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Vic Fangio Speaks Out About Fixing Eagles' Biggest Offseason Issue

The veteran defensive coordinator wants to see the Eagles have more practices.

By Jovan Alford

Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio watches the defense during the scrimmage at Hard
Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio watches the defense during the scrimmage at Hard / JEFF ROMANCE/THE PALM BEACH POST / USA
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The Philadelphia Eagles revamped their coaching staff in the offseason after a horrendous end to the 2023 season. Philly hired Kellen Moore as their offensive coordinator and Vic Fangio as their defensive coordinator.

The Eagles hope that Fangio can bring the defense back to prominence this season after they struggled mightily last season and played a part in the team’s downfall. Fangio spoke with the media on Thursday and was asked about multiple things including practice.

Since Nick Sirianni took over as the Eagles' head coach, Philadelphia has leaned towards more walkthroughs and fewer live reps, which helped them stay healthy in 2022. However, there was a belief that philosophy hurt them last year as the team struggled to execute on both sides of the ball.

Fangio wants more offseason practices but gave an insightful answer, discussing how the game has changed over the years, but the players haven’t.

“These players will work and give you everything they’ve got within reason. It starts at an early age, when they’re in high school, college, everybody — less-is-more type of thing, preserve your energy,” Fangio said (h/t Alexis Chassen of Bleeding Green Nation).

"You guys hear in the NBA, load management. I’ve talked to coaches from other sports that I know, and it drives them crazy. The players are willing to work. Never had an issue with that. And they’re still willing to work. But we, as the so-called adults in the room, need to push them."

- Eagles DC Vic Fangio

Based on his answer, it’ll be interesting to see if the Eagles increase the number of practices or live reps for Fangio. The veteran defensive coordinator knows what he wants and expects from his players.

For the Eagles to be successful in 2024, especially on defense, maybe Sirianni should take a page out of Fangio’s book and increase the reps. The Eagles struggled to get after the QB (43 sacks) and didn’t fare well against the pass (252.7 yards per game – second-worst in the NFL). 

If Fangio can fix those two issues, it will go a long way in helping the Eagles’ defense get back to where they were in 2022.

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