Vic Fangio has coached a lot of great defenses in his near quarter-century of work as a defensive coordinator. He’s produced plenty of top 10 units and a truly great one during his four-year run in San Francisco. However, is it fair to say this 2018 Chicago Bears defense is the best he’s ever had? He’d never say as much either way.
Fangio is the kind of guy who’s always looking forward. He has some Chuck Noll to him in that he believes his players have room for improvement despite considerable success. That’s the job of a great coach. Be happy for their accomplishments but never be satisfied with where they’re at.
The epitome of this style was evident during his latest press conference. Fangio, like the rest of the team, was basking in the glow of success after dropping the Packers to win the NFC North. His defense played a pivotal role, limiting Green Bay to 17 points. Ask about how they’ve done this year, the 60-year old made a grudging admission.
“They’re playing good. Even I can’t deny that.”
Nobody can deliver that sharp one-liner like Vic Fangio can
While it was meant as a partial joke, it’s another reminder of who this man is. He’s never one to sugarcoat things for his players. When they’re bad, he’s going to tell them so. It is probably one of the reasons they love him so much. He doesn’t B.S. them. They only get praise when they’ve earned it.
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This evidenced by his reaction to four of his players being named Pro Bowl starters in Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks, Kyle Fuller, and Eddie Jackson.
“Very well deserved. Happy for those guys. They earned it.”
It’s amazing to think this man hasn’t become a head coach in the NFL. He has the personality for it. Players buy into what he’s selling and he has a clear understanding of the game from top to bottom. Ironically, despite several years of success around the league, it’s not until he gets to Chicago that people start taking him seriously. One selfishly hopes nobody offers him such a chance, but they should. He is so good at what he does.
