Vic Fangio – October 12, 2023
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Thursday, October 12, 2023
Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio
(With the way S DeShon Elliott is playing now, do you prefer to stick with both safeties playing all the snaps as opposed to weave in DB Elijah Campbell or S Brandon Jones?) – “Yeah, we’re going to stay with DeShon (Elliott) right now. There’s always a possibility of weaving guys in during the game, but if things are going good back there, we kind of leave it alone.”
(What went into the decision to put CB Eli Apple back at outside cornerback and move CB Kader Kohou inside? Do you foresee that as a permanent thing?) – “Well, as we said before, nothing is permanent in the NFL. But yeah, that’s the way we’re going to go right now. It’s two-fold. It was get Kader (Kohou) back inside in the nickel where we think he does a good job and thought Eli (Apple) after a couple weeks of inactivity can get back out there and let’s give it another go.”
(How does the defense adjust without LB Jaelan Phillips in? Do you do anything different with LB Andrew Van Ginkel and DL Emmanuel Ogbah with LB Jaelan Phillips out?) – “No, just allows those two guys to play more outside. (Emmanuel) Ogbah got a good bit of reps last week. ‘Gink’ (Andrew Van Ginkel) is the starter in there without Jaelan (Phillips) and takes ‘Gink’ away from playing ILB very much like he had been in the early games. That’s about it.”
(Is LB Andrew Van Ginkel making a case to stay out on the field on the edge even when all edge rushers are healthy?) – “Yeah, he’s making a case for that, but we’ve got the two other guys (Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb) that are playing good for us when they are healthy. We’ll try to ‘Gink’ (Andrew Van Ginkel) as many snaps as we can between the edge and the ILB position.”
(The inside linebackers spot, we’ve known LB Andrew Van Ginkel for a while and he’s always around the ball. What makes you think that inside linebacker would work for him?) – “There was a point in the offseason where I saw him when I was watching some tape, and it was really just crossover tape, I wasn’t watching it to watch him. I saw a play or two that made me think maybe he could be an inside linebacker. So I had one of the other assistant coaches pull up all his snaps over the last couple years that could relate to being an ILB. He did that, and I watched it, and it really wasn’t what I thought it was going to be. It wasn’t like, ‘Yeah, definitely.’ So for about three or four days I said, ‘Ah, we’re not going to do it. Just leave it alone.’ But then I said, ‘The heck with it. We’re going to do it, because I still have a gut feeling he can do it.’ And that was it. There was no – I just had a gut feeling he could do it.”
(In a couple of the games that you’ve had your best production, it usually occurs when the offense gets out to a hot start. How does the game script impact the way you call a game in terms of having a big lead early in games?) – “It definitely does. All games take on their own personality. The scoreboard has an effect on the way you call a game. There’s no doubt about that. There’s only one goal in mind, and that’s to win. Whatever the best way for us to do that, in light of how the whole game is going, is what we’ll do.”
(It seems obvious, but what ways do you think when an offense becomes a little more one-dimensional that it helps the defense be even more productive?) – “No doubt. When you only have to worry about one phase, it makes calling it easier and makes playing against it easier.”
(How is LB David Long Jr. playing, do you think, through five games?) – “He’s been playing better and better of late. Still need to get out some of his inconsistencies at times, but I think he’s working hard to do that, and he’s been improving.”
(What have you seen early on from Panthers QB Bryce Young in studying him?) – “He’s a good, young quarterback. He’s got good quarterback instincts. He has a nice release. I think he sees the field well for a young quarterback. I think he has a bright future, and I think he’s improving week-to-week for the Panthers.”
(When you face a young quarterback, are you tempted to go at him more with more blitzes?) – “That’s kind of a common theme that a lot of people think, but sometimes it’s good to make him be a quarterback and go through his progressions and dissect the coverages and what not. Sometimes when you pressure him, it does make it easier for him too.”
(I’m curious what your relationship is like with Panthers Defensive Coordinator Ejiro Evero? What’s it like seeing him grow? I think he was a quality control coach when you were a defensive coordinator in San Francisco?) – “Yeah, he was with us in San Francisco and then in the last year there, he was on defense with me. I stayed in contact with him over the years through his coaching career. He stayed down in San Francisco, went to Green Bay with a friend of mine and has done very well. He did a great job coaching the secondary with the Rams, did a great job with the Broncos last year, and is continuing that here with the Panthers.”
(Is CB Cam Smith knocking on the door for playing time on defense?) – “He’s knocking on the door.”
(What’s it going to take for the door to open for CB Cam Smith?) – “He’s got to keep knocking and keep improving in practice.”
(Just following up on Panthers Defensive Coordinator Ejiro Evero, do you feel like an ownership for guys who run your scheme?) – “No, not really. I mean Ejiro (Evero) has another guy on staff in Peter Hansen who was with me for four years also as a QC (quality control coach). They’re doing a good job. I’m sure they’re doing a lot of the things that we’ve done, but once someone gets out on their own, they kind of put their own little flavor to it.”
(I have a two-part question regarding DT Christian Wilkins. 19 tackles, he’s on pace for about 70 which would be a low for the past couple years, but he has 1.5 sacks and is on pace for 5.0 sacks, so he could have a career high in sacks. How do you view his season overall, and how has he done with the potential contract extension hanging over his head?) – “I think he’s done good on both parts. I think his play has been good, and I think it’s improving. I do think the layoff he had in training camp, after the first 10 days or so when he did partake in it, did get him rusty, and I think he’s back to where he was then. I see no effects of his contract situation affecting him, but I haven’t talked to him about it.”
(What level is DT Raekwon Davis doing what you need out of that role?) – “He’s doing good sometimes, and sometimes not so. It’s just a consistency thing with him. I believe in Raekwon (Davis), I’ve said that from the start. He’s just got to push himself, not that he isn’t, but to keep going to get to places he hasn’t been before.”
(I had a chance to speak to S DeShon Elliott in the locker room yesterday, and he talked about his comfort level in this defense increasing. How have you seen his, just adhering to the rules and structures of your coverage, kind of come along five weeks in?) – “Yeah, I agree with that. I think he’s played well here of late. I think he’s improved from week to week, which is what you would expect and hope for. I think he’s very diligent in his preparation. He takes a lot of pride in his performance, and it’s reflecting that he’s been improving.”
(You talked a little about LB Andrew Van Ginkel and DE Emmanuel Ogbah getting more reps. For DE Emmanuel Ogbah in particular, what have you seen him do the last couple weeks with those increased opportunities?) – “He’s had some production. Missed an opportunity or two along there too. Again, he just has to get better at some of the most fundamental things that you have to do early in a play, and that will help improve his game.”
(A little random, I know this spring or summer you teased a new coverage that you had worked on. Have we seen it and not recognized it, or have you not unleashed it? Where is that coverage in the scheme?) – “It’s actually reared its head here as of late a little bit, and it’s helped us.”
(Do you like Philadelphia Phillies’ Bryce Harper’s playing style?) – “I love bombs. (laughter) Hopefully – we’ve got to get one more, then I’ll feel good about it.”
(I wanted to ask you about defensive linemen in terms of twisting and stunting, not necessarily just going head up against their man. What’s the downfall of that?) – “It’s just part of rushing the passer. If you’re proficient at running games/stunts, the word you used, it helps you rush the passer. If you’re somebody that never runs games, then it helps the o-linemen. If you have the threat of games, it helps you on defense, but you have to be good at them. We mix them in a fair amount of times, and so far, it’s helped us.”
(Were you the first Carolina Panthers’ defensive coordinator?) – “Yes.”
(That’s a cool nugget. What do you remember about the first year?) – “The very first year? We played our home games in Clemson which was a pain. We started slow and finished strong. Then the next year we had a really good year and went to the NFC Championship game. Had good group of veteran players that we got through free agency and the expansion draft, it was a good experience.”
(Was that Brentson Buckner? Was he on that squad? The NFC Champion?) – “No, he wasn’t.”
(Oh, that was the later Super Bowl team?) – “Yeah.”
(When you have a team that needs to create turnovers, your guys have talked about that, is it tough to get them to not tackle the ball and tackle the ball carrier just in the name of trying to create turnovers? How do you walk that line?) – “No, you just keep coaching the fundamentals of it, and when the opportunities come and when they’re there, to go for it. But tackling is still of the upmost importance to us.”
