The Dolphins have always been a team that has struggled with consistency, but it seems like things are finally falling into place for them.

In this newsletter, I'll cover why the Miami Dolphins have all of the pieces to be a top Defense in the NFL in 2023.

Vic Fangio Comes to Town

After taking a year off football, Fangio was one of the most sought after coordinators in recent memory when he decided to return.
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The Dolphins were able to win the Vic Fangio sweepstakes over the Panthers, Falcons and some say even the Eagles.

As the new defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins, Vic Fangio brings massive experience and a proven successful system to the team.

Changes to Expect in This New Dolphins Defense

• Much less blitzing (if any)
• Constant In-game adjustments
• Defense giving off the same look every snap but doing different things once the ball is snapped
• Man Match and Zone Match coverage on almost every passing play (as opposed to just man coverage)
• Safeties barking orders to keep everyone on the same page with good communication
• Front 7 flying around the ball (linemen will be in charge for 1.5 gaps as opposed to 2 gaps)

Vic Fangio's Scheme

Fangio is known for his methodical yet aggressive, attacking defense.
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Fangio’s defenses use the least amount of players needed to stop the run, keep 2 safeties high, and make the passing game difficult on the offense.

Miami's Defense last year blitzed more than every team except one. Those days are long gone.

During Fangio's last 3 years as Bronco's Head Coach Broncos head coach, Denver ranked the following for blitz rates:

• 23rd
• 18th
• 15th

Vic Fangio has been running a variation of his defensive scheme for his 24-year career in the NFL.

His defense doesn't blitz much, and he operates predominantly out of a two-safety shell but uses that template to roll into different coverages and disguise what he's doing in the secondary.

These safeties have one of the most important responsibilities that allow the scheme to work, as they normally play closer to the line of scrimmage than safeties do in the NFL (to make up for the lighter boxes).

Fangio uses tight (and tite) fronts to help eat up gaps and free guys up for one-on-ones outside or in the middle.

Fronts

One major difference is that Fangio's defense utilizes multiple fronts, whereas the Dolphins' defense was focused on a two-gap scheme.

While the Dolphins did use multiple fronts to some extent, it was not as common as it will be in Fangio's scheme.

This means that he will use different alignments of defensive linemen and linebackers to confuse the opposing offense and create mismatches, allowing Fangio to be versatile and unpredictable in his defensive play-calling.

He favors a 3-4 base defense, but he will also use a 4-3 front depending on the situation, and can even change from a 3-4 front to a 4-3 during the Qb's cadence.

One of the keys to the Fangio defense is the use of Tight fronts and odd fronts to create favorable matchups for their defenders.

By using these fronts, the defense can occupy offensive linemen and create one-on-one matchups for their linebackers and defensive ends.

Fangio like any other elite coach is also known for constantly making in-game adjustments, not allowing the offense to have success with the same set of plays over and over again.

Coverage

Vic Fangio's defense is known for its disguises and match zone match and man-match coverages.

He makes his looks very simplistic pre-snap, but post-snap, he has all these different minor nuances depending on the looks that he's getting that makes it very difficult for the opposing team.

He loves to run Cover 6 heavily, with Cover 4 to the strong side (the side with the immediate receiving threats) and Cover 2 to the weak side.

Match coverages involve defenders being responsible for a specific receiver, rather than a specific area of the field.

One of the most important parts of his defense is to make things look simplistic and disguise his coverages.

Despite using two deep safeties, Fangio and his disciples use this template to roll into different coverages and disguise what they're doing in the secondary.

Fangio likes to move his safeties around the field once the ball is snapped to be able to rob the middle, give coverage illusions, and double players on the opposing offense.

The tough part here is that the QB has to figure out what the defense is doing after snapping the ball, and with a pass rush in his face.

This allows the secondary to make plays on the ball, and the scheme implements some man coverage principles, creating a lot of versatility in defensive play calls.

Vic Fangio's Recent Defensive Success

As a defensive coordinator, Vic Fangio has a proven track record of success consistently ranking among the league's best.

Chicago Bears

During his tenure as defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears from 2015 to 2018, Fangio's defense was consistently ranked among the top 10 in the league. In 2018, the Bear's defense ranked first in the NFL in points allowed per game, total yards allowed per game, and takeaways.

They also had the league's best run defense, allowing just 80.0 rushing yards per game.

It's important to know that his safeties at the time, Eddie Jackson and Adrian Amos had a monster year and that wasn't by accident.

Fangio's success in Chicago was also in part from his ability to create a dominant pass rush, by leading the league in sacks that year, with 50!

Having Khalil Mack and Akiem Hicks didn't hurt of course.

Denver Broncos

After leaving the Bears, Fangio took over as the Head Coach for the Denver Broncos in 2019.

Although he wouldn't achieve the team success he wanted (largely due to their QB situation), he still had success on the defensive side of the ball.

In his first season with the team, Fangio's defense ranked 12th in the league in points allowed per game and 10th in total yards allowed per game.

One of Fangio's strengths as a coach is his ability to adjust his scheme to fit his personnel.

In Denver, he implemented a hybrid 3-4 defense that was designed to take advantage of the team's strengths.

This included a heavy emphasis on man-to-man coverage in the secondary, which helped the team's cornerbacks and safeties to excel.

Notable Dolphin Defenders & Their Expected Impact

David Long Jr

Although the Dolphin's Defense is loaded with talent, there is nobody I'm more excited to see how they play out than David Long Jr.

Long is such an explosive sideline-to-sideline player, which is a perfect fit in Fangio's scheme.

If you've followed @defensiveclips for longer than a few months, you've seen how fast he can be at diagnosing the play and getting his nose in there, but if you haven't, you can watch some clips here, here , and here.

Injuries have been his worst enemy which is how the Dolphins were able to sign him for a steal (2-year, $11M contract).

As long as he can stay healthy, he will be a plug-and-play impact player.

Honorary Mentions

• Jalen Ramsey
• Bradley Chubb
• Jaelen Phillips
• Christian Wilkins
• Jevon Holland
• DeShon Elliott

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Overall, Fangio's success as a defensive coordinator is a testament to his ability to develop and implement effective game plans.

With the elite talent that he has inherited and his track record of success, the Dolphin's Defense is poised for a breakout season.

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