When the final story of the Philadelphia Eagles’ Week 12 win over the Los Angeles Rams is written, it will say that four safeties took the field for Vic Fangio’s defense, with Reed Blankenship playing 57 snaps, CJ Gardner-Johnson playing 56 snaps, Tristin McCollum at eight and Sydney Brown bringing up the rear with six.
On paper, nothing about that is particularly weird; the Eagles under Fangio have been relying pretty heavily on their starter, even at positions where the team rotates, like on the defensive line. Still, the decision to go to McCollum in two-safety looks in the game, with Brown largely seeing his action during the final drive, is a bit unusual, as the latter is widely considered the “better” player with a more expansive future in the Eagles’ scheme.
Asked by reporters during his weekly media session why McCollum, not Brown, earned the initial nod coming off the bench in Week 12, Fangio laid it out pretty plainly, noting that in his eyes, the choice was obvious, as the former is more prepared to play than the latter.
“Tristin has had the most reps going all the way back to training camp,” Fangio told reporters. “I believe he’s more ready to play.”
Alright, as a variable Fangio scholar at this point, this line of thinking actually isn’t too out of the ordinary for the veteran coordinator; while talent will always win out in the end, he does like to give the nod, at least initially, to veteran players because of the perception that they know more about the game than younger players.
Devon White got more first-team linebacker snaps over the summer than Nakobe Dean; Isaiah Rodgers looked like the outside CB2 opposite Darius Slay, with Quinyon Mitchell set to play in the slot. And goodness, when the Toldeo product eventually locked in on the outside, it was Avonte Maddox who started in the slot, not Cooper DeJean, even if the latter has rapidly become one of the better interior defensive backs in the entire NFL.
With that being said, Brown is an athletic, speedy, hard-nosed defensive back who already made a massive play when he forced a fumble against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 9. While yes, he didn’t play much for the team during the summer and is relatively new to on-field efforts within Fangio’s defense, that’s because the Illinois product tore his ACL in Week 18 last year against the New York Giants. If the Eagles want their big nickel package to be as effective as their typical three wide receiver look, which might not even be necessary anymore, considering DeJean is a borderline every-down player at this point, and Maddox is still playing inside snaps every now and then.
Vic Fangio believes special teams can help Sydney Brown
Discussing Brown’s return to the field back in Week 10, in his first media session after the collegiate Fighting Illini recorded his forced fumble against the Jaguars, Fangio was asked if he believes putting in work on special teams can translate to production on defense. As a former assistant coach who specialized in linebackers, Fangio gave an emphatic yes, noting that all good safeties and linebackers have to be good at special teams, too.
“I think for inside linebackers and safeties, if they are not good special teams players, they are probably not going to be good inside linebackers or safeties, either,” Fangio told reporters. “NaVorro Bowman, his rookie year, which I wasn’t there with him, didn’t play any defense but tore it up on special teams, and then the next year when I got there, he started tearing it up on defense.”
Welp, there you go, folks; if Brown keeps putting in work, putting impressive plays on tape, and putting the ball on the ground, his day will eventually come on defense, as Fangio just has to get comfortable with his first.
