On Jan. 20, 2013, Vic Fangio was in the press box at the Georgia Dome calling signals for the San Francisco 49ers as their defensive coordinator.
He shut down the Falcons in the second half and allowed the 49ers to post a 28-24 come-from-behind victory in the NFC Championship game.
Fangio currently is the head coach of the Denver Broncos (3-4) who are set to face the Falcons (2-6) at 1 p.m. Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan remembers what it’s like to go up against Fangio’s defense.
“They’re tough," Ryan said. "They play hard. He gets his guys to play hard. He gets his guys to understand what their responsibility is within the defense and they don’t make a lot of mistakes.
"They don’t give you anything. You certainly have to earn it when you play against defenses that he’s coached, at least that’s been the case going against them in my career.”
Here’s what Fangio had to say on the Thursday’s virtual call:
On the status of RB Phillip Lindsay and CB Bryce Callahan: “I think they both will be practicing today in a limited basis. I think both of them should be OK for the game.”
On whether CB A.J. Bouye will practice today: “He won’t be on the field, but that’s part of the protocols—guys with a concussion cannot hit the field until Friday with the team.”
On what he’s seen from the Falcons since interim coach Raheem Morris took over for Dan Quinn: “They haven’t really changed much, if anything. They’re a really good offense. Anytime you can throw names out their like Ryan, (wide receiver) Julio Jones, (wide receiver) Calvin Ridley, (tight end) Hayden Hurst, (running back) Todd Gurley II, (center) Alex Mack, (right guard Chris) Lindstrom, (right tackle Kaleb) McGary—they’ve got a lot of talent on offense and it’s reflected in their stats.”
On how S Kareem Jackson is able to walk the line between being an extremely physical player and staying within the rules: “He’s good at it. His experience, No. 1, he’s grown up in the league where these rules have been instituted and constantly scaled back. So, he’s grown with it. He’s managed to understand what is and what isn’t allowed, and he’s done a good job of tackling legally with good hits.”
On what he’s seen from the Falcons defense over the past three games: “They’re fast on defense. (defensive tackle) Grady Jarrett is a really good player. He’s quick, explosive—he’s got really good instincts on the move. He does a good job of setting up guys in pass rush and using his quickness. (Defensive end Dante) Fowler Jr. is a good pass rusher, (linebacker) Deion Jones is a really good linebacker. They’ve got (cornerback) A.J. Terrell in the secondary. The one thing that jumps out is they are fast on defense and they play aggressive and fast and they have been pressuring more of late. I’m happy that we have a couple games to see them on tape because they have had a little bit of a change in their philosophy that way.”
On if he would like to see TEs Noah Fant and Albert Okwuegbunam on the field together more: “Yeah, that’s definitely possible. We’ll be dressing three tight ends as you know with Jake (Butt) and (Andrew) Beck on the IR. So, obviously if we’re playing a good bit of the two tight end personnel groups there’s a really good chance that they will be out there together.”
On how much of the connection between QB Drew Lock and WR Jerry Jeudy relies on getting more reps: “That’s definitely part of it. It’s not just that it’s their fourth game together, it’s a shortened training camp, no offseason, Drew missing three or four games, which includes practice. Jerry had some minor injuries that kept him out of a practice or two. So, all of that added up, they just haven’t been out there a lot together. The more that that happens, the more comfortable they’ll be with each other both from the route running standpoint — you know, Drew understanding his routes and how he runs them—and for Jerry how he throws the ball and timing of certain plays. So, yeah, it’s important.”
Falcons' next four games
Broncos at Falcons at 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8
Bye Week
Falcons at Saints at 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22
Raiders at Falcons at 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 29
Saints at Falcons at 1 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6
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