‘My football IQ went through the roof’: Former Pro Bowler on Vic Fangio

‘My football IQ went through the roof’: Former Pro Bowler on Vic Fangio originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

With four decades of coaching under his belt, new Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio must be doing something right to have such longevity. But what about him makes him special?

Last week, in an interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia’s NFL analyst Barrett Brooks, former 11-year veteran safety Donte Whitner lifted the lid on the reasons behind Fangio’s success.

Fangio coached Whitner for three season with the 49ers, from 2011 to 2013. Fangio was with the 49ers through the 2014 season, and in all four seasons he ran the defense, San Francisco ranked in the top 5 in the league in yards allowed.

Whitner received one of his two career Pro Bowl nods following the 2012 season, when the 49ers last made it to the Super Bowl, losing to the Ravens. In all, six members of that defense went to the Pro Bowl, and four – safety Dashon Goldson and linebackers NaVorro Bowman, Patrick Willis, and Aldon Smith – were named first-team All-Pro.

“When I got to San Francisco from Buffalo, it was like a whole different world,” said Whitner. “In Buffalo, we played ‘Tampa 2,’ you really didn’t have to know much… when I got to San Francisco and under the tutelage of [secondary coach] Ed Donatell and Vic Fangio, my football IQ went through the roof.”

He said the way Fangio coaches defense makes it very digestible for players, and that Fangio’s detail-oriented methods give his unit autonomy on the field to make decisions on the fly.

“He’s the most intelligent teacher I’ve ever encountered my entire time in the NFL,” Whitner said. “I say ‘teacher’ because he does some things that are unorthodox in his coaching style.” One example Whitner used of Fangio’s unique methods is catering play calls to players who may have trouble reading and adjusting to plays on the fly. Fangio adds language into the plays that tell certain players their…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/football-iq-went-roof-former-184923706.html

Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia

Publish date : 2024-01-29 18:49:23

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