.

But an equally big difference comes in quarterback play. The Eagles were universally hailed this offseason for getting a quarterback of Vince Young’s quality for their backup job. Matt Moore’s signing with the Dolphins went mostly unnoticed. Yet Young has been an interception machine in replace of Michael Vick, while Moore has been a steady hand.

Over his last three starts, Young threw for four touchdowns and eight interceptions. Three of those interceptions came in the second half last week, as the Eagles failed to mount any kind of challenge to the lowly Seahawks. Even in Young’s game against the Giants, the team won despite of his many mistakes.

The unheralded Moore has thrown five touchdowns and zero interceptions in the last three games (and 8 TDs, 1 Int in the last five). He doesn’t have the special physical skills of a guy like Young, but when he plays safe and relies on his defense, Moore is a much better quarterback.

This Eagles team is dysfunctional in so many ways that you can’t count on them to do anything right. Even with Vick back from injury, I’m not predicting an Eagles win this weekend. After the road this team has taken so far, how could anyone?

Photo from Getty.

DRC Makes No Excuses

Reuben Frank, at CSNPhilly:

He makes no excuses.

“It’s been frustrating basically playing a new, different position, but I’m young, I’ve got a lot of time to just learn,” he said at his locker before practice Thursday. “Slot is a difficult position to play if you’ve never done it before. I never really even paid attention to it because you’re outside doing your thing.

“Outside is a whole different ballgame. That’s really been the most difficult thing. Trying to make that your spot. I asked guys around the league how difficult playing the nickel is and they tell you but until you get out there, you don’t realize how difficult it is and how different it is.

“Once I get it, I got it. But there’s a lot of new concepts. Gotta read run, gap responsibilities – your mind has to work quickly. But with more experience, it’ll come. In the long run, it’ll make me a better corner. I’ll have a better mindset or mentality of the game because playing inside, it makes you more versatile and makes you a better player.”

Is it too late to get Patrick Peterson?

Calling All Asante Samuel Interpreters

Asante Samuel, as quoted by Les Bowen:

“We were top five [in turnover differential, at plus-9] last year, huh? What do you think the difference is?” Samuel asked. “You don’t want to say it? I got no comment.”

Who does Samuel blame most? Is it “the offensive line coach?” Maybe it’s those pesky front office boys “playing fantasy football with the owner’s money.” Or could he be casting well-earned blame on his teammates?

You decide.

(Via BountyBowl)

Follow Up: What a Good Team Looks Like

On Monday, I demonstrated one flaw in the composition of the 2011 Eagles. There are too many starters who are new to the team, because they’re either recent draft picks or recent free agent pickups.

But just for comparison’s sake, here’s what a good team looks like. The 2011 Eagles starters overlaid with the (currently 12-0) 2011 Green Bay Packers starters, arranged by number of years with their respective teams:

Eagles Packers Team Composition

(Click for bigger version.)

Who Would Have Thought

Sheil Kapadia, at Moving the Chains:

The Eagles have given up 22 passing touchdowns, tied for second-most. And opposing QBs have a 91.4 rating. That’s a worse mark than last year (80.8). Who would have thought that they would replace Dimitri Patterson with Nnamdi Asomugha, add Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, improve the defensive line, blitz less and still be an easier team to pass against than they were in 2010?

That pretty much sums it up.

'Not an Old Football Team'

LeSean McCoy Jeremy Maclin

On Monday, Andy Reid pushed back against the gloom patrol, reminding everyone that the Eagles window is still wide open:

“People perceive us to be an old football team, but we’re really not an old football team.” he said on his radio show. “We’re one of the youngest teams in the [NFL]. That takes time.”

Unfortunately, that’s just not as true as it sounds. The Eagles are young, but the core of the team is actually reaching the end of their prime, with few replacements on the way.

The Eagles have 14 players on the roster who are currently 29 or older. Some of them may still have two or three more years left in them, but there are no guarantees in the NFL. Tell me how comfortable you are losing these guys in the near future:

  • Brown, Ronnie (29)
  • Cole, Trent (29)
  • Herremans, Todd (29)
  • Peters, Jason (29)
  • Asomugha, Nnamdi (30)
  • Hanson, Joselio (30)
  • Jenkins, Cullen (30)
  • Mathis, Evan (30)
  • Samuel, Asante (30)
  • Babin, Jason (31)
  • Dorenbos, Jon (31)
  • Jackson, Jamaal (31)
  • Vick, Michael (31)
  • Parker, Juqua (33)

Let’s see… That’s three starting offensive linemen, including both tackles. Three starting defensive linemen. Three of the top four cornerbacks. Oh, and a $100 million quarterback.

Even scarier, can you pick out any of these players and tell me who his replacement is going to be? The Eagles have no quarterback of the future. With Brandon Graham’s return from injury still an open question, they don’t have a single promising young linemen on the team ready to take over at offensive tackle or defensive end. Do you trust Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie at cornerback? What about Brandon Hughes or Curtis Marsh?

And it’s not like many other positions are bursting with young talent. With the possible exception of Brian Rolle, not a single linebacker looks like more than a backup. There are three young safeties, but none have them have shown they can play at higher than replacement level. Jason Kelce looks like a keeper, but his fellow rookie Danny Watkins isn’t exactly a spring chicken.

The only place where the Eagles have proven youngsters is at the offensive skill positions. Unfortunately, it’s not clear how long that group will stay together. The DeSean Jackson departure appears imminent and Jeremy Maclin has never proven he can be a top wide receiver. Why the Eagles haven’t already thrown gobs of money at LeSean McCoy is beyond me.

It’s discouraging to glance up and down the Eagles roster. The short term outlook is bleak, with this season likely to go down as the worst in Reid’s tenure. And as to the future… there just isn’t much to look forward to.

Almost two seasons have passed since I wrote about Reid’s third 5-year plan. So far, that plan has failed.

Photo from Getty.