[Berman] Re: Zack Baun — Vic Fangio said Howie Roseman first brought up Baun’s name this offseason. The initial evaluation was as a backup edge rusher/special teams contributor. Fangio watched the film and said he’s an inside linebacker.


[Berman] Re: Zack Baun — Vic Fangio said Howie Roseman first brought up Baun’s name this offseason. The initial evaluation was as a backup edge rusher/special teams contributor. Fangio watched the film and said he’s an inside linebacker.

24 comments
  1. Thought this was an interesting tweet. I feel like a lot of people assumed Fangio is the one who found Baun. It’s good to see they worked hand in hand in finding us a great LB.

  2. And a goddamn good one at that, I can’t wait to see how they develop Trotter jr, I’m rooting hard for that kid

  3. scheme is one thing. being able to watch film or live reps and know how to utilize a player’s strengths is what separates the great from the good.

    Bill Belichick is/was great at this

  4. Good decisions all around. Howie identified the potential player, Fangio identified the best place to let the player shine, Baun made both of them look like geniuses through great play and great tackling.

    We all win.

  5. Feel like he would need to put on like at least another 15-20 pounds if they were gonna have him play edge. Who would be the comparison for him at edge?

  6. Howie trying to find a decent depth piece for the defensive position he values the most and accidentally finding a phenomenal starter for the one he values the least is goddamn hilarious.

  7. It will never not surprise me how incredible Baun has been at inside linebacker.

    When I saw that the guy who pretty much exclusively played edge rusher & special teams was a starting LB next to Dean, I thought we were fucked! I thought it was going to be an even worse LB room than last year. But this dude… Man. Gonna tell my kids about the legendary Zach Baun season.

  8. He already has more solo tackles and assists with Philly than he did with NO, and is one combined tackle short of his NO total. And he was there for 4 seasons appearing in 62 games, only starting in 14, and only taking 660 total defensive snaps. He’s already taken 518 in Philly. His missed tackle rate has also been cut in half.

    I could go on, but it makes you wonder how many dudes are just a system away from looking elite.

  9. Another collaborative effort. There are a lot of fans constantly trying to assign blame or attribute credit to one singular individual for aspects of the team. But it’s almost always a collaborative effort.

  10. I remember watching games last year, and having zero faith the first person to try and tackle someone was going to successfully do it.

    This year, I know Baun will secure every tackle he can get his hands on. Such an insane feeling. I hope he’s feeling the Philly love right now.

  11. It’s been real quiet about Devin White recently. lol.

    But seriously, it’s great to see our GM and DC working together to identify a player that’s worked out so well. And the draft that’s worked out so well, Fangio has been a huge asset.

  12. Besides the fact that he does not miss tackles, the most significant difference I see in Baun is that he plays sideline to sideline. The last time we had that was Nigel Bradham. Even TJ Edwards was great downhill but was not a genuine sideline-to-sideline guy.

  13. I remember the shock when it was reported that he was taking snaps in practice at LB and everyone thought Fangio had lost his mind. As it turns out Vic might actually know a thing or 2. Baun looks phenomenal and he could get even better settling into the position.

  14. He has almost triple total tackles in 9 games than his previous career high in 17 games.

  15. When I give credit to GMs for draft picks and free agency moves, I give more credit when the draft pick or the contract is higher.

    Howie will get a lot more credit for his 1st round draft picks and his big contract free agents.

    With that same idea, I’m not giving him the majority of the credit for 6th/7th rounders or vet min guys bc I wouldn’t have killed him if those guys didn’t hit.

    But his report lays it out, Howie spotted a guy that he thought would be a good back up end and a special teams guy. Fangio saw his potential at MLB and coached him up.

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