And here we go…what was once impossible is now permeating the collective Eagle consciousness: have recent Eagle defensive performances saved Castillo’s job? Bob Grotz of the Daily Times calls Castillo an “unsung hero.” The Sporting News is reporting that the Eagles players are buying into Castillo’s defense. WIP’s Ike Reese thinks Castillo deserves a full offseason to hone his craft.

Great stuff from the Philly Sports Report, but this quote from Asomugha is particularly damning regarding Castillo’s grasp of defensive concepts and feel for play-calling:

“We talk to him a lot because we, especially the older guys, like myself and Asante [Samuel], we’ve been in the league, you know, and we kind of know what goes on with defenses and what call is good and not good at any particular time,” said Asomugha. “So we talk to him a lot but he goes out there and he still has his game plan and he makes all the calls and he’s got a better feel of when to call what.

“Obviously we’re going to keep talking to him, because this is his year, so you’ve got to keep talking to him, but he’s doing a good job, he’s getting it on his own.”

That’s reassuring that Mr. Castillo is finally starting to “get it.” Here’s a thought, how many playoff teams have the Eagles played this season? Not counting the potential NFC East division champions Dallas and New York (because we all know they are absolute, 100% frauds) I count four (4).

San Francisco – Lost 24-23 in an epic collapse that will come to define the season

Atlanta – Lost 35-31 (see comments above)

New England – Lost 38-21, wasn’t even that close

New York Jets – hey – we got one yesterday.

So 1-3 with an average defensive effort of 29 points allowed. Not exactly performances that put my mind at ease on the defensive side of the ball. I don’t know how many times I need to say it, I like Juan Castillo as a guy, he’s hard-working (HARD WORK!), honest, and hasn’t run from media scrutiny. If he gets canned (and he should) there should be a place for him within the organization – even on the defensive side of ball, just not as the head honcho. If I’m Howie Roseman (and I’m not, I don’t have the voice of a prepubescent boy and I actually understand the NFL Draft) recent quality defensive performances against the Jets, Dolphins, and Giants aren’t enough to save Castillo’s job. Even upcoming quality showings against Dallas and Washington won’t be enough in my mind’s eye.

So what would it take?

Absolute dominance over the last two games that would continue into the playoffs. Even then I would remain skeptical. Ask yourself this, if the endgame is a Super Bowl (this year, next year, whenever) would you have confidence in Castillo from a game-planning/in-game adjustment standpoint against the NFL elite? Do you really think Castillo is up to the challenge to stop Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, or Tim Tebow (just kidding, Tebow flat out sucks as a QB).

I don’t.

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Holy shit how bad were Marv Albert and Rich Gannon yesterday? That was an atrocity of sportscasting on the level of the starvation in North Korea (RIP Kim Jong Il). The Santonio Holmes, mock-Terrell Owens Eagle celebration? Those guys had no clue. I also liked how Rich Gannon, Mr. Philadelphia native, showed unprecedented naivete by basically scolding the fans for their desire to show Andy Reid the door. [paraphrasing] “Reid has had only 2 losing seasons in the past 10 years, how could you ever consider letting him go?” Fuck off Rich Gannon. Now I know why all your former teammates hated you – because your a god-damned moron. I also really enjoyed Marv Albert’s “Boo Report” late in the game, “There hasn’t been one audible boo from the fans here today in Philadelphia.” Thanks Marv, I hope your announcing performance didn’t suck because you were up all night biting and sodomizing women in your hotel room.

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I don’t know what to think of Kurt Coleman. He’s definitely a playmaker – he forced a fumble and almost nabbed another interception yesterday. But at other times he shows an inability to make basic tackles. I guess he’s a work in progress. I’ll have to say he’s grown on me as the year has progressed.

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Philip Hunt played a solid game yesterday. Stat line: 6 tackles, 5 solo, with a sack. Hunt’s now got a sack in consecutive games. Hunt’s listed at 6’0″ 248 but he looks much bigger. Don’t know if that’s a figment of my imagination, or if he’s gotten stronger. Anyhow, I wouldn’t mind seeing him back next year. Trent Cole sees him as an “elite pass rusher in the NFL.”

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I’m really looking forward to reading how amazing and ELITE both Tim Tebow and Eli Manning are in today’s news. Consider that Denver was trailing by double-digits for virtually the entire game, and Tebow still only attempted 22 passes. That kind of goes to show Denver’s comfort level with Timmy’s passing ability. Let me just say this, Tim Tebow is an awesome fullback – when they were showing Steve Van Buren highlights yesterday, I was saying to myself how awesome Tebow would have been in 1945 when even the best passers threw for 180 yards a game with a 50% completion percentage.

On the NFC side, we see why any knowledgeable fan (including the majority of Giants fans) scoffs at the idea that Eli Manning is an “ELITE” quarterback. As much as it pains me to say, Manning is an above average to good quarterback. He’s nowhere close to elite. Must win game against a division rival? Three interceptions, 45.5 passer rating. The ELIte nonsense is a total fabrication of the media with a generous side of helmet-catch.