Juan Castillo Remains Philadelphia Eagles Defensive Coordinator: Good Move

I first saw this from National Football Post though it’s by way of the Philadelphia Inquirer. I know that I”m in the minority here by a long shot, but I think the Philadelphia Eagles are smart to let Juan Castillo remain the defensive coordinator. I should disclose the fact that I am in fact a New York Giants fan, but as a guy who watches a lot of of football I honestly think this is the right move for the Eagles. The Philadelphia Eagles had their fair of struggles with Juan Castillo as their defensive coordinator and it’s true that for much of the season it seemed like a big mistake for Reid to hire an offensive linemen as defensive coordinator in the first place, but by the end of the season I think the Eagles found their groove on defense.

First if you look at the overall defensive numbers for the Eagles you would think they had a great year on defense. The Eagles gave up 324 total yards per game on defense (8th best in the league), the Eagles  gave up 212 yards passing per game 10th best in the league. The Eagles also gave up 112 yards rushing per game which was 16th best in the league (ie average), but where it matters points: the Eagles ranked 10th in the league at 20.5 points per game.

Then come the other important stats the Eagles were first in the league with 50 sacks. They also scored three touchdowns on defense (first in the league). The Eagles were productive on defense, what they did not do as well as in the past was create turnovers, but they were average in that respect.

In the last four games of the season the Eagles gave up 46 combined points against two teams that were in the playoff race. The problem with the Eagles was at times they really struggled against the run and at times they also had pitiful defensive performances against the Seahawks and Patriots are just two examples, but towards the end of the year the defense was clicking on all cylinders.

The other issue is consistency. It is so much easier to win in this league when there is consistency in the schemes up front, if the Eagles were to hire another defensive coordinator they would have to change up their schemes and language again and that’s not good because the Eagles area  win now team. They have a lot of veterans on defense and offense and are looking to win immediately not two or three years from now.

Sure Castillo floundered at the beginning of the season, but that happens to even the best of defensive coordinators at times. What is important is this team can really get after the quarterback, they score on defense, and they actually give up a lot less points than the public thinks they do, lastly this team did not give up at the end of the year…they actually had some of their best performances. A second year with the same scheme and mostly the same personell (with some upgrades at linebacker for one) could really put this defense at the top of the league. A good, but unpopular move by Andy Reid.