Desperate, Eagles Shake Up Team By Firing Defensive Coordinator Juan Castillo

In a somewhat surprising move, the Philadelphia Eagles have fired Defensive Coordinator Juan Castillo.   Todd Bowles has been named his replacement.   What makes the move surprising is not that he was fired, but that the move took this long, should he ever have been hired to begin with.

Castillo had been a coach with the Eagles since 1995, being hired as an Offensive Assistant.  From there he moved on to the Tight Ends Coach and then the Offensive Line coach.   But, in 2011, Eagles Head Coach Andy Reid named Castillo Defensive Coordinator.  The only time spent as a Defensive Coordinator on his resume was 1986 – 1989 at Kingsville High School.

Bowles is a former Temple player who was hired this past offseason to serve as Secondary coach.   He and Andy Reid go back to the Green Bay Packers in 1995, when Bowles served as a member of the player personnel staff.  Bowles has three years of collegiate experience as a Defensive Coordinator, split between Morehouse State and Grambling State.

The Eagles are 3-3 in a season where Reid was publicly warned that last year's 8-8 record would not be acceptable.  The Eagles have lost two consecutive games.   This week is a bye week for the Eagles, who had better get their act together before resuming play.   Their next game is Sunday, October 28 against the Atlanta Falcons, currently 6-0.