How “The Architect” Constructed One of the Greatest Defensive Units of All Time
Most Eagles fans would likely agree that we are nearing the end of the most heart-wrenching yet captivating decade of fanship since the team’s conception in 1933. We witnessed the legendary Nick Foles when he was needed most against Tom Brady, the gradual transition into the Jalen Hurts era, the tug of a jersey that swiftly ended our Super Bowl dreams, and the disastrous, unspeakable collapse that followed the season after.
Yet, of all the extremes I’ve been forced to digest over these past ten years, none have been harder to believe than the Eagles 40-22 victory over the three-peat seeking Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 59, a win so utterly dominant that I still haven’t fully processed that it happened. As I watch a 25-26 Eagles team that, while being 6-2, appears to be a shadow of its former self, I can’t help but constantly dig back into my memory to a roster that can make its case as one of the strongest in NFL history.
The Eagles’ offensive principles were widely understood by many: dominate the running game with the league’s strongest offensive line and future HOF running back Saquon Barkley, slowly draw the defensive towards the line of scrimmage, then punish the opposing secondary deep with receivers AJ Brown and Devonta Smith when they least expected it. While now New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore ran this offense brilliantly, much of its success hinged on incorporating the talent of the star-studded personnel.When used in their proper roles, few other teams in the league, let alone this century, could keep up with the Eagles offense, which had essentially 0 weaknesses at any position. However, this approach makes roster-building very difficult, as the Eagles have 67.6% of their payroll devoted towards offensive players.
So, how in the world did the Eagles manage to hold the Chiefs scoreless into the second half, until they scored 34 points and pulled their starters? How did a defense full of rookies and low-risk additions - with an average age of 25 - become the most stout defense in the league? How did the Eagles limit Patrick Mahomes to a 28.2 passing grade? How did they sack him 6 times despite not having blitzed one singular time the entire game?
Two words: Vic Fangio. Dubbed “The Architect”, Vic Fangio became the mastermind behind the new Broad Street Bullies, or the NO PHLY ZONE, depending on how this team is remembered in future years. After serving as a defensive advisor during the Eagles’ Super Bowl run in 2023, Fangio formally stepped into the defensive coordinator position following the 2024 collapse, and still holds that position today. This is how Fangio dissected a seemingly unbeatable dynasty through numbers, faith, and discipline.
The Eagles were first introduced to Fangio’s scheme through 2024’s defensive coordinator, Sean Desai, who studied under Fangio during his coaching stint in Chicago and employed a similar defensive style. While the seeds of what would become an incredible defense were planted, Desai lacked experience and confidence, and quickly grew out of favor with the team as head coach Nick Sirianni relinquished his playcalling duties. Desai shortly thereafter removed himself from team meetings and was fired in January.
Fangio was a breath of fresh air. At 66 years old, with over 40 years of coaching experience, Fangio automatically commanded respect from a hungry young defensive unit. It was a stark contrast to his prior situation in Miami, where he seemed to lose the respect and confidence of a similarly young core. Eagles cornerback Darius Slay was quoted as saying, “I don’t know what they had over there [in Miami]. But over here, he’s a great dude…all them corners that used to play under his system… they always talked very highly of him” (NBC Sports).
Following a historic defensive collapse, the Eagles were in desperate need of change and, specifically, a coordinator of Fangio’s pedigree and attitude. Through media appearances and interactions with Eagles fans, Fangio’s extremely candid and brutally honest demeanor made it abundantly clear that accountability on both ends was going to be a priority under Fangio.
There are all sorts of defensive schemes in the NFL that employ different numbers of positional players, defensive formations, and playcalls. Vic Fangio’s defense can be effectively summarized in one word: stingy. This was a defense that refused to beat itself; Fangio aimed for every opposing team to rise above the conservative look they were shown - make them beat you.
A key principle of this kind of defense is the zone-heavy approach Fangio took to playcalling. Defensive playcalls can be broadly sorted into two categories: man coverage involves defensive players being directly assigned to offensive skill position players (receivers, running backs, tight ends, and occasionally a quarterback), while zone coverage assigns defensive players a certain area of the field to cover.
The major advantage of man coverage is to free up defensive players to blitz the quarterback; as long as the secondary can handle their individual assignments for a short period of time, the rush can overwhelm the offensive line and pressure the quarterback. However, man coverage is easily exploitable through playcalls that get the ball out of the hands of the quarterback quickly; furthermore, man coverage becomes less reliable if there is a large disparity in skill or size between a cornerback and a receiver (the Eagles’ own AJ Brown is possibly the best example of this). Man coverage can be very effective in certain situations but is far too risky to encompass a majority of defensive play calling.
For Vic Fangio, preventing explosive plays was the key to holding their opponents to honest football, and this is mainly achieved through zone coverage. Namely, Fangio ran his defense through the nickel formation and cover 4. The Eagles’ nickel formation featured 3 defensive lineman, 3 linebackers, and a nickel (slot corner). Their cover 4 look rushes 4 players on the quarterback, drops 2 linebackers and a nickel into coverage in the middle of the field, and divides the deep area of the field into 4 quarter zones (between the cornerbacks and safeties). Traditional man coverage looks devote at most 2 players to covering the deep zones of the field, while cover 4 devotes 4 (hence the name); at the expense of sending extra pressure to the quarterback, a cover 4 look realistically gives a defense the best chance of limiting explosive plays. In taking this zone-heavy approach, the Eagles allowed for pressure to formulate naturally while the coverage limited the quarterback’s ability to throw the ball downfield.
Combine this scheme with one of the strongest secondaries in the league, and we begin to understand the sheer dominance of this unit. When less defensive pressure comes from the line of scrimmage, greater responsibility falls on the secondary to hold their assignments and cover their piece of the field; few on the roster accomplished this better than Quinyon Mitchell. Drafted that year 22nd overall, Mitchell stepped immediately into a starting role and displayed incredible athleticism and coverage skills, some of the traits that caused him to shoot up draftboards in the months prior to the draft despite going to Toledo, a smaller school. Mitchell was primarily assigned to cover the right side of the field all season and held numerous talented receivers such as Drake London, Mike Evans, and Ja’Marr Chase to under 20 yards apiece. Fangio’s assurance that one half of the field was well-covered allowed him to shift defensive attention towards the left half, where veteran Darius Slay was more likely to be picked on.
To receive a contribution to the degree of Quinyon Mitchell’s season from one rookie on the roster is already incredible, but to receive them from two rookies is entirely unprecedented: enter Cooper DeJean. DeJean, well regarded for his coverage chops and versatility (something Vic Fangio demanded from all of his players), slipped to the second round due to a major leg injury in his final year at Iowa, where the Eagles traded up to grab him.
After starting the 2024 season 2-2, the Eagles had potentially the most important bye week in the franchise’s history, as it marked the transition to the incredible unit we remember now; one of the catalysts for these changes was starting Cooper DeJean. The slot, or the spot for skill position players adjacent to the offensive line, gives a receiver the most space and the most freedom with their route tree. As such, slot corners must be athletic in coverage and be able to fight in the trenches, as they will often be called upon to defend the run (due to their proximity to the line of scrimmage). DeJean quickly earned the attention of the Philadelphia faithful, shoring up the middle field coverage and making major plays to the tune of “COOOOOP” bellows, two of which being when he hitsticked the great Derrick Henry in week 13 and his now legendary pick six in the Super Bowl.
DeJean’s play in the Super Bowl (on his birthday) particularly demonstrates the beauty of Fangio’s conservative defense. DeJean was allowed to roam the middle of the field while the rushers pushed Mahomes out of the pocket, and it was because of the heavy coverage all over the field that DeJean could lurk outside of Mahomes’ vision, crossing the field and intercepting the cross-body attempt.
Generating as much pressure as the Eagles did during the Super Bowl is far easier said than done, considering the Eagles did not call a singular blitz during the entire game. Mahomes was pressured on 55.3% of his dropbacks; for reference, he has faced a higher playoff game pressure rate only in his 2021 Super Bowl loss against the Buccaneers, a famously blitz heavy defense. This was possible for two major reasons: coverage and personnel. The job of the offensive line is not to completely dominate the defensive line; rather, it is to limit their attack for as long as possible and buy as much time for the quarterback to make a play. Strong coverage limits the options of the quarterback and forces him to go through his reads, buying more time for the pass rush to ring home.
It also helps to have a player like Jalen Carter, who can really only be categorized as a game-wrecker. Carter is a vicious threat in the trenches, as he is both a stout run defender and a guaranteed double-team threat on passing downs; in his first few seasons in the NFL, he has already established himself as a perennial Pro Bowl player and one of the best defensive tackles in the league. Surrounding Carter with high-IQ veteran rushers like Brandon Graham and Josh Sweat, speed threats like Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt, and pass-rush specialists like Moro Ojomo and Milton Williams gave the Eagles as many good chances as other teams to sack the quarterback, despite never rushing more than 4 players in the Super Bowl, which I would argue to be the d-line’s best game of the season.
I could honestly spend days talking about every minute aspect of each individual contributor to this defense, but there is one player in particular who I would consider it to be the largest disservice to not discuss: the bald eagle, Zack Baun. The Eagles’ roster is rich with career revivals and comeback stories, but few really embody Philly’s obsession with underdogs more than Baun. Drafted in the third round of the 2020 draft by the Saints, Baun spent the 4 years of his rookie contract as a relatively low-impact edge rusher who lived on special teams, compiling 1 interception, 2 sacks, and less than 100 total tackles before signing a minimum contract with the Eagles coming into the 2024 season.
A key factor of the Eagles’ 2023 disaster defense was lack of starpower at the linebacker position, after starters TJ Edwards and Kyzir White signed lucrative contracts elsewhere following the Super Bowl and the front office neglected to replace them with more than low-end backups. When the Eagles announced Baun would start at middle linebacker after a strong training camp, it felt like another attempt to patch a hole in a dam with a piece of duct tape.
Yet, the Eagles saw something in Baun. In the little meaningful film that existed, Fangio saw versatility, athleticism, and a feel for football that wasn’t properly harnessed in his edge rusher role. What ensued was one of the most unexpected and unbelievable turnarounds in recent NFL history: Baun turned in a DPOY-worthy season and immediately established himself among the top tier of middle linebackers, alongside players like Fred Warner and Roquan Smith.
It wouldn’t be an understatement by any measure to say Baun was a force to be reckoned with at every level of the game. Baun was elastic in coverage, capable of handling difficult assignments and locking down the center of the field. Baun was an unbelievable playmaker, routinely leaping and diving for anticipatory interceptions, his best 2 coming in the playoffs; he also forced 5 fumbles, displaying high tackling IQ and a strength that encouraged ball carriers to tighten up. Baun was an electric tackler, rarely allowing offensive players to escape his grasp and constantly shooting through run gaps for major losses. He plays with fluidity and an almost primal level of instinct. Zack Baun was an anchor for a previously volatile defense, providing a level of stability which cannot have its importance understated.
After dominating the Washington Commanders, Fangio’s unit met their hardest challenge possible, as I believed the Chiefs to be the only team with the potential to outcoach his conservative scheme. Yet, there was never a point in this game past the first quarter where it was truly competitive. Despite Mahomes playing at his best level, the Eagles defensive front was far too mature, far too polished, far too strong.
A major aspect of media attention in the NFL comes from marketability and social media presence, so I can understand why less people understand how incredible this unit was due to the general lack of ballhawks and highlight plays. Despite this being an undeniable part of sports, the Eagles seem to have had their sights set purely on winning; that’s why Jalen Hurts doesn’t have to pass for 300 yards every game, or Saquon rush for 150, or the defense sack or intercept the quarterback several times in one game. I would be hard-pressed to find another NFL roster so willing to sacrifice the pursuit of individual recognition for the greater success of the organization.
The uprising of players like Zack Baun is almost metaphorical and is entirely representative of the progression this roster underwent between the 23-24 and 24-25 seasons, and witnessing how this roster succeeded, suffered, and evolved has likely been the biggest joy I’ve experienced in my 19 years of sports viewership. The Eagles are an undeniably controversial team in sports: between the tush push, AJ Brown’s cryptic tweets, and the sheer abundance of people who pray on their downfall week to week, it’s never a shock to see the Birds directly in the midst of toxic NFL discourse.
Yet, one irrefutable fact remains: we beat Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl. In fact, we dominated him! We outschemed a dynasty one win away from a threepeat. We went from one of the largest regular season collapses in NFL history to a roster that holds its worth among some of the strongest units in the entirety of the game. My fascination with this 2024 Eagles team may never truly be satiated, and that, to me, is the magic of football. Always evolving, ever electrifying, never disappointing.
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