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Vic Fangio Says Eagles Weren’t Tight Enough in Coverage
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If it seemed like the Eagles’ defensive backs weren’t anywhere close to Tampa’s receivers, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio confirmed what your eyeballs told you Sunday:
Vic Fangio: “They came out throwing real fast, real quick, and we weren’t tight enough (in coverage).” pic.twitter.com/Ou2dwGqESD
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) October 1, 2024
Yeah? Well get ’em tighter. You saw the soft coverage on the first play of the game. Mike Evans caught a pass for a seven or eight-yard gain when Darius Slay was 10 yards deep and the Eagles had two safeties back anyway. All of those quick-hitters and easy throws amounted to death by a thousand cuts. Death by dink and dunk.
On average, Baker Mayfield was getting the ball out in less than two seconds on Sunday. So when you think about these quick releases, the pass rush is not getting home. If the DBs are in press/man, or even a little tighter, then there’s your solution to the problem. But Mayfield kept chucking the ball with ease throughout the first half with what felt like little adjustment from Fangio and the Eagles. You’ve got Slay back there, who has historically been a good man-to-man, press-type of player. Quinyon Mitchell looks the part and you’ll probably have Cooper DeJean in there for Avonte Maddox sooner than later. You’ve got the personnel to play tighter, and should play tighter. The fans saw everything they hated about Jonathan Gannon in this game, but it wasn’t even Gannon’s defense.
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com