The Eagles have a short week before their Week 4 matchup against the Rams, and DC Vic Fangio explained to reporters Wednesday why they are a tough team to prepare for and also gave some insight into the current state of the secondary.
Here’s what else the DC had to say:
Fangio said every missed turnover opportunity has a story, but they definitely need to learn some lessons to help the offense and get some stops. He admitted there were different factors for the low number of layoffs, but the DC hopes to achieve some eventually.
“I didn’t feel like our rush was poor. I mean, they throw it pretty quickly most of the time, that’s part of it.”
He then explained how they could try to prepare the players a little more so that they would be better able to capitalize on potential learnings.
“Yeah, obviously you’d like to do one or two. We just have to keep giving them multiple ball drills. Coaches throwing ball drills is almost a waste because they’re lollipops. We need to put them on pitchers or have a real quarterback throw them balls that have RPMs, maybe like a (Jhoan) Duran fastball rather than a Jamie Moyer.”
Fangio said the plan all week was to rotate Marcus Epps And Michael Carterand they practiced it that way. He said those two guys are going to fill the position right now, although he acknowledged the goal is still to find someone who settles into that role. The choice of players on the field will depend on a rotation and not on a situation.
He was also asked about how newly signed DB Kenny Moore could enter into this equation.
“Well, (Kenny Moore) might be a possibility down the line. He’s really never played the safety role in his career, so it would be a big job for him right away.”
The DC quickly rejected the idea that Drew Mukuba was hampered by any sort of injury.
Fangio was also quick in his responses on Cooper De Jeanrevealing that he still plans to use DeJean in the slot when they are in nickel, and said he thought the DB was “playing well.”
When Jonathan Greenard returns
“About what I thought. He got, I don’t know, 18, 19 snaps, I think. He had some good rushes. Some little things were a little off, but about what I expected.”
Fangio believes there will be an upward trend in Greenard’s snap count and would expect the edge rusher to get closer to 30 snaps on Sunday against the Rams.
On preparing for the Rams
“Yeah, they’re really good. Not counting their game in San Francisco, Australia, their last three games since the NFC championship game, they had 500 yards in the three games against Seattle, the Giants and Denver. Three good defenses. That in itself explains what our task is. They handle it very well. They stay engaged in the run and they have a very good play-action game that pairs very well with the running game.”
Fangio went on to point out that they have quarterback Matthew Stafford, who he said is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and who has weapons at receiver and tight end, including Puke Macua who should be back. The DC also had plenty of compliments for WR Davante Adams.
“(Davante Adam) has size, number one. He’s fast and a very good thrower of the ball. He knows how to structure DBs and get an advantage one way or the other. With a quarterback like Stafford, that’s all you need.”
He also refuted the idea that Sean McVay had really changed his running plan over the past few years, explaining that he had simply changed the personnel he used in that running plan – using more three tight ends.
“Yeah, their tight ends are versatile. They’re really good receivers, and obviously blocking and they create extra space. They commit to it and they’re good at it.”
Gn sports
