Mort: Eagles Considering Addition of Consultant
Posted: October 10th, 2011 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 56 Comments »On Monday Night Countdown (or what the heck ever ESPN calls it these days), Chris Mortensen reported that Andy Reid and high ranking Eagles officials are considering whether to bring in a defensive consultant during the bye week.
Mort isn’t 100 percent with his reports, but I’m buying this one. Reid wants Juan Castillo to succeed. One way to help the situation is by bringing in someone who’s been a DC and could offer some guidance on how to improve the defense.
You have to find someone who could help. The first thought is Jeff Fisher, but I don’t see that happening. Fisher is enjoying his year off and would gain nothing by this. Chuck Cecil ran the Titans defense last year and is unemployed. He could be an interesting guy to talk to for ideas on how to tighten things up. One guy I’d love for this role is Greg Blache. He ran the D for the Bears and Skins for a long time. He was on the Packers staff in the early 90s with a chubby red head named Andy Reid. Blache retired after the 2009 season, but might be willing to come in for a consultant job.
How about Butch Davis? He was fired by UNC this year for some issues with their program and is just watching his son play high school football right now. Butch ran the Dallas defense when they faced Green Bay a lot back in the 90s. Davis also was the head coach of the Browns for a while. He would fit well in terms of the kind of scheme we’re trying to run.
Another possible name, much less interesting though, is Ted Cottrell. He’s been a DC in the league for years, but is currently unemployed. He mostly ran the 3-4, but did work with Jim Johnson in Arizona in the early 90s.
We don’t know if the team will add a consultant. And they wouldn’t do it until after the WAS game. Stay tuned.
I’d love to see Blache. He really made the ‘Skins a respectable defense. I know Gregg Williams got a lot of that credit, but their D improved when Williams left for New Orleans. He’s not flashy, but I loved how Washington played with limited talent.
Of the names on that list, Butch Davis intrigues me most. Perfect as in a guy you couldn’t hire and give a big role to, but would be full of ideas.
Cecil, Cottrell, Blache … I guess they couldn’t hurt.
Personally I think they need coaches who can teach. Improve the young LBs and Ss.
Scheme is part of the problem, but so are things that are correctable by coaching, like teaching how to take on a block and shed, or not overrun a blitz, etc.
Plus, maybe he could convince Andy to take some of those good UNC linebackers.
I completely agree with this. Juan has been dealt a very difficult hand this year. I’m one of his few supporters. It’s hard enough to be a DC in this league with a FULL offseason and a group of players that have played together. Juan has neither. He also has a bunch of knee-jerk reacting fans call for his head after only 5 games. If it weren’t for Vince Young and his “dream team” comment, and this organizations “all in” attitude we would probably not be in this mess to begin with. Please give him a chance to mold and shape the defense the way he wants. Last time I checked there will be a 2012 season. I’m not looking at this year as an “if we don’t win the superbowl blow it all up” kind of year. Play like the second half (minus turnovers) and we WILL beat the ‘skins.
Blache definitely seemed fried when he left D.C. Would we want the consultant to be someone who could potentially take over next year? Or the exact opposite?
Castillo would be the big loser in bringing in a consultant. If the D starts to tackle and the young players look good, he gets no credit. If they don’t improve, they can’t bring him back. He’s basically fired at the end of the year either way.
By that logic, he’s coaching for his career this Sunday.
Not that this matters a hill of beans, but dude got served Washburn’s wide 9, a set of young not-that-talented linebackers, young safeties and sweet corners … and no offseason to teach or make it all come together. He’s got a compelling case for why he hasn’t gotten a fair shake, but has no case for being given more time, given his track record and the urgency with which the Eagles need to win.
Castillo is probably a guy who would “do anything for the team” but I’d strongly object if I were him.
Also this is an easy report for Mort to float because it’s toothless. “considering adding a consultant” means he’s not wrong either way.
This season proves, especially on defense, that COACHING MATTERS.
I’ve been watching the Eagles since Jerry Williams was the coach and Pete Retzlaff the GM in 1969.
The Eagles were terrible until 1976, when Dick Vermeil came along — and brought Defensive Guru Marion Campbell with him. (Yes, Campbell was a terrible H.C. But he was great D.C.)
At that point, the Eagles were in the middle of a string of No First Round Picks For 5 years.
In fact, in Vermeil’s first season, the Eagles first draft pick came in Rd 4. Then in Rd 5 in 1977.
But Campbell turned the defense into a rock-solid foundation that led to a SB appearance 5 years later.
And not a single 1st-round pick was on that defense until 1979 – when LB Jerry Robinson from UCLA joined them (A LB in the 1st round). And in 1980, Roynell Young was taken 1st from Alcorn State to play LCB.
But those guys played together. They played tough. And they played to the whistle.
We’re a long way from that era, sure. But my point remains valid: A coach can make a huge difference — especially with a hungry group of guys who play to the whistle.
I like Juan. But he’s not the guy. And for reasons Reid will never share with the people who pay the money to Laurie to pay Reid’s very substantial 7 figure salary, Reid has put this entire season in jeopardy with a huge roll of the dice.
I want this team to win. Badly. And the offense can mask the defense’s deficiencies if they limit TOs to just 1 or 2 a game (a scarey thought).
But in the playoffs — as we saw with the Phillies — the stakes change.
Anyway, here’s hoping that Juan turns into a modern-day Marion Campbell this week.
If not . . . the Eagles have to bring someone in. With this offense, a 9-1 record in the last 10 games is not out of the question if . . . [fill in the blank].
“We all thought the teams of 2000 and 2001 were fun to watch because of how hard they played, but there just weren’t many playmakers. Now we’ve got those playmakers and the team is highly erratic. Cheering for flawed underachievers is hard. I’d love to tell the team this…we want to believe. Just give us a reason. Give us one stinking reason. Please.”
Great stuff, Tommy. I can’t think of a better way to verbalize the sheer desperation and blind hope and helplessness that all Eagles fans are going through right now.
Credit where credit is due, Tommy was sharing a quote from Keith in the comment section of an earlier thread. But I agree, well put.
Don’t take this as me saying the team can be excused for the way they have been playing, but am I the only one that thinks bad luck on the field has played a fairly large role in the losses?
Last year Eli had tons of turnovers, but so many were deflections/tipped passes that just kept being caught by defenders. Now Vick seems to be having that problem. Some years teams just cannot catch a break when it comes to recovering fumbles. There are phantom or minor penalties that get called in bad situations, while egregious penalties (like Vick hits and holds) go unnoticed. Obvious wrong calls that require Andy to throw the flag to fix.
They’d still be a team in trouble, possibly even a losing one, but I’ve seen some uncharacteristically bad luck along with the sloppy play this year. Has anyone else seen this, or do I have some sort of bias?
No, I agree with you. It seems like lately every time Vick’s passes get tipped or he gets hit as he throws, the ball is intercepted.
Also, fumbles are generally on the players/coaches, but there is definitely some bad luck involved when they happen this much (Avant hasn’t fumbled in what, 5 years??). On top of that, hardly any of our fumbles are going out of bounds or being recovered by us, which is at least somewhat unlucky.
Opponents aren’t fumbling or making many mistakes at all either. Maybe that has to do with them giving us their best effort because we are, after all, the Drea-… Sorry.
To a degree, I see what you’re saying. We’ve had a lot of unlucky things happen at the worst times. And I’m not always sure there is a reason behind it or luck is just luck, so take what I’m about to say with a grain of salt:
We also don’t make any of our own luck. We have not generated turnovers, not even lucky ones. What’s the old coaching adage, luck is when preparation and opportunity meet? Make your own luck. Luck is being in the right place at the right time?
I think if you miss an assignment every now and again, luck is not getting exposed. If a team goes right at your weaknesses and you’re still weak, that’s not just luck, that’s not being very good.
Also the turnovers are hustle plays (Justin Smith) and strips (end of Bills’ game) = making your own luck, or stuff we shouldn’t be doing (Ronnie Brown, Vick throwing ball up instead of taking sack)
What are the specific instances of luck you have in mind? Because I believe even though the Eagles could have won every game, they have fully earned their 1-4 record.
Some examples:
* Vick’s INTs in the last game
* The Maclin fumble that wasn’t, and 2 other instances in which Andy did actually throw the flag and win. This includes the last game, where the guy was lying fully on the ground before the ball came loose and yet it somehow became a fumble.
* Some of the penalties, for instance the second of the two consecutive ones in the RZ in the last game.
* Maybe the injuries? First we lose a bunch of DTs, then DEs. They’re clustering at positions.
There was more but it’s not springing to mind right now.
You are asking here if you are biased?
On the one hand, it seems that way, but good teams create their luck. We are not one of those teams right now.
I more meant some sort of selection bias, in that I’m only remembering the bad luck and ignoring the good. Or I see similar types and amounts of bad luck in other games but don’t remember it because I don’t care.
Vick’s poor luck is accurately viewed as an expected regression to the mean from his unsustainable good luck all of last season. No one in the league had more dropped INTs than he did. His low turnover numbers weren’t indicative of his decision making, and it was therefore predictable that, absent a different performance on his end, he’d see an increase in turnovers this year.
Love this idea. Shoot, prob should’ve done this from the beginning to help Juan make the transition. I really like Juan and want him to succeed, so anything that can help him turn this around I’m all for.
Also, I know there was discussion about if we fired Andy at year end. I didn’t get a chance to add my 2 cents. I’ve always been a guy who gets so wrapped up in the fact that he doesn’t run enough, so in moments of frustration I’ve thought about him being fired. The biggest issue I come back to is who the heck would we add. I’m not intrigued by Gruden or Cowher and am worried about giving it to a young up & comer who ends up being a dud. The one thing about Andy is we’ve been so stable during his tenure. I guess I’m worried that we change Andy and his regime and then we find ourselves in a mess a few years down the road.
The only guy I’d prob be excited about is Jeff Fisher as our next head coach. Well either him or bringing back Rich Kotite. I don’t think Rich got a fair deal on his time with the Jets.
Die.
Now this … this is funny. Good work, Pitmanite.
I crawled onto the floor and got into the fetal position at the thought of Kotite coming back. “Go to a happy place. Go to a happy place.”
Haha, you’re one word response of “Die” made me laugh out loud. I’m glad you guys half enjoyed/were half terrified by my Kotite joke.
I couldn’t use that joke on just anyone. You’ve got the right mindset and sense of humor.
Kotite? That was a name I didn’t expect to see.
Hmm…former offensive coordinator with previous experience transforming scramblers into pocket passers, head coaching experience with multiple teams, well rested…what’s not to like? 8P
Forget Kotite, I bet Kyle Shannahan is looking for a head coaching gig.
Die.
On a serious note…like you, I don’t know who I’d want if we did make a change. There aren’t a bunch of guys that interest me. No thanks on Cowher. Fisher? Maybe. If we continue to struggle, I’ll need to start really thinking hard on the subject.
Fischer would be good, but mostly I’m all about having Spag’s get fired over in St. Louis so we can bring him on as our DC. I’m really hoping the Rams win the suck for luck sweepstakes to make this happen.
No Thanks on Fisher. He is not a step up from Reid.
Only way I see this being AR’s last year anyway is if we don’t improve any significant amount the rest of the season. And I can’t imagine that. Although, this is the first year I remember seeing any possibility of him not getting another chance.
I’ve always been more of a fan of trying to get the best up and coming coordinators, not past head coaches. But, I don’t know enough about any coordinators out there to add anything else.
Agreed. Let’s just hope Big Red can truly get this turned around.
I think there’s an entire city that would gladly consult for free. But, we’re not smart enough for Coach Ego. Notice that we’ve never hired a consultant for clock management, for poor red zone production, or weight loss….
Seriously though, what is any consultant going to say that we haven’t said already? Bringing in a consultant just proves three things: hiring Juan was a mistake (shocking), our CBs are being misused and our LBs aren’t good enough.
John the sign guy from the Vet took a sign down to Novacare today in protest. I’m off work on the 31st and I plan on going down there myself. It’s time, folks. Not just for Andy though. Banner needs power taken away…Roseman has no business overseeing the draft.
Time’s yours.
“I think there’s an entire city that would gladly consult for free.”
You think? In Philly, you help an old lady with her bags and she complains about Reid’s run-pass ratio to start conversation.
” But, we’re not smart enough for Coach Ego.”
This isn’t actually your point, is it? That coaches *should* be listening to their fanbases?
No on Davis. His last couple of stops have not impressed. He has no character and I don’t trust the guy to do his job.
Jahvid Best just ran 88 yards untouched for a TD against Chicago.
Is it possible that Castillo has actually effectively implemented a Bears-style defense, like he said he wanted to?
That is a winning comment… lol
Brilliant. I’ll share that on Twitter.
When I first saw the title I read it as Morton being considered by the Eagles as a consultant. Whew, what a relief!!!!!!!!!
That’s actually a really good idea.
With Morton in charge, we could retroactively get guys like Jason Pierre-Paul and Sean Lee. That would really help the team.
Well played by both of you guys.
Morton would never do it, he HATES the Eagles front office so he would end up having to bash every one of his own decisions, and we know he won’t do that.
Jeff Fischer. I am all in as a consultant or next HC. Greg Blache makes some sense. But that is about it… please do not mention Chuckie (Cecil or that blow hard color man). Not excited about Cower (doesn’t he want the Gints job). Butch Davis is too shady for me controversy follows him .
BTW – Jauron’s defense doesn’t look very good either
So it looks like the Lions run the Wide 9 and it works… Their linebackers tackle. They swarm to the ball. They protect the gaps.
If I have to watch Asante, DRC, or Nnamdi wiff one more tackle…
Tommy, I know you are a research guru… has bringing in a consultant in the past to help a D, actually worked?
I believe in 2000 the Rams brough in Bud Carson as a defensive consultant with some slightly favorable results (although that year ended in an early playoff loss I believe to New orleans – http://www.sptimes.com/News/121500/news_pf/Sports/For_help__Rams_decide.shtml)
As an aside, how about John Marshall who is coaching inthe UFL and was with Holmgren for a while
Marshall’s not a bad thought. He was on Mornhinweg’s staff in Detroit, so there is a connection there, and was a LBs coach historically.
Ray Rhodes has held that position for several teams? I don’t know if his health would permit the move. Think about the way our Defense improved in 1995 after the struggles and Rhodes was at the helm.
[posted reply in wrong spot]
My first thought was Blache, actually, since he was one of JJ’s assistants in Indy. But he’s a DL coach. That’s the last thing we need. The only defensive coach and unit that hasn’t outright sucked is the DL — messing with that now seems like a mistake. What we need is a back 7 guy, someone who understands how the LBs and DBs work and how to minimize weaknesses back there.
Which is why Cottrell is the most interesting of the names on that list. He was an LBs coach for years, while Davis and Blache were strictly DL coaches.
I don’t know who else they’d add. I mean, who doesn’t have a job right now who is any good? Guys who are retired or fired or just not wanted. I mean, are we really going to bring in a guy like Mike Stoops? Are we there yet?
Buddy!!! Or is 80 too old?
LoL to borrow (and butcher) and equally old phrase from an ancient commercial… The kid in my loves this idea, but the adult in me is wondering where the fiber content is in this cereal.
I think I’ve figured out what’s missing on defense: a bass player.
We have “the prima donna” stars the lead singers and lead guitar players who make flashy plays and realize their own awesomeness occasionally to the detriment of the group.
We have “the drummer” the guys who fill out the rest of the 11 on the field who are a necessity, but in most bands deemed easily replaceable.
We are missing “the bassist” the glue that holds the prima donnas and the drummers together. Bass players don’t get noticed the way drummers do (for their lack of epic talent) or prima donnas do (for their talent/and for their mistakes) but the bass player is noticed most when he/she isn’t present.
I think that Nnamdi Asomugha could have been the bass player. He seems to have the right mental makeup for it. Team player, wants to do whatever it takes to win (hauling the gear, getting the gigs) wants to help teammates shine by doing the dirty work. Wants to expand his role and try new things… THE PROBLEM is that the position he plays is not a bass playing position. CB is a prima donna position. I may be wrong, but I think Nnamdi has been over thinking things and trying to help correct other people’s problems all while learning a new scheme in a short period of time. If he can let go of the idea that he is the savior of this defense and just play lights out CB that actually helps the defense most.
The guy I would identify as having the potential to step into this role (that used to be played by DAWK/Mikel) I am looking at Allen first and foremost and also possibly Jarret in the future. The hindrance is that these guys are young on a team with some older elite talent. Can they gain the confidence to step up and inspire their teammates to trust them to take out the trash?
Another bass player I would identify is Rolle. I think he has the talent and attitude to make it happen. If he can continue to play bigger than his height and be reliable, he could be that presence at LB. Chaney could also fill this role on the team, but to be honest I put him more in the “drummer” category with Fokou, Patterson, Laws, Landri, Matthews, Anderson, JP etc… Good foundational players who play an important role but are not elite or at positions where elite talent is 100% necessary.
I acknowledge that I am over simplifying things in this analogy, and that there are cases where the role of the lead guitar player and drummer are reversed and instances in which all band members are epic, but for the sake of the analogy I attempted to over simplify on purpose.
As Eagles fans, we need to be really, really careful about what we wish for. Reid has his issues, but for the last 13 years he has brought the Eagles consistent success. While that has not resulted in a super bowl, we can’t deny that he has done somethings extremely well. He has his issues and has made mistakes, is rude at times and not a good quote. However, he has been attractive to players and guys seems to want to perform for him.
All of this being said, he has been given too much power. The Castillo thing reeked of him thinking he could outsmart the football gods and hire someone who had very little defensive experience and coach him up to be defensive coordinator. Maybe he thought his immense football genius would be transferred to Castillo via osmosis? Not sure, but whatever the case, he was the only one who thought it was a good idea. I believe that Reid needs a offensive coordinator who is a calming force and talks Andy off of the edge of the cuteness cavern. I thought Childress really grounded Andy as OC. He was much more conservative and playcalling seemed more sane. Maybe Marty and Reid together is a bad concoction. It seems that the two of them together think that they can win every football game/first down with a trick or subterfuge.
For me, I am really start to question the daft(sp) day decisions of Roseman. Maybe sometimes it wouldn’t hurt to stay put and draft the best player available instead of horse trading. For once, I would like to draft a player who was not undersized at his position.
In any case, my long and winded point is that maybe Reid whould be placed on a shorter leash, but let’s not forget what he has given us and the stability of a coach who is established.
With all that being said, if Juan Castillo is still defensive coordinator next year, we need a Congressional inquiry.
I also figured out how we can use DRC in a way that he would appreciate.
We need to petition the league for a rules change to make this happen… If each team would be allowed to have 1 defensive player 20 yards behind the offense before the snap, but with the understanding that he is in no way allowed to make contact with the QB, then DRC could become an elite tackler since he would never have to take anyone on head first and could just chase people from behind.
Thoughts?
Dumb question here… but do the Lions run a WIDE 9? Read something on Les Bowen’s twitter about how the Lions run the WIDE 9 is how its suppose to be done..? Guess I thought Washburn was the only one that ran it..
Lions DO run the Wide-9. Head coach Jim Schwartz was the Titan’s D.C. for all the years Washburn was there (until 2009).
Matt Forte ran for 110+ yards last night. Twice he ran right past the LDE for a nice 12-15 yard gain — out of the nickel package (sound familiar).
But . . . that was the limit of Forte’s damage. 12-15 yard gains a couple times. NOT 40 YARD RUNS and 40 YARD SCREENS.
The Lions got out ahead and rushed the hell out of Cutler, occasionally giving up a few yards to Forte.
The Lions avoided turnovers. And the Lions avoided giving 20+ plays.
What we saw last night was what Reid envisioned.
Of course, the Lions LBs get to the ball quickly, rarely getting stuck on blocks.
And it helps to have Suh at DT beating the daylights out of the center and guards and threatening serious physical bodily harm to the QB if he’s caught.
Spuds indicates the Eagles are not going to hire a D consultant.
Why on earth should they? They are only on pace of giving up 35 TD passes this season. All’s good in Philly…
Hmm, though I not sure the Eagles would make it public even if they were looking for one. Remember, according to Andy, Mcdermott wasn’t getting fired, Mcnabb wasn’t getting traded and Kolb wasn’t losing his starting job to Vick.
The decision to make Castillo the DC and not bring in anybody to help him out was stupid. I imagine Cecil, or Blache on the other end of the phone when Reid calls…” Shoulda called me months ago Andrew, what the hell were you thinking?! We’ve had a running bet on when you would start calling for someone to help Juan out, my money is screwed.. I had you at week 4 of the pre-season….If I wasn’t f’ing bored to tears here on Sundays I’d tell you no thanks just for that!