Vic Fangio – September 7, 2023
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Thursday, September 7, 2023
Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio
(With CB Jalen Ramsey out and you don’t have the Ramsey-Xavien Howard pairing, is there now more pressure on LB Jaelan Phillips and LB Bradley Chubb to make stuff happen defensively?) – “I just think the whole front needs to play good each and every week regardless of who we have playing in the secondary. Obviously without Jalen (Ramsey) it’s a little different back there, but if he was there, we’d still expect them to play good.”
(As we talk to you now, have you made clear-cut decisions on cornerback and safety alongside S Jevon Holland?) – “We’ve still got the guys that – we’re going to work all the guys in there at the safety and the corner position depending upon the packages.”
(We talked about trust with CB Cam Smith being a rookie and having to earn trust with the coaches, his teammates, making sure he knows what to do. How would you describe the trust level and comfort level that you have with Cam Smith and also the veteran CB Eli Apple right now?) – “I think Eli (Apple) has come in here – he came in late I think after Jalen (Ramsey) went down – and he’s done a good job with picking up the system. He’s a pro. He knows how to approach things so a good level of trust there. And then as far as Cam (Smith) goes, I think it’s still a work in progress.”
(I believe you call the game from the booth. I was curious how long you’ve done that and what you – obviously I know it’s the aerial perspective – but what do you like about watching and kind of calling the game from the booth?) – “I think it’s the best place to watch the game from. There’s a reason they film the game from up there for the tape. There’s a reason the owners who can sit anywhere they want, sit there. (laughter) It’s the best place to watch the game from and you can see things and adjust better.”
(So do you mainly communicate with whoever has the green communication dot or…?) – “No, go through the – I give it to ‘Camp’ (Linebackers Coach Anthony Campanile) and ‘Camp’ communicates it.”
(Before joining this organization, the last thing you did professionally was help the Eagles in the Super Bowl and helped the Eagles offense against the Chiefs defense, right? So with your knowledge of Chargers Head Coach Brandon Staley and his defense, have you been able to offer anything to Head Coach Mike McDaniel and the offense in the same way this week?) – “Not too much. (Passing Game Coordinator/Secondary) Renaldo Hill who’s now here, was with them the last two years. So if there’s anything to be had that way, he’s a better source than I am.”
(What’s the most unique thing about Chargers QB Justin Herbert?) – “I don’t know that ‘unique’ is the right word. The guy is just highly, highly talented. Obviously he’s got great size, got a big arm but yet he throws the ball with touch. He throws a very catchable ball. He can throw it to anywhere on the field – short, intermediate, deep and real deep. And very elusive. He’s a good scrambler. When he pulls it down and runs, he’s fast. He’s a complete quarterback.”
(As we heard the stories of Passing Game Coordinator/Quarterbacks Darrell Bevell’s surgery this offseason and kind of how he put some time in here, I’m curious whether it’s your time here at the Dolphins or coaching against him in the past, what have you kind of learned about Coach Bevell over your time in the NFL?) – “When I was with the Niners and he was the Seahawks, we were probably, over that two, three-year stretch, the two best teams in the league and we had some really good battles. We’ve talked about them a little bit here and there, but he’s a really good coach. He’s doing a great job with the quarterbacks here. I have always had a lot of respect for him. I think he has a good knowledge of what it takes to win in this league, not just to accumulate stats. I’ve always had a lot of respect and now that I’ve gotten to know him, my respect was justified.”
(Chargers Head Coach Brandon Staley is a coach that has been under you. What can you say about his career progression and him getting to this point?) – “Obviously it was fast. We hired him in Chicago and his job before that was as a D-III coordinator and we were looking for a young guy to hire and we hired him. Then three years later he gets the coordinator job with the Rams and does a good job there and so then he’s the head coach of the Chargers. So it’s been fast for him, but he’s done a good job wherever he’s been and he’s been deserving of it and he’s got a really good team. He’s got a great roster at his disposal and I expect that they’ll have a very successful season.”
(From a media standpoint, S Verone McKinley III has been low-key. That’s from our standpoint. What have you noticed from him during training camp and preseason?) – “I think he’s done a good job of picking up what we’re doing. He’s a good communicator back there. He helps Jevon (Holland) quarterback the secondary and the defense from back at the safety position, which is important. And I just think he’s gotten better and better throughout the offseason and the OTAs, throughout training camp, and he’s done a good job.”
(Is there anything that S Verone McKinley III does especially well?) – “I wouldn’t say anything especially well. I think he’s pretty equally adept at most everything.”
(This trio of Chargers receivers, what kind of matchup challenges do they present?) – “They’re a really good group and really it’s more than three, but obviously Mike Williams has got the size, speed, outside-the-numbers threat both short, intermediate and deep. A real tough matchup. Keenan Allen is the savvy receiver who does a really good job at getting open, has great knowledge of the passing game, running his routes the right way and he’s got quickness and elusiveness. (Joshua) Palmer, No. 5, is a strong player. He’s kind of half wide receiver, half running back and when he gets the ball in his hands, he’s really, really good. And they have the two rookies from TCU, the first-round pick (Quentin) Johnson is a size guy with good speed and then they have the elusive really fast guy (Derius Davis) that runs the fly sweeps, all the gadget-type stuff. So they’re five-deep at receiver.”
(Can taller receivers be tougher to scheme against because even if you have the right coverage, they can just go up and get a ball?) – “Yeah, if they’re talented. There’s some tall receivers that don’t move very well. Unfortunately, Mike Williams is not one of those. (laughter) So Mike Williams is kind of like Davante Adams in that regard. Big receivers, big catch radius, run good routes, strong at the ball, tough matchups.”
(Have you generally used the left-right cornerback setup as opposed to like a particular cornerback following another guy around the field?) – “I’ve done it both ways over the years. It’s kind of all dependent upon your players. Some guys can’t flip. They get grooved into one side and they don’t want to leave that side. Other guys can do it all day long. So I’ve done it both ways over the years and I think that will be a week-to-week thing with us.”
(Are there any changes to the green dot headset setup? I know LB Jerome Baker has usually had it.) – “Yeah, it’ll be one of the inside linebackers. Baker to start off for sure.”
