Now that we officially know Nick Sirianni will be sticking around, the focus turns to finding an offensive and defensive coordinator. The Eagles might be halfway done with their search.
Former Dolphins’ defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is traveling to Philadelphia this morning to officially sign the contract to become the Eagles’ new defensive coordinator, per league source. Eagles officially get their man. pic.twitter.com/jnBBTkhvas
We haven’t heard anything from the team, but this sure seems like a done deal. Fangio wants to come to Philly. The Eagles want him as DC. This is an ideal match, like Kate Middleton and high heels. Or Jimmy Bama and computer animation.
Fangio isn’t a magic cure for the Eagles defense. He will need better play from the back seven. That means getting Nakobe Dean healthy and adding more talent at LB. It means adding a safety. It means sending James Bradberry as far away from Philly as possible.
What Fangio can do better than others is teach his scheme. He knows how to get the most out of the LBs and DBs he does have to work with. Fangio has been coaching in the NFL since 1986. He’s battled the I-formation, the West Coast Offense, the Run ‘n Shoot, modern spread offenses, RPOs, the Shanahan outside zone attack, running QBs and just about every other thing you can imagine. Heck, he even had to coach against Bubby Brister.
Fangio will need every bit of his knowledge and wisdom to help get the Eagles defense back on track. If you want to know more about his background, scheme and ideas, this is a great read.
With the recent Vic Fangio news, @OllieConnolly was kind enough to make my piece on Fangio’s system free for everyone on @ReadOptional!
Moore did a great job for Dallas. The offense was Top 6 in points in 3 of his 4 seasons as the offensive coordinator. In 2021 they led the league in yards and points. Moore went to the Chargers in 2023. They finished 16th in offensive DVOA. Justin Herbert missed four games. Keenan Allen missed four games. WR Mike Williams only played in three games. Rookie WR Quentin Johnston struggled mightily all year. The offense fell apart late in the season.
The Chargers were 20th in red zone offense in 2022. They moved up to 12th last year despite the injuries. That’s good coaching.
Brian Baldinger did a breakdown on Moore’s offense with the Chargers early last season.
I always thought Moore was a creative play-caller. He pounded the ball with his RB, but still got creative. Last year WR/TEs had 24 carries for the Chargers. The Eagles only had one and I don’t think that was actually designed. Moore will play his QB under the center on runs and play-action passes.
Moore will interview with the Browns on Friday so the Eagles have competition, if they like him. We know the Eagles want someone who can truly run the offense. Moore worked under offensive coaches in Dallas, but it always felt like his attack. He was on his own in LA.
Moore had success in Dallas with a good OL, mobile QB and star WR. I think the Eagles could supply all of those things. Moore is my preference for OC, but we’ll have to wait and see how things play out.
Howie Roseman and Nick Sirianni finally held their postseason press conference. Howie explained the delays were due to exit interviews, the weather and the organization binge-watching season five of Fargo, which is excellent. At least I think that’s one of the excuses he used.
There is truth in some of what Howie said, but we all know there had to be some tough discussions between Sirianni and his two bosses on the future direction of the team and how he would fit into that. One thing we found out on Wednesday is that the new offensive coordinator will run the offense. Sirianni will be involved, but the OC will call plays and run the offense. That’s interesting.
Someone asked Sirianni if the OC runs the offense and the DC runs the defense, what do you do? That’s a fair question. We’re used to Andy Reid running his offense and the team. Or Buddy Ryan running his defense and the team. But look at the final four teams this year. Reid and Kyle Shanahan run their offenses and the team, John Harbaugh and Dan Campbell are head coaches who don’t run one side of the team. There is no magic formula for winning. There is plenty for a head coach to do beyond running one side of the ball.
Sirianni said several times that the offense got stale. I was happy to hear him admit this. He didn’t just talk about the need to be better. I don’t think he’s ever said something like “the offense got stale”. That’s an admission that there is a need for change, not just improvement.
Sirianni wouldn’t commit to any type of offense or defense he wanted. He’s looking for the right coaches more than the right schemes. I did like the fact he talked about bringing someone from outside the family of coaches on the offensive side. There is a need for new ideas.
I thought the press conference was solid overall. Howie and Sirianni had the right tone, focusing on the bad ending, but also keeping the big picture in mind. They didn’t have any magic comments that gave me total faith that all the problems will get solved, but this is a situation where actions will be more important than words.
Some people didn’t like the press conference. I just don’t know what they expected. This wasn’t a time for fiery speeches. Sirianni needs to hire better coaches. Howie needs to find better players. The solutions are simple in theory. Getting them done is the challenge.
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One important bit of news…
I’m told the #Eagles are internally currently expecting Vic Fangio to be their next defensive coordinator, per source.
Though GM Howie Roseman just reportedly said at his press conference that the organization has ‘a lot of good targets we’re working through.”
This is largely Fangio’s decision, I’m told. He felt more comfortable going back to the Philadelphia Eagles as their new DC, assuming details are worked out.
Fangio worked for Eagles coach Nick Sirianni as defensive consultant in 2022 and family proximity plays a role in his… https://t.co/Urb8m5xtGw
Nothing is set, but it sure sounds like Fangio will be the next DC. That would be good news.
I’ve mentioned wanting to get away from the Fangio scheme, but that assumed it would be someone else running it. Fangio is a different story. He is a veteran coach who can run the defense. He’s had Top 10 defenses with five different organizations. That tells you he can coach. The first season was 1995 and the most recent was 2023. Again, that tells you he can coach. His success isn’t based on a short time span or a few special players. Fangio has won with a lot of different guys through multiple eras.
Fangio might have some core principles, but he can adjust his scheme and ideas.
Miami finished 8th in takeaways. Fangio’s defenses have finished in the Top 10 eight times over his 20 years as a DC. He knows how to generate pressure and force turnovers. That’s critical to winning.
I also thought Miami had some guys really step up. DL Zach Sieler had 10 career sacks coming into 2023 and had 10 on the season. I thought LB David Long had his best season. He was really good against the Eagles. Safety DeShon Elliott had his best season. LB Andrew Van Ginkel had his best season.
The Eagles defense needs a lot of work, both in scheme and personnel. Hiring Fangio would be a good start.
I think one of the keys would be that Fangio could help to build his defensive staff. You need all the coaches on the same page so they can get the different levels of the defense to work together and to function as one.
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As for the OC position.
Texans’ QB coach Jerrod Johnson interviewed for the Eagles’ offensive coordinator job, per source.
The #Eagles interviewed USC senior offensive analyst Kliff Kingsbury for their offensive coordinator job today, sources say. Kingsbury recently interviewed with the #Bears, who hired Shane Waldron as OC.
Johnson is the lesser name, but he is the more intriguing candidate. He was with the Eagles in 2011 as a player and bounced around a couple of leagues. Johnson left playing and moved into coaching in an entry level position in 2017. He became a quality control coach with the Colts in 2020, working with Sirianni. He has since worked for the Vikings and Texans. He was CJ Stroud’s QB coach this past season. Stroud had arguably the greatest season ever by a rookie QB.
Kingsbury was an Air Raid coach in college and then ran a version of that offense with the Cardinals. Kyler Murray had some success with him. Kingsbury spent last year as the OC with the USC Trojans. His offensive ideas feel too close to those of Sirianni in terms of shotgun, spread sets and limited motion. One thing to like is that his offense did have success with yards after the catch, something the Eagles have struggled with for a long time.