LA Rams new DC Brandon Staley’s defense stumped McVay, so he hired him

Fangio’s defense stays well disguised

But McVay has had to face some very difficult defenses in his NFL career.  The one defense he dreaded facing the most is that of Denver Broncos head coach Vic Fangio, who was the former defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears.

"“For us, I think Fangio and the Bears did an outstanding job of a sound scheme with versatility mixed with great players,” McVay said via interview with Lorin Cox, NBC sports.com writer"

Fangio’s defense succeeds because he is the master of disguises. The Rams hope that trait has been passed onto Staley.  If you want to dig into the raw details, Dan Durkin from Chicago’s local CBS Sports network has written an excellent expose breaking down exactly how the Fangio defensive scheme works.

The underlying element of the Fangio front is the way he switches up coverages, pass rushes, and blitzes, all of which serve to confound even veteran quarterbacks. The willy defensive savant presents offenses misinformation in the form of defensive looks.  By showing a three man defensive down linemen front with two outside linebackers in position to rush, he forces the offense to process five potential pass rushers.   That’s just one such option.   Let’s dig a bit into Durkin’s analysis further.