Eagles doubling down on practice time, thanks to Vic Fangio
PHILADELPHIA -- After pushing the limits on what a light, health-conscious offseason training regimen can look like, the Philadelphia Eagles are moving a couple of clicks back toward the pack -- with a nudge from old-school defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
Some change will be seen at training camp later this month, when the Eagles are expected to extend their time on the field after cutting down on both the number of practices and the length of sessions in previous years.
"We're probably on the low-end extreme of time out [on the field]," coach Nick Sirianni said. "There are teams on the high-end extreme. And I think that we need to come up [some]."
Placing a high priority on getting to the regular season with as few injuries as possible, the Eagles tend to land well shy of what's permitted under the collective bargaining agreement, which allows teams to hold 2-hour padded practices during the height of training camp. Philadelphia's high-tempo practices often clock in at around an hour or less, and the schedule includes more days off and practices without full pads than are required.
That approach worked just fine leading into the 2022 season. The Eagles got off to an 8-0 start en route to an appearance in Super Bowl LVII. All 22 of their original starters played in that game.
They took things a step further in 2023, reducing the number of back-to-back practices and increasing the amount of walkthroughs during the heart of camp. Still, they started 5-0 and won 10 of their first 11 games.
However, they looked out of sync early and came a blink away from dropping the opener against the New England Patriots, who finished the season with a 4-13 record. Afterward, Sirianni expressed regret over not playing quarterback Jalen Hurts and other key starters during the preseason, saying he would "definitely reevaluate some of the preseason stuff next year."
The need to up the offseason activity became greater when the organization fired offensive coordinator Brian Johnson and defensive coordinator Sean Desai following a 1-6 collapse down the stretch and replaced them with Kellen Moore and Fangio. With new schemes being implemented on both sides of the ball, the Eagles held a three-day minicamp in June after opting not to the previous two years.
During his first news conference since being named defensive coordinator, Fangio suggested he lobbied Sirianni for more offseason practices.
"You've got to make do with what you got," he said, "but I keep pushing for more."
The 65-year-old Fangio was also asked how the players have changed during his 40 years of coaching.
"They really haven't changed very much at all," he replied. "What's changed is the people around them. People are not expecting as much out of players as we used to expect. These players will work and give you everything they've got within reason. It starts at an early age, when they're in high school, college, everybody -- less-is-more type of thing, preserve your energy. You guys hear in the NBA, load management. I've talked to coaches from other sports that I know, and it drives them crazy.
"The players are willing to work. Never had an issue with that. And they're still willing to work. But we as the so-called adults in the room need to push them."
Fangio said he isn't suggesting the Eagles go back to full-pad two-a-days, but it's clear his preferences don't fully align with the more modern-day approach.
Perhaps the sweet spot is in the middle. And the Eagles are at least inching closer to it this offseason.
"I think what's very important is that we don't overcorrect. There's a danger of overcorrecting in my eyes," Sirianni said. "You have to adapt. You have to evolve."
