Eagles Coach Vic Fangio 'Has a Sizable Mess to Clean Up'
The Philadelphia Eagles were one of the better teams in the NFC this season but left feeling completely defeated after being eliminated by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round.
Following that final blow, the futures of just about everyone involved have come into question, and coach Nick Sirianni is enlisting the help of former Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to fix his Eagles defense.
According to ESPN, Fangio, "has a sizable mess to clean up."
Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio watches the defense during the scrimmage at Hard Rock Stadium, Saturday, August 5, 2023 in Miami Gardens.
USA Today
"The 2023 Eagles defense was unrecognizable to a city that has long attached its identity to that side of the ball," says ESPN. "This most recent iteration will be remembered for missed tackles and blown assignments and an epic collapse down the stretch."
While surrendering the third-most points per game this regular season (25.2) the Philadelphia defense surrendered at least 25 points in each of the final three games and 20 or more in the last seven.
That run of porous defense led to defensive coordinator Sean Desai losing control of his unit while retaining his title, and Matt Patricia took over the wheel without any recognizable improvement.
Once the offseason arrived, Patricia chose to pursue other opportunities - reportedly - while Desai was fired as a condition of Sirianni keeping his employment with the Eagles.
Now, Fangio will be the third defensive coordinator in as many years after leaving the Dolphins who are also looking to find a spark for their championship aspirations.
Under Fangio, the Dolphins defense surrendered 23 points per game while fielding the NFL's sixth-best rush defense and 18th-ranked defense in pass yards per play.
Miami was also second-best in sacks per pass attempt, something Philadelphia did really well in 2022 before falling to 24th this season.
