Omar Kelly, a Miami Dolphins insider and columnist for the Miami Herald, revealed on social media that the Dolphins’ defense did not like former defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
No….they did https://t.co/PSvytqgL2Z
— Omar Kelly (@OmarKelly) May 22, 2024
Kelly said that players would encourage him to ask Fangio specific questions to force him to address things, but it did not work.
Yes. I wrote about it when he left. I heard complaints all year. Players would actually strongly encourage me to ask him very specific questions trying to force him to address things. It never worked. He was stubborn. https://t.co/Z2DZVGRstg
— Omar Kelly (@OmarKelly) May 22, 2024
The comments from Kelly come on the heels of safety Jevon Holland calling it a “complete 180” to have new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver in the fold in 2024 instead of Fangio.
Earlier this offseason, Holland commented on a video that he posted following Fangio’s exit where he kicked a handful of rocks.
“It just so happened that I posted that right when the news came out that Vic got fired,” Holland said at the time. “I wasn’t necessarily sure that Vic got fired until after I posted the video. It just so happened that I picked up some random rocks, kicked them and filmed it and posted it on Instagram. Everybody wants to call me the bad guy. I’m innocent. I didn’t do anything wrong. All I was doing was just posting a simple video as an analogy, but that analogy had nothing to do with Vic. I wish that brother the best.”
While the players didn’t seem to enjoy playing for Fangio, the defense was still pretty solid for Miami in the 2023 season. The Dolphins defense was tied for No. 10 in the NFL in yards per play allowed and forced a lot of turnovers, ranking No. 9 in the NFL in takeaways.
Plus, the team tied for fourth in yards per carry allowed (3.8) while allowing the 15th fewest passing yards in the league.
However, if the players didn’t enjoy playing for Fangio – and it seems like there was a disconnect between the coach and the team – then it makes sense why Miami parted ways with Fangio in the offseason.
Fangio is now with the Philadelphia Eagles, continuing a long coaching career where he has been a defensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers.
He also spent three seasons as the head coach of the Denver Broncos beginning in the 2019 season. Fangio posted a 19-30 record in Denver.
Hopefully, the Dolphins can turn the page in the 2024 season and execute at a high level defensively under Weaver’s guidance. Key players like Holland, Bradley Chubb, Jaelan Phillips and Jalen Ramsey are back on the roster, but the Dolphins experienced some turnover on the defensive side of the ball as well.
Xavien Howard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Brandon Jones and Christian Wilkins are all no longer with the franchise, which means Weaver will have to find ways to fill some voids on defense.
Miami made the playoffs last season, but it was knocked out in the first round for the second straight season. Holland and company would love to make a deep playoff run in the 2024 season and prove that Miami is one of the better teams in the NFL.
