Redemption for Castillo following Eagles’ victory

Published: October 17th, 2011 | Tags: Around the League, Andy Reid, Juan Castillo, Philadelphia Eagles

As much as Eagles coach Andy Reid had come under fire for the team’s awful start, there’s no denying defensive coordinator Juan Castillo was right there with him taking some major heat.

Maybe things are a little cooler now, though, for Castillo after Philadelphia’s 20-13 road win in Washington. After all, the Eagles put a stop to their four-game losing streak thanks mostly to a long-awaited impressive defensive effort.

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“You could see the weight of the world had been lifted off of Juan’s shoulders after the game,” Philadelphia Inquirer beat writer Jeff McLane said on “Around the League” Monday. “He sat down, was beaming as he spoke to reporters. Eagles president Joe Banner even came over at one point and patted him on the knee and said ‘Good job.’

“Juan has been under a lot of pressure in this city. … I think a lot of people thought his play-calling was questionable in those first five games, but you saw that he was able to make adjustments in this game.”

Those adjustments resulted in four interceptions and — perhaps more importantly – holding the Redskins to just 42 rushing yards. The Eagles improved to 2-4, probably a good thing for fans because another week of upheaval in Philly couldn’t be good for their mental health. Listening to endless complaints about how Castillo shouldn’t be running the defense because of his background as an offensive coach was getting old.

At least for this week, let’s give Castillo credit where credit is due. He out-coached Mike Shanahan, who had two weeks to prepare the Redskins coming off the bye week. At the very least, maybe Eagles fans will lay off Castillo — and Reid, for that matter — for just a week and enjoy a much-needed win.

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Eagles win NFC East following loss by Giants

Published: December 26th, 2010 | Tags: Philadelphia Eagles, 2010 NFL playoff picture, NFL playoffs

The Eagles didn’t even have to play Sunday in order to clinch the NFC East. That was taken care of by the Giants.

The Eagles entered Week 16 needing a win or a loss by the Giants to stake claim to the division title. But due to an expected blizzard on the East Coast, they won’t get their chance against the Vikings until Tuesday night. No matter. Thanks to the Giants’ loss in Green Bay, the Eagles’ spot is now secure.

As division champs the Eagles would host a first-round game, but they still have a hand in controlling their playoff seed. The Bears need the Eagles to lose on Tuesday night in order clinch the NFC’s No. 2 seed and a first-round bye. However, if the Eagles win and the Bears lose in Week 17 to the Packers, the Eagles would claim the first-round bye. If the teams finish tied, the Bears hold the tie-breaker given their win over the Eagles earlier this season.

Keep an eye on the updates as to how the playoff picture would look if the season ended right now.

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