Eagles DC Vic Fangio: ‘I have to do a better job’
PHILADELPHIA — Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio found himself on the defensive Thursday, pressed about some of the issues the Birds have had on that side of the ball.
The Eagles have surrendered 799 yards of offense over the first two games this season, which is the third most in the NFL. They have a grand total of one sack, and they've been gashed for 6.4 yards per carry.
Plus, the sting is still fresh from Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons driving 70 yards in 65 seconds to beat the Eagles in primetime.
"You know, it started off as what you think of as a two-minute drive, but within two plays, it really wasn't two-minute anymore," Fangio said. "We gave up the big one on the sideline there on the second play, and after that, it became, they are in the red zone, and they got their time and their set of downs to do it.
"And obviously the run defense, particularly this past game, was nowhere near good enough, and I thought we could do that better," he said. "I have to do a better job of coaching the guys on the technique and do the job better. I just haven't done a good enough job of getting that done."
The Georgia trio of Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis and Nolan Smith have been underwhelming so far this year, with a combined one tackle among them. It's beyond concerning, considering the Eagles are counting on them to be the foundation of the defense.
Edge rusher Bryce Huff, signed for $51.1 million in the offseason, has been invisible, especially struggling on first downs against the run.
On Sunday, the Eagles will have to contend with New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara, who is averaging 99 rushing yards and has five combined touchdowns through two games.
"Yeah, I think when you talk production, correct me if I'm wrong, but you're talking sacks and pressures and stuff, and until we do a better job of playing the run, those aren't coming," Fangio said. "That's for sure. We all have to do a better job, starting with me, of playing the run better."
The offense under Kellen Moore — despite that much-dissected play-call of throwing the ball to Saquon Barkley instead of running it late in Monday's game — has been productive overall. The Eagles are fifth in the league in scoring (27.5 points per game), and that's with A.J. Brown being out Week 2.
But addressing that call was at the top of the agenda.
"Obviously the decision factors on that play, a big moment in the game," Moore said. "Ran the first two plays, obviously felt like we were gaining a few yards. The second-down play, they had a lot in the box. There was a lot of people in there. Saquon was able to avoid a few of them and get a couple yards out of it, but I felt like we had a play that was set up that had a potential opportunity to finish the game off.
"Obviously, there's risk associated with that play like any play," he said. "Unfortunately, it didn't turn out the way we had hoped, but those are situations where we're constantly having conversations about it, talking about how best to handle the situations, and it felt like we missed the opportunity."
One issue, especially with Brown out for at least another week or two, is the lack of involvement of tight end Dallas Goedert, who has been targeted just nine times in the first two games.
"I was more frustrated in the loss (Monday) than I was in not having targets, not having receptions," Goedert said. "I thought we were moving the ball really well, running the ball really well. You wish the outcome was different, but as an offense, we were doing a pretty good job."
DeVonta Smith led the Eagles with seven receptions for 76 yards against the Falcons. Britain Covey had six catches. Goedert had three, one less than Barkley.
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Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, whom the Saints traded to the Eagles, did not practice Thursday because of a foot injury. He hopes to be on the field in New Orleans, but that's questionable. Wide receiver Johnny Wilson also was still out with a hamstring strain.
