This should be two threads, one about the Dolphin's defense and another about controversial draft picks. I am more interested in the first one, the Dolphins' defense:There was a lot of uncertainty surrounding Vic Fangio and his hunt for a new DC job after taking an advisory role in Philly. It never felt right.
I don't know what happened in Miami. But on the surface it seemed like there was a disconnect right from the beginning, between Fangio and McDaniel, as well as, Fangio and the players.
Weaver's hiring was a breath of fresh air. He seemed truly enthusiastic about the Dolphins DC position. It appears he's bringing along what he learned in Baltimore with him; playing tough hard nosed defensive football.
Not sure what actually happened between Fangio and Cam Smith. It truly felt like Miami had a true star in the making in Cam Smith, after lighting up the OTA's, Training Camp and Practices. It seemed more personal than talent related. Especially after reading the comments made about Fangio, by the Dolphins players. Even Trill Williams had a negative comment and he never played a meaningful snap as a Dolphin.
The worry for me is a less than stellar debute for Weaver and the return of Fangio's scheme being a success in Philadelphia. Especially after reading how well DeJean and Mitchell performed at Philly's recent rookie camp. On a personal note, I never hid my admiration and preferences for both Mitchell and DeJean to be Miami Dolphins. They look like the real deal. Just like Smith did last year, prior to the start of the regular season.
I have high hopes Weaver's appearent solid relationship with McDaniel, results in a very good and long lasting winning football product.
@dolfan91 said "I have high hopes Weaver's apparent solid relationship with McDaniel, results in a very good and long lasting winning football product." This relationship is the most important factor in producing a winning defense.
McDaniel is still learning on the job. Last year he brought in Fangio's "system" hoping it would complement his offense by producing impact plays. It worked for that, when healthy, but it didn't win enough games or have enough depth. The OP wants to compare last year's stats with this year's. I don't care (well maybe for FF!), the only stat I am focused is winning %. I like the idea of having a flexible adaptable defense rather than a system. Weaver helped do it at Baltimore and he seems to be retooling here by dropping system players who are good, but only at their job, and bringing in athletic guys who he hopes can play multiple roles to keep opponents off-balance and provide more depth. If they can find and construct a defensive unit that will best limit the other team's points and time of possession then they are on their way. So far McD's defenses have been well... "school of hard knocks", but with him and Weaver working together they could be great. Maybe they don't get the FF stats everyone wants but they might still play better defense.
Good teams don't hire a DC to run the defense in a separate camp with separate leaders. And the defensive style must complement the offense.
Last edited: