There are many ways to describe longtime NFL defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and his coaching style.
But Jordan Davis put it succinctly.
“I'm not lying,” Davis said. “I'm not lying. I hope you all bleep it out, but I'm not lying. I mean it.”
Fangio, 65, has been in the job for a long time. A really long time. When he first became an NFL defensive coordinator in 1995, only four of his 2024 Eagles defensive players were still alive.
That means Fangio is an old-school guy, from the way he plays on the field to the way he thinks about practice — and that likely resented some players during his brief one-year stint with Miami before taking Philadelphia's vacant DC job this spring.
Fangio played it down when asked earlier this month about his struggles with Dolphins players last year, but there are plenty of reports and examples that point to Fangio's poor chemistry in Miami.
Indeed, second-year cornerback Cam Smith said last week that he “feels free” after Fangio's departure. Smith was a second-round draft pick and barely played on defense during his rookie year.
And Miami safety Jevon Holland explained the difference between Fangio and new DC Anthony Weaver: “What makes the difference is the fact that he's a good person,” Holland told NFL Network's Cameron Wolf.
https://x.com/CameronWolfe/status/1792977013470384497
It seems like it was just an awkward marriage between Fangio and the Dolphins.
But now, fast forward to May of this year… and so far, things are going well for the Eagles.
“I love Vic,” second-year defensive tackle Jalen Carter said. “He's old school, he's fun to talk to, he's a great coach.”
Former Georgia players on the Eagles defense (and there are many) have spoken about Kirby Smart's no-nonsense approach in Athens, so they're all used to it.
“I love it,” Nolan Smith said, “I learned from those coaches.”
Carter certainly appreciates Fangio's style.
“I guess I'm a fan of old-school football,” Carter said. “If you know Apopka High School, where I come from, in Apopka, Florida, you know our culture is old-school with the stadium operations and everything. It's always been about old-school hard work. I'm open to any coaching that comes my way, old-school, new, whatever you want to call it.”
Of course, training camp is still a few months away, and there are some pretty strict rules about on-field activity during voluntary workouts. We'll know if everyone's still on board by the time training camp starts in late July.
But for now, the Eagles seem to like Fangio, or at least, are open to having him coach them.
“It's going to be a great game,” defensive captain Darius Slay said. “You can see, our team is built on leadership and guys that are always willing to go out there with the other guys, so I think he's a guy that's going to elevate the team. Comes in here with great energy. He's a guy that's in a room with a lot of great veteran guys.”
“We have a lot of veterans on the team who have worked with a lot of coaches. I don't think anyone has ever said anything bad or negative about DC, because we're always rooting for him. It doesn't matter who the opponent is, we want to win.”
The Eagles have a new strategy under Fangio this season, but they've already used Fangio's go-to strategies over the past few seasons under head coaches Jonathan Gannon and Sean Desai, so while there will be a learning curve, not everything will change under Fangio.
And at the end of the day, players just want a coach that will make them better and help them win.
If Fangio can do that, then everything else won't matter as much.
“I think I've always heard that he's an old-school guy,” Davis said, “so he doesn't mind. When we're on the run, he expects us, everyone on the field, to be on the field as long as possible. I know he wants us to be out there. And if you're going to be a player, you're going to be a guy, you want to be out there and play.”
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