Defensive Coordinator Juan Castillo Could End Up With Minnesota Vikings

The Philadelphia Eagles defense went into the 2011 season with a ton of hype, but they failed to meet expectations. One man who should receive a fair share of the blame is defensive coordinator Juan Castillo.There have been rumblings that the Eagles could replace Castillo with Steve Spagnuolo — who most recently was the St. Louis Rams head coach, but spent eight years on the Eagles defensive staff.

If Spagnuolo returns to Philadelphia, Castillo would be looking for a new job. Speculation leads us to believe that if Castillo is out of a job, he would not need to search for long before finding a new home. In fact, he could be the next defensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings.

Castillo has a strong relationship with Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier. The two spent time together under Andy Reid on the Eagles staff from 1999-2002. Frazier has even had some very high praise for Castillo in the past.

“I have a strong affinity for Juan going back to our days spent together in Philadelphia,” Frazier said.  “I can remember Jim Johnson and our defensive staff putting our game plans together, and we’d always get together with Juan just to make sure they were sound in terms of pressures and blitzes.

“Sometimes, I felt like he was on our defensive staff.  And to this day, he and I talk every week during the season to talk about other offenses in the league.  That’s how much respect I have for him as a coach and how well he is able to understand the defensive schemes.”

Nothing is for certain, but the connection between Castillo and Frazier seems like it would be a perfect fit. The two have incredible respect for each other and Castillo, despite his poor job in Philadelphia, deserves a another shot. His good buddy Leslie could just be the man to give Castillo that second chance if the Spagnuolo returns to Philly.

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