Philly Eagles DC Vic Fangio didn’t mince words on Wednesday, laying out the current state of their secondary and what’s bugging him most: the frustrating lack of turnovers. He told reporters every missed opportunity has a story, but come on, they *need* some takeaways to help their offense and get off the field.
No More Lollipops, Just Fastballs For Forced Turnovers
Fangio made it clear the Eagles have to start getting those game-changing plays. He admitted there were different factors leading to their low sack numbers, like offenses throwing it “rather quickly a lot of times,” but he’s still expecting sacks to come. The man even dropped a wild baseball analogy, saying they need to prepare players better to capitalize on potential takeaways. Coaches throwing easy “lollipops” in ball drills? “Almost a waste,” he said. Instead, they need the jugs machine or “a real quarterback throwing them some balls that have some RPMs, maybe like a [Jhoan] Duran fastball rather than a Jamie Moyer.” That’s a direct shot, but it tells you exactly how much he wants to see his guys rip the ball out.
Safety Shuffle and Secondary Deep Dive
For the safety spot, Fangio laid out the plan: Marcus Epps and Michael Carter are going to rotate, and they practiced it that way all week. He confirmed those two are “going to man the position right now,” with who’s on the field based on rotation, not specific situations. The goal is still to have someone settle into the role, though. And what about new signing Kenny Moore? Fangio sees him as a “down the line possibility, maybe,” since Moore has “really never played safety in his career.” That’s “some heavy lifting for him on the immediate return.” Good to know Drew Mukuba isn’t hurt, Fangio quickly confirmed that. And Cooper DeJean? The DC was quick with his answers here, too, saying he still plans to use DeJean in the slot when they’re in nickel packages, and he thinks the DB has been “playing good.”
Greenard’s Return and a Nightmare Matchup
On the edge, Jonathan Greenard got 18 or 19 snaps in his return, which was “about what I thought,” Fangio said. He noted Greenard had “some good rushes,” even if “little things were off a little bit.” Expect an upward trend for Greenard, with Fangio hoping for closer to 30 snaps this Sunday. And who are they facing this Sunday? The Rams. Fangio called them “really good.” And listen up, because this one hurts: The Rams, not counting their San Francisco game in Australia, have dropped 500 yards in each of their last three games, going all the way back to the NFC Championship against Seattle, the Giants, and Denver. Yeah, the Rams put up 500 yards on *our* Seahawks, Fangio mentioned “Three good defense” teams. So, the Eagles have a short week and a monster matchup ahead. Fangio’s crew better figure out those takeaways fast if they want to slow down that kind of offensive firepower.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleeding Green Nation.
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