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Just two days ago, on Wednesday, January 24th, it was reported that the Eagles were finalizing a deal with Dolphins DC Vic Fangio, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Since then, though, there have been reports of Dolphins players actually celebrating the fresh departure of their veteran coach.
In a piece detailing some of the social media posts from Dolphins players, Ryan Morik of Fox News wrote that “Injuries were a problem for Fangio’s Dolphins defense this season, especially on the defensive line. However, members of that defense seem to think the issues went far beyond the medical report.”
There’s an informal, colloquial expression in English you may have heard before where someone tells another to go away or leave by saying, “Go kick rocks!” This is usually said in frustration, which is leading many to think that this video posted by Dolphins Safety Jevon Holland is happy about Fangio leaving.
That same day, Dolphins cornerback Cam Smith just posted an unlocked emoji as well,
It’s Possible Dolphins Players Were Split on Fangio’s Approach to the Defense
These celebrations of Fangio leaving stand in great contrast with Dolphins veteran and Ex-Chief Super Bowl champion Emmanuel Ogbah’s words in late December.
The big defensive end said, “He’s definitely a genius, I would say. As far as defensive scheme…he knows how to put guys in the right position to make plays. It’s definitely different. I’ve definitely learned a lot from him…he’s definitely evolved my game a lot.”
Fangio might not have been loved by everyone down in Miami, but he did have success on the field. In fact, out of the six teams that Fangio has been a defensive coordinator for, five of them have had a top five winning percentage at least once during his tenure.
Sports Radio 94WIP had Drew Rosenhaus on to speak about the conerns about the Dolphins locker room, and he said, ““There were quite a few players on the team that didn’t necessarily get along with Fangio.”
The Last Thing the Eagles Need Is More Locker Room Rifts
If it’s true that the Dolphins locker room was split on Fangio’s personality or approach then 2024 could be a long season for the Philadelphia Eagles. Just this year, Eagles players saw fans lined up outside the NovaCare Complex with trash cans labeled with player’s names and fans holding signs demanding the firing of their defensive coordinator at the time, Sean Desai.
No one knows the whole story of why Matt Patricia replaced Sean Desai midseason on the sideline for play-calling duties either. As the team fell apart toward the back half of 2023, there was also a reported feud on the offensive side of the ball as well involving the dissatisfaction of the Eagles most prized Pro Bowl wide receiver, A.J. Brown. Even Devonta Smith said he was “not happy” with the offense at one point.
2023 was a tumultuous season for so many reasons, but Eagles brass has a chance to turn it around in 2024.
Team Culture Will Be Everything for the Eagles in 2024
It’s obvious that owner Jeffrey Lurie and GM Howie Roseman want to surround head coach Nick Sirianni with veteran leadership and offensive creativity, but in doing so they might be sowing some things into this team culture that will be sure to give way at some point in the next season.
Just this week, Joe DeCamara of Sports Radio 94WIP said, “The main thing that really hit me is that I thought it is very apparent that Lurie and Howie have essentially emasculated Nick Sirianni as the head coach of the team. It was so clearly discussed that the new coordinator is going to come in and call plays.”
When you bring in a 65-year-old vet as a DC and you expect an offensive coordinator to fully take over and re-engineer an offense, you could end up with a frustrated head coach. If you combine that with a fan base already doused in gasoline and the highest of expectations, you could have some fireworks!
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