BREAKING NEWS: Fangio is OUT as Dolphins DC

mercury22nathan wrote:

According to NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe, the Philadelphia Eagles have put in a request to interview Dolphins safeties coach Joe Kasper for the same role.

Kasper joined Miami’s coaching staff in 2023 after spending the prior to seasons with the Eagles as defensive quality control coach. If he were to make this lateral move, which the Dolphins would have to approve, he’d be reuniting with Fangio in Philadelphia.

https://dolphinswire.usatoday.com/2024/02/02/eagles-request-to-interview-dolphins-safeties-coach-joe-kasper/

interesting.  the Dolphins don't have to let him go, i wonder if they will.  clearly he was brought to Miami as a Fangio guy.  and its little coincidence that one of the players being most vocal about being unhappy with Fangio is Jevon Holland - the safety this guy would've been coaching.  and honestly, injury aside, i kind of think Holland took a step back this year.  maybe this guys coaching and his ties to Fangio had something to do with it.  

I feel like Holland needs a scheme that will take advantage of his playmaking ability and allow him to be more aggressive. Fangio's scheme definitely seemed to take some of that away from his game IMO.

I've seen Kasper labeled as an up-and-coming young coach, but I don't know enough about him. I'd let him leave, and the new DC can bring in his own safeties coach.

JMP wrote:I'm not a Vrabel fan at all.  His teams play tough and physical, but they're not particularly good.  He had the one great year with the Titans, but aside from that his defenses there were middle of the pack or worse every season.  And in his one year as a DC (with the Texans in 2017), his defense allowed, by a wide margin, the most points in the NFL.  He's got a name, but I'm not convinced he's all that good of a coach.

I would agree except that Vrabel is a proven Fins killer and the thought of having him on OUR side for once just to keep his team next season from inflicting even MORE pain on the Fins appeals to me.

Also, that Bullocks guy from the 49ers could come along as an assistant and we could have the best of both worlds Or at least somebody to shut those brats in the secondary up.

Not official yet, but there's reports all over the internet that Anthony Weaver will be the next Dolphins DC! If so, I like this...a lot.

Weaver would work wonders on the D line IMO.

Re-sign Wilkins, bring in a Sweat or Murphy, even that Hall guy... get back the injured guys...

I have been looking at Edge and Dline picks in the 156 and below range and I think there might be some real sleeper picks available? Hopefully, the Phins can get a big time DLine pick with one of the first two picks.

posting in the interest of fairness. at least 2 Dolphins defenders liked Fangio.

For all the private criticism of Fangio for reasonable reasons (stubborness, unwillingness to shadow receivers, etc.), several players said they appreciate what he taught them.

Raekwon Davis said “I’ve learned so much” playing for Fangio. “It’s been a blessing to be with a veteran guy this year.”

Linebacker Duke Riley expressed gratitude for a year with Fangio.

“I learned a lot, especially from his coaching style and the way he prepares and what he looks for,” he said. “His mind is amazing, how he sees everything and how he prepares for it. Different situations, it’s been a big big learning cycle for me. It’s been incredible [playing for him]. I’ve tried to write down as much as I can. One day, I want to be a coach and there’s a lot of stuff that I’ll use” from him, particularly with how he disguises defenses.

https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/nfl/miami-dolphins/article284741326.html

The consensus seems to be that the DBs hated him and the front seven players either liked him or didn't hate him. Quite odd

In the end, chalk it up as one of those things that just didn't work out. It seemed like a great move at the time he was hired, but it's just more proof that what works on paper doesn't always work in reality.

figured this was the most appropriate place to put this.

i live in the Washington Commanderskins market so that unfortunately is the local sports talk that i am subjected to. and since they are in the NFC East there is a fair amount of discussion about their division rivals. so yesterday they were discussing the Eagles and brought up some of the league rumors that floated at the combine a few weeks ago. Washington and Philly were both very interested in the Wilkins situation and were outbid by the Raiders.

apparently, despite what Grier was saying, several other teams knew Wilkins was not going to be re-signed or tagged by Miami. how did they know, you ask? Vic Fangio.

supposedly Fangio was initially content to remain in Miami and McDaniel expected/wanted him to stay at least another year. had Miami wanted to get rid of him, he would've been fired the Monday after the loss - not 10 days later. but what happened in the 10 days after Miami's wildcard exit? in post season meetings, Fangio became aware that due to salary cap restraints and age Miami was going to have to rebuild the defense. he was not happy. Many of the veteran players (Wilkins, Howard and the rest) upon which Fangio relied would not be retained. and while Fangio was not a great fan of a lot of them, at his age, he wanted no part of a rebuild. hence, the mutual parting.

so of course this made me wonder. if Miami and Fangio had somehow stuck together, do you think Wilkins and AVG would've (not should've) been retained? or did the salary cap force the rebuild and subsequently contributed to Fangio wanting to leave?

mercury22nathan wrote:so of course this made me wonder.  if Miami and Fangio had somehow stuck together, do you think Wilkins and AVG would've (not should've) been retained?  or did the salary cap force the rebuild and subsequently contributed to Fangio wanting to leave?

The second thing.

Well, I had heard there was discontent not just from some of the players, but some of the asst. coaches were not happy with Fangio and his "rigid" defensive schemes.

At this point it doesn't matter what the players say about Fangio.

Honestly, Fangio was like Gase. It was all about what they did in the past and not what they did in the present. Gase's resume was base on what he did with Manning in Denver. Fangio was based on what he did in the past. None of that translated in Miami. In english, they never adapted their philosophies to the roster. They pounded a square peg in a round hole.

I am a fan of the upcoming coaches. Ones who are into the modern NFL. Which speaks volumes of how Mcdaniel made Miami what it is today. Mcdaniel took the time to see what Tua really was and adapted the scheme to Tua's strengths. Weaver has an opportunity to do the same thing. Time will tell for sure, but in the end, once you become a coordinator, it becomes about how you mind your relationships with you players and how you communicate it.

Roosevelt said, leadership is getting people to do something you want them to do because they want to!!

Facts!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well said, Umix! I agree completely.

I still believe Fangio didn't really want to be in Miami and wasn't invested. He was just collecting a check, similar to Parcells in his last years in Miami. Fangio coached like he just didn't care - no in-game adjustments, no creativity, nothing. Now, the D did play well at times - but the colossal meltdown against the Titans and the epic beatdown in Baltimore really showed what type of coach he was. I think he's a dinosaur and the game has passed him by.

In contrast, Weaver seems motivated, adaptable and focused. He comes across as a leader and I think his philosophy fits the modern NFL game.

You guys know you're my bros, but I've already pointed out several facts conclusively showing that once the players got the system down and before the unprecedented rash of injuries became too much to bear, Fangio's D was right up there with the league's best. Somehow I don't think that would be the case if he was a "dinosaur". I also don't think an organization who's repeatedly proved themselves more competent than this one in the Eagles would hire an obvious "dinosaur".

If you want dinosaurs I give you Belichick, who has ONE playoff win without Brady (30 years ago) and who even the league realized was past it and kicked to the curb.

I'm not sure how good Weaver's D will be, but I completely fail to see how it will equal let alone better the Fangio D this season with all the talent lost and the time it'll take for the roughly 10 new guys from 10 different teams to gel. If there's a significant defensive dropoff halfway through the season will you be throwing him under the bus too? I suspect not.

DolFan 316 wrote:You guys know you're my bros, but I've already pointed out several facts conclusively showing that once the players got the system down and before the unprecedented rash of injuries became too much to bear, Fangio's D was right up there with the league's best. Somehow I don't think that would be the case if he was a "dinosaur". I also don't think an organization who's repeatedly proved themselves more competent than this one in the Eagles would hire an obvious "dinosaur".

If you want dinosaurs I give you Belichick, who has ONE playoff win without Brady (30 years ago) and who even the league realized was past it and kicked to the curb.

I'm not sure how good Weaver's D will be, but I completely fail to see how it will equal let alone better the Fangio D this season with all the talent lost and the time it'll take for the roughly 10 new guys from 10 different teams to gel. If there's a significant defensive dropoff halfway through the season will you be throwing him under the bus too? I suspect not.

He sure looked like a dinosaur against the Ravens. Leaving WRs completely uncovered downfield all day long, having no answers for Lamar...he looked absolutely clueless. Maybe he's not a dinosaur, but clearly he made no effort to adjust and was in way over his head.

Funny thing is, I was the one defending Fangio during the season when almost everyone was down on him. But now it's pretty obvious to me that he was not invested and didn't care at all his job. He was all about stealing a big paycheck.

As far as all the talent we lost on defense - who? Wilkins? That's pretty much the only dropoff I see, and we may end up being just fine at DT with the players we added so far and will add before the season begins.

I would imagine losing the best LB (by far) as well as Howard and the top THREE edge rushers as well as Holland and maybe another player or two (at that point I stopped keeping track) would affect a coach's morale just a little. I notice you left out the part about holding the Bills to just two offensive TDs in the rematch even WITH all the injuries as well as holding the Cowboys (top scoring offense) to 20 with a shutout of the Jets thrown in.

The Bills and Ravens were literally the two worst teams the Fins could've closed the season against, and they'd have lost both games no matter who the DC was. The Chiefs playoff game too, for that matter.

Anyway I see no need to bring Fangio up now, it's time to move forward.

I did say the defense was good at times. It was also awful at times. Add it all up and it was a mediocre, at best, season for Fangio - with some real turds thrown in.

And if the coach's morale was low due to injuries, that's just proof that he needs to retire.