by Meet the coach who helped turn a question mark into the Eagles’ strength. The original appearance appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Zack Baun was about to walk through the double doors into the Eagles’ locker room this week when he pressed Oren Burks to share Bobby King’s favorite expression.
And Burks came through.
“When in doubt, choose violence,” he said.
That’s something the Eagles’ linebackers hear often, and it’s a good way to sum up the coaching style of a man who helped turn the linebacker position from one of the Eagles’ biggest question marks to one of their biggest strengths.
As Nakobe Dean began to hear the familiar refrain, he joined in with the “choose violence” part and then explained what that means to him.
“At the end of the day, you’re playing a soccer game and if you don’t know what to do, someone might try to hit you,” Dean said. “Hit her first. Choose violence.”
For the record, it seems like all the linebackers have their own favorite sayings from the man they affectionately call “BK,” but they also all agreed that none of them are suitable or appropriate for mass consumption. But the thought made her giggle.
Longtime defensive coordinator Vic Fangio didn’t know King particularly well before this season, but King was recommended to him by a few people Fangio trusted. So the Eagles hired King to coach their inside linebackers.
And that turned out to be a good decision.
“I think Bobby did a great job with them,” Fangio said this week. “He is a good teacher. He emphasizes the right things. Highly coachable in terms of learning a new system and the nuances involved. So he was great from day one.”
It’s hard to argue with the results.
The combination of Baun and Dean was one of the better linebacker pairings in the NFL. Baun is likely headed to his first Pro Bowl and Dean is finally having the kind of season Eagles fans have been hoping for since he was drafted in the third round in 2022.
Many experts thought linebacker would be a weakness for the Eagles in 2024. But instead, the linebackers have set the pace for the No. 1 defense in the NFL.
Head coach Nick Sirianni always says that players deserve the most credit when they play well, and that’s true. But it’s clear King has done an exceptional job at linebacker for the Eagles in 2024.
“He was crucial to me,” said Baun, who met King during his pre-draft process in 2020. “He brings a lot of passion and energy with him every day. I think his philosophy behind the linebacker player is… you ask him, ‘Coach, should I fit here?’ Should I fit here?’ And, ‘It doesn’t matter.’ Just be physical.’ And I think that kind of strengthened the physicality in our room and that shows in other rooms too.”
King was hired as the Eagles’ linebackers coach this offseason after reports that several other big names were candidates for the job. Instead, the Eagles landed on King, who had previously coached the position for the Titans, Texans and Chargers. King was an assistant linebackers coach with the Chargers when Nick Sirianni was on their staff, so at least the head coach had worked with him before.
During his time with the Eagles, King was known for his energy, passion and hands-on approach.
During practice, King puts on the padded vest and encourages his players to hit him to get out of the blocks. King’s main focus is destroying blocks and he engages as much as he can.
“He took some real shots,” Baun said. “His big thing is block destruction. So he puts it in his own hand and also puts it on his chest to feel how well we score.”
Sirianni joked earlier this year that he wasn’t sure how many years King has left to take these repeated shots from his players, but the head coach appreciates the effort.
King plays around with technique in almost everything. Burks is the elder statesman among linebackers and he said King puts more emphasis on block destruction than any other coach he has had in his seven years in the NFL. The focus is on technology; It’s about the right pad level, hitting with your hands, hitting forward and ultimately finding a way to win.
“He believes that as a linebacker, if you play with piss and vinegar, proper technique and force, you can make any play, no matter what the scheme is,” Dean said. “You need someone like that.”
As serious as King is about technology and correcting mistakes, he has found ways to make his meeting room fun and interactive. There are heated arguments between King and his players, whom he sometimes affectionately calls “a-holes.”
Dean said King would give him grief if he didn’t get to practice early enough. If Dean shows up 15 minutes early but the other players have been there 5 minutes, King takes one look at Dean and the middle linebacker knows what to expect.
“He always has my back,” Dean said with a smile.
King will also enlist freshman Jeremiah Trotter Jr. for his frequent bathroom trips; The newbie likes to drink enough fluids.
And as much as King tinkers with techniques and corrections during the week, he changes things up a bit on Sundays. During games, King makes sure his boys shake off their mistakes because he wants them to play freely. Sometimes Baun stands on the sideline angry with himself over a mistake and King waits for him to tell him to get over it.
“During the week you want to be as detailed as possible,” Baun said. “You want to have the right fit and the right coverage to be in the right place. But on game day he just lets us loose.”
There’s no doubt the Eagles’ linebackers did that this year.
Subscribe to Eagle Eye wherever you get your podcasts:
Apple Podcasts | YouTube Music | Spotify | stapler | Simplecast | RSS | Watch on YouTube
This embedded content is not available in your region.
