If there’s one thing Miami Dolphins fans can expect from their new Vic Fangio-led defense, it’s that the pass rush from the defensive line will be one of the focal points of the new strategy.
Fangio is known for not sending extra players to blitz and instead focusing on creating as much uncertainty and confusion as possible down the field in order to reduce big plays and take advantage of miscues by opposing players.
That approach will likely be made even more dangerous thanks to the two star pass rushers the Dolphins currently employ in Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips. Though they will likely get ample opportunities to crowd the line and blitz the quarterback, there will also certainly be times where they are asked to drop into coverage.
For Fangio, it’s all about confusing opponents because confusion can lead to chaos.
One anonymous coach recently spoke about Fangio’s defensive scheme, and he made it clear that Fangio is one of the masters of deception.
“He’ll figure out your protections for sure,” the coach told OutKick. “He’s the king of finding a way of messing with your back.”
The coach then went into greater detail about the statement.
“The back’s in protection, it’s a four-man rush,” the coach said. “Vic will blitz a linebacker but drops another guy. So now you’ve got five linemen blocking three guys and your back’s blocking one of the inside linebackers that can rush. And now you’re wasting your running back because he should be out on a route.”
That chaos can be pretty difficult for opposing quarterbacks to figure out.
“Now, your quarterback is holding the ball wondering where he should go with it and it becomes a s—show,” the coach said.
Clearly, Fangio will be bringing in one of the more difficult schemes for opposing coaches to identify and overcome. That also means that it is likely one of the hardest schemes for players to learn.
That is going to make it an incredibly important offseason for all of the returning players on Miami’s defense. Though the start of the 2023 regular season seems like ages from now, the autumn months will be here in no time. Dolphins defenders will have to make sure that they are as ready as possible once the regular season begins.
With that in mind, new schemes often take time to implement in the NFL. So, fans may have to endure some less-than-perfect defense through the first few weeks of the upcoming season.
Surely, the hope is that come playoff time, the Dolphins defense will be a well-oiled machine just like the offense was in 2022.
If both sides of the ball can improve, the Dolphins will be a very dangerous team once the 2023 campaign gets into full swing.
