IT's official-Bowles is full of shit too

[Eagle60]

Eagles' Todd Bowles: Babin's release no reflection on wide nine



Zach Berman, Inquirer Staff Writer

Posted: Friday, November 30, 2012, 2:30 AM

Former Eagles defensive end Jason Babin joined the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday while the Eagles continued moving forward without the two-time Pro Bowl defensive end.

Meanwhile, Eagles defensive coordinator Todd Bowles said he had no role in the decision to release Babin.

"That's something handled by management and the head coach," Bowles said.

In Jacksonville, Babin praised his new team, the warm weather, and the lack of state income tax in Florida. He also opined on the Eagles' future compared to that of the 2-9 Jaguars.

"It's definitely good because things kind of are stagnant there and could ultimately get worse before they get better," Babin told Jacksonville-area reporters. "Being a part of something that is about to blossom is definitely an exciting feeling."

When asked about being "bashed" while leaving Philadelphia, Babin said that's the way Philadelphians show their love.

"It's like a backhanded compliment," he said. "The non-Philly person would look at it as mean or cruel, but it's a little bit of a sign of endearment."

Bowles said he did not view Babin's release as an indictment of the wide nine, the defensive front used by Eagles defensive line coach Jim Washburn.

Babin's best years came playing in the system, but it has not been fruitful for the Eagles this season. Bowles said he is still optimistic about his young defensive ends - Brandon Graham, Phillip Hunt, and Vinny Curry - who will see more time with veterans Trent Cole and Darryl Tapp in the team's rotation.

"I don't think that points to the failure of the wide nine," Bowles said of Babin's exit.

[fly]

Bowles: "It's not a reflection of this asinine wide-nine scheme that I had nothing to do with ... honestly, I just suck as a DC."

[ThoughtProcess]

This may just be diplomatic double-speak. He is unlikely to throw his own D-line coach to the wolves, even if that D-line coach appears to operate independent of the rest of the defense.

[tinopuno]

..... even if that D-line coach appears to operate independent of the rest of the defense.

The same thing might well be said about almost every member of the defense.

[andrewaters]

Todd Bowles may suck. But i kind of feel for him. Talk about being dealt a horrible hand. No players and crap scheme.

[Eagle60]

Todd Bowles may suck. But i kind of feel for him. Talk about being dealt a horrible hand. No players and crap scheme.

It's probably why he didn't get the Miami job. He's a nice guy. He should have told Washburn that he's the new DC and to do it his way or hit the road. That's pretty much how the successful coaches do it. My way or the highway.

[Vet Turf]

It's probably why he didn't get the Miami job. He's a nice guy. He should have told Washburn that he's the new DC and to do it his way or hit the road. That's pretty much how the successful coaches do it. My way or the highway.

I think this is right. Is it possible that Bowles is a believer in the wide nine? sure but it isn't f'n working dude. Even a moron with football x's and o's like myself can see that. if he had a sack it would be changed.

[j-bird]

Gonna be interesting to see how the next Coach evaluates personel & Coaches as they are today. I gotta think that along with Andy, MM, Mudd, & Washburn are gone. IMO the jury is still out on Bowles because of the situation he walked into. He's done a lousy job with the secondary(his original job) but is that due to the wide 9? I don't think so but his track record following Castillo is flat out lousy. IMO, the next Coach here will have to bring in his own staff of Coaches(OL,DL,OC,DC, etc) & totally blow this whole thing up. I wouldn't be surprised if the entire staff under Reid gets a pink slip Monday morning after the last game.

[Vet Turf]

I agree, the entire staff must go in order to give the next guy full control with direction.

[ThoughtProcess]

It's probably why he didn't get the Miami job. He's a nice guy. He should have told Washburn that he's the new DC and to do it his way or hit the road. That's pretty much how the successful coaches do it. My way or the highway.

This may be true. Conversely, it may be that Bowles cannot fully implement the type of defensive scheme that he desires because of time constraints. As a result he is forced to go with the same flawed scheme that they started the season with. Complete with Washburn's wide-nine grafted on, like a Frankenstein monster. (it would be impractical to blow up the defensive playbook at this juncture and install something totally different). For this reason, Bowles MAY be given the benefit of the doubt by the new regime.

[Eagle60]

This may be true. Conversely, it may be that Bowles cannot fully implement the type of defensive scheme that he desires because of time constraints. As a result he is forced to go with the same flawed scheme that they started the season with. Complete with Washburn's wide-nine grafted on, like a Frankenstein monster. (it would be impractical to blow up the defensive playbook at this juncture and install something totally different). For this reason, Bowles MAY be given the benefit of the doubt by the new regime.

Valid point, but why fire Juan then? What a friekin mess.

[NoDakIggle]

Bowles may have said to Andy that he wants to ditch the nine but got shot down. Realistically, it was the middle of the season and Washburn didn't get canned. Bowles didn't have the clout to give him the my way or the highway song--only Andy did. If Andy didn't think he could can Washburn (because Mudd would also leave) or because he didn't have a replacement or he thought the team would respond to Juan's firing and they still had a chance of the playoffs at that time, or.....many other things he would tell Bowles he had to make the best of it this year.
Bowles wasn't in a good position. And I think he is following the Andy rule but I thik Bowles wants to be in a player or twos ass and he would out a player or two if given a chance

[ThoughtProcess]

Lawlor on the secondary - http://philly.sbnation.com/philadelp...gles-secondary

This sort of aligns with what I speculated re: Bowles not having time to alter the scheme.

EXCERPT:

So what the heck happened?

Juan Castillo got fired as defensive coordinator and Todd Bowles got promoted to that spot. Bowles was doing a good job of running the secondary. Now he's trying to run that and the whole defense. Both areas are suffering. This isn't because Bowles can't coach. He's simply spread thin and trying to fix something that needs more time than he's got.

Take Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie for example. He was off to a Pro Bowl start early in the year. After six games, he had eight pass break-ups and three interceptions. Since then, he doesn't have any interceptions and only four pass break-ups. He has been burned for deep gains or big penalties in each game since Bowles was promoted. Rodgers-Cromartie is still an exceptional talent. The problem is that he's an inconsistent player. He needs a coach to stay right on top of him and to push him. Bowles can't do that if he's trying to run the whole defense....I think this is a result of the Castillo hire and system he put together. Castillo didn't have a defensive system of his own. He took elements of several schemes and combined them. He kept some of Jim Johnson's basic ideas. He added in the wide-nine front. He liked what the Chicago Bears did a lot. Castillo also mixed in lots of press coverage. The result of this hodge-podge system is that I'm not sure anyone fully understood it.

[ThoughtProcess]

Bowles may have said to Andy that he wants to ditch the nine but got shot down. Realistically, it was the middle of the season and Washburn didn't get canned. Bowles didn't have the clout to give him the my way or the highway song--only Andy did. If Andy didn't think he could can Washburn (because Mudd would also leave) or because he didn't have a replacement or he thought the team would respond to Juan's firing and they still had a chance of the playoffs at that time, or.....many other things he would tell Bowles he had to make the best of it this year.
Bowles wasn't in a good position. And I think he is following the Andy rule but I thik Bowles wants to be in a player or twos ass and he would out a player or two if given a chance

This is quite plausible.

[ThoughtProcess]

Valid point, but why fire Juan then? What a friekin mess.

The Castillo hiring at DC was always viewed with suspicion. Who among us fans thought that the move was a good idea? The team owner also had his misgivngs, but deferred to Reid. When the defense faltered at the end of games, he was naturally cast as the problem. Show him the door, problem solved...or so they believed. Bowles likely was asked to keep the lid on the pot to prevent it from boiling over, but it appears that the task is more daunting than it looks.