In front of an energetic yet youthful audience, Vic Fangio’s introductory press conference with the Eagles last week didn’t move the needle the way Jonathan Gannon used to, with the younger coordinator’s hopped-up delivery that sounded like somebody went hard on the espresso.
Fangio, who turns 66 in August, has 25 years of depth and perspective on Gannon and Sean Desai, last year’s defensive coordinator who was demoted late in the season and then canned after it.
Fangio has been there and done it, as a defensive coordinator and a head coach. His circuitous route — from suburban Scranton to Philly, to Denver, Miami and back here — flew right over the heads of his audience. Fangio proudly said he got his coaching start 40 years ago at Veterans Stadium with the Philadelphia Stars of the United States Football League. That predated the birth of a bunch of the present-day reporters.
Fangio said he still has lunch at the nearby Philadium, a sports landmark which older reporters know as a monument to cheesesteaks, roast beef sandwiches, beer and indigestion.
On the job for only a few months, Fangio conceded he’s still getting to know his players. When he pulled a roster out of his back pocket to make sure he was correctly identifying an obscure group of linebackers, topping it off with, “Am I missing anybody?”, there were smirks galore. Nowadays whipping out a roster at a presser is the height of transparency for a coach working to earn the trust of players and fans. It’s also unintentionally funny as all heck.
All of that and the fact that Fangio says he wants this to be his last job is a breath of fresh air for Eagles fans and head coach Nick Sirianni, who last season emotionally red-lined with two inexperienced coordinators. Fangio, as Miami’s defensive coordinator, is familiar with being the seasoned presence for a young head coach in Mike McDaniel.
Fangio understands what questions are his to answer, having served as the none-too-successful head coach of the Broncos (19-30 in three seasons). For example, might he have been the immediate successor to Gannon had the timeline of the Eagles’ coordinator vacancy been different last year?
“I think that’s a fair assumption,” Fangio said.
Fangio also understands the Eagles, having worked for them on and off as a consultant, and the process of building a defense. At his age, he says he breaks down a couple of outside defenses every year to help him grow. (Let’s save him some time now and suggest a film study of Super Bowl LVIII with the Chiefs and the 49ers.)
When Fangio was asked what makes his defenses work — and for those wondering, his base has been the 3-4 — he quickly responded “Good players.”
“And I’m not trying to be a wise guy with that,” Fangio said. “We have a system that is versatile, we like to think. It needs to be versatile because every week you’re facing different strengths of an offense, different schemes. So, what you play in one week (for) 10, 15 times, you may not play at all the next week. You have to have a versatile system for the offenses today in the NFL. What we’ll eventually do is learn what our guys are best at.”
For a perfect illustration of how Fangio operates, consider the gameplan he had for the Wild Card playoff game last season against the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs. Arrowhead Stadium was an icebox, the game-time temperature minus-4 degrees and minus-20 on the windchill.
Maybe people missed the brilliance of that plan because the game was streamed on Peacock, not national television. But the Dolphins defense, considering injuries to six starters, was spectacular. So strapped were the Dolphins that they signed outside linebackers Malik Reed, Justin Houston and Bruce Irvin off the street to play significant roles.
Short of manpower and pressed to find the strengths of the new guys, Fangio put a defense on the field that blitzed and hit Patrick Mahomes enough to keep the Dolphins in the game until a touchdown drive late in the second half. The Chiefs got into the end zone on their first possession but were limited to four field goals until the final TD.
It was a one-possession game for all but the final 18 seconds of the first half, the Chiefs leading 13-7 before a Harrison Butker field goal gave them a 9-point cushion at the half. It ended up a 26-7 Chiefs win.
Fangio not only put together a stellar game plan but got a team counting on three guys who needed their GPS to find the practice facility to execute in harsh conditions, on the road, in a backs-against-the-wall game. The Chiefs were 6 of 15 on third down. No defense was going to last that long with Tua Tagovailoa so challenged to get first downs (the Dolphins were 1-for-12 on third down).
That’s what Fangio is capable of, and it shouldn’t be understated. Having him back this year where it all started is a coup for the Eagles. And locally, as well, for it won’t be long before Fangio discovers that Termini Brothers Bakery and Chickie’s and Pete’s are within walking distance of the NovaCare Complex.
To contact Bob Grotz, email rgrotz@delcotimes.com.
Source: Berkshire mont
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