The Eagles might not have much to do on the field during the week leading up to the Super Bowl, but that doesn't mean that they're not doing things off the field. This morning, DeSean Jackson, Todd Herremans and Jamaal Jackson all appeared on the ABC show The View. Is that a show that I would normally watch? Not unless I didn't have a choice, but they were there for a very good reason this morning.
You see, 13 year old Nadin Khoury was attacked by a group of other teenagers back in January and was left hangning on a fence by his jacket. One of the kids, if you can call them that, filmed the whole thing on his cell phone, and the incident just came to light. Six of the apparent seven assaulters have been arrested, and today, Khoury went on television to talk about his experience and how people need to know more about bullying.
This is one of those times that I want to get on my soapbox. As someone that had to deal with people either teasing or trying to fight me, I know what it's like to be bullied. It still affects me today. There are some things that are part of my subconscious now that I can't get rid of, and that's due to what happened to me back in grade and high school. Not many people speak up about it, and in this day and age, more and more kids can film what they do and brag about it. That's what almost happened here, but Nadin is standing up for himself.
Luckily, the Philadelphia Eagles found out about this situation, and they got involved. Today, Jackson, Herremans and Jamaal Jackson showed up in New York City in support of Khoury, and DeSean gave him the jersey off of his back. The Eagles didn't have to tell their players to do this. Those three were there anyway, and it's stories like this that make people feel better about professional athletes in general. For every Michael Vick or Ben Roethlisbeger story, there's something like this that goes unseen. Well, I want to make sure that people see it.
Here's the clip from the show. Try not to get a bit emotional during the whole thing.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Juan Castillo is the defensive coordinator...Really?
In case you've haven't noticed over the last day or so, the Eagles have found their defensive coordinator. In a field that apparently included Dick Jauron, Jeff Fisher and several possible candidates from the Steelers and Packers, the Eagles selected Juan Castillo. Who is Juan Castillo? Well, he was the offensive line coach for the Eagles since 1998, which also happens to be the last year the Eagles had a head coach not named Andy Reid. In moving Castillo over to the defense, the Eagles hired former Indianapolis offensive line coach Howard Mudd to the same position.
While most people, myself included, like the hire of Howard Mudd, just about everyone is left scratching their heads over Castillo's promotion. Sure, Castillo has been with the Eagles since Ray Rhodes was here, and while that is impressive in itself, it doesn't necessarily mean that he should have been promoted. Castillo hasn't coached on the defensive side of the ball since 1989. In case you don't know me, I was five years old at that point. It's been that long. Sure, he studied with Jim Johnson and said he wanted to be a defensive coach, but that doesn't mean that he should be one. There's people out there right now that are saying he should have been fired, not promoted to another job, on the other side of the ball.
That is the biggest issue that most people have with this move. Yes, the offensive line had more injuries than normal during this past season, but the fact remains that they were just a below average unit throughout the year. Michael Vick was sacked 34 times in 12 games, and Kevin Kolb was brought down 15 more times in just four games. The 49 sacks allowed were the most for the Eagles since the 1998 season, which was also Castillo's first on the job. When one of the most mobile quarterbacks in the league is brought down 34 times in just 75% of the games that were played during the regular season, that's not good enough. It doesn't matter who is playing on the offensive line.
Plus, the defense was just about as bad as the offensive line this year. The Eagles ranked in the bottom third in points allowed and had the worst red zone defense in the NFL in just over 20 years. The time was right for an all inclusive change on both the offensive and defensive end, but instead, the Eagles have gone for a more circular move. Instead of replacing the coach of the worst part of the team from the last season, they've made him the coach of the second worst part of the team from the last season. Yes, there is that familiarity to the Eagles that Juan Castillo has, and there's also the added benefit of hiring Howard Mudd, who helped the Colts make Peyton Manning a Super Bowl quarterback, but that's not the point here. What the point is that the Eagles had other candidates that were much more prepared for this job, and they picked someone that they were comfortable with.
Being comfortable with a coach doesn't mean that promoting him is a good hire. Castillo had been the offensive line coach for over a decade without a promotion for a reason. It might just have been that he wasn't good enough to be promoted, or that he was happy with where he was, but either way, it shouldn't have taken him this long to get to another spot on this team. Jim Harbaugh went from special teams coach to head coach of the Ravens in just a few years. If Castillo was that sought after by the rest of the NFL, why was he still with the Eagles? He doesn't have any link to Andy Reid, because it was actually Ray Rhodes that brought him in. If he loved coaching the offensive line, then so be it. I just feel as if the Eagles could have done more with this move.
Only time will actually tell how well Juan Castillo does with the Eagles on the defensive side of the ball. One thing is certain, though. With this move, Andy Reid has officially put his fat behind on the hot seat. Another poor year by the defense, and it won't be Castillo looking for another job. It'll be Andy Reid.
CSNPhilly.com: Eagles promote Juan Castillo
While most people, myself included, like the hire of Howard Mudd, just about everyone is left scratching their heads over Castillo's promotion. Sure, Castillo has been with the Eagles since Ray Rhodes was here, and while that is impressive in itself, it doesn't necessarily mean that he should have been promoted. Castillo hasn't coached on the defensive side of the ball since 1989. In case you don't know me, I was five years old at that point. It's been that long. Sure, he studied with Jim Johnson and said he wanted to be a defensive coach, but that doesn't mean that he should be one. There's people out there right now that are saying he should have been fired, not promoted to another job, on the other side of the ball.
That is the biggest issue that most people have with this move. Yes, the offensive line had more injuries than normal during this past season, but the fact remains that they were just a below average unit throughout the year. Michael Vick was sacked 34 times in 12 games, and Kevin Kolb was brought down 15 more times in just four games. The 49 sacks allowed were the most for the Eagles since the 1998 season, which was also Castillo's first on the job. When one of the most mobile quarterbacks in the league is brought down 34 times in just 75% of the games that were played during the regular season, that's not good enough. It doesn't matter who is playing on the offensive line.
Plus, the defense was just about as bad as the offensive line this year. The Eagles ranked in the bottom third in points allowed and had the worst red zone defense in the NFL in just over 20 years. The time was right for an all inclusive change on both the offensive and defensive end, but instead, the Eagles have gone for a more circular move. Instead of replacing the coach of the worst part of the team from the last season, they've made him the coach of the second worst part of the team from the last season. Yes, there is that familiarity to the Eagles that Juan Castillo has, and there's also the added benefit of hiring Howard Mudd, who helped the Colts make Peyton Manning a Super Bowl quarterback, but that's not the point here. What the point is that the Eagles had other candidates that were much more prepared for this job, and they picked someone that they were comfortable with.
Being comfortable with a coach doesn't mean that promoting him is a good hire. Castillo had been the offensive line coach for over a decade without a promotion for a reason. It might just have been that he wasn't good enough to be promoted, or that he was happy with where he was, but either way, it shouldn't have taken him this long to get to another spot on this team. Jim Harbaugh went from special teams coach to head coach of the Ravens in just a few years. If Castillo was that sought after by the rest of the NFL, why was he still with the Eagles? He doesn't have any link to Andy Reid, because it was actually Ray Rhodes that brought him in. If he loved coaching the offensive line, then so be it. I just feel as if the Eagles could have done more with this move.
Only time will actually tell how well Juan Castillo does with the Eagles on the defensive side of the ball. One thing is certain, though. With this move, Andy Reid has officially put his fat behind on the hot seat. Another poor year by the defense, and it won't be Castillo looking for another job. It'll be Andy Reid.
CSNPhilly.com: Eagles promote Juan Castillo
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