Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio spoke with reporters on Tuesday, following the Birds' defense's back-to-back stellar performances against the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions.
Fangio speaks every week, and sometimes his pressers are more revealing than others. He covered a lot of ground this week, so I thought it was worth recapping, with some added commentary.
Fangio is not surprised by Nakobe Dean's stellar play, but will still continue to play Jihaad Campbell some at linebacker as well
Dean has played like Pro Bowl caliber player since his return from a patellar tendon tear.
"I know he worked really hard in his rehab," Fangio said. "He was bugging those guys in the training room to let him come back earlier than they allowed him to. Nakobe's got good instincts, good football acumen. I don't want to say it comes easy, but it comes natural to him.
"I mean, we know, I know what he looks like when he is right. I think we did the right thing. He could have played that Giants game, but I didn't feel comfortable doing that. He's progressed nicely both in practice and in the games, and you guys have seen it."
Fangio was also asked if he intended to ditch the Dean / Jihaad Campbell platoon at linebacker, given Dean's stellar play.
"[We want to] keep Jihaad in there ready to roll because he's the next guy up as an ILB," Fangio said. "But he's been getting time, too, at OLB, so it'll probably stay similar."
#JimmySays: Campbell played well too before Dean re-entered the lineup. But Dean's instincts are next level, as shown in the following three-play sequence by Shawn Syed. I promise you that this five-minute video is worth your time:
Fangio credited Dean's recognition on covering elite athletes like Gibbs and Williams but also added, "Hopefully that doesn't happen too many more times."
Fangio credited Dean, Jaelan Phillips, and Jalen Carter for the team's improved run defense
"I think as a unit we're just playing it better," Fangio said. "Obviously, Nakobe helps. Last two weeks, Phillips helps. I think Jalen Carter has really kicked up his game here lately, so it's a combination of a bunch of things."
#JimmySays: As we noted in this week's Hierarchy, the Eagles' D-line got bullied in a Week 6 loss to the Giants, but has been a brick wall since:
| Opponent | Rushes | Yards | YPC |
| Vikings | 23 | 89 | 3.9 |
| Giants | 21 | 68 | 3.2 |
| Packers | 27 | 104 | 3.9 |
| Lions | 21 | 74 | 3.5 |
| TOTAL | 92 | 335 | 3.6 |
As Fangio notes, the additions of Dean and Phillips to the lineup have helped. I'll throw Brandon Graham in there, too, even if he isn't playing a ton of snaps. He has also made a difference in the run game. As for Carter…
Carter is better conditioned and healthier than he was earlier in the season
"He was nursing his shoulder and then the [heel injury] that kept him out of the Giants game," Fangio said. "I think it's conditioning improving and health improving."
#JimmySays: When I watch games live from the press box, I'm typically focused on the D-line, with binoculars. More specifically, I'm usually locked in on Carter in the middle of the line, and then mid-play if something catches my eye on the edge, I'll watch that. If it's a pass play and the D-line gets pressure, I stay on it. If the O-line wins early and there's little pressure, the binoculars come down so that I can see where the ball is going.
Anyway, I only mention all of that because I get a good look at Carter's play throughout the entire season, and lately he looks a lot more like the All-Pro caliber player we saw last season than the banged-up, kind of out-of-shape player he was earlier this season.
Fangio thinks Phillips is playing like he did when he was having a breakout season in 2023 before suffering a season-ending injury
"I think he's close to being back to that spot, I really do," Fangio said. "He's a young player still. He can still get better."
#JimmySays: Phillips was having a breakout season under Fangio in 2023, when he had 6.5 sacks in eight games, but that season was cut short by a torn Achilles.
- MORE EAGLES
- NFL Week 11 power rankings: Rams, Broncos, Eagles get statement wins
- Is this Eagles defense as good – or even better – than last year's?
- Can Lane Johnson make it back to the Eagles before the playoffs?
In two games so far with the Eagles, Phillips has 11 tackles, a sack, four QB hits, two tackles for loss, and fumble recovery. And he has mainly worked against a pair of great right tackles in the Packers' Zach Tom and the Lions' Penei Sewell.
Given that Phillips called his trade to the Eagles the best thing that has ever happened to him, the Eagles already have to be thinking about trying hard to keep Phillips in Philly beyond the 2025 season, assuming he stays healthy.
Nolan Smith is on a pitch count
"They have put a snap limitation on him," Fangio said.
#JimmySays: "They," meaning, the training staff.
Smith played 19 snaps in his return to the lineup in Green Bay, and 22 snaps against the Lions. As noted above, the Eagles are getting very good play from Phillips, as well as Jalyx Hunt, and Graham has contributed as well. There's no need to have Smith playing a lot of snaps right now. Keeping Smith on a pitch isn't harmful to the defense at the moment.
Vic seems to be happier with Adoree' Jackson lately
"I thought he played good," Fangio said. "He got beat early for a couple but hung in there. Made the big third downs stop in the second half. Another play that was critical was when we held them in the red zone, that tackle he made on either first or second down to keep it a short game was a big play. So, I thought he played well."
#JimmySays: While Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean have been awesome this season, "win some, lose some" is pretty much the life of most NFL cornerbacks, Jackson included. "Win some, lose some" is absolutely fine for one-third of your starting corners.
Andrew Mukuba is becoming more consistent
"Early in the year, he had some bad plays that led to big plays for the opponent, and we haven't had that lately," Fangio said of Mukuba. "I think I told you guys a story, Bud Grant always used to say, ‘For every rookie you play, add a loss to your loss column.’ I heard another guy say, ‘You’ve got to pay taxes on when you play rookies.’ But now it's game eleven coming up, he's not a rookie anymore."
#JimmySays: I thought Mukuba had a particularly bad game against the Giants Week 6, but he has been much better of late.
Batted passes were a focus against the Lions
It was pointed out to Fangio that a couple of the defensive linemen said that the staff had implemented a tip drill last week leading into the Lions game.
"Yeah, I didn't implement it," Fangio said. "Clint [Hurtt] did. [Jared Goff] just had some batted balls, and we thought we could get some.
"You always try and identify things you can do that may help you win that may not be so apparent to everybody, and that was one."
#JimmySays: The Eagles' advance scouting was on point this week. Michael Clay singled out advance scout Ameena Soliman for alerting the Lions' tendency to run a lot of fake punts. And when the Lions tried to run a fake punt on Sunday night, the Eagles had left their defense on the field and stopped it.
Whether it was Soliman alerting Goff's tendency to have passes batted at the line or something the staff just noticed in their film study, the team identified a key weakness and capitalized on it.
Follow Jimmy & PhillyVoice on Twitter: @JimmyKempski | thePhillyVoice
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
Add Jimmy's RSS feed to your feed reader