Dude. Vic Fangio.
Where would the Eagles be without him?
Fangio’s defense is the top reason and, perhaps, only reason the Eagles are in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 seed in the NFC and the prospect of the Birds playing in their third Super Bowl in four years feels realistic despite the offense being in constant disarray.
I don’t care about the Buddy Ryan disciples. I know what Bud Carson did in 1991. I grew up in the Jim Johnson era. Fangio is, without argument, the greatest Eagles defensive mind of all time. What he did throughout last year’s regular season, what he did to Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl and what he continues to do now is unprecedented for a franchise that, up until not too long ago, was rather famous for never winning the big game.
Can the city build a statue for a defensive coordinator if the Eagles win back-to-back championships this season? Is that allowed? It should be. I think Fangio would love it if it was outside Citizens Bank Park even so that he could keep an eye on his beloved Phillies.
It goes beyond the fourth down stop after fourth down stop that the Eagles’ D had against the Lions’ high-octane offense on Sunday Night Football this week. Sure, it’s as dominating as a regular season performance as you’re going to see going against a unit that was averaging more than 31 points per contest heading into the game, but there’s something deeper here.
Since he has a Super Bowl ring on his finger now, I don’t mind saying it: this all reminds me of Bill Belichick. No, not Belichick the franchise figurehead, but the defensive mastermind who can expertly maximize individual talent.
When Cooper DeJean became the Eagles’ starting nickel cornerback after their Week 5 bye last season, they turned into the league’s best defensive unit, not letting their foot off the gas until after DeJean was prancing through would-be Kansas City tacklers during his instantly iconic Super Bowl pick-6. DeJean, in just his second season, may already be the league’s best nickel corner. All the credit in the world to a dynamic player like DeJean, but I’m a firm believer in the fact that DeJean fell into the perfect coach to maximize him to start his career in Fangio.
It appears that another mid-year lineup change for the Eagles’ defense could be approaching that type of transformative impact this season as well. The Birds’ D was doing enough to help keep the Eagles’ maligned offense afloat early in the 2025 campaign, but the Eagles’ pass rush still left so much to be desired. Then came the acquisition of former Dolphins edge-rusher Jaelan Phillips, who Fangio coached during his lone year as Miami’s defensive coordinator in 2023, before this month’s trade deadline.
Phillips is two games into his Eagles career and he might have been the team’s best player in both matchups, two nationally televised affairs against perennial playoff teams. The Eagles allowed a combined 16 points to Green Bay and Detroit over the last two weeks. That’s Fangio having the right guys for his specific scheme and putting them in a position to succeed. He’s old school. He’s blunt in press conferences. He’s the archetypal defensive coordinator and the best one in the sport.
Consider me among the many Eagles fans who are nervous about the team’s offense and what that means when things get tougher come the postseason. If the Birds’ offense continues to be this lethargic come January and even February, it will take Fangio’s defense resembling an all-time great force for Philadelphia to have another parade down Broad Street this upcoming winter. Can Fangio one-up what he did in dethroning Mahomes and Andy Reid last winter? I’m a believer. In Uncle Vic, we trust.
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