The “Fangio Defense” holds several trademarks. Fangio’s defenses typically rank first in the NFL for two-high shells before the snap. The secondary structure is flexible due to its two-story height. Safeties can move before or after the snap, react from depth, and eventually be deployed to attack the offense. The safeties’ roll typically comes late and can change the image for quarterbacks who turn their backs on the defense during play action. As the vast zone, then-
With the rise of the Shanahan-McVay-Stefanski-LaFleur style of offenses, changing the picture on the quarterback while his back is turned to execute a play fake has become a go-to tool for coaches looking to disguise, bluff, and add extra beats to a quarterback’s decision-making process – beats that can lead defenders to crash the pocket or the quarterback to make a poor decision with the ball. Dissecting what happened on a play can even be tough because the safeties’ responsibilities differ so much.
The severity of the offense varies greatly. The Fangio Defense employs the impression of simplicity to counter Sean McVay’s well-known “illusion of complexity” (the notion that a few key principles are presented in various ways). The exact same defensive look might result in a variety of coverages, pressures, and responsibilities. [BLG Note: Great story by Shawn Syed from Sumer Sports; read the full thing. [Originally published January 11, 2023.]
Jonny Page and Shane Haff analyze Jalen Hurts’ film from the 2023-2024 season, discussing where he regressed and where he improved.
@StokesTheWriter asked: How would you rank the following Eagles coordinators based on their careers? Sean Desai, Jonathan Gannon, Brian Johnson. Gannon is in first place here. Quality quarterbacks decimated his defense, but at least the Eagles destroyed the bad ones. Then I would say Brian Johnson. His term as offensive coordinator will always make me think of a youngster at a restaurant. His menu was limited, and he was presumably getting strong recommendations from his supervisor on what to order. It was definitely not fair to make him the scapegoat for the offense’s shortcomings, but he was also plainly a step down from Shane Steichen. […] But indeed, among the three known
The worst hire, in my opinion, would be Kingsbury, who runs a “Air Raid” offensive, which is a spread, up-tempo, primarily shotgun style whose efficiency is dependent on how effectively the players grasp and execute a predictable, limited playbook. If Nick Sirianni and the Eagles are seeking for “fresh” ideas, as they repeatedly stated at Sirianni’s press conference on Wednesday, this isn’t it.
If the Eagles want but cannot identify an offensive coordinator, it is likely that he is still in the playoffs. Looking at the coaching staffs, Klint Kubiak from SF appears to make the most sense. In 2021, he served as an offensive coordinator for the Vikings. He served as Denver’s passing game coordinator in 2022 and continues to do so with the Niners this season. He formerly worked as a quarterback coach for the Minnesota Vikings. Kubiak isn’t a veteran coach, but he has experience running an offense. He has worked closely with productive quarterbacks. He also understands the Shanahan playbook, which emphasizes fluidity, a dynamic run game, and quarterbacks playing under center. It appears to check a
What the Eagles should look for. This is only a speculation on my part. The Eagles have not been linked to him at all. Sirianni may have been given a mandate to get rid of Tanney and Brady and upgrade from the outside. We’ll have some answers soon enough. I still believe Eric Bieniemy and Kellen Moore should be key OC candidates. Bieniemy is an experienced coach with a solid track record. Moore is a youthful OC with five years of experience and a unique play-calling style. Both make a lot of sense for me.
