The Philadelphia Eagles suffered a tough loss on Sunday to the Detroit Lions in overtime and have struggled this season during crucial moments.
The team is starting to look a bit desperate and continued that trend on Tuesday, with the announcement that the Eagles have fired defensive coordinator Juan Castillo. The team announced that secondary coach Todd Bowles will be promoted to the position.
During Sunday's game the Eagles were up 10 points on the Lions, but allowed Detroit to come back and win the game in overtime.
"This was my decision and my decision alone," coach Andy Reid said to ESPN.com.
According to the article, Reid said on Monday that "Castillo would continue to make the defensive play calls but that everything about the team would be evaluated during the bye week."
He thought over the decision on Monday night and felt a change was needed to help turn the team back in the right direction.
"We're six games into the season and average isn't good enough," said Reid. "I know the potential of our team and insist on maximizing it."
Reid added that Castillo is "one of the finest football coaches that I have ever worked with. He has served this organization extremely well for 18 years and letting him go was a difficult decision. I know he will continue to be a successful coach in this league and wish he and his family nothing but the best.
Castillo became the defensive coordinator last season after working as the team's offensive line coach. Philadelphia ended up with an 8-8 record after struggling early in the season and missed the playoffs.
This year the team is ranked 15th in both passing yards and rushing yards allowed, but have lost three of the past four games. Two of the losses have come by a combined five points and the other was a 21-point blowout by the Arizona Cardinals.
Following Sunday's game against Detroit, high-priced cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha criticized the play calling of the defense.
"The fourth quarter was a lot of blitzing," Asomugha said to the Philadelphia Inquirer. "So, the fourth quarter, they were able to find the matchups they wanted amidst the blitzing. You could say, 'You should blitz more,' but we did that and it didn't help us in the end."
While Reid said the decision was his, the quotes from the team's top cornerback didn't help with matters.
"It's very difficult," Asomugha said. "It's very difficult, especially with a bye week. You're not treating the bye week the same as you would have treated it had we come away with the victory. That's why you just see a lot of heads hanging in here, because we know it's a different bye week now. Three-and-three is behind the eight-ball. We've got to now pick it up."
He also added: "One hundred percent, you have to win that," Asomugha said. "If you can't win those games, then you've got to go back to the drawing board and see what's going on. You've got to be able to close out a game like that. I think we all feel like that on defense."
The problems with the Eagles have not only been on defense. Quarterback Michael Vick has turned into a turnover machine, giving away eight interceptions and three fumbles this season. The Eagles lead the league with 17 turnovers and have also had issues on the offensive line and with running the ball with halfback LeSean McCoy.
The defense has struggled getting to the quarterback, collecting only seven sacks in six games this year.
Castillo has been with the Eagles since 1995 and started as an offensive assistant before being promoted to tight ends coach in 1997 and offensive line coach in 1998.
Many reporters and fans wondered last season why Reid would promote his offensive line coach to be defensive coordinator, but the head coach defended the move.
The Eagles finished last season as the eighth ranked defense, allowing 324 yards per game. But the team has not done well late in games; according to ESPN's Stats & Info, the Eagles have blown seven fourth-quarter leads since the beginning of the 2011 season, which is the worst in the league.
With a bye week coming up, the Eagles realize that the rest of the season is in their own hands. They are still 3-3 and only one game behind the defending Super Bowl Champion New York Giants with 10 games left to play.
