When Nnamdi Asomugha was talking about Todd Bowles in the middle of OTAs, he painted a picture of a smart, energetic young coach. He could already see a difference in the Eagles’ defense back then. Now, that man is his new defensive coordinator.
The Eagles promoted Bowles yesterday, ending a failed experiment with Juan Castillo. The 48-year-old praised his former boss, then talked glowingly of the future.
“The only way it can be different is on the scoreboard, so hopefully, if we come up with wins it’ll look different in the end,” Bowles said. “The main goal is to get the victory however we’ve got to get it.”
Bowles, who went undrafted out of Temple, wore an Owls hooded sweatshirt to his press conference and confirmed that the Wide-9 alignment isn’t going anywhere — just maybe with a few tweaks.
“It’s staying intact. I mean we run a Wide-9, that’s what we do,” Bowles said. “But gameplan-wise, it depends on whether we do other things along with it.”
The longtime defensive coach is well-respected across the league having served as Miami’s assistant head coach for nearly four seasons. When Tony Sparano was fired there, Bowles took over as interim head coach and the Dolphins finished 2-1 under his watch. He noted that experience may help him transition into his new role with the Eagles.
“It’s a similar situation as far as it happening in-season,” Bowles said. “It kind of prepares you not to get too high or too low, to just be professional and do your job. And then if something happens, you’re ready to do everything else also.”
Todd who?
Bowles played eight NFL seasons as a safety. Two stints for Redskins (1986-90; 1992-93), one 49ers (1991).
Began coaching career on Mike Holmgren’s staff in Green Bay (1995) in the player personnel office.
Spent three years honing his coaching skills at Morehouse College and Grambling State before joining Jets as defensive backs coach (2000).
Worked four years as defensive assistant in Cleveland (three in Dallas) before taking assistant head coaching duties in Miami (2008).
After leading Miami to 2-1 record as interim head coach, he interviewed for head coaching job and didn’t get it. He also interviewed for head job in Oakland.
On Jan. 30, the Eagles hired Bowles as secondary coach. Speculation ran rampant that he was hired to baby-sit Juan Castillo.
