On paper, coaching the Eagles secondary would seem to be a job full of upside.
The team has invested second-round picks in safeties each of the last two years and its top three cornerbacks have combined for eight Pro Bowl appearances.
But the last few seasons have been hard on the Eagles' back four. The team has finished ranked 24th, tied for 29th, and 24th again in the NFL in touchdown passes allowed after giving up 27, 31, and 27 scores through the air the last three years.
Veteran defensive coaches Dick Jauron and Johnnie Lynn have come and gone. Now the job of getting the most out of the secondary falls to Todd Bowles, a longtime defensive assistant who won a Super Bowl with the Washington Redskins as a safety.
Bowles inherits a perplexing group. Nate Allen, a second-round pick in 2010, showed flashes of talent but also errors after returning from a knee injury. Jaiquawn Jarrett, the team's number two pick in 2011, barely got on the field and was stuck behind Kurt Coleman. And the star corner trio of Nnamdi Asomugha, Asante Samuel, and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie all played well below expectations.
"You see a lot of athletes, you see some playmakers back there, and you see some guys that can hit, so you see potential," said Bowles, 48. "You see potential, but you just have to bring it all together."
"Bringing it together" was a theme he returned to several times in a 30-minute interview Thursday. Last season the team struggled to blend Asomugha, who has spent much of his career in press-man coverage, with Samuel, who prefers to play off the line of scrimmage.
"When game time comes you're going to do what you do best, but you've got to be smart about it and try to do some things off of what you do best and not do the same thing, but show the same look," Bowles said.
He wouldn't delve into his plans, noting that he's been in Philadelphia only about a week and was still reviewing games from last season.
Bowles, the only new addition to the coaching staff, took the Eagles job over offers to become the defensive coordinator in Oakland, to remain the assistant head coach/secondary coach in Miami, or take the same position in Cincinnati.
He interviewed for at least five head coaching jobs in recent years, and there's been speculation that Bowles could be a fallback option if defensive coordinator Juan Castillo falters.
"My role is to be the defensive back coach," Bowles said. "I answer to the defensive coordinator."
