Vic Fangio Would Be Brilliant Hire for Washington Redskins

One team's loss could be another's very significant gain.

Vic Fangio, the now-former defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers, would be among the best hires for the Washington Redskins in the Dan Snyder era if the two sides can reach an agreement.

After the 49ers hired Jim Tomsula to be their next head coach, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com reported that virtually every member of the staff under former head coach Jim Harbaugh was not going to be retained:

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In essence, Fangio and Donatell were fired, a source told CSNBayArea.com on Thursday. The 49ers' entire staff is under contract for next season, but the organization would be relieved of most or all of the financial burden if the coaches find jobs elsewhere. Fangio and Donatell are believed to be part of near-complete 49ers coaching staff makeover, sources said.

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While that seems like an odd move for the 49ers, it could be Washington's gain. Mark Maske of The Washington Post reports that Fangio will have an interview with the team about its defensive coordinator job soon:

The full extent of Fangio's brilliance may have gotten lost early in his tenure with San Francisco. After all, he was leading a group that had Patrick Willis, NaVorro Bowman, Aldon Smith, Justin Smith, Donte Whitner and Dashon Goldson.

However, if there was any doubt about how crucial Fangio was to San Francisco's success over the last four years, it came into focus in 2014.

While the team was mired in troubles from the start of the year, given all the distractions around Harbaugh, Fangio's defense stepped up to the plate.

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

The 49ers finished fifth in total defense and 10th in scoring defense last season. He did that with Bowman and Glenn Dorsey missing all 16 games due to injury, Willis being placed on injured reserve after a foot injury in Week 6, Smith being suspended for the first nine games and Tramaine Brock appearing in three games.

Losing that kind of talent for any amount of time, let alone most of the season, should have been crippling to the defense. Instead, the 49ers continued to play well on that side of the ball while the offense struggled to do anything.

The key question for Fangio if he goes to Washington is how he will repeat that success with a vastly inferior unit.

Look at the defensive rankings for the 49ers and Redskins in the four years Fangio spent in San Francisco:

San Francisco	Year	Washington
Total Defense, 4th; Scoring, 2nd	2011	Total Defense, 13th; Scoring, 21st
Total Defense, 3rd; Scoring, 2nd	2012	Total Defense, 28th; Scoring 22nd
Total Defense, 5th; Scoring, 3rd	2013	Total Defense, 18th; Scoring, T-30th
Total Defense, 5th; Scoring, 10th	2014	Total Defense, 20th; Scoring, T-29

Fangio would be walking into a system that is already built for his talents. Washington has run a 3-4 defensive scheme under former DC Jim Haslett.

Jason Reid of The Washington Post wrote last September that Haslett's defense looked like it was poised for a breakout season:

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Hoping to make big things happen in his fifth season leading the team’s 3-4 defense, Haslett went in a different direction. On defense, letters are assigned to the spaces, known as gaps, between offensive linemen. Defensive players have gap assignments, meaning they’re responsible for covering those areas on running plays.

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Based on the numbers, Haslett's strategy didn't pay off. He left the team and it's unclear what will happen to the defense moving forward.

The talent Fangio would inherit doesn't pack the same punch as what he had in San Francisco.

Brian Orakpo, arguably the team's best pass-rusher, has battled injuries and is set to become a free agent after accepting the franchise tag last season.

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Jason Hatcher, who signed a big contract last season after recording 11 sacks with Dallas in 2013, had just 5.5 sacks in 13 games with Washington. The key pieces who are still in their prime are linebackers Keenan Robinson (25) and Ryan Kerrigan (26).

That's not a lot to work with, but Fangio proved himself to be a master of adjusting on the fly in 2014. Kerrigan can play the role Smith had in San Francisco as an edge-rushing specialist.

Getting help from the draft and smart free-agent spending would be a big boost, but things would get better right away because of Fangio.

There are few defensive coaches in the NFL who are able to get more out of their players than Fangio. He's one of the best at his job and would immediately upgrade a defense in Washington that needs someone to kick-start things.

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