“You know, I learned in recent months that it’s hard to get to the mountaintop, but it’s even harder to stay.” With these words, Saquon Barkley had addressed the question that’s been on every mind since last season. Can the Eagles repeat their victory laps from last season? While it’s too soon to tell right now, veterans have been shooting warning signs at defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. As he enters his second season as the DC for the Eagles, the pressure’s high to repeat ‘24’s success.
To say Vic Fangio is good doesn’t quite cut it. This guy single-handedly flipped the script on a failing offense. He brought them to the top of the ranking leaderboards, down from the 26th spot. Fangio’s demanding, old-school approach and the knack for developing young talent sparked the defensive renaissance in Philadelphia last season. But this year, the stakes are higher, and there are some missing pieces. With the departure of Darius Slay, Josh Sweat, and Brandon Graham, the helm falls to the rest of the roster. And Philly legend Hugh Douglas sees trouble on the horizon.
On 94WIP sportsradio, Douglas shared his concerns. He was all for Darius Slay’s performance last season and noted that the pressure will be on for Quinyon Mitchell this new season. As Douglas put it, “Darius Slay played pretty darn good last year, you know, and he imparted a lot of wisdom on those young guys. And Quinyon Mitchell is a hell of a corner. I’m not going to say he’s going to struggle… I would say he’s going to be challenged this year because he’s going to go and he’s had his moments where he’s went with the number one receiver. But I think the volume is going to be a lot different this year.” Mitchell is coming off quite a productive season, with 46 tackles to his name (37 of them solo), and 12 passes defended. But with veterans away, it won’t be so easy this time around.
Douglas’s warning is simple. The Eagles’ ‘24 run was built on dominant linebacker play and a cohesive unit that operated with a hive-mind. This year, with the roster shake-ups, that cohesion will be put to the test. Even Vic Fangio himself noted recently, “Some of those guys in that second list have to become like those guys in the first list, and I don’t know how that’s going to turn out, but I look at us really basically the same one year to the next. The names have changed. Hopefully we’ll get the same results from these new guys that we got from a lot of the new guys last year.”
But it’s not all bad. The reigning champs can still bring the heat as far as voices around Philly are concerned. Despite the worry from Douglas, the team has also gotten a big vote of confidence for the new season.
“The best” – Ray Didinger’s claim for Vic Fangio’s team
As the older guys dive into HC Nick Sirianni’s “can’t be great without the greatness of others” mantra, the rookies will have the chance to buy into that as well. There’s a lot to prove for the rookies in the new season on the defensive side. But the offensive core remains intact. And that core brings a promise reporters are also buying into. Ray Didinger recently noted, “I mean, they had teams that came off Super Bowls before, but going into the next season very few people were saying ‘yeah, this is the team.’” But Didinger isn’t one of those people.
In another installment of 94WIP, Didinger shared his vision for the team along with a bold claim. As he put it, “They’re the best, and I think you talk to anybody around the league, they will say that even with free agency and even with the people that you lost, this is still the best team. I really do believe that. So you’ve never been in this position before where you’re you are number uno going into the season on the eve of training camp, but you are now.” Didinger’s confidence comes from the team’s balanced roster, coaching stability, and the momentum of last season’s Super Bowl victory. And with the core standing strong, all signs point to the Eagles balling out again.
Didinger’s claim also echoes that old Patriots’ era where they seemed unbeatable even before the first snap of the season. The Eagles’ offense, led by Jalen Hurts, remains a force to be reckoned with every single year. That offense will allow them to absorb defensive risks more comfortably. Yeah, the stakes are higher than last year. But when have the Eagles ever backed down?
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