Vic Fangio channels Matt Patricia’s worst moments in disastrous Eagles house debut

The Eagles ought to have paid Haason Reddick.

The excellent news? It’s not too late. (Make the decision, Howie.)

When you had been anticipating to see a distinct Eagles protection than the one which fell aside over the second half of the 2023 season, Monday evening’s infuriating 22-21 come-from-ahead loss to the Falcons doesn’t depart you inspired.

Every part you’re about to learn ought to completely be taken with the caveat that we’re solely two video games right into a 17-game, 18-week NFL season. As final 12 months’s Eagles confirmed us, what you see early is just not essentially what you’re going to see months down the street. There’s a new defensive coordinator calling performs from the press field, a number of new gamers working round on the sphere, and one of many youngest defensive rosters the crew has placed on the sphere in a few years.

That being stated, the move rush has been totally inept, they’ll’t cease the run, and haven’t been producing turnovers. After a lot of key pink zone stops early, the supposed bend-but-don’t-break protection shattered right into a thousand items on the inexplicably straightforward game-winning Atlanta drive.

Final 12 months, the Sean Desai/Matt Patricia-led protection was one of many worst we’ve ever seen. Nobody knew what their assignments had been, the move rush disappeared over the ultimate 10 video games of the season, and late blown leads grew to become their calling card.

In Week 15, the protection was requested to guard a 17-13 lead in Seattle on Monday Evening Soccer, with back-up Drew Lock beginning on his personal 8-yard line, 1:52 to go and only one day trip. Lock went 92 yards in 10 performs in simply 1:24 to place Seattle in entrance 20-17.

Two weeks later, Kyler Murray and the Cardinals had the ball on their very own 30 with simply over two minutes left and two timeouts, trailing 31-28. Murray marched them proper down the sphere in entrance of a hostile Lincoln Monetary Subject crowd for the go-ahead TD with simply :32 seconds remaining.

A lot of the dialog following Monday evening’s epic meltdown will deal with Nick Sirianni’s recreation administration, and that’s legitimate. His inconsistencies by way of aggression and passivity are mystifying for a coach of his expertise and lack of different precise teaching duties, however on the finish of the day, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s protection was given a six-point lead with 70 yards to defend in opposition to a middling Falcons offense with no timeouts and simply 1:39 left by which to attain a landing.

Since Sirianni grew to become head coach in 2021, the Eagles have tried to run the Vic Fangio, bend-but-don’t-break protection with guys from his teaching tree. Jonathan Gannon had success, principally as a result of otherworldly move rush generated by the ‘22 defensive position, whereas Desai and no matter it was Patricia was doing final 12 months was an abomination.

Fangio, the architect, was introduced aboard to run the protection the correct manner, however after his secondary stifled Jordan Love in Week 1 in Brazil, they had been unhealthy as soon as once more in opposition to Atlanta. Over the primary two weeks, they give the impression of being an entire lot like final 12 months’s group.

Kirk Cousins entered the sport a wounded animal. Within the wake of his Achilles surgical procedure final 12 months, he merely can not transfer. Final week, Pittsburgh pressured him 12 occasions. Any type of stress by the defensive position would have put the Atlanta offense on ice, and but, Cousins was sacked simply as soon as, for eight yards. Even worse, on the ultimate drive, he had all day to throw as Fangio continued to hurry simply 4 on each play.

Shouldn’t the entrance 4 have the ability to get to a statue like, Cousins? Completely. However when it grew to become clear they couldn’t, shouldn’t one thing else have been dialed up?

Eagles followers are nonetheless ready for the investments made alongside the defensive position to repay. Jalen Carter was the speak of camp this summer season however, by two video games, he’s barely made it onto the stat sheet. Jordan Davis is invisible, which is troublesome for a person of his dimension. Nolan Smith had one solo deal with final evening, in any other case he’d have been shut out, too.

After which there’s Huff, the younger edge rusher who obtained a three-year, $51 million contract to exchange Reddick alongside the defensive position this summer season.

That’s not ideally suited.

The Eagles additionally want extra from their famous person nook Darius Slay, who received torched on Drake London’s game-winning TD. Slay admitted he tousled after the sport, which is commendable, but it surely nonetheless can’t occur.

Let’s additionally not overlook the Eagles’ porous run protection, which has been gashed every of the final two weeks in opposition to two admittedly good backs. Towards Josh Jacobs and Bijan Robinson, Fangio’s group has given up 315 yards on the bottom, Eighth-most within the league. The departure of Fletcher Cox definitely hurts, however isn’t Jordan Davis speculated to be a run-stopping phenom?

Howie Roseman entered the season relying on his high-profile and much-lauded defensive draft picks to supply. They proceed to underachieve.

Some followers will have a look at the very fact the protection solely gave up 22 factors on Monday evening and say they had been advantageous, however keep in mind the Eagles dominated time of possession 35:39-24:21. Within the second half, Atlanta had simply THREE possessions. They scored on all of them. The one cause Atlanta didn’t rating extra is due to Jalen Hurts and the offense’s ball-control offense. Fangio’s group didn’t pressure a single three-and-out, and solely made Cousins & Co. punt twice.

One of many craziest numbers from Monday evening’s debacle was this — the Falcons generated 22 first downs, however solely three of them got here on third or 4th downs. In different phrases, for 19 of Atlanta’s 22 first downs, they didn’t even NEED a 3rd down to be able to get it.

With one of many youngest rosters within the NFL, it’s potential this unit simply wants extra time to gel. However they higher do it rapidly, as the most popular offense within the league, David Carr’s Saints, await them for a out of the blue troublesome match-up on Sunday in New Orleans.

Fangio has simply six days to determine some stuff out or it’s going to be an awfully tough week in The Large Straightforward.