Reality Check
Like many of you, I too am angry and disappointed in this years Eagles. I watched the Lurie press conference and thought he hit the nail on the head. Ultimately it's Lurie's decision as to who makes the decisions, and so far it's been more good times than bad times with Reid. And even though this year didn't live up to many lofty expectations, it was a VERY unusual off season with a limited time to employ the new scheme/players/coaches to make it effective.
Free agency gives the fans excitement as we all think that certain players will play EXACTLY as they did for their previous teams (which is somewhat true but not completely). Nnamdi is exactly the player that made him elite in the NFL (if used properly in the right scheme). We have all witnessed how Castillo tinkered with the defense in trying to figure out who does what best, and unfortunately he thought Nnamdi to be Green Bays Rod Woodson. This is clearly not the case, and when Castillo used him properly (at the end of the season) the Eagles defense flourished. Think this is a misnomer? Look at Jason Babin and what he did with the Eagles the first time under McDermott. He was average at best under that defensive scheme. Then he heads over to the Titans and makes the Pro Bowl and returns to the Eagles with the same "Wide 9" scheme and nearly breaks Reggie Whites' single season sack record. Right player/right scheme=results.
While a lot of the blame is put on the defense/Juan Castillo. I think that too is wrong. The offense turned the ball over like crazy this year (worst turn over ratio in the NFL I think?) and put the defense in horrible situations. It's bad enough to have numerous new players/new coach/new scheme on defense and expect them to perform like the Steel Curtain right out of the box. It's just not going to happen. Michael Vick was a big part of our problem in that he turned the ball over WAY too much and made poor decisions when throwing the ball. Of course this wasn't entirely his fault either as the offensive line was also learning a new scheme and there were 3 brand new starters (FA and two rookies) with our LG moving to RT (Herrimans). The OL missed assignments quite a few times and put too much pressure on Vick to be "Superman" and save us. Which is also unfair to Vick as he's learning to be more of a pocket passer.
Once again our linebacking crew was in constant shuffle mode, but it finally looks like we have 2 quality starters in Chaney and Rolle. Chaney a second year player and Rolle a rookie. Both whom are learning an entirely new defensive scheme. But did well at the end of the season (like the rest of the Eagles defense when they FINALLY understood what Castillo/Washburn wanted out of them). The safeties were also a problem this year and that's because Nate Allen wasn't 100% healthy and Coleman is really a back up safety that overachieved at times. DRC proved he can be an excellent man to man cover corner and leads Asante to be expendable in the off season.
While Reid and company got a "mulligan" for this year, it was made clear that excellence is the ONLY way that will keep this team/coaching staff in tact. Lurie made the right decision in keeping Reid because we are on the cups of becoming the team everyone thought we would see (albeit too late). Castillo is was improving as a coach and I think could become even better if given the opportunity. Since the NFL= Not for Long, I think either Reid goes for broke with Castillo or hires Spags in order to appease the Eagles fans. Keep in mind with Spags an entire defensive philosophy comes with it so it may be a step back. I don't think we should fire Castillo if we do hire Spags. He should be relegated to linebackers coach and keep team moral high.
One thing is clear: Blowing up the Eagles is the WRONG thing to do. But this is probably the LAST year we see this current regime if the Eagles fail again next season. While the remarks were underling at times, Lurie made that VERY clear in his press conference. The goal is not the playoffs or to be in the Superbowl. The goal is to WIN the Superbowl. I have no doubt Lurie shares the same desire as many of us fans. But patience is a virtue, and that my friends is wearing thin...
Stay tuned!
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What up Latin? So you think Reid's current silence means Castillo is gone or more likely changing roles to be replaced by Spags? Isnt it weird for the fat man to be this quiet after not making the playoffs?
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lurie said he would have his press conference next week
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I think Castillo stays. What would that say about Reid who hired this guy umpteen years ago and finally gave him a chance on defense. The defense did improve at the tail end of the season, and overall I think he did a better job than McDermott.
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Latin I agree with most of what you wrote, but I think Juan was a bad decision. It's not all his fault for the season. As you mentioned the offense was a turnover machine, but when Juan's defense went up against real quarterbacks they performed poorly. The most alarming for me about this past season with the Eagles was the fact they beat only one team in the playoffs and with a winning record. That team was the Giants with 9 wins. Still there is some hope here. They owned the division as they usually do under Reid. I think a solid defensive coordinator can make a world of difference. Look at the Texans and how they finally made the playoffs even though they didn't have a quarterback. Spags comes with both a pedigree (JJ disciple)and a great reputation as a super bowl coordinator. I believe he can get the talent out of the players we have on defense.
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texans also didnt have to play the indy peytons
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True, but you can't argue against the fact they have improved defensively. I also don't think it's just a coincidence the year they improve at playing defense they make the play offs.
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of course not but would they have been in the playoffs with peyton playing? probably not. dont know how they did vs the colts but im gonna assume they won one so they probably would of had another loss and be playing for a wildcard position dont know if they would of made it in
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That also helps lol
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True. Wade Philips made a huge difference in the Texans defense. Imagine how good they would be if Mario Williams was still healthy..
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nice to see u kept this post short Latin. i mean that i remember it taking like an hour to read ur posts. i agree with you on all ur points its everything i have been thinking just to lazy to write. but i think u mean Charles Woodson Rod retired little bit ago
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Yes, I did mean Charles (not his proclaimed "cousin" Rod. LOL My train of thought was interrupted and apparently I got the names mixed up. :)
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I agree, but the mistake should have never been made in hiring Juan as the DC. Howard mudd did nothing with the line that impressed me then what castillo did. that was a wasted expeirment that could have cost Andy his job this year.
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The OL was also totally different this year. They figured more athletic OL would work better with Vicks speed along with McCoy. While Vick struggled when under pressure this season, it was clear that the line played a major role in McCoy breaking the all time Eagles single season TD record and making the 1st All Pro team as a starter (along with Peters). They only look to get better this next season.
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HEY LATIN! Good to see you here. Like you said this was an odd year and LOTS of stuff needed time to gel.
I don't expect that they'll be a turnover machine next year again. It was a weird year. Vick is credited with 14 picks this year but A) 14 is not a high number of picks and more importantly B) Many of Vick's picks had other hands on them first
Buffalo:
The first interception came when Vick attempted a blind screen on what seems like a poorly designed play. The ball was tipped and caught by Buffalo’s Reggie Corner.
Vick threw another pick when an unblocked defender leveled him from his blindside and his pass fluttered into George Wilson’s waiting arms.
The last interception sealed the loss to the Bills. The Eagles were driving when Vick’s pass to Jason Avant was stripped out of the receiver’s hands, bounced off his foot and to Barnett.
He THREW the one that went for a TD.
New York:
Vick threw an interception on a ball that bounced out of receiver’s Steve Smith’s hands and to a defender.
San Fran:
A similar pick occurred when a deep pass to DeSean Jackson bounced out of his hands and to a defender.
Atlanta:
Kelvin Hayden made a diving grab, got up and ran two yards before he was tackled. Replays showed the ball hit the ground before Hayden caught it and NBC apologized to Reid for not showing a replay quickly enough.
(Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-eagles-vickspicks )
And that's just 6 of those 14. Odds are that next season wont go like this. This was just a fluke year.
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I think there should be an asterisk next to interceptions that weren't completely a quarterbacks fault (tipped balls etc). But unfortunately turnovers are a part of the game and the quarterback gets the brunt of the blame (even though receivers fall down/run the wrong routes/OL miss blocking assignments etc). Glad you took the time to pin point the nature of every interception. But while some of those weren't exactly Vicks fault, he did force a LOT of passes into areas he should not have thrown and was LUCKY those weren't intercepted.
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Latin. Long time no see. I don't see hiring Spags as such a big transition as some make it out to be. If anything, I think it's a return to what made this defense so dominant in the early to mid 2000s. I'd kill to hire Spags. I know you can never really duplicate JJ, but I haven't seen anyone mimic JJ's defense more convincingly than Spags did with the Giants.
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Spags did an awesome job with the Giants during their Superbowl run. But he also had one of the best DL in the entire NFL to work with (which makes his job that much easier). Throw in some really good linebackers and that helps mask some of the coaching woes. The Rams defense wasn't nearly as talented and the stats hold true. The coaches deserve credit, but the players are the ones who need to know what they are doing to make it work. I think keeping it consistent and making things simple is the way to go. If the Eagles FINALLY figured it out at the end of the season they only stand to improve. Better linebackers will also help. Perhaps this is the year we take one in the first round. Vontaze Burfict please. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7achvXsy3Q -
Im not sure how Flip and latin and most of you can conclude that this weak hearted, leaderless , & lazy team is even close to grabbing a lombardi trophy. You have focused so long on them not winning it that you have know idea or have never been around a team that does win it. The Ravens did it in 2000 and now they are poised for a serious run. They did it with honesty, leadership, veteran Ravens and a committed ownership. They play hard on every play. they show up every game to play. The Eagles arent there and in my opinion dont look close. Open your eyes this Eagle team was a joke this year. They won 4 late season meaningless scrub games.
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Honesty: What were the Eagles dishonest about? Leadership: The Eagles lack a leader like Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. Veterans: Eagles had many players who have been in the league for a number of years. Committed Ownership: Did the Eagles not hire what is believed to be the best OL coach in the history of the NFL in Mudd? How about the best DL coach in Washburn? What about the top free agent in Nnamdi? Babin who almost broke Reggie White's single season sack record? Making a great trade with the Cardinals to dump Kolb for next years starting RCB Cromartie and a second round pick.
No need in trying to devalue the "meaningless" games at the end of the year. The Eagles could have very well QUIT and ended up with a 4-12 record. But they didn't and fought hard to make it to 8-8. The funny thing about pessimistic people is that they are never disappointed when things go bad. Why not look at the good things and try to focus on improvement instead of worry about bogus inadequacies?
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