PHILADELPHIA - Much is made of Vic Fangio's defensive scheme.
The well-regarded Eagles defensive coordinator is the most copied defensive mind in the NFL during this generation of football, and is currently running the No. 1 defense in the NFL as 8-2 Philadelphia prepares to visit the 5-5 Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night.
Rams head coach Sean McVay is one of the offensive-minded mentors in the league who once wanted Fangio's system run on the other side of the football in L.A.
For McVay, though, the much-ballyhooed scheme isn't what defines Fangio.
"I think it's situationally dependent," McVay said of Fangio's defense this week. "The biggest thing that I would say that makes Vic a great coach is he's going to adjust, adapt, and figure out what is going to be best given the circumstances."
However, "There’s still a foundational philosophy," according to McVay.
That's the idea of keeping the plus-one in coverage as much as possible, limiting explosive plays and the core belief of not tipping the coverage hand until post-snap.
"There’s a way of making people play in an understanding of how to try to limit what people are trying to get done and the illusion of what it really looks like and that is on display," McVay said. "I think they've really done an excellent job."
The real difference between Fangio and his copycats is the ability to teach the core philosophies of the defense and toggling between situational needs. A heavy-zone game against rookie Jayden Daniels and Washington in Week 11 may not be as tenable against a veteran like Matthew Stafford with the Rams.
"They've obviously played great football as a team the last six weeks, but you can see guys are comfortable," McVay said of the Eagles defense. "He's working with some rookies that are playing really well and some younger players. They're one of the best defenses in the league and by a lot of metrics, they're arguably the best."
The idea that Fangio's scheme is static is an erroneous one.
"I think the thing that you appreciate is just the evolution and the adaptability," said McVay. "... There’s some different stuff but also you see a willingness to adjust to what fits for that team. You can see he has a big picture, head coaching perspective from it not exclusively just through a defensive lens.
"I think that's one of the things that I admire and respect the most about this team is they play as a team instead of separate entities, offense, defense, and [special] teams."
