Former Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski didn’t hold back while defending his longtime friend, Vic Fangio, who faced criticism from some Dolphins players after he left Miami to take the defensive coordinator job with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Eagles announced the hire three days after Fangio and Miami mutually parted ways following one season together, with the Dolphins ranking 29th in total defense.
During an appearance on Joe DeCamara and Jon Ritchie’s 94 WIP Philadelphia radio show Tuesday, Jaworski was asked about NFL agent Drew Rosenhaus’ recent claim that some Miami players didn’t have a positive relationship with Fangio — and said those players are just “whining” because they didn’t want to put in the work.
“Coaches coach. I have connections as well around this league and I hear another side of that story, that there were some players on that defense that didn’t want to work,” Jaworski said. “Didn’t want to put the time in, didn’t want to put the effort in, didn’t want to make the commitment to be successful.
“Guys like to party at night and South Beach is really a great place to party. And Vic tried to get those guys and push those guys to become harder workers and better athletes, and more committed to their team. And he couldn’t get through to those guys. Those were the guys that Vic was pushing and they’re the guys that are whining right now.”
Jaworski defended Fangio after Rosenhaus’ — who represents a number of Dolphins players — claimed there are some players who didn’t gel with the coach.
“There were quite a few players on the team that didn’t necessarily get along with Fangio,” Rosenhaus said last week. “And so it wasn’t a great relationship with many of the players.
“There were some guys that loved him, but there was quite a few that didn’t. It definitely wasn’t a unanimous positive relationship.”
Jaworski explained that his relationship with Fangio goes back to the mid-1980s when Fangio was an unpaid assistant with the USFL’s Philadelphia Stars, and he praised the new Eagles coach for his dedication to the game.
“You won’t find a better man, a football lifer, a guy dedicated to his profession, a great designed, not an ego that impacts anyone else,” Jaworski said.
Fangio returned to Philadelphia — he’s also a Dunmore, Pennsylvania native — after serving as a consultant for the Eagles in 2022.
Some Dolphins players appeared to celebrate the news on social media.
Jevon Holland, a third-year safety, posted a video of him kicking rocks, while rookie cornerback Cam Smith shared an unlocked emoji.
All-Pro wideout Tyreek Hill said Fangio’s exit “was shocking,” but hinted there was discourse between Fangio and his defense.
“I respected him a lot,” Hill said on a Twitch stream, adding that Fangio was “old school” and reminded him of his former Chiefs coach, Andy Reid. “I’m cool with that kind of stuff… I’m not surprised though if he’s gonna land in Philly because people talk around the league, behind closed doors it was like, ‘Hey, Vic he’s trying to get to Philly anyways.’
“I learned a lot from him, even though it was quick and he’s really a guru at defense. He’s just got to learn how to fit in with his players.”
