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Juan Castillo's offense-to-defense coaching experiment backfired in Philadelphia, costing the defensive coordinator his job.
Castillo was fired by Eagles coach Andy Reid on Tuesday and replaced by secondary coach Todd Bowles. It was the first time Reid dismissed a coach midseason in his 14 years in charge.
"I put Juan in this situation, and things didn't work out the way I had hoped," Reid said. "I take full responsibility for putting him in that situation."
Reid's decision last year to promote Castillo after 13 seasons as offensive line coach was a stunner. It came after a long search and with new defensive line coach Jim Washburn already in place running a wide-nine scheme that isn't widely used.
Castillo was under the microscope right from the start, with nearly every move he made scrutinized intensely. He seemed overmatched in his first season, and the defense struggled as Philadelphia started 4-8. But Castillo's unit showed enough improvement during a season-ending four-game winning streak that he stuck around.
Until now.
"I have to do what I think is right whether it's with public opinion," Reid said, "or against public opinion."
The move came two days after the defense blew a 10-point lead with 5:18 remaining and lost 26-23 in overtime to Detroit. A week earlier, the defense allowed Pittsburgh to rally for a winning field goal in the final seconds.The Eagles (3-3) are on a bye this week, and Reid hinted more changes could be coming. An offense that features several dynamic players is next-to-last in scoring and turning the ball over in bunches.
Around the league
Browns • New owner Jimmy Haslam III said that Mike Holmgren is out as Cleveland's team president, although the Super Bowl-winning coach will remain with the franchise to help in the transition. Haslam was introduced as the Browns' new boss after the 32 NFL owners unanimously approved his $1 billion purchase of the team from Randy Lerner. Moments later, Haslam announced that former Eagles president Joe Banner would become chief executive officer. The move takes effect Oct. 25 when the sale is concluded.
Cardinals • Phoenix announced that quarterback Kevin Kolb has rib cartilage damage and will be sidelined for "an unspecified period of time." Kolb, who replaced injured starter John Skelton in the season opener, had the team at 4-2 despite weak play by his offensive line that had him sacked 22 times in the last three games.
Steelers • Pittsburgh suspended Steelers rookie nose tackle Alameda Ta'amu for two games without pay on Tuesday after his arrest over the weekend following a late-night run-in with police. —
Week 7 schedule
Thursday
• Seattle at San Francisco, 6:20 p.m., NFL Network
Sunday
• Arizona at Minnesota, 11 a.m.
• Green Bay at St. Louis, 11 a.m.
• Baltimore at Houston, 11 a.m.
• Washington at N.Y. Giants, 11 a.m.
• Dallas at Carolina,11 a.m.
• New Orleans at Tampa Bay, 11 a.m.
• Cleveland at Indianapolis, 11 a.m.
• Tennessee at Buffalo, 11 a.m.
• Jacksonville at Oakland, 2:25 p.m.
• N.Y. Jets at New England, 2:25 p.m.
• Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, 6:20 p.m., Ch. 5
Open • Atlanta, Denver, Kansas City, Miami, Philadelphia, San Diego
Monday
• Detroit at Chicago, 6:30 p.m., ESPN