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The link between Todd Bowles and Bill Parcells goes back to the defensive coordinator’s playing days.

While Parcells was making a name for himself as the head coach of the New York Giants, he faced Bowles, a safety out of Temple, twice a year.

“I noticed that he was making their secondary calls and adjustments and and all those things as far back as those days,” Parcells said during an interview with Jon Marks and Brian Baldinger on 97.5 The Fanatic.

Andy Reid’s 14-year odyssey has come down to the next 10 hours.

Ten games, 60 minutes of game clock a pop. In that time he has to prove to owner Jeffrey Lurie that “substantial improvement” has been made, and that he at the very least has his first Lombardi surrounded. At the current rate, the 2012 club will end just like last year’s bunch did — at .500. Lurie has already deemed that outcome unacceptable.  A playoff appearance — and maybe a playoff run — seem necessary to re-establish job security. The Eagles will have to go  7-3 the rest of the way to put themselves in proper position for a playoff berth.

That is the reality Reid is operating in. It is a driving force behind his intensive bye week evaluation, one that has already resulted in the firing of longtime friend Juan Castillo in favor of Todd Bowles.

When asked what the Eagles’ defense needs to focus on going forward, new coordinator Todd Bowles did not hesitate.

“We’ve got to finish at the end of the games,” he said. “We’ve got to finish and win games. The bottom line is, when you’re out there on defense, it doesn’t matter what happens when you’re out there at the end of the game, you’ve got to finish.”

Juan Castillo was overcome with emotion Monday when asked to talk about his time in Philadelphia.

The former defensive coordinator, relieved of his duties this week in favor of Todd Bowles, talked to Vai Sikahema of NBC 10 on Tuesday. Sikahema asked Castillo what he will think about when he reflects on his career with the Eagles.

“The opportunity,” said a shaken Castillo, as heard on 97.5 The Fanatic. “And not taking advantage of the opportunity and making it happen for my family, for Coach Reid, for the city and for our guys. That’s what a warrior does. We talk about that all the time. There are no excuses, man. You get it done.”

Given that it’ll be Week 8 when Todd Bowles coaches his first game as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator, how much of an imprint can he really put on the team’s scheme?

“The scheme is not going to change,”Andy Reid said. “The terminology isn’t going to change. But how we work within that is how you do that.”

We’ll hear from Bowles later today, but it sounds like the Eagles will tweak the system that’s currently in place. And that makes sense, given that we’re six games in, and the defense has played really well in stretches. Considering Bowles has coached the secondary all season, I wouldn’t expect many changes there. The Eagles are limiting opposing quarterbacks to the lowest completion percentage (52.7) and second-lowest yards per attempt (6.2) in the NFL.

The front four, however, could be a different story. Jim Washburn’s group has gone without a sack in three straight games.

When the media entered the locker room after Sunday’s loss to the Lions, Nnamdi Asomugha was still sitting at his locker.

He was the only player to still have his jersey and pads on, apparently needing some time to himself after watching the Eagles’ defense collapse in the fourth quarter and overtime.

When Asomugha finally addressed reporters, he seemed to question some of Juan Castillo’s decisions at the end of the game.

Considering that Andy Reid fired Castillo the following day, it’s fair to ask: How much of an effect did the players questioning Castillo have to do with his decision?

Yesterday, Andy Reid was asked by Birds 24/7 whether he was committed to Michael Vick as the team’s starting quarterback.

“Today, I am,” he said. “I am going to take a hard look at everything.”

A day later, the head coach did nothing to soften his stance, leaving the door open for a potential quarterback change.

This may be just the start of the shakeup.

During his press conference to officially announce the firing of Juan Castillo and promotion of Todd Bowles to defensive coordinator, Andy Reid said, “This is one of the moves and we’ll see where it goes from here.”

One person who voiced his opinion publicly soon after the Eagles announced Juan Castillo’s firing was Asante Samuel.

The Eagles announced this morning that Juan Castillo has been fired, and the team has promoted Todd Bowles as defensive coordinator.

Andy Reid’s fate in Philadelphia will be determined by what happens in the next 10 games.

Owner Jeffrey Lurie put a number on it during his preseason address, confirming that another 8-8 year would not be enough for the head coach to stay.

That means the Eagles need to go at least 6-4 (possibly 7-3) for Reid to stay put.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t think Reid is overly concerned with his job security. If Lurie does let him go, he’ll find a job elsewhere. But yesterday’s comments made Reid sound very much like a guy who is willing to do something drastic during the bye week to get his team on track.

Andy Reid used the word “pathetic” to describe the last two offensive drives against the Lions Sunday. Deemed the league-high 17 turnovers his team has committed “ridiculous.”

The ever-even Reid rarely takes his criticisms to that level. This loss is clearly causing the head coach some extra irritation. Now starts a bye week where he will go back and evaluate and “tear things apart.”  What changes will come of it? Reid left his options open.

There are some veteran leaders on the Eagles that are about at their wits’ end. The identity that used to come with an Andy Reid-led  team has been compromised, and hubris may have something to do with it.

“I just get so tired of the ‘talented’ talk. I don’t want what the outside world views as talent to infect our team,” said Jason Avant. “Talent and potential is dangerous because you’ll get complacent. We have to go out and show it. Right now we’re a 3-3 team. That’s who we are. It’s not that we’re a talented 3-3 team. It’s that we’re 3-3 and they have players on their team, whatever team we’re facing, that are just as good as we are. If we take that mindset that anybody can beat you, you’ll focus and concentrate harder and you’ll play better.”

As Andy Reid was exiting the auditorium following his day-after press conference, a reporter asked if he is committed to starting Michael Vick against the Falcons.

“Today, I am,” the head coach responded.

After a stomach-turning loss to the Lions, Reid said he will “tear things apart” and evaluate everything.

Will Vick be a part of that evaluation process?

“I am going to take a hard look at everything,”  he said.

Loyal readers of this space (hi, Mom!) know that I advocated for a free pass for Eagles coach Andy Reid this season, after the death […]