Vic Fangio – October 19, 2023
Thursday, October 19, 2023
Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio
(Are you going through this week with the expectation that you will not have CB Xavien Howard on Sunday?) – “That’s yet to be determined. He didn’t practice yesterday. He’ll be limited today, and we’ll see how he progresses through the rest of the week.”
(When you think of Philadelphia, I know obviously you’re from there. What comes to mind, what memories do you have?) – “Memories? Lots of them. I grew up a Philadelphia fan in all sports. Diehard. When the Phillies were on the west coast and it’d be late at night, I’d hide a transistor radio in my bed and listen to the game on radio, Byrun Saam and Richie Ashburn. So, I was a diehard Phillies fan and Eagles fan growing up. Got my first job in pro football there back in the USFL with the Philadelphia Stars. So, Philly is a special place for me.”
(How much can you take from the experience you had last year with them?) – “Not a lot. I was giving them more information than they were giving me. That’s kind of the way it turned out. If there is any advantage to be had by me being there last year, it is in their favor.”
(What’s the outlook for LB Jaelan Phillips this weekend without giving away any strategy?) – “Yeah, I think it was great that we got him in the game last week. He played, I don’t know, I want to say 25 or so plays. I think that was really good. Hopefully he’ll be better this week. We’re still not going to play him full time, not like he was in the first game. But he definitely is progressing and definitely happy to have him back.”
(What are Eagles QB Jalen Hurts’ strengths?) – “He has no weaknesses. So that’s a strength. I’ve always like him. I told (Executive Vice President of the Philadelphia Eagles) Howie (Roseman) back in ’21 he had his quarterback. Very strong. Obviously, his running ability is tops. Gives them an extra guy in the run game, makes it hard to defend. Excellent scrambler. Great leader. It’s hard to find fault with him.”
(Here comes the obligatory CB Cam Smith question. He got some snaps on defense last week. How’d he do in those? And is he ready for more snaps on defense?) – “Well, he got four last week at the end of the game. They were pretty uneventful, not to his fault, but just not much happened. He’s getting more reps in practice and is progressing, and you never know with our injury situation in the secondary, he could show up.”
(With CB Nik Needham, any sense about if he’s going to be able to help you either this week or in the weeks to come?) – “Yeah, we hope that he can. If not this week, then in the weeks to come. He’s practiced on the scout team the previous couple weeks getting some reps. I’m anxious to see him. Everyone’s talked about him, but I haven’t seen him yet. Hopefully we’ll be able to get something out of him.”
(Last week, you alluded to rust with DT Christian Wilkins. Is it wearing off now?) – “Yeah, that was alluding to earlier in the season, not last week. He’s doing fine. He’s doing good.”
(Going back to CB Nik Needham, he’s played a versatile role in previous years. How do you see him fitting in whether it’s corner or slot?) – “Yeah, that’s a good question. If you’re versatile, it helps. Especially when you start having injuries like we’ve had in the secondary. I see him more as a nickel or a dime or a safety and an emergency corner at this point.”
(Is the ‘Tush Push’ a fair, competitive play?) – “Yeah, it’s fair. It’s legal. It’s within the rules. So it is definitely fair. They just happen to be really good at it because of their offensive line. They have a lot of power and size and athleticism that can get down low and the quarterback’s a load. He’s really a good quarterback sneaker. I think they’d have just as much success with the normal sneak as they are now. But with the push, it’s kind of become their thing. Credit to them for utilizing the rules to their advantage. I think it was 2006 when they said you could push. It took almost 15 years for somebody to incorporate it into their offense in a logical way and credit to them for that.”
(Can you do a rugby deal where you line up guys to push each other?) – “Yeah, I mean it’s been tried. Everybody has tried everything. Their personnel in the o-line and the quarterback, that combination, along with whoever is pushing, is tough. There’s a lot of teams doing it now. They do it the best.”
(Their run game ranks number one in success rate in general. What are the challenges they present?) – “Very challenging. First off, you start with their offensive line. They have really good players in the o-line. It’s probably the best offensive line in the league from a talent standpoint. They have size, experience, continuity. Four of the five starters have been four of the five starters for two, three, four years now. They do a great job. They’re extremely well coached by Jeff Stoutland. They have a good slew of backs that they go running back by committee. And then you throw in, oh by the way, the quarterback might keep it and run it himself. So, it’s a very tough assignment from just their talent level, just the way they’ve been coached. And now you add the running part of the quarterback, yes.”
(Does that last part drastically change in how you defend the run in terms of fitting it up because they can pull it out and run with the quarterback?) – “Yeah, there’s another layer to their running game that a lot of teams don’t have. And that makes it tough.”
(I’m a WR Tyreek Hill for MVP guy. I’m not putting those words into your mouth, but I’m wondering in today’s NFL, could a wide receiver, in your opinion, be worthy of MVP?) – “Yes, for sure.”
(Does Tyreek fit that mold in general?) – “He does.”
(From a schematic or play call standpoint, were there some things you were planning if CB Jalen Ramsey had been available that you haven’t gotten to but will get to, without getting into specifics, once he’s back?) – “Yeah, anytime you have a great player at any position, it will affect the way you call the game and schematically play. He fits that bill, and hopefully we get him back here sooner rather than later. He’s done a great job with his rehab. He’s attacked it like I’ve not seen many people attack a rehab. Sometimes those great players just have that little something in their DNA that they heal faster, and I think he’s one of those guys. But it’s also due to the work he’s put in. Anxious to get him back, but we have to make sure he’s ready to play before we put him out there.”
(We heard coaches and players talk about the impact CB Jalen Ramsey’s had in terms of being in the meeting room every day despite being in rehab. Did you guys feel a boost with him being in uniform yesterday?) – “Yeah, I mean because if you remember, it was the second practice of training camp when he got hurt. And those practices at that point are only about an hour long. And he got hurt halfway through the second one, so really haven’t seen him. And so it was nice to see him out there.”
(Do you know how CB Jalen Ramsey came out yesterday? Is he able to continue on this path today or does he need to back off some?) – “I think so. I haven’t heard anything to the contrary.”
(How big is this Philadelphia game? Is it one of 17, or is it a little bit bigger for some reason?) – “No, it’s one of 17. It’s no different then our last two games in that it’s an NFC opponent. So, the weight on the schedule and standings is the same. It just happens to be played on a bigger stage on Sunday night. But in the final analysis, it’s game seven of 17.”
(I wanted to follow up on the CB Nik Needham questions. He was working on scout team you said the previous two weeks. Is he now back in the base defense, especially when you have sort of an unsettled cornerback situation?) – “Yeah, we’ve given him some snaps. Not a lot. We have another week before we have to make a decision on him. We can use him this week if we so choose, but he’s not had a lot with the defense.”
(With CB Parry Nickerson, what did he do, particularly in practice, that helped him elevate himself?) – “From the day he got here, which he got here right before the Atlanta preseason game I think, and got thrown in the action that game and played well. He’s quick. He’s fast. He’s instinctive. He’s not played much football in the NFL. He’s been around but he really never played much. So, I’ve been impressed with him in practice so I thought he was due an opportunity there.”
(We’re talking about the run game being so stout, but they have two explosive receivers as well. How do you balance that? Is it a pick your poison situation there with the running game versus deep passing game?) – “Well, it is. I thought I had the perfect defense for these guys, but then I realized I had 12 players on the field. (laughter) They’re good. Their receiving group of (A.J.) Brown, (DeVonta) Smith, (Dallas) Goedert, you can match them up against anybody. Then the run game, we’ve talked about the scrambling quarterback. It’s an extremely tough assignment.”
(What’s Eagles Head Coach Nick Sirianni like?) – “I like Nick. Nick’s a really good guy. He’s focused. Very open. I think he’s doing a great job with the Eagles since he’s gotten there.”
(When CB Jalen Ramsey can return to game action, do you envision that Star role that he played with the Rams or maybe not so much?) – “It’s too early to say. Probably not quite as much as he did there.”
