Saturday, February 26, 2011
Posted: 9 a.m.
By Reuben Frank
CSNPhilly.com
INDIANAPOLISEagles head coach Andy Reid sat down with Comcast SportsNet on Thursday for an exclusive 1-on-1 interview as the NFL Scouting Combine was getting underway and discussed a variety of topics facing him and the Eagles this offseason.
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In Part 1, Reid spoke about his desire to continue coaching the Eagles indefinitely, his disappointment in not winning a Super Bowl in his first 12 years as Eagles head coach and his belief that the team is headed in the right direction.
In Part 2, a Q&A, Reid speaks more specifically about the teams struggles protecting the quarterback and defending in the red zone in 2009, certain position groups, coaching changes and other key issues.
Q: How can you fix the pass protection problems the Eagles experienced throughout last season, especially late in the year?
A: Ive got to take a real close look at that offensive line and make sure weve got the right people in the right places and evaluate that and make sure were teaching them the right thing. Sacks are on everybody. I would tell you the familiarity of the quarterback in this offense is a big thing, so Michael, who spent a ton of time learning protections, now knows these protections. Howard (Mudd, new offensive line coach) will bring obviously in a ton of experience. Then the backs, the receivers, everybody being on the same page (is important). Weve got to do a better job there as a whole. Im always going to tell you that the offensive and defensive line is where it starts.
Q: How do you go about fixing the NFLs worst red-zone defense?
A: Whether its schematically or personnel-wise, things get exploited in the red zone. Everythings a little faster in the red zone. Its tight quarters. And if youve got a weakness, its going to show up there. In particular, in bang-bang situations. So theres some things schematically weve got to do and some things personnel-wise we have to do, and well get those done. That bothers me. The mentality we want is: If youre lucky enough to get in the red zone on us, youre not getting in the end zone. Its that mentality. Its an aggressive mentality from a coaching standpoint and player standpoint. And when that doesnt work, as youre looking at that as a coach, thats not a good thing.
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Q: Do you feel like you have a lot of underachieving talent on the defensive line, guys who will thrive under new position coach Jim Washburns leadership?
A: I think our defensive line is fast. I think the way Jims style of defensive line is, that part, the speed part, will be exploited, and Juans done a nice job of tying in the front that we want with coverages and linebackers. Its all going to fit together. So its not just the defensive line playing (better), its also linebackers and secondary fitting into the scheme. Juan has studied that and really knows (how to achieve) that.
Q: Youve said you want to continue winning while turning over the roster. How is that possible with such a young roster -- fourth-youngest in the NFL last year?
A: What (general manager) Howie (Roseman) has done is bring in players with the aptitude to (learn quickly). That way you get contributions short-term and also youre going to get them long-term, because of their age. You have to have that if youre going to have young guys step in and go right now. I think thats important.
Q: How much roster turnover do you need coming off a 10-win, wild-card-loss season?
A: There are parts we have to look at and make sure we examine, and were in the process of doing that. Were not satisfied with the 10 wins and the NFC East championship and just going to the playoffs. We obviously want to get to the Super Bowl and win the Super Bowl, and we try to piece things together with that in mind. Every player were bringing in here should be able to be a starter if called on, and as we examine everything in the offseason, those are things were looking at.
Q: Theres been a lot of skepticism about your decision to promote offensive line coach Juan Castillo to defensive coordinator after you fired Sean McDermott. What makes you think it will work?
A: When Juan came to the Eagles (in 1995), he came as a defensive guy and because the offensive quality control guy had left a few days after he got here, they moved Juan to the offensive side. I knew Juan wanted to get on that side of the ball and every year we talked about it. One of the real neat things Juan brought from my standpoint is that he could teach our linemen, from a defensive perspective, how to play the offensive line. So he knows all the fits and everything defensive linemen are doing technically and offensive lineman are doing technically. Theres a reason why he and Jim Johnson were so close. They were as close as any two coaches Ive had here. So this isnt something that just happened. This is something Ive thought about and that weve talked about for a long time.
Q: The blitz killed you guys at the end of the year. What does Michael Vick have to do to avoid being a sitting duck in the pocket in the future?
A: Theres some things in the blitz game that we saw, and thats something that teams in the offseason will look at and prepare for. In return, weve got to make sure that we -- as an offense -- have the answers for these different looks. So that will be a primary focus for us, making sure we handle that right. And its not just Michael. Its Michael and the center and how are the receivers adjusting and so on. Its the running backs, the rest of the offensive line, how are they working their adjustments. Those are all things well go back and examine.
E-mail Reuben Frank at rfrank@comcastsportsnet.com
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