/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73861173/2190116943.0.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,800&ssl=1 "The Linc – The story behind Vic Fangio’s “mastermind” success in Philly")
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73861173/2190116943.0.jpg "The Linc – The story behind Vic Fangio’s “mastermind” success in Philly")
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Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …
The mind of Eagles DC Fangio is where the defensive magic lives – ESPN
Push Fangio has. He successfully lobbied coach Nick Sirianni to increase the number and length of practices. The sessions were described by one defensive player as “a lot more excruciating” compared to seasons past. That’s part of the formula that sparked a dramatic turnaround as the Eagles finished the regular season No. 1 in both total defense and passing defense, second in points per game and fourth in the red zone. But it’s in the mind of Fangio where much of the magic lives. A defensive savant with 40 years of professional experience, he’s described by players and former colleagues as a coach who can identify opponent tells and decode offenses at a virtuoso level — unearthing nuggets he’ll distill to his players, detail by painstaking detail, during the week. He deploys a scheme he has spent decades cultivating and others around the league have long tried to duplicate, but is adaptive enough to evolve in real time if a game takes on a different form than anticipated. His gifts have found a talented and responsive group of players (did you see Jalen Carter wreaking havoc in the snow?), creating a force that has the Eagles on the cusp of a Super Bowl appearance. Fangio and his defense are hoping to dominate once again come Sunday’s NFC Championship Game against the Washington Commanders. “Coach Vic, I don’t know what he sees,” edge rusher Nolan Smith said, “but that man is a mastermind.”
Jalen Hurts and Quinyon Mitchell will indeed play in the Philadelphia Eagles’ playoff matchup against the Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship Game this weekend, according to a report from 6ABC’s Jason Dumas.
Eagles-Commanders preview: Five things to watch when the Eagles have the ball – PhillyVoice
Yes, the Eagles haven’t turned the ball over yet in the playoffs, while turnovers have been the reason many of the teams above are sipping on daiquiris in Cabo right now instead of playing in the Conference Championship Round. But, we can all acknowledge that the passing game is a mess right now, right? Hurts is holding onto the ball for an eternity, he’s taking too many sacks, and he is not letting it rip to receivers that are open down the field. It will be on the offensive staff to figure out how to get Hurts back into some kind of rhythm, and it’ll be on Hurts to, you know, just start playing better.
NFL Playoffs: 10 best quarterback plays from the divisional round – PFF
Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles‘ passing game hasn’t been fully firing as of late, but they have to take advantage of these plays. The Eagles run four verticals against the Rams, who play man coverage. The answer for Hurts is pretty simple: Target A.J. Brown one-on-one. The safety starts on the other side of the field, so Hurts knows he needs to slightly look him off. With pressure in his face, he can’t truly step into the throw, but he gets enough on it and Brown does a great job of flashing late hands to prevent the defender from batting it away, despite not reeling it in.
Opportunity Knocks – Iggles Blitz
Everyone around the league thought the Eagles had a good roster coming into the season. Still, there are always unknowns. What happens if someone gets hurt and one of the backups has to play? Every season involves attrition. There will be roster changes. There will be lineup changes. That’s just life in the NFL. The Eagles have gotten to the NFC championship game in part because a lot of guys have stepped up. Let’s start with Nolan Smith. He was probably the #4 edge back in August. Josh Sweat and Bryce Huff were the projected starters. Brandon Graham was going to be the key backup. Smith was going to be a role player and STer. Huff has been a massive disappointment and BG got hurt. That opened the door for Smith and he stepped up in a big way. He finished second on the team in sacks (6.5) and third in QB hits (11). Smith has another 3 sacks in the postseason. Beyond those numbers, he has been impressive with the way he’s played the run and created opportunities for other pass rushers. Simply put, Smith has been disruptive.
Roob’s Bonus Observations: Slay’s future, Ryan Day’s Eagles connection and more! – NBCSP
1. Is Darius Slay planning to retire after this season? It sure sounded like he’s considering it when he spoke post-game Sunday. He started out saying how grateful he is to be part of an organization with such a winning tradition after not winning a playoff game during his seven years with the Lions: “I got a lot left. When you done so much in your career, done played so long, man, definitely (a) long one I’ve been blessed with and fortunate enough with, yeah, I’m just thankful for being here for this team and this organization for a great opportunity for myself and help my legacy keep going.” Then he addressed the gas can that secondary coach Christian Wilson jokingly left at his locker, as in, “You’ve still got a lot of gas left.” That’s when Slay spoke about a future that may be very close: “Yeah, there’s some gas left, but you know what I’m saying? We ain’t going to have too much of that gas, but I’m ready to go chill, raise the kids, be a family man, take care of my youngin’s. So I’ve been doing football long enough. I owe my family some time, too.” Slay, 34, is finishing his 12th season. He’s a six-time Pro Bowler and was a 1st-team all-pro in 2017, when he led the NFL with eight interceptions. Slay turned 34 earlier this month, and he’s only the third Eagles corner to start a full season at 33, along with Bob Howard in 1979 and Troy Vincent in 2003. He’s still playing at a really high level, and he’s been a great Eagle for a long time. But the more I listen to those post-game comments, the more it seems like maybe this is it.
NFL mock draft 2025: Updated projection with Titans taking new QB at No. 1 overall – SB Nation
31. Philadelphia Eagles: Landon Jackson, EDGE, Arkansas. The Eagles restock on defensive line depth here, taking a super intriguing prospect in Landon Jackson. A tall, long EDGE defender who was kind of miscast in Arkansas’ 3-man front, he can be a nice chess piece for DC Vic Fangio.
Can Eagles still trust Jake Elliott after 2 missed extra points? The numbers say they can – NJ.com
Elliott made 77.8% (28 of 36) of his field goal attempts during the regular season, the second-lowest percentage of his career (73.7% in 2020). He converted just one of seven attempts from 50 yards or more. Even so, the postseason tells a different story. Elliott has made all 22 of his field goal attempts in the playoffs. His extra points, however, have been less reliable—he’s made just two of five attempts in the Eagles’ two playoff games this year. It’s his worst postseason performance since 2017, when he converted seven of nine extra points, but the Eagles went on to win Super Bowl LII against the New England Patriots.
Dawg Mentality: Eagles encourage pet adoptions by covering costs at three shelters – PE.com
The Eagles took a real-life dip into the “Dawg Mentality” they’ve had through their playoff hunt by partnering with three local animal shelters to help give a dog (or another pet) a second chance at a loving home. The Eagles organization partnered with three local animal shelters to help give a dog (or another pet) a second chance at a loving home. The Eagles are covering all adoption fees at *Providence Animal Center* in Media, Pennsylvania, *Street Tails,* in Philadelphia, and *Homeward Bound Pet Adoption Center* in Blackwood, New Jersey until the end of the Eagles 2024 season. Providence Animal Center made the trip to the NovaCare Complex Tuesday morning to show Eagles players a glimpse of the dogs they have to offer. They brought five puppies and one adult, named Linc, to play around with as Eagles players stopped by throughout to see the cuteness overload take place.
NFL Under Review: Who Deserves the Credit for Washington’s Rapid Turnaround? – The Ringer
And then there’s the supporting cast. This is what makes Daniels’s rookie season especially impressive. He’s making everyone around him better. Wide receiver Terry McLaurin has never looked better. Tight end Zach Ertz has found the fountain of youth at 34 years old. Dyami Brown set career highs in receptions and yards. And an offensive line that was projected as possibly the worst in the NFL coming into the season has looked viable. Did all those players suddenly overachieve at the exact same time? Or do they look better because of Daniels? You tell me. We’ll see if Daniels can extend the Commanders’ dream season with a win against the Eagles on Sunday. Regardless, he’ll have to prove next season that he can do it again. Success for young quarterbacks in the NFL is not linear. We saw that this season with Houston’s C.J. Stroud, who didn’t make a big leap in Year 2. But for now, Daniels is going to get a lot of people around him paid or promoted. That’s what happens in the NFL when a franchise lands a great quarterback—everybody eats. But when those things happen, just remember: Daniels is the catalyst, not the beneficiary. And it’s not particularly close.
Vic Fangio: Jayden Daniels is a young QB by birth certificate, not by tape – PFT
Vic Fangio’s first season in the NFL was 1986, and the Eagles defensive coordinator has seen a lot of rookie quarterbacks in his time. He has never seen one like Jayden Daniels. “Probably. Yeah,” Fangio said Tuesday when asked if Daniels was the best rookie quarterback he’s seen. The Washington quarterback, the presumptive offensive rookie of the year, threw for 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions in the regular season and added 891 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns. In two postseason games, Daniels has 567 passing yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions and a passer rating of 116.2. He already has five fourth quarter or overtime comebacks in his career, including in the wild-card round against the Bucs.
Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury was well-prepared ahead of Washington’s divisional-round matchup against the Detroit Lions and executed his game plan nearly to perfection. While Kingsbury led the way schematically, rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels led the way on the field. Daniels was 22 for 31 for 299 yards, two touchdowns, and no turnovers. He accounted for 87 percent of the offensive production against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; against the Lions, he accounted for 73 percent. While not as high as his game against Tampa, it is still relatively high. The most impressive aspect of Daniels’ performance is the first down conversions on third and fourth down. It is who Daniels is at this point, and it is a reason why he has unquestionably risen to a top-ten quarterback and arguably top three.
If this sounds strange it is because it is. You see, Schottenheimer was just the offensive coordinator for the Cowboys and was so for two seasons. He did not call plays in that time as Mike McCarthy did, but the truly strange thing is that he is being evaluated for two roles and theoretically having to interview for the one that he has held for two years. Obviously on some level it makes sense for Schottenheimer to have to interview all over again considering a new head coach will be running the team. But with that being the case it would make sense for that person to be the one interviewing him and not the front office. This whole process remains very difficult to make sense out of.
Marquand Manuel hired by New York Giants to coach defensive backs – Big Blue View
The New York Giants are hiring Marquand Manuel, who spent the last four seasons as safeties coach for the New York Jets, to be their new defensive backs coach, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. [BLG Note: Manuel was the Eagles’ defensive backs coach in 2020.]
Projecting the 2025 Compensatory Picks – Over The Cap
[BLG Note: None for the Eagles, as expected.]
Report: Aaron Glenn “has made it known” he’s taking job as Jets head coach – Gang Green Nation
Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn has reportedly been offered the head coaching job of the New York Jets. Per Josina Anderson from ESPN, Glenn has told people that he will take it.
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