The Philadelphia Eagles fired cornerbacks coach Johnnie Lynn yesterday, their first defensive change in an offseason that could potentially see a significant number of defensive coaching changes.
Lynn was brought in before the season to coach the cornerbacks, after the Eagles allowed 31 passing touchdowns last season, a franchise record.
The Eagles brought in free agent Nnamdi Asomugha, widely regarded as a top three cornerback in the league, this offseason. They also traded for former Pro Bowl cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie to play as the slot cornerback, giving the Eagles a three-headed cornerback system similar to Green Bay’s trio of Tramon Williams, Sam Shields, and Charles Woodson.
But the Eagles still allowed 27 touchdown passes this season, and intercepted 15 passes, eight fewer than last year. Both Asomugha and DRC suffered through terrible seasons, and neither was used properly on defense.
Lynn, a former Giants defensive coordinator, has been the only Eagles coach fired so far this offseason.
The speculation has been whether defensive coordinator Juan Castillo will be fired. Castillo, an offensive line coach with the Eagles his whole NFL career, had never coached defense at any level in the NFL. His last experience coaching defense occurred in the 1980s.
Castillo had a nightmare beginning to the season, as the Eagles blew three fourth quarter leads in their first four games. They tied an NFL record by blowing five throughout the season, and although they finished 10th in scoring defense and ended the season on a four-game winning streak, the Eagles would be crazy to not pursue Steve Spagnuolo, who was just fired as the Rams head coach.
So the question is whether Castillo will stay with the Eagles in 2012? If he does, it won’t be with the offensive line because legendary coach Howard Mudd is returning next season.
That opens up the possibility of the Eagles bringing back Castillo as a defensive coach somewhere on the unit next season. Even though he has never coached the cornerbacks before, that didn’t stop Andy Reid from making him the defensive coordinator in 2011.
I honestly wouldn’t be a fan of Castillo as the cornerbacks coach. But if it meant bringing in Spagnuolo as the defensive coordinator, I would love it.
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Castillo has too much pride to move down the Eagles’ ladder. If he is fired, he will leave for another team, seeking a coordinator job. I could see him serving under a coordinator at another team. But not the with the Eagles.