Vic Fangio hasn’t met with the media yet, since the Philadelphia Eagles hired him to be their defensive coordinator last week. It may be a while.
The Eagles hired Sean Desai on Feb. 28 last year, just two weeks after losing Super Bowl LVII, but he didn’t meet with the media until May 11 when the Eagles held their rookie minicamp. Same with now-deposed offensive coordinator, Brian Johnson.
So, the leaves may be back on the trees and the grass green again before we hear from Fangio and the new offensive Kellen Moore.
There is a lot Fangio will have to answer, including negative comments from some of his former players with the Miami Dolphins.
On Tuesday, Eagles legend Ron Jaworski rode to the rescue a bit when he went on Sports Radio 94WIP.
The former Eagles quarterback and Fangio go back to the 1980s, so he knows the DC very well.
“Coaches coach,” said Jaworski. “I have connections as well around this league and I hear another side of that story, that there were some players on that defense that didn’t want to work. Didn’t want to put the time in, didn’t want to put the effort in, didn’t want to make the commitment to be successful.
“Guys like to party at night and South Beach is really a great place to party. And Vic tried to get those guys and push those guys to become harder workers and better athletes, and more committed to their team. And he couldn’t get through to those guys. Those were the guys that Vic was pushing and they’re the guys that are whining right now.”
Fangio coached in South Florida for only one year, but it sure seems like he didn’t make many friends.
Dolphins players Cam Smith and Jevon Holland posted images on social media indicating their happiness over seeing Fangio leave.
Head coach Mike McDaniel was very business-like in the release the team put out on Fangio’s departure.
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Everything was buttressed by agent Drew Rosenhaus.
“There were quite a few players on the team that didn’t necessarily get along with Fangio,” Rosenhaus said to Miami-based sportscaster Josh Moser. “It wasn’t a great relationship with many of the players. There were some guys that loved him, but there were quite a few that didn’t. It definitely wasn’t a unanimous positive relationship.”
Jaworksi said Rosenhaus’ comment, “Impacts me zero percent.”
Receiver Tyreek Hill complimented Fangio, but then took somewhat of a parting shot, too.
This is what Hill said via social media: “I respected him a lot. I’m not surprised he’s about to land in Philly because people behind closed doors were saying he was trying to get to Phill anyways. He’s a guru at defense, he’s just gotta learn how to fit in with his players.”
Jaworski has no doubt that will happen.
“You won’t find a better man, a football lifer, a guy dedicated to his profession, a great designer,” he said, “not an ego that impacts anyone else.”