How Much Rope Does Juan Castillo Really Have with the Philadelphia Eagles?

For much of 2011, the Philadelphia Eagles' defense was pure comedy. They couldn't tackle, they couldn't force turnovers, they couldn't defend the run and they couldn't stop teams in the red zone. 

But something changed in December, and the Eagles had quite possibly their four best defensive games of the season—all wins—to close out the year.

That stretch might have saved Juan Castillo's job.

The first-year defensive coordinator was the the media and fans' favorite voodoo doll in 2011. He took an unhealthy fraction of the blame for the failures of a team that crashed and burned for a multitude of logical yet still baffling reasons.

But with no excuses left in the bag and what appears to be a zero-tolerance policy in place, Castillo's defense won't be able to give up 26.4 points per game again in the first month of the season. 

We'll find out early in 2012 whether the great finish to 2011 was a mirage or if this talented defense has arrived. If it's the former, expect the Castillo to meet the guillotine first. 

If owner Jeff Lurie decides to fire Andy Reid, I'd imagine that that's the kind of move that would come at the end of the season. Lurie has been patient with Reid for 14 years, so a slow start wouldn't do him in yet—especially when you consider that Lurie validated Reid's power just last week by officially removing Joe Banner from the role of president.

But it would be up to Reid to fire Castillo. While it wouldn't be easy for him to admit that he was wrong about Castillo in the first place, he knows he can't afford to be stubborn here. His decision to gamble on Castillo another year was a risky one, but doubling down on an error isn't something successful coaches do.

Castillo, of course, hadn't coached on the defensive side of the ball since he was at Kingsville High School in 1989. It's debatable whether he's qualified for this job, but the chips were stacked against him in 2011.

This time, there's no reason why his unit won't succeed. The Eagles led the league with 50 sacks last year, and they added four significant pieces to the front seven in free agency and the draft. They should also get improved play from a talented secondary that was lost trying to adjust to a new defense on the fly after the lockout buried their first offseason together.

It's possible that Castillo survives simply based on those realities. I never thought Cito Gaston was a particularly good manager, but the 1992 and 1993 Blue Jays could have won championships with Kermit the Frog calling the shots. Good coaching can atone for mediocre talent, but cream-of-the-crop talent can completely conceal mediocre coaching.

In regard to the specific length of his rope, Castillo's lucky to have three average or below-average offenses on the schedule to start the year.

On one hand, Cleveland, Baltimore and Arizona don't present tremendous challenges. But on the other hand, weak performances against those teams might not allow Castillo to retain his job beyond the next three very tough games against the Giants, Steelers and Lions.

After that six-game stretch, the Eagles have their bye, before gearing up for three more tough games against the Falcons, Saints and Cowboys. 

With veteran position coaches like Todd Bowles and Jim Johnson in place, the team won't likely have any reservations about replacing Castillo during that Week 7 bye. To avoid fate such as that, I'm thinking the Eagles have to start at least 4-2, and no more than one of those losses can be pinned on Castillo's star-studded D.