Whatever your opinion of Juan Castillo and the job he did as defensive coordinator, that experiment has concluded. It seems to me Andy Reid had far bigger fish to fry, specifically as it relates to the Eagles' ghastly offense, but you can certainly find cause for Castillo's removal. If nothing else, firing your friend and associate of 14 years sends a powerful message.
Whatever the case may be, people were seeking blood over the club's turbulent 3-3 start, and blood they got. Like spectators at the Roman Colosseum however, the citizens of Philadelphia do not appear to be satiated by a singular display of cruelty. All eyes turn to Michael Vick now as a city asks: will Reid squeeze the trigger on his quarterback next?
Vick has been the poster child for the Eagles' woes since Week 1 in Cleveland where he threw four interceptions, including a pick-six that nearly cost his team the game. The excuse at the time was rust, as Vick had appeared in just 12 snaps during the preseason due to various injuries.
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Today we know that doesn't even begin to tell the whole story. Vick has been able to rein in the foolish passes to some extent, cutting the number of INTs to four over the last five games, only he's coughed up the ball via the fumble an additional five times officially. (It's actually six if he is charged for Dallas Reynolds snapping the ball early on Sunday, which in fact very well may have been prompted by a slight twitch of the Vick's leg.)
That is 13 giveaways by Vick alone, 17 total for the Eagles through six games. That is pathetic.
With Vick accountable for over three-quarters of the team's turnovers, replacing him under center might seem like the easy fix. It's not. Where dismissing Castillo put the players and coaching staff on notice that everybody's jobs are on the line -- even profoundly loyal employees of 18 years -- sending Vick to the bench amounts to nothing more than a distress signal.
Yanking Vick would be akin to sounding the nuclear alarm on the 2012 season, while Nick Foles is the fire extinguisher tucked away under the "break glass in case of emergency" sign. Choose your own analogy, but making the switch at quarterback is Reid's absolute last resort, and everybody inside that locker room knows it.
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Look, this isn't about whether Foles is ready or not. Simply put, there is no faster way for a head coach to convey the future is bleak -- both immediate and long-term -- than calling on a third-round rookie QB to save his bacon. If the kid doesn't produce instantly, that pessimistic feeling will trickle down to the players, and that's when your season is in danger of spiraling out of control. And this speaks nothing on the respect MV7 commands, which could further divide the locker room.
The day for desperate measures may soon be at hand, but it hasn't arrived yet. There are 10 games remaining. The Eagles are currently one game back of first place in the NFC East. They already own a win over the Giants. There is absolutely no reason for Reid to further overreact and come out of the bye week with any other starter besides Vick, even if the head coach's confidence in his signal caller is understandably shaken.
And the truth of the matter is Vick hasn't been quite as bad as his press clippings might indicate, minus the turnovers of course. His three comeback victories lead the NFL, while only Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are responsible for more total yards of offense. This is behind an offensive line decimated by injuries, guided by frequently nonsensical play-calling -- not exactly an optimal situation for a rookie QB, oh by the way.
Do I believe Vick has what it takes to overcome his own flaws, let alone the flaws of others, to lead this franchise to a championship? Not at the moment, no.
Then again, I've never believed in Vick the way I did Donovan McNabb when he quarterbacked the Eagles. Heck, I didn't believe Vick deserved to unseat Kevin Kolb in 2010. I was literally in the process of writing the eulogy to Vick's career in midnight green as the Miracle in the New Meadowlands was beginning to occur. Throughout 2011, this past offseason, and the entire year, I wouldn't dare count him out, but my own reservations toward Vick's development at this stage of career were always clear.
Yet at this point, there can't be any doubt he presents their best chance at winning. That may not matter much to fans who "just want this regime to end," the folks who think rebuilding brings with it some guarantee Philadelphia's football club will quickly rebound as viable contenders. Ask the people of Cleveland who excitedly await the Joe Banner era how that's been going for them, uh... forever.
To Andy Reid, the 53 men who go to battle every week, and the rest of the masochists actually holding out hope for the improbable, the decision on who will be under center matters. Don't sound the alarm unless or until all hope is lost.