The genius of Vic Fangio is apparent, but how to explain it? In his 39th season of coaching, including 26 as a defensive coordinator, Fangio is an expert at moving the right pieces into the right places and designing a defense that fits just right.
His work with the Eagles is a conversation unto itself, and as the team embarks on a new season and the same goal, the defense is front and center in the chatter. What can we expect from the defense with so many new faces? How will Fangio integrate new starters at all three levels of the defense?
"I look at this year, very similar to last year in that at this time last year, we had a lot of turnover in personnel from the previous year. I look at us really basically the same one year to the next. The names have changed. Hopefully we'll get the same results from these new guys that we got from a lot of the new guys last year," Fangio said in June.
The point is, the NFL is about change and evolution. Nobody handles that better than Fangio, who led a defense in 2024, one with so much change and uncertainty entering the season, all the way to No. 1 in the rankings with a Super Bowl title win to celebrate.
Those who play for Fangio love him, trust him, and listen to everything he tells them to do.
"I'll do anything for him," edge player Nolan Smith said. "He knows how to bring out the best in me and I know he's doing what he's doing to make me productive. We all know that he has the entire defense's best interests in mind."
Linebacker Zack Baun is the quintessential Fangio success story. Signed by the Eagles in the 2024 offseason after four seasons in New Orleans, where he hadn't found real footing, Baun became an off-ball linebacker here and thrived. He earned first-team All-Pro honors and was a finalist for NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors last season.
Baun understands the value of a coordinator who plays to the best interests of the athlete.
"He knows what you do well and he puts you in the best positions to help the defense," Baun said. "It sounds simple, but it isn't. He has an understanding of the big picture and how you fit in. You have to trust in his vision and we do."
Fangio has long downplayed the credit he receives, instead pointing to the front office and the way Executive Vice President/General Manager Howie Roseman brings in the right pieces for the defense. There is truth to that, because the shared mission of the personnel side and coaching side is important and often overlooked: The scheme and the pieces need to match to have success. Roseman understands what the coaching staff is looking for in terms of skill sets and he matches as well as anyone in the NFL.
Then it comes down to positioning the players to make plays and calling the right defense at the right time in a game. This is an area where Fangio is among the best ever.
"We all know what we're looking at during a game because Vic and the coaching staff have us prepared every week," first-year captain Reed Blankenship said. "He makes the right adjustments during the course of a game. We are all on the same page and because of that we have great communication during the course of the game. All of that is done during the week of practice, so I think a lot of the success we have comes from that time. When you get to the game, it's like you know what is coming and you're going to be in position to make the play."
The Eagles are like most every other team in that they have change throughout the lineup. None of that is new. Fangio and the defense are preparing for a Dallas offense that has the ability to be lights out this season after adding dynamic wide receiver George Pickens to an already-potent passing game.
In short, the Eagles will have their hands full defensively on Thursday night. The challenge is a great one.
"That's what makes it fun," defensive back Cooper DeJean said. "These teams are the best in the world, so you go out there every week knowing that if you aren't at your best, they're going to get you. Vic puts us in the right position to make plays. I love it. Wherever he decides to play me on a certain down, that's going to work. I have that trust in him because he has that trust in me. That is what he's all about."
