Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio says he's done ‘zero' preparation for reported coaching interviews

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Vic Fangio’s weekly press conferences at Halas Hall are always enjoyable rounds of no-B.S., concise answers and quips (unless the question is about the Chicago Cubs, his favorite baseball team). Rarely does one get the sense the Bears’ defensive coordinator is saying something just to say it, or to pay lip service to a trite thought or idea.

So when Fangio, on Thursday, insisted that he’s done “zero” preparation or research for a pair of reported coaching interviews with the Miami Dolphins and Denver Broncos next week, it’s hard not to believe him. 

And when it was brought up to him that people usually do research before job interviews, Fangio quipped: “Yeah, I don’t. Maybe that’s why I’m here.”

Fangio has a reputation around the NFL as one of the best defensive minds in the game, the guy who built an elite defense in San Francisco and now in Chicago. But he also has a reputation as a curmudgeon of sorts, someone whose no-nonsense personality doesn’t always play well with owners looking for a charismatic, face-of-the-franchise type. 

Granted, that view may not be fair to a guy who's doesn’t come off as a jerk and has never asked a reporter to sit up straight.

“People have a picture in their mind of what they want, what they're looking for, and you know, obviously I haven't met that criteria to those people who are looking,” Fangio said last January, after he decided to stick with the Bears. “And I don't take it personal. I don't think I'm any less deserving or less qualified. I know I do a hell of a job, but I don't take it personal.”

Bears coach Matt Nagy knows how difficult it can be to balance preparing for a playoff game and preparing for a potentially life-changing interview. He had to do it a year ago while with the Kansas City Chiefs, who lost a playoff game on a Saturday before he interviewed with the Bears on a Sunday. 

But what Nagy has seen from Fangio this week has backed up what his coordinator said publicly Thursday — it’s been business as usual, with Fangio focusing on the Philadelphia Eagles and not the inner workings of the Broncos or Dolphins. 

“He's done a great job,” Nagy said. “From the talks we've had and me just seeing where he's at, he's just been completely focused. Every time I walk into his office, man, he's grinding. He's got that remote in there and he's just writing stuff down and grinding with stuff for the game. I appreciate that. We really haven't talked a whole lot about it just because we're so focused in on this game.

“… It’s not a distraction,” Nagy later added. “It’s there. You know it’s there, but it’s not a distraction because you have guys like Vic who aren’t making it a distraction.”

Bears defensive tackle Akiem Hicks and cornerback Prince Amukamara said this week they didn’t want to entertain the thought of Fangio leaving the Bears, which he did admit he would consider if the opportunity was right. But he didn’t delve into what the right opportunity would necessarily be. 

“There's a lot of things,” Fangio said. “You know, working with management, players, etc.  I haven't given it a lot of thought. I'm not lying to you guys. I mean, I've got zero up there done.”

Fangio is approaching this week like any other by preparing for an opponent and nothing else. He’s been around the league for 33 years since he got his first shot as the New Orleans Saints’ linebackers coaching 1986. If his straightforward, no-nonsense personality is surprising to any team interviewing him at this point, it’s that group that hasn’t done its research, not Fangio. 

So when asked if he’s flattered that teams are interested in considering him to be their next head coach, Fangio offered a classic Fangio quip. 

“I guess,” he said. “But I don’t get flattered that much.”

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