PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Days after letting go of former defensive coordinator Sean Desai, the Eagles have announced his replacement. After days of speculation, the Eagles announced the hiring of Vic Fangio. The Scranton-area native was a consultant with the Birds for a brief period during their run to Super Bowl LVII.
"I think it's good for the team, honesty. We needed a change. I think [Eagles head coach Nick] Sirianni knows what he's doing with clearing house. We needed a change," said Mike Dinacci of Philadelphia, a lifelong Eagles fan who joined other sports fans at Cavanaugh's Rittenhouse ahead of Saturday night's Sixers game.
The 65-year-old Fangio parted ways with the Dolphins, and the Eagles swooped in this week. In addition to decades of experience as a defensive coordinator, Fangio was also head coach of the Denver Broncos from 2019 through 2021.
"I think it's great," said Andrew Furman, a lifelong Eagles fan from Bergen County. "Any change is good after the disappointing end to last season — 'cause hopes were very obviously high coming in after the Super Bowl, and then starting 10-1.
"That was a collapse like no other. So I think they need to change a lot. And having someone like that with a resume is obviously very good for the organization."
For John Partain, a Birds fan since he moved to the city from Louisiana 25 years ago, it was time to get rid of Sean Desai and bring in an experienced coordinator:
"I think the risk was going really young with defensive coordinators. I think the coordinator has a lot of experience and knowledge of the game. We had the great Jim Johnson as a defensive coordinator. That's when we hung defensively. … Even when we were winning 10-1, we were barely pulling out those wins."
Fan Mike Hacksmull, himself a native of Northeastern Pennsylvania, says having someone who knows the fanbase is a plus. And he says he likes seeing the team focus on building the defense again:
"I think it's a great acquisition — with Jalen Hurts on the decline, it's important to make the move. We could have Joe Schmoe at quarterback, but the defense is going to help a lot."
With the defensive coordinator secured, the focus has shifted to finding someone to run the offense. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter and first reported by 94WIP's Howard Eskin on Saturday night, the Eagles are hiring Kellen Moore to be their new offensive coordinator.
