Another Traitor Exposed

Posted: January 19th, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 78 Comments »

Well, we finally got Benedict Spagnuolo to show his true colors.  While Joe Banner, Jeff Lurie, and Andy Reid were doing charitable acts to improve the overall quality of life for all of mankind, Spagnuolo stabbed them in the back with a fleur-de-lis.  Traitor!!!

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By now you all probably know that Spags signed on to be the DC for the Saints.  We don’t know if the Eagles wanted Spags and he simply said no thanks or if Andy is committed to sticking with Juan.  We heard from a few people that he was taking his time and trying to choose carefully.  Chris Mortensen said this on Twitter:

For #Eagles fans, Spagnuolo really wanted something fresh, something new, or don’t think he would’ve coached this year.

I really do wonder if Andy’s situation worked against Spags coming here.  Steve could worried that if things didn’t work well in 2012, Andy could be fired and that would mean another job search.  By going to the Saints, Spags is joining a very stable situation.  He’s got arguably the top coach in the NFC in Sean Payton.  He’s got arguably the top QB in the NFC in Drew Brees.  The offense is loaded.  From that standpoint, I don’t blame Spags one bit for wanting to join the Saints.

I do have serious questions about their defense.  They have talent, but not the pass rushers that Spags is used to working with.  Spags loves the zone blitz, but his blitzes were usually designed to occupy blockers and free up his D-linemen.  The highest sack total by a non-DL with the Rams and Giants is 3.5 by LB Kawika Mitchell in 2007.  SS Roman Harper led the Saints with 7.5 sacks in 2011.  Spags is taking on a big challenge, unless the Saints can somehow make a deal for an impact DE like Mario Williams.

Maybe Spags wants that challenge.  If he can build a good DL in New Orleans, that will bode well for him getting another HC gig.  I do think Spags is rolling the dice with this move more than people realize.     

2007:  M. Strahan, O. Umenyiora, M. Kiwanuka, J. Tuck
2008:  Kiwanuka, Tuck, Dave Tollefson (Osi tore his ACL)

2009:  Chris Long, Leonard Little, James Hall
2010:  Long, Hall, C.J. Ah You
2011:  Long, Hall, Robert Quinn

Saints:  Will Smith, Cam Jordan, Junior Gallette

Spags is famous for putting DEs at DT and having them rush up the middle.  Cam Jordan should fit that well, but he still doesn’t have great edge rushers.  Spags will have some DT talent to work with, but his track record shows that he’s best with DEs that can fly off the edge or get moved around.   I don’t think it is a lock that Spags gets the Saints defense turned around the way people are talking about.  I think they need an impact DE to really help his system out.

The flip side is that maybe Spags can change up what he does.  If so, and he has success, he will enhance his reputation and might really get on the fast track to another HC job.  It will be interesting to see how things work out.  I like Spags and wish him well, except when we play him or need the Saints to lose.

* * * * *

So what does this mean for the Eagles?  It seems like Juan Castillo will be back.  We can’t fully rule out a change, but the only reason to do that is if there is a clear upgrade.  While some of the guys on the market are better defensive coaches than Juan Castillo, they aren’t necessarily better coaches for the 2012 Eagles.  We’ve already got systems in place that fit the personnel and worked pretty well last season.

I was in favor of making a change, but only a clear upgrade.  Just hiring someone new for the sake of making a change isn’t the way to go. We do still need a CBs coach.  No word on what’s happening there.  Typical Eagles secrecy.  I’m still hoping we land Todd Bowles.  He’s currently in a holding pattern as he waits to see who the Dolphins hire as HC.

It would be nice to find out something from the Eagles.  We’re looking for a new DC.  We’re sticking with Juan.  We’re negotiating with Buddy Ryan.  Whatever.  The silence is driving me crazy.

At least SpagsWatch 2012 has come to an end.

* * * * *

You guys had a lot of questions in the previous post.  I’ll do a Q&A post on Friday to address them.

  • Anonymous

    Cue the “Andy was on vacation being lazy and we missed out on spags” talk. Not on this site, on the negadelphia sites and radio shows.

    At this point I would rather just stick with Juan. The one thing I dont get is Juan always says we will be the most fundamentally sound team. Wouldn’t that start with tackling? Maybe the lockout, maybe guys just doing their own thing? I remember thinking we will never miss a tackle w him a D coordinator.

    I’m fine with Juan coming back. I much rather have Spag but cut the turnovers out, Vick step it up a notch and tackle better, we will be fine

    • Anonymous

      We can be a Top 5 defense with Juan at the helm, but they must get some good LBs in here this season.

      • http://twitter.com/sjampendk Sjampen

        Are you sure? The top defenses this year was Steelers, Texans, 49ers, Ravens and Jets, in other words Dick Lebeau, Wade Phillips, John Harbaugh/Chuck Pagano,Vic Fangio and Rex Ryan. Those guys are pretty much the “top dogs”.

        Don’t get me wrong, i think the best thing right now is to keep Juan, since we missed out on a “top dog”, but being a top 5 defense pretty much demands a great defensive coach, and Juan got a long way to go before he gets the track record of Sexy Rexy and Lebeau. That being said, i would settle for being a top 10 defense that we apparently finished like.

      • Zachary Kaplan

        How does a LB fix our defense? I mean I know everyone wants the defense to improve – and I’m right there with you – but I don’t think adding a tackler is the way to go.

        The Eagles need to force more TO’s and get more pressure. I don’t care if we led the league in sacks, there were streches when the pressure was inconsistent at best.

        I also think the offense has to be the key to this year. The Defense despite the melt downs was better than the year before in both total yardage and total points. They had more sacks. They gave up fewer yards passing. The two stats they were worse in? Takeaways (huge drop from 34 to 24) and rushing yards (just about 2 yards per game – almost meaningless in my mind). I know they got a little fat at the end of the year playing bad teams, but I think they were hurt more by the offense.

        Our offense? They scored 3 fewer points per game in 2011. They turned the ball over 13 more times than they did in 2010.

        You want to make the Eagles better – I think you should start hoping they find play makers on offense and defense. a 23 TO swing from a positive 9 +/- to a -13 +/- that’s why we were medicore this year.

        Not my favorite over his head d-coodinator. Not missed tackles by Jamar. Not Casey Matthews getting beat. Not Nnamdi lining up offsides. Not Asante’s dropping guys off. Turnovers and take aways.

        • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_PYKGABCJ34Z4TOFYAA53LMBXJI Jamie

          I think better tacking will lead to more take aways. The more you wrap up and put guys on the ground, the more they are liable to put the ball on the ground. I feel that if you’re getting paid to be an NFL defender, your best skill should be putting guys on the ground.

          • Anonymous

            Better tackling, to take it one step further, would also lead theoretically to offenses calling riskier plays, being out of their comfort zone or just generally being in second- or third-and-long more often.

            If we’re really asking “how will tackling better help the defense?” we might be overthinking it. It should be obvious, especially to anyone who watched Moises Fokou against the Falcons, Jarrad Page against the Bills, Jamar Chaney and Casey Mathews … well, you get the picture.

      • Anonymous

        I think Juan has a chance to build a unique defense.

        Most one gap defenses have used cover 2 shells (TB, Indy, Tenn, Det), but the only one I can think of that used press coverage were the Raiders, but they were so unimaginative (Aso just do the same thing every play, we’ll go 10 on 10).

        With a physical SLB (Lawson, Acho, Henderson), and a real MLB (Luke, Hawthorne, Lofton, Hightower), and suddenly great depth at LB (Chaney pushes Rolle at WLB, Matthews, Chaney in the nickel) a weakness becomes a strength without an outrageous investment.

        DRC replaces Asante, Marsh gets a lot of reps so he can play RCB when Aso covers the TE, pick up a physical (not Boykin) slot receiver (think a more athletic version of Rod Hood, I think there are two or three in this draft who would do), and the nickel package can actually tackle people (watching Asante at LCB and DRC in the slot play matador was painful, watching Page play blind man was worse).

        Just add depth to the DL (and resign that football God) and to safety and you’re set.

        Juan just has to remember he has nothing to lose, at worst he goes to Texas as their new DC when Diaz gets a HC job after the Longhorns win the national championship (if they can find a QB). Real estate is cheap in Brownsville, so he doesn’t have to worry about money.

  • Anonymous

    Et tu, Spagse?

    • Anonymous

      Exactly.

  • Anonymous

    There’s one of two things going on. The press conference that Lurie gave was just to satisfy the fans and meant nothing or Reid really doesn’t care about his job. All I know is that I REALLY miss JJ :(

    • Anonymous

      What if Reid wanted Spags, but Steve said no? That is possible.

      • Anonymous

        If that is true, I think that is a very telling statement about AR and the Eagles right now. Back in your two articles about keeping/firing AR, you mentioned his struggles with bringing in quality coaches. At the time, I think the idea was ARs struggles had to do with an inability to find and identify quality coaches that fit the team. If AR did want Spags but Spags refused, that adds the inability to attract quality coaches to the team. For me, that would raise some major red flags.

        That being said, out of fairness, I think it should be pointed out that at no point was there any indication from the Eagles that they wanted to bring Spags here (or any DC other than Juan for that matter). All the rumors and speculation was created by fans and media based on the perceived need at DC and the history Spags has with the organization. So far, AR has only shown support of Castillo.

        • Anonymous

          We did just get Mudd/Washburn

        • Anonymous

          “All the rumors and speculation was created by fans and media”

          And the fact that Reid never had his typical season ending press conference….leaving the impression that change was ‘in the wings’, no pun intended.

          If the proposition to Spags was to come in as Assistant Head Coach on Defense with Juan still in place as DC, as some have speculated, I can see that as a potentially awkward situation Spags would want no part of. The “we’ll keep Juan till we find somebody better” strategy is essentially a conflicted one and it sends 2 bad signals: to prospective DC’s it says ‘we’re hedging our bets right now and btw, do you mind keeping our friend Juan around as DB coach?’ and says to Juan ‘We’re not convinced you’re up to the job but we’ll keep you around if we can’t find anybody better.’ All the Eagles secrecy in the world is useless when you can read between the lines easier than Marshon Lynch can run through our lines.

        • Anonymous

          Then, why not a PC to address the JC issue and state that JC will be his DC in 2012? Why this long drawn out episode, not hearing from the HC?? There seems to be way more uncertainty with this organization now. I used to defer to their judgement, but over the last 3 or 4 seasons, you really have to question their methods. They are moving backward, not forward. They went from 11-5 and thoroughly embarrassed in the 1st round by Dallas, to 10-6 one and done again, to 8-8 and out of the playoffs. Now there are questions about the DC, the OC and the HC. Would it have not been better to just blow it up and bring in another HC and not delay another year in getting this team back to being a top contender?

          • http://www.facebook.com/people/James-Coe/749860957 James Coe

            “Then, why not a PC to address the JC issue and state that JC will be his DC in 2012? Why this long drawn out episode, not hearing from the HC??”

            When do HCs ever give a press conference that just says “BTW, I’m not firing my coordinators this year”?

            There has been no ‘long, drawn out episode’ anywhere but in our heads. As far as the organisation is concerned, there is nothing to tell. They want to keep Juan? Well that should be assumed unless people hear otherwise; no need to have a PC to say so.

          • Anonymous

            Definitely strange that we’re referring to not doing anything as “a long, drawn-out episode.”

            I think one of two things happened … they didn’t want Spags and backed Juan, or they wanted him and got turned down (which was probably a smart move, to pick the Saints).

            In either case, it didn’t make sense to have a press conference. At least not yet.

      • Anonymous

        Does anyone know if Reid interviewed or called him? From what most people are saying he didn’t. Of course nobody really know probably.

      • Anonymous

        You mean Spags had a choice?

        Why would anyone want to be the DC with Peyton and Brees? And live in NO with lots of money?

        Beats me.

  • Anonymous

    Tommy, we all know by now that you are rooting for Luke as MLB. Who do you see in the draft that we could get 2nd round or later for an OLB that could step in imediately? Maybe Chaney will surprise us if he’s moved to OLB, but anyone you’ve seen that can start right away, who can be picked up outside the first round?

    • Anonymous

      Travis Lewis is an OLB who could play SAM for us and possibly play right away. He’s got the experience and skills to fit in the NFL as a rookie. There might be some other guys. I’m still figuring out what I think of certain players.

      • Anonymous

        Any thoughts about Chaneys surgery? Think he’ll be 100% by training camp?

        • Anonymous

          I don’t have any inside info. Not sure if it will affect his status for 2012 or not. You never want LBs with neck issues, though. Not good.

      • Anonymous

        Tommy,

        I looked back at the 1999 and 2000 Titans to see what type of SLB they had for their defense–Eddie Robinson (6’1″ 240lbs) and Greg Favors (6’1″, 242lbs). Not big, but bigger than Travis Lewis who is probably generously listed at 6″2″ 227lbs. Lewis will likely get bigger, but what are your early impressions of, and comparison, Bruce Irvin or Nigel Bradham (both a little bigger and more traditional SAM type LBs IMO).

      • Anonymous

        Isn’t Lewis kinda scrawny for SLB in this defense?

        Think I’d rather go with Acho, not as fast, but a lot more physical against the run. We pull the SLB in the nickel, so go with the guy who makes sense in the base defense.

    • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_DPZBMFBVAVUM65GQ3VDXOQDYZQ Morton

      Some interesting comments from @nfldraftscout…

      “Luke Kuechly makes a lot of tackles… but most are 8 yards past the LOS. #FilmStudy #NFLDRAFT”
      https://twitter.com/#!/nfldraftscout/status/160220553196736512

      “@StaggerMcTipsy0 FSU ran right at him, all game, and he did nothing”
      https://twitter.com/#!/nfldraftscout/status/160223882790445057

      My recollection of Luke is similar… decent college player, limited athlete, inflated stats based on tackles downfield. Wont be NFL difference maker.

      Drafting this kid in the 1st round will be a mistake.

      • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_DPZBMFBVAVUM65GQ3VDXOQDYZQ Morton

        Yikes… he just posted a scouting report that breaks down Kuechly as as 3rd round prospect:

        http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1031882-luke-kuechly-2012-nfl-draft-scouting-report

        He makes quite a few good points too. Includes game footage as well.

        • Anonymous

          NFL scouts feel differently. Luke isn’t falling to the 3rd Rd. Nor should he.

          • Zachary Kaplan

            Tommy,

            If he’s lighter than expected (220ish) or slower than expected 4.8 – he could fall that far couldn’t he?

            I for one will still be extremely disappointed if the Eagles over-react and go with a LB. They say they are all about catching “the Saints and Packers” – well those teams aren’t build around great defenses. They are built around great offenses.

            And lets say we get a super star LB – which stud LB in the NFL is going to shut down Gronk? Hernandez? Finley? Graham? – These guys are huge match-up problems, that even adding a stud LB won’t fix.

            I say we go offense. Hell WR – TE – QB – with our first three picks. Get a 6’5 WR, get a TE with legit WR speed. Get a young QB. 49ers and Ravens might have a chance to prove defenses are alive and well in the NFL – but I go back and I see – Packers title, Saints title, Colts title – in recent years – 3 of the 4 – have been pass first, great offenses – with play making defenses.

            A tackling machine doesn’t fit in that senario in my mind.

          • Anonymous

            “They say they are all about catching “the Saints and Packers” – well those teams aren’t build around great defenses. They are built around great offenses.”

            Building a great offense is certainly valuable, but when you face a great offense, doesn’t it make sense to have a quality defense to slow them down? I think that’s the way to catch those teams. On top of that, didn’t both of those teams get knocked out of the playoffs by teams with quality defenses?

          • http://www.facebook.com/people/James-Coe/749860957 James Coe

            No, the Packers got beaten by the Giants…

          • Anonymous

            You’re right that the Giants did not have a good defense during the majority of the season, but in their last 4 games, they have been playing great defense. Held both the Jets and the Cowboys to 14 points, didn’t let Atlanta score once, and held the Packers to 20 points. On top of that, if the refs got the call right, one of those TDs should never have happened. I will admit that I have no idea how the Packers were unable to over match their secondary, but the fact is, they didn’t and the Giants played well.

          • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_DPZBMFBVAVUM65GQ3VDXOQDYZQ Morton

            Tommy, you’re sadly mistaken if you think that Luke is a special prospect.

            I can agree with drafting a physical freak like Brian Urlacher or Patrick Willis in the first round – guys that have the speed to run with TEs and cover the deep middle of the field but also the size and strength to mix it up the box – but to spend a first round pick on a technically sound, physically mediocre 2-down run-stopping MLB, well, that would be downright foolish.

            Smart organizations do not spend first round picks on MLBs unless they are absolutely special prospects – both productive in college and physically elite specimens.

            Look at the Giants. They haven’t spent a first round pick on a LB in forever, just like the Eagles. They invest heavily in defensive line and cornerback. They’re making their second Super Bowl run in 5 years. In 2010, Giants fans were clamoring for Rolando McClain in the first round to replace Antonio Pierce. Instead, Jerry Reece rolled the dice on a physically talented DE prospect named Jason Pierre Paul. Do you think he regrets picking DE over MLB that year? McClains is a marginally effective starter in Oakland while Jason Pierre Paul might be hoisting the Super Bowl MVP award in a few weeks.

        • Anonymous

          You just cited bleacher report. You have officially lost all credibility as the “wild card” guy who just sees things differently and have veered straight off the cliff into loonyville.

          • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_DPZBMFBVAVUM65GQ3VDXOQDYZQ Morton

            Why don’t you actually read the scouting report before you make judgements based on the URL?

            The guy that wrote that breaks it down very well and even provides video footage of Kuechly’s play to support his viewpoints.

          • Anonymous

            Ok so I did and after watching the first link where he shows Luke not being able to get off a double team I proceeded to skip the rest of it. Really? You expect a linebacker to get off that? Hell half the DTs in the NFL cant split a double team. You can cherry pick bad plays for any player. I’m sure there is plenty of film out there that if properly pieced together makes you think Ray Lewis is a worthless turd. Or you can choose to look at things over the course of a game. Lets see. You have a raging boner for Devon Still. I don’t even have to pick and choose bad plays. I can just put on the tape of Wisconsin and Ohio State and let it roll.

  • http://twitter.com/sjampendk Sjampen

    Where does Danny Trevathan fit in? I really like him in the 3rd round, maybe even a mid 2nd.

    • Anonymous

      I like Danny quite a bit, but figuring out his value is the tricky part. I’ll be writing about him a lot between now and April. Good player.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_DPZBMFBVAVUM65GQ3VDXOQDYZQ Morton

    So the Eagles fans get to miss out on the main defensive coordinator target of the offseason – likely costing them an opportunity to compete next year – while watching the Giants win yet another Super Bowl as a 9-7 team that barely beat them out for a playoff berth? The cherry on top will be watching Jason Pierre-Paul earn the Super Bowl MVP award.

    Sounds like it’s going to be an awesome offseason.

    • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_33FTQ3QUA6JVWLP7RC6WSPQTSY Furt

      Ha! I guess the Super Bowl MVP award will be changed to the NYG MVJPP award. Hey, I’m pulling for Justin Smith to put the smackdown on all the NYG pass rush hype, make Sheli be Sheli and..ugh 9ers roll?

    • Anonymous

      I’m guessing you’ll be revisiting this post when the giants fail to win the superbowl. Or not.

    • Anonymous

      I think the best takeaway from the Giants’ run is actually a positive for the Eagles: You can have obvious issues, play poorly for portions of the season, but if you have a good bit of talent and you get it figured out and play well in the playoffs, you can make a run.

      Also I have this weird feeling that if the Giants lose and don’t go to the Super Bowl they’ll go right back into the batch of NFC teams who are pretty good. If they get to the SB, we will wildly overstate how good they are based on a short stretch of playing well.

  • Anonymous

    I will be disappointed if Castillo is back.

    I believe that the top coordinators are masters in their field and that their knowledge is earned through years of experience, often under the tutelage of another great football mind.

    Juan Castillo does not have that kind of resume and the idea that Andy Reid spotted something in Juan that would allow him to take a shortcut to the top, to be able to compete with the best in the NFL despite being handicapped by his lack of experience, does not seem logical to me.

    • Anonymous

      To be fair, Juan has been coaching for almost 30 years. I know the first half of that was high school and D2 college, but it isn’t like he’s some young hotshot that Andy plucked from a nearby college.

      Hiring him was a very odd move. We all agree on that.

      Juan isn’t a defensive “master” as you say, but few coordinators are when they start. Wade Phillips wasn’t a guru when he ran the Saints D in 1981. He is now. Baltimore had crappy defenses in Marvin Lewis’ first 3 years on the job. Then things turned. Rob Ryan has a ton of experience and I’m starting to really question just how good of a coach he is.

      Having Juan as DC isn’t ideal. That doesn’t mean that it can’t work. Real key is upgrading LB. Didn’t matter if Buddy, Bud, or JJ was running things. Gotta have LB help.

      • Anonymous

        How many years was Spags a DC when he took over in New York?

        Guess those years as an assistant coach under JJ made him a genius.
        Too bad Juan sitting in on those meetings for a decade taught him nothing.

  • http://twitter.com/sjampendk Sjampen

    Tommy, if Marty becomes HC for the Raiders, do we have any chance on bringing in former Raiders HC Hue Jackson? That would almost make me forgive the front office if they fail to bring in Kuechly.

    • Anonymous

      The new OC would almost certainly be Brad Childress or we’d promote David Culley.

      • Anonymous

        Culley is still a relative unknown, at least when we are talking about OC, but considering his history, I would be willing to trust that he could get the job done. I also wouldn’t be upset at all with Childress if they brought him in. I am just curious if they would even consider anyone outside of those two guys, especially considering that it doesn’t seem there will be a huge market for Childress or Culley.

      • Anonymous

        I’ve always believed that our improved wide reciever play was not because of Culley improving, but rather because of Mornhinweg. I’ve alluded to this before and maybe even explained why I think this, but I doubt many people are going to agree with me on it.

        I would not really want Culley as an OC. I’d love to have Chucky er Childress back.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=548999324 Matt Hoover

    Question for Tommy: Could Tom Bradley be a candidate for the open CBs Coach?

    • Anonymous

      Doubt it. He’s a LBs guy. I’d love to add him to the staff, but he’d have to come here and be ILBs coach or something like that.

      • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=47904149 Liam Garrett

        Are we married to Caldwell at LB? Would it be worth demoting him to bring in Bradley?

        • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=548999324 Matt Hoover

          that would make sense to bring him to work with the LBs

          • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=548999324 Matt Hoover

            Actually not from what I read, Bradley is a DB got, coached DBs, was a CB, hasn’t been coaching the LBs in PSU, besides his Dcord duties.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=548999324 Matt Hoover

    Question for Tommy: If Marty leaves to become a HC, would the eagles be interested in bringing in Mike Sherman or bringing back Brad Childres?

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=548999324 Matt Hoover

    Last Question for Tommy: Could the Eagles be interested in soon to be FA MLB Dan Connor?

    • Anonymous

      I hope not. I didn’t watch much of Dan this year, but in the past he hasn’t been a particularly good player. Great in college, but limited pro. I’m fine with signing him if we also add a top MLB in the draft and let them battle it out. I don’t want Dan as “the answer”.

      • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=548999324 Matt Hoover

        It didn’t seam like he was a playmaker this year, more of a tackles by numbers guy.

  • http://Twitter.com/JT_Football Joe Taylor

    It’s all good that we didn’t get Spags. I wanted him, but I can live without him. He’s not that GREAT…Anyways hopefully Bowles will coach the DBacks and Castillo should be fine with year under his belt.

    This defense’s struggles were not all on Juan.
    You have to hold the players accountable for not playing well.
    You can’t blame Juan for our players missing tackles.
    You can’t blame Juan for Nnamdi being offsides on a 3rd and 5 that we stopped but gave them a first down to win the game vs. the Cards.
    You can’t blame Juan for Asante leaving Jarrett 1on1 vs. Larry
    You can’t blame Juan for DeSean fumbling a punt vs. Bears to basically give up the lead again.
    In the first half of the year, when our Run Defense was not so great, you can’t blame Juan for that one…
    Chaney | Matthews | Rolle | Jordan | Fokou | Clayton
    ^^^None of those LBs are even close to going to the Pro Bowl and none are even guaranteed a starting spot next year.
    Heck I guarantee you at least 2 of those players will be cut or traded by next season.

    But really, Juan wasn’t the reason we didn’t make the playoffs…
    The offensive turnovers did.
    The offense never really played a great full game except for maybe the first DAL game.

    Juan’s defense finished high in a lot of categories which is remarkable considering the LB talent, his first year running a Defense, etc.

    Juan wasn’t perfect, and at times the Defense was ugly but it was more of the offense’s fault for why we were 8-8.

    • Anonymous

      All true. The Eagles should institute a fine/bonus system for next year. Boneheaded mistakes like Nnamdis offsides, Asantes everything, and Vicks temporary color blindness, Maclin eating too many butterfingers before the game etc will cost you 50 large and up. If your single play blows a game it’s 100. Conversely huge moments, lucky or not (3 INTs even from Grossman) will earn you 50-100k and up. Just think how much harder DeSean would’ve played, he could have quadrupled his salary without a new contract!

  • Anonymous

    Well all we can do now is hope for the best. I will be disappointed if this is the second year in a row that the Eagles got their second choice concerning a DC. I believe in the “experience factor” concerning a DC. That being said I will again close my eyes and “hope” Reid and the Eagles know what they are doing and next year we have a great season. Go Eagles!

  • http://twitter.com/corry_k Corry Henry

    This sucks. At this point though, I think it will be better to just stick with Juan and have some continuity for next year. Definitely not my ideal situation…

    • http://profile.yahoo.com/BX2DZ3SNH5MD4KMVZORSGCGT3M RichardG

      The saddest part is most of us probably saw this coming! I knew as soon as the Saints lost to the Niners, amid the Williams to Fisher’s staff in St .Louis rumours, Spags would be a tough catch because a top team would join the chase. Reid alienates himself so much from the fans by his indifference or at least perceived apathy. It’s like he doesn’t really care what anyone thinks. Where would any franchise be without the fans? They wouldn’t exist! I’ve spent thousands of dollars on Eagle’s memorabilia and faithfully pluck down another $350.00 for my NFL Sunday ticket just so I can watch that selfish Mody Dick of a man torture me another year. Before anyone says, well go follow some other team, you all know how strong our bond is to this team! Loyalty and self-induced torture…joined at the hip!

      • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_AHVR5EZERRCZSD77DMKWAEEPLA Steve H

        I dont get the whole feelings of persecution thing about Andy Reid. Do you truly believe he doesn’t care? Do you truly feel somehow wronged by him giving boring press conferences?

        • http://profile.yahoo.com/BX2DZ3SNH5MD4KMVZORSGCGT3M RichardG

          Steve H, would you go on vacation the week after the season ended, every year if you were the coach of this team? I’d take care of business first. There is time for a vacation after the Senior Bowl, or in Andy’s case, is he even going to attend? He’s so fearful of the media asking him tough questions that he’ll probably pass. It’s not the boring press conferences for god’s sake, it’s simply the way he comes across period. The team, Andy and his entire staff is at a crossroads after that disaster of a season but his vacation ALWAYS comes first!

          • http://twitter.com/EWeaver34 Eric Weaver

            There isn’t time after the Senior Bowl. He’s prepping for FA and the draft.

          • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_LHFJFXII7VH2DWYBBXFKWQVZS4 ike

            I seem to remember reading a year or two back that in the (couple of?) weeks between the last mini-camp and training camp, coaching staffs take a break.

            Anyway, the front office and owner seem beyond seriously caring about Reid’s pressers — as long as no Jim Mora melt-downs occur.

            Richard G, in my opinion, has it right. It’s not AR’s “better position” mantra — which, the more I read PFT.com, the more I see other coaches and players saying the same thing.

            It’s Reid’s snarky remarks to the media — who, for better or worse, are asking at least some questions to which the fan base should get an answer.

            Not all questions — ’cause some are just stupid — but many.

            An example of a dumb question is one asked of Mike Ditka once when he coached the Saints. He was asked why, on 4th and 1 he called a particular play. His answer was rightly curt: “I thought it would work.”

            Now, had that play been called arlier and failed a couple times, and the question prefaced with some data points about it not working — or even, “what did you see on the tape in preparing the game plan — then maybe an answer like that is rude and stupid.

            But a question like that is, IMHO, not particularly insightful. And I don’t blame coaches for treating those kind of questions as not needing much more than an “I thought it would work.”

  • Anonymous
    • Anonymous

      Pure rubbish.

      People have wanted there to be this Team Banner vs Team Reid dynamic. Simply isn’t the truth. They work together well. They get along.

      If Reid hated working for Lurie/Banner, he could force his way out and hit the road. That’s just not the case.

      • http://twitter.com/EWeaver34 Eric Weaver

        Out of everyone that is a better known “journalist” to cover the Eagles, I think Bob Grotz is the most horrid.

  • Anonymous

    I’m not against Juan staying, but you need a MASSIVE upgrade in terms of coaching talent around him for this to work. We have Washburn. Who else is a defensive assistant that you trust to help him out?

  • Anonymous

    NO has to sign its free agents before going after another big name. Brees, Meachem, Colston, Harper, and decent-O-lineman-i-do-not-know-the-name-of are all free agents. Brees gets a monster deal. Colston gets a monster deal. Harper has to be signed. Is there room left to sign a Mario Williams? Sounds like a Sam question.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_LHFJFXII7VH2DWYBBXFKWQVZS4 ike

    T-Law:

    The Eagles’ Red-Zone defense has been terrible the past two seasons.

    Would you take a minute or two to explain what exactly’s been their problem? In two totally different schemes.

    Is it as simple as “better LBs”? Or better tackling? Or better play-calling?

    Thanks!

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Anders-Jensen/748307140 Anders Jensen

      In the redzone TEs and RB rule and consider the Eagles problems defending RBs this year and TEs the last few years, its not that hard to see why.

      • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_LHFJFXII7VH2DWYBBXFKWQVZS4 ike

        My question is why, structurally, is the Eagles’ defense a RZ disaster.

        What exactly about two totally different schemes *causes* in consecutive seasons RZ problems.

        It’s more than “can’t cover the TE” or “can’t stop the RB”.

        Those are the “effects.”

        What’s been the “cause”?

        • http://www.facebook.com/people/James-Coe/749860957 James Coe

          I think with the “cause” you come back to your previous observations of LBs, tackling and play calling.

        • Anonymous

          Pretty legit questions.