Eagles’ infatuation, chase and wait for Vic Fangio was all worth it

Eagles’ infatuation, chase and wait for Vic Fangio was all worth it originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

It was all worth it.

The Eagles’ infatuation with Vic Fangio, the long wait and the chase to get him to be their defensive coordinator has all paid off in 2024.

After a bit of a shaky start, the Eagles have the No. 1 defense in the NFL.

As they get ready to face a high-powered Rams offense on Sunday in LA, the Eagles have given up just 273.1 yards per game this season, the lowest of any team in the NFL.

Here’s a look at where the Eagles rank is some key defensive categories:

Yards per game: 273.1 (1st)
Passing yards per game: 173.2 (2nd)
Rushing yards per game: 99.9 (7th)
Points per game: 17.9 (6th)
EPA/play: -0.15 (4th)
EPA/pass: -0.17 (5th)
EPA/rush: -0.13 (5th)

For years, before the Eagles were able to land Fangio himself, they ran a version of his defense, first with Jonathan Gannon and then with Sean Desai. And there’s an alternate timeline where Fangio simply slides into that defensive coordinator chair after the 2022 season when Gannon left to be the head coach of the Cardinals.

That’s why the Eagles were so annoyed with that clumsy Gannon exit. Because they already had Fangio in their building as an advisor and he hasn’t tried to hide the fact that he would have stayed on as DC in the timing worked out better.

“I think that’s a fair assumption,” Fangio said back in May in his first press conference as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator.

Basically, Fangio had agreed to become the Dolphins’ DC and didn’t want to back out after accepting the job. So the Eagles ended up with a Fangio understudy in 2023 as Fangio spent one year with the Dolphins before a breakup after the season.

A couple years later and it’s clear why the Eagles wanted Fangio so badly in the first place.

What has Nick Sirianni learned about Fangio during his time with the veteran defensive coordinator?

“Yeah, just again, his tireless work ethic,” Sirianni said. “I…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-infatuation-chase-wait-vic-120000688.html

Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia

Publish date : 2024-11-19 12:00:00

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