Eagles' CB Dropped An Impressive Comp For Vic Fangio

PHILADELPHIA – Veteran cornerback Adoree’ Jackson is making a nice transition to Philadelphia in the early days of training camp, getting significant reps with the first team at right cornerback.

The nine-year veteran, who is set to turn 30 in September, is battling with the youth, length, and sub-4.4 speed of Kelee Ringo for the job.

On Saturday after practice, Jackson was asked about his early thoughts on playing in a Vic Fangio defense.  

"I think every defense I've played for has always been different, and one thing I would say would be different [with] Vic is his demeanor and how he talks and how he approaches the game,” Jackson said. “And you can tell he's very respectable.”

Fangio, a 40-year coaching vet, is coming off his first Super Bowl championship while building the NFL's No. 1 defense. However, those accomplishments were preceded by being the most respected defensive coordinator and the most copied defensive mind over the last decade.

Jackson compared his new boss to his first one in Tennessee when he arrived as the Titans first-round pick in 2017.

“The only thing I could probably relate it to would be to when I was in Tennessee my first year with Dick LeBeau,” Jackson said when discussing Fangio's presence.

A former All-Pro and Hall of Fame selection as a player, LeBeau, 87, is also regarded as one of the NFL’s best-ever defensive minds, credited with creating the zone blitz that is now a staple in the league and often a strategy of Fangio with his famed flex defender dropping out into coverage.

“When he speaks everyone listens,” Jackson said of LeBeau. “You feel that. You can see that and then he can tell you good stories and help you out. You don't get discouraged because he done seen it all and been through it all and that's what I loved about Dick LeBeau and what I appreciate a lot about Vic.”

Like LeBeau, Fangio commands every room he enters with his resume, but where the Eagles DC wins over his players is with an uncanny ability to help everyone get at least a little bit better.

“[Vic’s] able to show us the mistakes to correct and then if we make them, show [the players] other league guys as well and understand it's okay [to make mistakes] but we have to learn from it.

“And I appreciate that."