Philadelphia's defensive coaching situation last year turned out to be a disaster. The Eagles hope the new staff can change the dynamic.
Sean Desai started the campaign as defensive coordinator, replacing Jonathan Gannon. Midway through the season, head coach Nick Sirianni demoted Desai and elevated senior defensive assistant Matt Patricia to defensive play-caller. Nothing worked, and the Eagles' season devolved.
With Desai and Patricia out, Vic Fangio, defensive line coach Clint Hurtt and others are in.
Entering his final year in the NFL, Brandon Graham expounded on the difference between the staffs.
"We've got a good coach in Clint," he said, praising the former Seahawks and Bears coach. "I really think that last year we just didn't… That's what we didn't have. We didn't have all the right coaches in the right position, I would say. You could just see the guys just truly believing in what we've got going on, and I'm excited for the young guys that just came in, the new rookies coming in. They're really going to get a good shot and good taste of what it really is to be in the NFL."
It comes as little surprise that, entering his 15th season in Philadelphia, Graham is comfortable enough to point out the defense's inconsistencies, particularly after Patricia took over in a desperate move by Sirianni that didn't work out.
When asked to elaborate on when he felt last year's staff didn't communicate as well, Graham said it trickled through the season and really stood out in the blowout playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
"You just noticed little stuff last year, certain stuff you weren't on the same page about," he said. "Just here and there, it would pop up, but it popped up in a big way in that last game. It's just, like, if (there's) anything I learned, you always want to make sure that we just have the proper communication. So it's real big communication going on right now within the locker room, on the field, in the classrooms. I know (GM) Howie (Roseman) was going to get it fixed because once you notice, you've just got to deal with it during the year. That's how it is. But I don't see none of that at all. I'm more excited just because we do got Fangio, somebody experienced, real, real good. I'm not saying anything about the past, but it was just more you can just tell that everybody's on the same page about stuff."
The praise for Fangio in Philly continues to trickle out this spring, standing in stark contrast to how Miami players feel about their former defensive coordinator.
The Eagles are a solid group on paper, particularly after upgrading the secondary with rookies Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean and bringing back safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson. The key will be the youngsters in the front seven growing into game-changers. If tackles Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter thrive in Fangio's scheme, the rest of the defense should fall into place.
