How Vic Fangio Changed The Culture Of The Eagles Defense

The Eagles defense was as bad as it gets in 2023. Half of their players completely disappeared down the stretch. It was a talent issue, but it was also a culture issue. The conditioning wasn't there, the effort wasn't there, and they were not playing like one unit, they were playing like 11 individuals. Enter Vic Fangio.

The turnaround for this defense has been incredible. From arguably the worst defense, to statistically the best. From a unit that was constantly out of place and missing tackles, to one that is always in the right place, and has the lowest missed tackle rate in the country.

A lot of that is talent. They added Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, brought back CJ Gardner Johnson, and found a diamond in the rough in Zack Baun. Credit needs to go to Howie Roseman, and it needs to go to the players on the field who are making it happen each and every week. But the presence of Vic Fangio makes a big difference.

Not just because he is a great coordinator who understands how to scheme against NFL offenses. But because he came right into the Eagles locker room and demanded better out of each and every player on his team, and we are seeing that pay off in a big way.

Tim McManus joined The Best Show Ever for a full hour this week. One of the things they talked about was the transformation of Jalen Carter. And that led to Tim McManus talking about how Fangio helped influence the transformation of not just Carter, but all of the players on this defense.

"The other part of this is Fangio. I was having a conversation with Milton Williams a couple of weeks ago for a piece that I was doing on Fangio, and he told me that on the first day of OTAs, Fangio goes up to the defensive meeting room to the front, and the first words out of his mouth are, It's not your fault. You guys don't work hard. And they're like what? It's not your fault. You don't work hard. But now that I'm here, you're going to learn.

He set the tone right from the jump. His whole premise as a 40-year veteran in this business is that athletes haven't changed, it's the way people are treating athletes that have changed. What you demand out of them they're going to give back. But he said these so-called adults in the room have got to be the ones to push them.

When we're talking about coaching, we're talking about culture change and that quick of a change on defense. And what we're seeing out of Carter and these other guys that are logging major snaps, Fangio just demanded that out of the gate. And that was the standard.

He pushed Sirianni to have harder practices and longer practices. He made sure the conditioning was up. He helped implement the physicality that you see. These guys are as physical as any team that I've seen, and obviously we've seen some really physical Philadelphia Eagle defenses over time. And they're right up there with any of them. A lot of that is because of the tone of Fangio set."

The Eagles lacked that adult in the room. Sean Desai was not it, and Matt Patricia certainly was not it. Fangio is it. He came in and didn't blame anyone, didn't punish anyone, he just demanded better. And the players who did things the right way got rewarded.

Just look at Jalen Carter and you can see the results. He ran out of gas last season. The high snap count caught up to him, and he waned late in the season. This year he has played even more snaps and has gotten better late in the season. He has played nearly every snap in the playoffs, and the level of play hasn't dropped at all,

Carter deserves credit for that, but as Tim McManus pointed out it is also the Vic Fangio effect. There is a good reason Fangio is up for Assistant Coach of The Year. He did not only take a bottom-level defense and turn it into a Super Bowl contender, he took a broken culture and fixed it in one off-season.

Every good story has its underdog. We in Philly have a particular fondness for Underdogs. Rocky became a Folk Hero in this city. The Eagles won their first Super Bowl with a band of misfits and backups, conquering the goliath that was Tom Brady and the Patriots.

A whole mantra of that team was being underdogs. They wore dog masks and reveled in the idea people doubted them. Being doubted was the crux of Jason Kelce's iconic parade speech. Apart from just being the team that got us our first Super Bowl parade, their underdog status is a huge reason why this town connected with that team so much. Nick Foles was the ultimate underdog, and he outdueled the GOAT.

This Eagles team are not underdogs though. The Chiefs are betting favorites, but barely. The Eagles have done nothing but win since the Calander turned to October. Until this Superbowl, they were favored by at least 6 points in each of their games by kickoff.

Related: The Eagles Are 1 Of The Best Run Organizations In Pro Sports

They are the most talented team in the league and have played like it for several months. Yes, there are some haters in the National media, but even ESPNs own analytics predicts the Eagles to win. It currently gives the Eagles a 56% chance to win.

That said, while the team as a whole is not an underdog, there are underdogs on the team we can still get our underdog fix from. Guys who came from seemingly nowhere to be heroes of this run. Guys who were maybe deemed busts, or doubted, only to play lights out this season on the road to New Orleans.

Some of these guys might no longer be underdogs but started out their career as one. Some are still doubted to this day. Some even Philly fans didn't see coming this season

Nobody but Vic Fangio saw Baun coming this year. He was mostly a Special Teams player and rotational Edge Rush for the Saints. But Vic saw talent in him right away. In his first Press conference, the Eagles DC shocked everyone by describing Baun as one of the Eagles' best LBs. People were perplexed at the time, but clearly Fangio knows what he is talking about. Baun has forced 6 fumbles now, leads the league in Run Stops, and has been shut down in coverage for the most part.

There is a real argument to call him the best LB in Football period and he was on no one's radar before it started. It doesn't get more underdog than that. I can just imagine Kelce screaming "Zack Baun Can't play Inside Linebacker."

Jordan Mailata is widely regarded as one of the best LTs in the league. No one was surprised he has been great this season. But his origins are still that of an underdog, and I am not sure if that will ever change. Much like people still talk about Kurt Warner going from bag boy to Hall of Famer, the story of Mailata going from never playing Football to being an All-Pro in the span of several years is something that will always follow him. 

Jordan Mailata has talked about it. He knew next to nothing about Football when he entered the draft. He was one of those people who only watched one Football game a year, the Super Bowl. He was a complete blank slate, albiet a very large and very fast blank slate. Now he is arguably the best LT in the league. Underdog stories don't get much better than that. 

Nolan Smith was once the number 1 recruit in the Nation. The Eagles spent a 1st round pick on him. So he is not your typical underdog. But a poor rookie season, partially caused by a pre-season injury, plus a slow start to this season, had many people, myself included, doubting if Smith would live up to the hype. Combine that with a lack of production dating back to Georgia, and a guy who had always been considered the best in his class suddenly found himself as an underdog.

It suited him. Because after the bye week, he took off. 6.5 sacks over the final 12 games, and now 4 sacks so far in the playoffs, bringing him to 10.5 total over his last 16 games. He is also playing the run well and forced a fumble against the Rams. He now has the most sacks by an Eagle player in a single season and is a sack away from tying Brandon Graham for the most playoff sacks in franchise history. 

They badly needed him to step up with Haason Reddick gone, Bryce Huff being a bust, and Brandon Graham hurt. He has done so in a big way. Not only playing at a high level but playing nearly every snap with the Eagles edge depth being limited to 3 players. It is not your typical underdog story. 

Makhi Becton had 1 foot outside of the league coming into the year. He was drafted 11th overall by the Jets and had an impressive rookie season. But after that, he could not stay on the field. Knee injuries haunted him in 2021 and 2022, with him playing just 1 game in 2 years. He was healthy in 2023 but did not play well. The Jets had seen enough, and let him go after that,

Becton has talked about how Football stopped being fun for him. He admitted to being in a bad place. His career could have easily continued to veer off a cliff. Instead, he enrolled in Stotuland University. From the start of camp, it quickly became clear he was going to beat out Tyler Steen for the RG spot. Despite never playing Guard, that is exactly what he did, and apart from missing 2 games for injury, he has played RG all season for the Birds, and did so at a pretty high level. 

Milton Williams quickly became the subject of debate in Philly soon after he was drafted, and for a reason that was not his fault. A video of former Eagles Player Personnel Director Tom Donahoe pouting after the Eagles drafted Williams went viral. It came at a time when many fans were not in love with Howie Roseman, and it led to many Eagles fans doubting the pick. Turns out Donahoe was wrong, and Milton Williams is a star.

Williams has been a force while playing next to Jalen Carter, 5 sacks and 40 pressures. Sadly it likely earned him a bigger deal elsewhere, and the Super Bowl will be his final game in Philly win or lose. But Williams is a big reason why the Eagles defense is as good as it has been.

Jalen Hurts has done nothing but win since he became the Eagles starter. In 4 years he has made the playoffs 4 times, won the NFC East twice, and made the Super Bowl twice. He is 3rd in wins in that time, has the 6th most total yards, and has the 4th most total TDs. The last time he played in the Super Bowl he had one of the best QB performances we have ever seen. 

And yet, he still is the constant subject of doubt. National Shows, and some Local Shows, have done whole weeks about how he is not good enough to win. Despite him hardly ever losing. 

People will quote his low-counting stats. But they ignore that he is 5th in Yards Per Attempt. People will say he is carried by the roster around him, but then act like other QBs aren't benefited by talented teammates. But here he is again, the leader of a team 1 win away from the Super Bowl. Eventually, he will get more credit for doing the most important thing you have to do in the NFL. Winning.