Not everyone on the Eagles' defense believes that former coordinator Juan Castillo wasn?t cut out for the job.
One day after defensive end Brandon Graham characterized Castillo?s schemes as vanilla and predictable (see story), cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie rose to his former coach?s defense.
Rodgers-Cromartie portrayed Castillo as a scapegoat who became the fall guy for a multitude of problems plaguing a 3-3 team and an easy target for backlash.
?Of course that?s what you're going to say when things tend to go bad, you're going to pin-point someone,? the Pro Bowl corner said. ?I don?t feel that way. You look at statistics, shoot, we?re still in the top of the running. I can?t do nothing about it. But I didn?t see no problems.?
Rodgers-Cromartie also suggested that anyone throwing Castillo under the bus isn?t taking enough personal responsibility for the team?s struggles.
?I feel like every man should be accountable for [himself],? he added. ?I learned from early in life any time things go wrong it?s easy to say, ?He did this, he did that? instead of saying, ?I did this, I did that.? Whatever the case may be I ain?t got no say-so over none of that. It was a decision that happened and it happened.?
Castillo was replaced by secondary coach Todd Bowles, whose message to the defense has centered on less predictability and finishing games, the areas where Castillo had his most problems.
In the former coordinator?s final game, a 26-23 overtime loss to the Lions, the Eagles blew a 10-point lead in the final five minutes. The loss was Castillo?s sixth when leading going into the fourth quarter in a career of just 22 games.
The perception of Castillo going into 2012 was that his duties were relegated to mainly coaching linebackers as defensive line coach Jim Washburn and Bowles presided over their respective positions.
But Rodgers-Cromartie called Castillo the most central figure in his transition from an off corner to a press corner. Rodgers-Cromartie, who spent his first three years in Arizona, said he never played press coverage until he came over to the Eagles last year in an offseason trade.
?No question. He changed my game,? said Rodgers-Cromartie, whose three interceptions is tied with several others for the NFL?s fourth-most picks. ?He brought me to a press corner. He?s one of them guys that will take the time with you to let you understand the weaknesses in your game and keep you after practice and make you work on it.
?This is the NFL. You?re accountable for yourself. Not too many people ... [say] ?Hey, you need to do this and let me see you do it.? They tend to let you do it on your own.?
Rodgers-Cromartie added that ?Juan played a major part in every position -- from the D-line to the linebackers. He?s always trying to keep guys after practice and make them work.?
If it sounds like Rodgers-Cromartie is disappointed or angered by some of the anti-Castillo sentiment that?s emerged over the past few days, he insisted that he?s not ticked off at teammates.
"That?s their own opinion," he said. ?I can?t do nothing about that. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion. I can?t be mad because you think he sucks. That?s your opinion.?
E-mail Geoff Mosher at gmosher@comcastsportsnet.com
Tags: nfl, philadelphia eagles, Brandon Graham, juan castillo, Todd Bowles, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, geoff moshernick cannon lindsay lohan saturday night live snl lindsay lohan valley fever project x the lorax lorax
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