Eagles CB Adoree' Jackson Fires Back After Vic Fangio Criticism
After facing sharp public criticism from defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, Eagles cornerback Adoree' Jackson is letting his play—and his mindset—do the talking.
Vic Fangio doesn’t hand out compliments easily. And when he does, they often come with a side of challenge. Just ask Adoree’ Jackson.
After a rough outing against the Cowboys in Week 1, Jackson bounced back with a solid performance against the Chiefs. Fangio acknowledged the improvement, but in classic Fangio fashion, his praise came with a push: “I thought he did some good things, and hopefully that will kickstart him into being a good corner for us.”
That’s not exactly a glowing endorsement. But if Jackson took offense, he didn’t show it. In fact, he welcomed it.
“I’ve always liked hard coaching,” Jackson said at his locker on Wednesday. “The first hard coach I ever had was my dad, so I’m used to it. I don’t take it as anything bad. I believe all criticism is good, because there’s always a way for you to get better.”
That mindset is exactly what Fangio wants in a cornerback—especially one trying to rebound from a shaky start to the season. Against Dallas, Jackson had a game he'd probably like to forget.
Dak Prescott went after him eight times, completing six passes for 106 yards, most of them to CeeDee Lamb. His defensive passer rating allowed was 116.7, which ranked 51st out of 67 corners targeted at least four times in Week 1. And if not for a couple of drops, those numbers could’ve been even worse. But give Jackson credit—he responded.
In Kansas City, he drew a lighter assignment, primarily covering JuJu Smith-Schuster and Tyquan Thornton (though not on Thornton’s 49-yard touchdown). The difference was night and day
Patrick Mahomes targeted him six times and completed just three passes for 26 yards. That’s a 61.8 passer rating allowed—11th best among 50 corners with at least four targets in Week 2
He also gave up just 4.3 yards per target, which ranked 13th. That’s a serious bounce-back.
Still, Jackson isn’t about to pat himself on the back.
“Bleep, I was just doing my job,” he said. “I saw the corrections I had to make from Week 1 and just made them. Put my head down and went to work.”
That workmanlike approach has been ingrained in him since childhood.
“My dad used to always tell me, ‘You may be good at this level, but when you get to the next one? Whole different thing,’” Jackson said.
“From elementary school to middle school to high school and college. It was like, ‘Man, there's going to be boys like you've never seen. And you’re going to have to bring it every single day.’”
That perspective helps explain why Jackson isn’t one to celebrate a solid stat line. He sees it as doing what’s expected.
“You don’t get credit for doing what you’re supposed to do,” he said. “So when I do something good, I’m not too excited. It’s like, ‘Well, that’s what you're supposed to do, son.’”
That mindset will be tested again Sunday. The Eagles’ secondary faces a tall task with Matt Stafford, Puka Nacua, and Davante Adams coming to town. Not many teams bring that kind of firepower, and Jackson knows it’ll take a full 60 minutes of focus.
“Every week, it’s the same thing—embrace the challenge,” he said. “Nobody’s going to lay down for you. You’ve got to go out there and earn your keep every week.”
That’s the kind of mentality Fangio can work with. And if Jackson keeps stacking performances like the one in Kansas City, that faint praise might just start sounding a little louder.
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