Coupled with the hiring of Bowles is the end-of-the-speculation news that Juan Castillo is going to return, no doubt about it, as the team's defensive coordinator.
Bringing on board the former is, to those who know him and based on his track record, a very nice move, and retaining the latter is not a surprise to me at all. More on Castillo later. Right now let's talk about Bowles and what he brings to the table.
Bowles has a wealth of experience coaching in the league, concentrated on defensive backs and a variety of schemes. He is a hard-working, no-nonsense guy who you may not hear from again until he emerges in some corner of the league as a head coach, which, of course, was his most recent job as interim head coach in Miami.
A 2-1 record with the Dolphins wasn't enough for Miami to stick with Bowles for the long term, so he is back on familiar soil in Philadelphia, where he starred for Temple University from 1982-85. The task Bowles has is tantalizing: The Eagles have great depth and talent at cornerback, and they have youth and talent and a lot of questions at the safety positions.
It seems to be a great hire for the Eagles, and Bowles should work very nicely with Castillo. The two men spent Monday together for the interview and discussion process, a sort of ask-and-answer session that clearly went very well.
Bowles replaces Johnnie Lynn, who was here for a season working exclusively with the cornerbacks. Bowles' job description is not quite that narrow; he and safeties coach Michael Zordich will work together closely and that should aid the communication process in the defensive secondary.
The other part of this is that, clearly, Castillo is here to stay as the team's defensive coordinator. The rampant speculation can now end. The Eagles aren't going to tear apart the coaching staff. Castillo showed tangible signs of growth in his first season as a defensive coordinator, enough to give head coach Andy Reid a high level of trust for 2012.
Part 1 of the offseason, the coaching staff, is complete. Unless there is something that comes completely out of the blue, the Eagles have their staff in place, with minimal change. Only Lynn has been replaced in the aftermath of an 8-8 disappointment in 2011.
Reid meets the media on Tuesday in what should be a fascinating session at the NovaCare Complex. I'm not sure what Reid is going to say, but I know this: He believes in his coaching staff, in his players and in the organization. He is well aware of the big picture here. Team Chairman/CEO Jeffrey Lurie spoke after the season finale, the win over Washington, and spared no words to describe his disappointment over the '11 performance, and with full trust Reid returns with most of his coaching staff still in place.
The roster is going to be largely in place, with the usual turnover anticipated. Oh, the Eagles are going to address every position and look for upgrades, but they aren't going in with the idea that they need an upheaval. They go in thinking they have to be a much better football team to win a Super Bowl, but they expect to accomplish that with continuity, familiarity and improved play and coaching.
Castillo, who for weeks has been quiet and really not quite sure publically what to say or do, can now face reporters with a clear understanding of his position. He was obviously uncomfortable speaking to reporters last week in Mobile, AL at the Senior Bowl, instead deferring to Reid for big-picture answers. It was clumsy, certainly, and it raised to a new level the degree of speculation.
What are the Eagles doing? What are they thinking? What is the next step?
The answer(s) came on Monday with the addition of Bowles. He has not been hired, to quell more speculation, as the "defensive coordinator in waiting." That is not the case at all. Castillo is the guy and Bowles is one of his outstanding coaches. There is no other motive at work here.
For the rest of it, well, it's just a lot of hot air, question marks and inevitable speculation raised by a near-month of silence.
We're going to hear from Reid, and when we're not going to hear much at all until free agency begins on March 13. The Eagles are going to circle the wagons and map out their strategy for 2012 and beyond. We're not going to be let in on the game plan until we see it unfold in front of our very eyes. My thinking is that the Eagles are going to try to sign as many of their own unrestricted free agents as they can, pick up a piece or two in free agency and then try to score big in the draft. My thinking is that this year's free agency won't resemble last year's free agency in the least.
The bottom line is that the Eagles think they have a lot of pieces in place to make a serious go of it for the coveted Lombardi Trophy, both on the roster and on the coaching staff. And, again, the message remains: Judge this team in September, when the games begin, and not now. Only then will it be a worthwhile evaluation. Only then will we know if what the Eagles are doing now is the correct path to New Orleans in February, 2013.
