Vic Fangio

Q. When you have some competitions at certain positions, how do you go about structuring those competitions and how much is pre-planned? (Dave Zangaro)

VIC FANGIO: Well, you got to give them all fairly equal opportunities, and you don’t want guys that right now might be listed at second or third team not get reps with the first team against our good offense.

So, you’re constantly manipulating their practice reps from a numbers standpoint and also who they’re going against.

Basically, that’s it.

Q. In the spring you had mentioned you like to throw a lot at players early and then scale back from there. I assume that continues in the training camp. Do you have a feel for when you start scaling it back or is that a feel thing? (John McMullen)

VIC FANGIO: Yeah, it’s a feel. We’re not there yet obviously one day in, but basically, we told the players that whatever was installed in the Spring is already in, but we’re having a focus each and every day so they kind of know what is going to be called on that day.

But what was put in the spring is — back in the day, when you had 40-some practices in training camp, you could go very slowly and install very slowly. You can’t do that anymore. You got to go. I think I answered your question.

Q. What kind of shape did DT Jordan Davis and DT Jalen Carter show up in? Are they ready for maybe an increased workload? (John Clark)

VIC FANGIO: Yeah, I don’t have a reference to compare it to not being here before, but I do think based on yesterday’s practice, which yesterday was the first time the 2024 Eagles had any team reps, so really the first time they have done anything outside of individual drills, I think they looked good.

I thought Jordan showed some good movement ability. Was able to bend his body that I don’t think I’ve seen him do before. So, it’s encouraging right now.

Q. In New York, DE Bryce Huff was essentially a pass-rush specialist. You guys have him starting here. Why do you think he’ll be able to be a guy that can play on base downs? (Jeff McLane)

VIC FANGIO: Well, I think everybody thought he could, and knowing that the floor was just rush downs, but he’s taken the challenge on very well, and I do think he has the talent to do what we want him to do. It’s just he’s got get familiar with doing it. So, it will be a work in progress. Does he look like he can do it today? No. I do think eventually he will.

Q. LB Nakobe Dean- you were around him little bit in the Spring. How has he come back into camp? What are your impressions early? (Ed Kracz)

VIC FANGIO: Yeah, he didn’t do much in the Spring. I think he was only able to the last one or two days. But he had a good day yesterday. I was pleased with what he did show yesterday.

Q. What constitutes a good day? (Ed Kracz)

VIC FANGIO: He just looked good. You know, movement and reactions. Same thing when you’re evaluating players, draft or free agency. He looked good. Looked like an NFL player.

Q. You said DE Bryce Huff isn’t ready to be that guy yet. What does he need to do to become that guy? (Bob Brookover)

VIC FANGIO: Constantly show improvement. It’s more of a feel. He has the talent to do it, but he’s never been asked to do it I don’t think in college nor with the Jets.

So, it’s new and he has to become more proficient at it.

Q. CB Quinyon Mitchell got a couple of reps in the slot. How have you seen him adjust to that position? (E.J. Smith)

VIC FANGIO: Good. He’s a talented guy. He’s smart. Has a good football feel. All of that really is more than I thought he had just from watching the college tape, so that’s been a plus.

And I think he’s a guy we can move around anywhere in the coverage part.

Q. How could you tell that he was maybe able to move inside? (E.J. Smith)

VIC FANGIO: We just tried it. We just put him [CB Quinyon Mitchell] in there and tried it and it looked fine.

Q. That cornerback battle, what are you looking for? What’s going to separate guys? (Jeff Neiburg)

VIC FANGIO: Just play. You know, usually when you have battles going on and it’s time to make a decision, the players make the decision for you, and everybody sees it.

It’s rare that it’s so tight that everybody is waiting for who the coaches pick. It becomes obvious. Hopefully it will become obvious here — through somebody’s really good play and not somebody’s bad play. So, it will define itself out.

Q. Along those lines, as you’re seeing what this defense can do, what’s unique about this secondary? (Brooks Kubena)

VIC FANGIO: Well, they’re new. That’s unique, in that we have a lot of new guys here that weren’t here last year, and you got a new system and you got a new coaching staff on defense. There is just a lot of newness, and they’ve got to learn to play together, know the nuances of what we’re doing schematically, and how to play to the guy next to them. So just a lot of newness.

Q. What’s your philosophy on players rotating early in the season? Are you just going game by game of who gives us the best chance of winning that game, or do you try to get guys involved or prepare them as you go? (Jimmy Kempski)

VIC FANGIO: I’m all for playing the best guys. I think if you looked at my history when we’ve had rookies, we’ve played them, provided they’re good enough. We aren’t playing somebody just because they’re young.

If we were an expansion team like I was in two places, we might just throw them out there to see what we got. We’ve got more serious business here. If they’re worthy of playing, they will play.

Q. On the other side of the off-season, Executive Vice President/General Manager Howie Roseman said he wanted to bring a little swagger back to the defense in the acquisitions that he brought in. Obviously, you weren’t here last year. When you look at your personnel, who are the guys that bring swagger? (Jeff McLane)

VIC FANGIO: I don’t know. I don’t know what swagger is to a degree. We just need guys that can play good football, winning football, and when you do that, you have swagger.

Q. On the other side of that rookie question, when you have a veteran player like CB James Bradberry making the shift from long-time corner to safety, you’ve seen guys over years do that. Is there something about him that… (John McMullen)

VIC FANGIO: Yeah, you say you’ve seen that a lot over the years. The truth is, no you haven’t. The list of guys successfully transitioning from corner to safety is very small, with success. There are guys that have done it, but it really wasn’t what you want. We’ll see if he can do that.

James has got a good feel for football. Very knowledgeable. So that will help him in that transition. He’s still going to play some corner for us, too.

Q. You’ve been around a lot of quarterbacks and head coaches in your career. Being around QB Jalen Hurts and Head Coach Nick Sirianni as long as you have, what have you learned about them as leaders, in terms of leading the team? (Eliot Shorr-Parks)

VIC FANGIO: You know, it’s really too early to tell. What I do know is from a player standpoint, you can’t be a leader unless you’re playing up to your abilities. If you’re playing up to your abilities, then you can be a leader. If you’re working hard enough and guys see it. If a guy is not playing up to his abilities, kind of lazy, nobody is going to listen to him.

You know, so as far as Nick [Sirianni] goes, he’s a proven winning coach in the league, and I think he does a great job with the team.

Q. In terms of CB James Bradberry’s case, how has he handled it behind the scenes going from a long-time starter, second team All-Pro to the role he’s in right now? (Zach Berman)

VIC FANGIO: He’s been great. You know, he’s eager to learn. He’s embraced the possibilities of it. He’s been great.

Q. Has Head Coach Nick Sirianni been much of a presence in the defensive meeting rooms? If so, what has been the benefit of it? (Tim McManus)

VIC FANGIO: Yeah, he comes into our staff meetings some and we review practice with him. He was in some of our team defensive meetings in OTAs. You know, we’ve only been here one day; he hadn’t been there yet. But it’s been great.

Q. QB Jalen Hurts talked about how he was talking to former Eagles Defensive Coordinator Jonathan Gannon when he was the defensive coordinator here, about how to help him better prepare as a defensive quarterback. Have you developed any sort of relationship with QB Jalen Hurts along those lines? (Ed Kracz)

VIC FANGIO: A little bit. Not along those lines yet, but we have developed a relationship to where I think he would feel very comfortable in doing that.

Q. Is there a position or position group where you think you have the most competition, the stiffest competition? (John Clark)

VIC FANGIO: You know, corner obviously, and inside linebacker obviously. Those are the two main ones. Because up front, even at the edge players, we may be able to roll guys some.

Q. LB Devin White being in the crossroads of his career, do you say that to him after what he went through last year? What do you think he needs to do? (Bob Brookover)

VIC FANGIO: Yeah, you know, to a degree, yeah. He’s a guy that had a really good career going. It wasn’t that way last year for whatever reason. So, yeah, he’s somewhat at a crossroads, yeah.

Q. The competition at inside linebacker, LB Nakobe Dean, LB Zach Baun, LB Devin White, what do you see from that competition so far? (Martin Frank)

VIC FANGIO: Yeah, well, again, yesterday was our first day where we did any 11-on-11 work, which is really the true teller when you’re evaluating defensive players. Because the most fundamental thing you have to do on defense is figure out if it’s a run or a pass. You know, everything was a pass in the Spring, so yesterday was one day of that.

But I like Zach [Baun]. He’s a guy that’s played very little inside linebacker in his career. We think he can do it. Obviously, Devin [White] has had a career where he has done it; Nakobe [Dean] has shown that he can do it in college. Really hadn’t had the opportunity to do it here because his first year he was behind two good players and last year he was injured. Same thing with [LB Jeremiah] Trotter [Jr.], [LB] Ben [VanSumeren], [LB] Oren [Burks], they’re all in the mix really.

Q. How have you embraced analytics? (Jeff McLane)

VIC FANGIO: I love analytics.

Q. Has it changed coming to Philadelphia? (Jeff McLane)

VIC FANGIO: No, it hasn’t changed at all. I love analytics. Give me anything you want, and I’ll sort through it and use it as I see fit. But I’ve been doing analytics myself my own way for years and I don’t share my process with anybody. Even fellow coaches.

I believe in analytics. I think analytics people miss the boat a little bit on what’s important, but I’m not going to tell them what’s important. I do it myself.

Q. When you say you do the analytics yourself… (Jeff McLane)

VIC FANGIO: Along with what they give me.

Q. So they give you the information then you process it the way you want to process it yourself? (Jeff McLane)

VIC FANGIO: No. I have a system outside of that I use, and I’ll use whatever they give me and decide what’s relevant and what isn’t relevant.

Q. No one else knows your system, none of your proteges have ever… (Jeff McLane)

VIC FANGIO: No.

Q. In OLB Josh Sweat’s case, what indicators are you looking for that would show that he’s the player that he was two years ago? (Zach Berman)

VIC FANGIO: Just what your eyes are showing you. You know. movement number one, probably movement number one, two, and three. And how he’s picking up what we’re doing and how long can he go. You know, his conditioning.

But it will be easy to tell because you know what the guy was doing and can he still do it.