As if this season couldn't get weirder… a report from CSN’s Reuben Frank sheds some light on why Jim Washburn was let go (besides, you know, the Eagles defensive line being an embarassment to sport). In absolutely shredding the decision to hire Washburn before promoting Juan Castillo to defensive coordinator last year, Frank puts forth this bit of tid: [CSN Philly]
Castillo is a good man who was put in an impossible situation. Washburn, a lifetime defensive coach who’s never been shy about speaking his mind and trampling anyone in his way, often made his disdain for Castillo clear.
Washburn operated apart from Castillo, running his own little defensive line fiefdom and often either ignoring Castillo or derisively calling him “Juanita” in front of his players, the veteran defensive player said. He was condescending and confrontational and embarrassed Castillo frequently in meetings and at practice and also went over the line criticizing his players at times.
Jeez. At least Washburn showed enough retraint to refrain from asking Castillo to cut the grass on the practice field.
The whole story from Frank is worth a read, an Andy Reid.
Frank (Roob) has been the harshest critic of the Eagles – specifically, Babin, Washburn and the defense – among beat reporters. His Twitter beef with Jason Babin’s wife seemed to start it all. He got in digs at Babin when Babin was released. And today, he tweeted upon his arrival to the NovaCare Complex:
Just flew in from DFW and drove over to the NovaCare Complex. Parked in Jim Washburn's spot. Or maybe it was Jason Babin's spot.
— Reuben Frank (@RoobCSN) December 3, 2012
Awesome.
I’m applauding Roob for standing up to the misguided Eagles PR machine. Of course, some assumed it was Roob of whom Babin spoke when our (least) favorite lunkhead said the Philly media was “unprofessional” and didn’t tie their shoes, among other things. A person who spends quite a bit of time in and around the Eagles locker room emailed me to say that Roob often appears “slovenly” and that his untied shoes are a bit of a “trademark.” [Welcome to my inbox, people.]
Now, I don’t write those things to rip Roob (because he’s done a fine job of skewering the Eagles), but merely to point out that our messenger for this post is kind of in the middle of the story– this tangled web of Reid, Washburn, Babin, and the god awful Wide 9.
What’s more is that Washburn and Babin are very closely tied. Washburn was reportedly enraged when Babin was let go, a move that sealed Washburn's fate with the Eagles. Reid told reporters that both decisions – to let Babin go and fire Washburn – were his. He said that firing Washburn was not to save his own job, but that it “needed to be done now.” It's odd, though, that Castillo was fired before Washburn.
In a way, sacking Babin and Washburn, and officially demoting Michael Vick, are the moves of a coach rebuilding for the future, not one on his way out. It’s hard to imagine a situation where Reid doesn’t get fired after the season, and perhaps he only knows one way to do his job… but most coaches on the way out don’t make moves with an eye toward next year and beyond. You’d think that Reid would want to eek out as many wins as possible to boost his (admittedly) strong resume. So, that makes you wonder.
One thing is clear, though: Washburn seems like a real asshole.
…
Babin had two tackles and no sacks in a loss to the Bills yesterday.
