Presence is back in Philadelphia with New Eagles DC

PHILADELPHIA – If attendance was part of the problem with Sean Desai, that was officially sealed Thursday at the NovaCare Complex as the former Eagles defensive coordinator’s mentor publicly took over the reins of Philadelphia’s defense for the first time.

Vic Fangio is the adult in every room he enters.

The 65-year-old DC, whose system is the default setting for modern NFL defenses, finally returned to Philadelphia, 40 years after he began his professional coaching career with the USFL’s Philadelphia Stars in 1984, and a year after he was supposed to be back if the timing had been right with Jonathan Gannon moving to become head coach in Arizona.

Fangio’s short stint in Miami wasn’t a bad getaway, with South Florida weather and a contract that made him the highest-paid coordinator in NFL history.

The Dolphins improved on defense with Fangio, as expected. However, questions were raised about his ability to connect with modern players after several Miami players expressed frustration with the veteran coach’s gruff style.

“I respected him enormously. I’m not surprised he’s about to land in Philly since behind closed doors people said he was trying to get to Philly anyway. He is a guru in defense, he just needs to learn how to fit in with his players. Dolphins superstar Tyreek Hill said in January.

Miami-based super agent Drew Rosenhaus also indicated there were problems.

“There were quite a few players on the team that didn’t necessarily get along with Fangio,” Rosenhaus said. “It wasn’t a great relationship with a lot of the players. There were some guys who loved him, but there were also some guys who didn’t. It was certainly not a unanimously positive relationship.”

Fangio batted away any hints of a disconnect and listed ultimate team goals for all of his defenses.

“Yeah, I didn’t see that at all,” Fangio said. “Everything we do, whether it’s here, there or anywhere else I’ve been, is what we think is best for the team, best for the defense, especially to stop someone.

“Wherever that falls, there it falls.”

Fangio isn’t the type of person to get caught going back and forth on a schoolyard, but he did defend the modern player.

“I’m going to give you the Cliff note version of that. They haven’t really changed much at all,” Fangio said when asked how players differ now from when he was with Jim Mora Sr. 40 years ago. began.

Fangio believes the change has to do with the ecosystem surrounding the players.

“What has changed is the people around them,” he said. “People don’t expect as much from players as we used to and these players will work and give you everything they have within reason.”

It is the coaching staff’s job to get the best out of players, regardless of era.

“It starts at a young age. When they’re in high school or college, it’s less-is-more and you conserve your energy,” Fangio said. “You hear it in the NBA: load management. I talk to coaches from sports I know and it drives them crazy. The players are willing to work.

“I’ve never had a problem with that and they are still willing to work, but we as so-called adults in the room have to push them.”

An adult with proven success has entered the NovaCare Complex.

The interesting part will be to see how Fangio is received.

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