Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is a football lifer who’s coached in the NFL since 1986. He’s a veteran of nearly 40 years and has been on the inside of 10 franchises throughout his career.
A native of northeast Pennsylvania, Fangio returned to the Keystone State in 2024 for a second stint with the Eagles, this time calling the defense. In a recent interview with PFSN, Fangio discussed the difference between Philadelphia and his previous stop, the Miami Dolphins.
Vic Fangio Discusses Recent Coaching Stops
The Eagles are preparing to face the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 59, and many players are holdovers from the team that lost to the Chiefs in the big game two years ago. Another holdover is Fangio, who was brought in as a consultant working with the defense that season.
The veteran had last worked as the head coach of the Denver Broncos, and consulting was a way for him to stay involved behind the scenes. The 2022 season culminated with a Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs, but defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon became a hot head coach candidate. Fangio was seen as a worthy replacement for Gannon but was hired by Miami before Gannon officially left to become the Arizona Cardinals HC.
In Miami, Fangio was tasked with bringing the Dolphins’ defense up to speed with its high-powered offense. Things were going well through Week 16 that season, but multiple injuries derailed the defense and Miami’s season.
Fangio is happy with his time in Miami despite the poor finish telling PFSN, “Up until the last couple games we were ranked very highly in defense. I think we were top five in most every stat. Then we lost six or seven starters for our last two games…it didn’t finish good.”
Miami’s defense improved under the veteran coach, going from No. 17 in 2022 to No. 13 in PFSN’s Defense+ metric. However, Fangio and the Dolphins mutually agreed to part ways after the season so the coach could be closer to his family in Pennsylvania.
Enter a second stint with the Eagles, this time as defensive coordinator.
“It’s just a whole lot different,” Fangio told PFSN. “The whole organization. It’s just different. Not to say one is better than the other. It’s just different.”
This statement shouldn’t be taken as a veiled shot at the Dolphins, but Fangio knows he’s part of a much better organization. He’s built arguably the best overall unit in the NFL in his first season at the helm of Philadelphia’s defense, finishing second in PFSN’s defensive rankings.
Defenses that rely on takeaways are often flawed units that require big plays to mask significant deficiencies that crop up against elite offenses. The Eagles are an elite defense that also happens to take the ball away at a high rate. They forced four turnovers in the NFC Championship Game and are up to 29 forced fumbles this season.
The 2019 San Francisco 49ers (30) are the only team in the last decade to force more fumbles than this year’s Eagles. Those 49ers also met Kansas City in the Super Bowl, but Philadelphia will be hoping for a better result.