The demanding style of Eagles coordinator makes his players ‘mentally’ strong: ‘Sometimes you hate it’

PHILADELPHIA— Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s demanding coaching style resonates with his players.

Shortly after Fangio was hired by the Eagles in January, he was criticized by his former Dolphins players. Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill said Fangio struggled to “fit in” with his players last season, and safety Jevon Holland suggested Fangio was a bad person. Ex-NFL players and coaches told NJ Advance Media during the offseason that some players don’t like playing for Fangio because he expects perfection.

Many wondered if Fangio, an NFL coach for 38 years, would have a different approach to dealing with Philadelphia’s young defense this season, but he didn’t have to change.

Fangio’s players have embraced tough coaching and continue to make improvements. Since the bye week, the Eagles rank first in seven defensive categories, including points allowed (9.7 per game), total defense (214.3 yards per game) and sacks (14).

“(Vic) holds us accountable,” Eagles linebacker Zack Baun told NJ Advance Media. “There is a high standard at Vic. Naturally, we set high standards for ourselves. So that marriage there is crucial.”

Every day, Fangio watches practice and game films with his players to correct their mistakes. He doesn’t yell or shout to get his point across, but he does give harsh feedback.

“(Vic) is here to correct you. Sometimes you hate it. Sometimes you like it,” Eagles safety said Reed Blankenschip said. “But at the end of the day that’s football. You just have to have a tough shell and learn how to be mentally tough through that and be able to apply that throughout the week afterward.”

When Fangio sees a player mess up on film, he criticizes him in front of the entire team.

Safety Sydney Brown said Fangio “throwing in little jokes” to lighten the mood, but then he gets serious. Fangio shows every photo of the defensive linemen, linebackers and defensive backs from the previous game. To be successful in Fangio’s plan, each position group must understand what the other two position groups need to do on each play.

Fangio also explains in detail what each player needs to improve at.

“He walks you through the pre-snap: ‘Here’s what you should be thinking. This is where your lineup should be,” Eagles defensive tackle Thomas Boeker said. As the photo takes place, it tells you where your eyes should be, where they were, and perhaps where they shouldn’t have been.

“He walks you through a player’s perspective. “You’ve seen this man. You saw him take the B-Gap. You should be a little wider. They’re probably trying to close the gap. Then the ball snaps. You see an out block. You should have reacted like that.’ He is very cerebral and passes this on to the players step by step. So you can understand: ‘Okay, determine in advance what I should do. During the snap I should do this. Post snap, this is what I should do. ”

In recent months, Fangio has spent most of his time getting the starters ready to play. But he has also focused on developing his backups.

Eagles backup safety Tristin McCollum said Fangio gets “in the ear” because he gets too excited to play and doesn’t always do his job well.

‘There is no malicious intent behind it. There is no anger behind it,” McCollum said. “It’s just blunt and honest. It’s very, very neutral, which makes it very easy for a player to listen to it. If you have any grudges, it’s all coming from you, because it’s definitely not coming from Vic.

During his college career, Eagles cornerback Eli Ricks played for two head coaches: former LSU coach Ed Orgeron and former Alabama coach Nick Saban – who were blunt. So he has noticed some similarities between them and Fangio.

“For example, say someone is ugly or beautiful or whatever characteristic, he’ll tell you with a straight face, no problem,” Ricks said. “No smile. No emotions. He’s the type to tell you happy birthday with a grumpy face.

Before joining the Eagles this offseason, Baun was a backup edge rusher for the New Orleans Saints. Fangio moved him to inside linebacker this spring and has taught him the nuances of the position.

“Coaches remain coaches,” Baun said. “Sometimes you just have to say, ‘Yes, I agree with you.’ And if you don’t agree, you have to say ‘Yes’. But Vic is a smart guy, and I trust him completely. If he doesn’t like something, chances are I don’t like it either. So we are on the same page.”

‘You better take notes’

Once Fangio finishes watching film from the Eagles’ previous game, he makes plans for the next opponent.

Every time he makes a scouting report, Fangio writes down every play the opponent likes to make and what their tendencies are. He then wants his players to execute the defensive strategy during training.

“You better take notes out there and pay attention or you’re not going to play,” Eagles defensive tackle Milton Williams said. “It’s up to you to pay attention in there, take notes and listen to what he says. If we go to the walkthrough, if you screw up the calls, you won’t get to them. It’s that simple.

Fangio provides a lot of information in the scouting report, but he tries to simplify it.

McCollum said Fangio always says, “Don’t take things that will overwhelm you. If this helps you, take it. If that doesn’t help you, don’t take it.”

After Fangio goes over the basic defensive package, the players and position coaches meet to answer questions about the game plan.

“They’re more personal,” Blankenship said of the differences between working with Fangio and the position coaches. “Of course you can have regular conversations. You can have detailed conversations about your job description. Wherever you are, they are one text and one phone call away.”

Baun has watched every practice and game film with Fangio this season. He didn’t watch as much film with the Saints defensive coordinator last year Joe Bos.

Ricks, who was part of the Eagles’ 53-man roster last year, said Fangio has made them “work a lot harder” this season.

“It got me back into college mode where I really got to work,” Ricks said. “The last few weeks have been some of our best practices. That is our biggest difference from last year. Last year we had some good practices and still won. By the end of the year it bit us in the (expletive).”

In the Eagles’ 37-17 victory over the Bengals last Sundaycorner kick Isaiah Rodgers took a step to safety CJ Gardner-Johnson’s hands for an interception.

Rodgers, who was in the mix for a starting job during training camp, has served as a backup for the past seven weeks.

Some of his interactions with Fangio kept him motivated.

“Just the connection with his players,” Rodgers said. “You don’t just run onto the field and start playing. As you run along, he runs with you and says, “Let’s go, Isaiah. Let’s make a play.’ He believes in all his players.”

Before each game, Fangio emphasizes good tackling, pressuring quarterbacks and creating turnovers. If the Eagles take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in one of these areas on Sunday, Fangio won’t be happy when he meets on Monday.

“When you go into the conference room, you have to wear a helmet,” McCollum said. “These are not hard feelings. It’s just trying to get better. He has some coaching points for me and everyone. Everyone takes it like a man and holds themselves accountable and fixes (their mistakes).”

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Cayden Steele can be reached at [email protected]