Vic Fangio

Q. Vic, you’ve seemingly worked a lot on the blitz this camp. Yesterday is a perfect example. How much of that is a by-product of you needing to work on something that you’re going to do a lot this season versus the offense needing it? (Jeff McLane)

VIC FANGIO: There was no consideration for the offense. It was just time that we installed some stuff, and yesterday we worked on it. We installed it prior to yesterday’s practice and worked on it and called it a few times.

Q. There was never a conversation with Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore or head coach Nick Sirianni saying, ‘We need to work more on this because this is something that we need?’ (Jeff McLane)

VIC FANGIO: No, not beforehand. Kellen did tell me afterwards that it was good for them to see that. They need that.

Q. What are you seeing from the linebackers you’re using to blitz? Eagles LB Nakobe Dean and LB Jeremiah Trotter, Jr. (Ed Kracz)

VIC FANGIO: I think some of them have good blitz abilities. It’s always hard to tell until you get in real games, because in practice we’re supposed to back off as we get close to the quarterback so you don’t finish and finishing is the big thing in pass rush.

So that’s why we fight for a lot of pass rush drills because it’s the one time we can finish and not worry about getting too close to the quarterback.

So, yeah, but I do think we have some guys that can do it.

Q. What does Eagles DB Cooper DeJean have to do over these next two weeks to make you feel comfortable with him this season? (Zach Berman)

VIC FANGIO: It’s way too early to even answer that. He finally practiced yesterday and got about 12 reps, give or take. Some of those he wasn’t even in the action just because the plays went away.

Yesterday was his first time to get any team reps. What he got in the offseason was all 7-on-7, and 7-on-7 is not football. It’s a teaching drill.

So, he’s a long way from me saying what he can or can’t do.

Q. What’s your approach with him? (Brooks Kubena)

VIC FANGIO: What do you mean?

Q. Is he on a pitch count right now? (Brooks Kubena)

VIC FANGIO: Yeah, I mean, the downstairs people, he took two to three snaps per period yesterday.

Q. How do you feel Eagles LB Nakobe Dean is progressing? (Jeff Kerr)

VIC FANGIO: Good. I think he’s doing good.

Q. Linebacker is not typically a rotational position. Do you want to find two guys or are you open — if guys deserve a little bit of playing time, are you open to the rotation? (John McMullen)

VIC FANGIO: Yeah, we’re open to that. I do think you’re better off with a set group. Sometimes it’s hard to get guys in and out. You don’t want to have to sub to do stuff. Either way. I’ve done it both ways.

Q. Were you able to get a better evaluation of some of your defensive tackles? You said coming out of Baltimore you didn’t have many snaps to evaluate. What have you seen? Were you able to evaluate them better against New England? (Ed Kracz)

VIC FANGIO: Yeah, New England was better because we practiced against them and had a good practice. And two, we got a few more plays. I think in Baltimore we had 48, 49 plays, and last week we had 55.

So, yeah, it was a better evaluation of two days because of the practice, so we did. I think some of the guys surfaced. I thought [Eagles DT Thomas] Booker played good in the game. Obviously had the sack but did some other good things that aren’t as noticeable to other people.

Q. Eagles DE Bryce Huff has talked about how he’s gone more from an attacking style to a run defense. There is a lot out there about how you teach your defensive linemen to defend against the run. I was hoping we could hear the gap responsibilities of how you teach your defensive linemen. (Jeff McLane)

VIC FANGIO: [Jokingly] We got a practice to go to.

It all depends upon the front we call and the defense we’re in. That’s an all-encompassing question there that I really can’t answer right now.

That would take too long. We would have to go in there for a couple hours and watch tape.

Q. If somebody says ‘gap and a half’ when you talk about run fit, would you say that’s correct at least most of the time? (John McMullen)

VIC FANGIO: Not really. Not for the down guys, no.

Q. With Eagles DB Cooper DeJean getting back, do you see Eagles CB Quinyon Mitchell still playing a lot in the nickel, or is that something that will kind of play itself out? (Martin Frank)

VIC FANGIO: I do think it’ll play itself out. You know, we do like Quinyon. Like I told you last time, we got a lot on his plate. In a perfect world he could play corner and corner only, but we got to have a nickel.

The nickel is going to be out on the field by today’s standards 70-85% of the time. It’s an important position, and whatever our best combination is, is what we’ll go with.

Q. Are you able to get a sense of how good the defense can be this early? (Bo Wulf)

VIC FANGIO: Well, I like our guys. I like our guys as individuals. They’re all good guys. I like the unit. I love working with them. Time will tell on that.

We haven’t played real games yet, and that opener against that offense is going to be very challenging. I think that’s a better question to ask midway through the season.

Q. Eagles CBs Eli Ricks and Josh Jobe played some meaningful snaps on defense last season. What have you seen from them and where do they stand in terms of development? (Andrew DiCecco)

VIC FANGIO: I think they’re both improving. Eli has been doing a nice job. Josh has been getting good reps in there. We’ve got to cut down on his penalties. He’s had a habit of being involved in too many [pass interference calls] or holding calls. We have to get that rectified with him.

I do think both guys are working hard and improving, yes.

Q. You’re throwing a lot at guys. With Eagles DB Cooper DeJean as he’s going inside, outside, and limited right now, how are you approaching that and managing how he is learning and finding his place in the secondary? (Brooks Kubena)

VIC FANGIO: Well, with the limited amount of reps he’s getting, right now we’re focusing him at nickel. But he was drafted as a corner, and eventually like to see him out there and then go from there.

Yesterday he got 12 reps. Going to be the same thing today, two to three reps per period. We’re a ways away from knowing what we have there.

Q. Does Eagles DT Jalen Carter remind you of anybody? (Bo Wulf)

VIC FANGIO: Jalen Carter? Not yet.

Q. With some of the offenses now putting their best receiver in the slot, how do you see that nickel position on defense changing? (Jimmy Kempski)

VIC FANGIO: Yeah, I mean, first off, you prefer it to be a guy that has a corner background. That’s his primary. You’re right, there are some tough assignments in there.

So, there are a few safeties in the league that can play there and do well. [Ravens S Kyle] Hamilton in Baltimore is awesome in there when he plays in there. I think he’s a rare bird.

So, it does need to be, generally speaking, a corner-type and corner-types usually are on the small side. Until you can find that really good player, like Baltimore has.

Q. As far as Eagles CB Quinyon Mitchell goes, Eagles WR DeVonta Smith gave him a compliment yesterday. Said he ran a route that he had run last week and Quinyon recognized it and was able to make a play on it. What do you see from him in terms of the meeting rooms and film study? (Ed Kracz)

VIC FANGIO: Yeah, he’s been great since the day we got him. He works really hard. He’s focused in meetings, not just on the practice field. We have put a lot on his plate, like I’ve said. He hasn’t backed down from it at all.

He’s going to be a good player in this league.

Q. Why did Eagles DE Bryce Huff play in the game, and what did you want to see from him? (Dave Zangaro)

VIC FANGIO: Yeah, because Huff is playing a new position. Basically, as you guys know, he only played in third-down, two-minute situations throughout his career.

We would like for him to be more of an every-down player, and he needs to learn to do that. In the game he did some stuff he really hadn’t done up to this point yet which was great to see. Great for his confidence, great for our confidence in him.

So that 12, 15 plays he got in the game were very fruitful for him.

Q. How is the James Bradberry safety experiment going? (Jeff McLane)

VIC FANGIO: He’s doing fine. Like I said last week, JB is a really smart player, he’s experienced, and he’s been able to carry over what he’s learned as a corner to the safety position.

Now, having said that, it’s still new. Every day he’s being exposed to something new. That’s why it’s great to go practice against another team because you get to see new plays, new routes, and so it’s a new experience for him.

But, overall, he’s doing good. Better than I thought he would do.

Q. When you talk about the backup nose tackle, you brought up Eagles DT Milton Williams a little bit and maybe he’ll have to take a rep there. What have you seen in Eagles DTs PJ Mustipher and Marlon Tuipulotu, guys that have a little bit of a bigger body? (John McMullen)

VIC FANGIO: Yeah, these two guys are definitely capable of playing those. If they’re up on the game day roster, your backups have to be able to play multiple positions. You can’t have a backup that’s a nose only; doesn’t work.

So, yeah, both of those guys are capable.

Q. First time speaking with you since the joint practice. What did you learn about the team specifically that day, especially with pressures? (Zach Berman)

VIC FANGIO: It was a great learning experience for us. First off, we had a good practice with a good amount of reps which is rare for us. We were able to get a lot of guys a lot of work, both in individual periods, some pass rush drills, some team drills, so it was a tremendous day of work.

Our guys got better from it. Only way you get better at playing football is to practice football and play in a game. We got a good day of that. We were able to see new plays, new routes, go against different types of blockers, the way offensive linemen set, the way they protect. Those days are invaluable.

Q. What are your impressions of Eagles S Sydney Brown’s rookie year tape? (Bo Wulf)

VIC FANGIO: I can’t really say because I didn’t watch a lot of the previous year’s tape. I watched some but not a lot. Anxious to get him back out here.