The Eagles are back to work on Tuesday and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio spoke to reporters about how Kelee Ringo did at CB2, what he thinks about the edge rush depth after another injury, and how Nakobe Dean is progressing.
At the end of the press conference, unprompted, Fangio — who doesn’t usually offer more than is asked of him — said that the media has missed an opportunity to talk about the kicking balls this year. He noted the long field goals the Eagles gave up against the Bucs, and said that the new
balls teams are using this season have drastically altered the kicking game. He quipped that they put these long kicks in the record books with an asterisk because defenses have to hold offenses so much further back to be out of field goal range these days.
“In years past, the officials would rub ‘em down, or other people would rub ‘em down, and you play with ‘em. Now, the balls are in-house all week, and they kick those balls that they’ve had and nobody else touches them. I mean, the guy in Dallas is going to hit a 70-yarder this year, you can just book it.”
Here’s what the DC had to say:
On Kelee Ringo as CB2
“Thought [Kelee Ringo] did good. He can be better. The true test for him will be to see how he improves, but overall, did good.”
Fangio than admitted it’s possible that Ringo keeps the starting job over Adoree’ Jackson when he’s healthy.
“He was pretty sticky in man coverage. I’d like to see his tackling improve. One thing a guy has to learn that has played predominantly special teams is, tackling on defense is a lot different than tackling on special teams. But, I’m confident he can improve that.”
On the edge rush group
Fangio was asked about the lack of sacks from the group, but he doesn’t think the rush has been bad, rather that the ball has been coming out quick at times. He also noted that during games, he hasn’t gotten the feeling that the rush is struggling as he calls plays.
“Sacks are sacks.”
When asked about the edge rush depth — with Nolan Smith and now Ogbo Okoronkwo out —, but the DC said that he’s happy with the group they have. Still, he acknowledged that they’re dwindling in numbers, but he’s confident Howie Roseman will bring someone in if they need more depth.
Fangio talked about Azeez Ojulari, only to say that he’s been practicing good. He also explained that special teams contributions are a big factor when making the game day rosters, and when looking at adding a fifth or sixth guy, versatility matters.
He later talked about Za’Darius Smith, who Fangio said had his best game since joining the team, and also mentioned Josh Uche as someone else who is improving. And despite his performance, Fangio said rookie Jihaad Campbell doesn’t have all the skills needed yet to move to the outside.
On Nakobe Dean’s return
“[Nakobe Dean] played great last year. Besides being the signal caller-guy and being a leader — you can’t be a leader if you don’t play good —, he played great for us last year.
As far as where he’s at now, either this week or next week he’ll start his practice window and then we’ll see where he’s at.“
The DC later talked about when Dean is able to return and what that will look like with Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell, but he explained that they don’t have to figure that out just yet and will see how things look when it’s time.
Other notables
- Fangio said that Andrew Mukuba is filling the safety spot full time — implying Sydney Brown won’t be rotating in as much, if at all.
- The DC told Quinyon Mitchell that the Bucs game was the best yet of his career.
- Fangio said that Broncos QB Bo Nix is a lot like Baker Mayfield, and he’s a really good player who can scramble and is a competitor.
- He talked a bit about Cooper DeJean and how being good at tackling is really important for the nickel position. Fangio notes that the tackling is part of the job description, but DeJean does a really good job, and that he’s, “Thrilled to have him.”
- The DC briefly spoke on Jalen Carter’s shoulder injury, saying it’s something that every now and then will really sting him, which is when they need to pull him off the field and let it calm down, and then he’s able to go back in. Fangio said there’s no doubt Carter is playing through an injury, but he felt the DT played well Sunday despite that.
