Former Eagles defensive coordinator Sean McDermott lost his job because, as coach Andy Reid explained it, the shadow of the late Jim Johnson was too large. New defensive coordinator Juan Castillo could be trying to shrink that shadow.
Castillo says he wants to simply the defense, according to Jonathan Tamari of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
“Jim Johnson got some great blitzes,” Castillo said. “I want to have them all in the package, but how can I do it here so that it’s simple for my guys so that everybody can understand. To play fast, you can’t be thinking.”
But Johnson was able to use those blitzes and to get his guys to understand those blitzes and to play effectively regarding of how much they were or weren’t thinking. The more accurate reality could be that Castillo knows that he’ll have limited time to get his defense ready for the 2011 season, given the lockout. Still, it wouldn’t be unreasonable for Eagles fans to wonder whether Castillo, a converted offensive line coach, is the one having trouble understanding Jim Johnson’s blitzes.