Why Vic Fangio Didn’t Work Out in Miami

From the numbers, it isn’t like Vic’s defense underperformed. And from the players’ responses, it clearly seemed to be a personality clash between Vic and the players.

Let’s go way back to when Vic was the head coach of the Denver Broncos between 2019 and 2021.

There is a reason Vic was let go by the Broncos. Yes, he didn’t win enough games, but that is surface-level. Let’s dig a little deeper.

Vic threw quarterback Drew Lock under the bus at media sessions and press conferences, never giving the kid any credit for anything. On the other hand, when Teddy Bridgewater was at quarterback and had worse performances than Drew, he would make endless excuses for the veteran Teddy.

So, a head coach who protected veterans and didn’t like playing young players (maybe why Cam Smith never saw the field in Miami? Just thinking out loud.)

Then there is a story of Defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones of the Broncos who, after a 30-13 loss to Philadelphia, when asked why they lost, said this, “I’ll call it a combination of us not executing and probably, like, coaching.”

Oh wait, it gets better; then there was former Broncos defensive lineman Derek Wolfe, who had this to say about Vic Fangio, “I remember the first thing he said to us was like, ‘I don’t believe in science,’ and I was like, ‘what?’ ‘I don’t believe in science. We’re gonna work and get calloused,’ and I was like, ‘Oh great, here we go, he’s gonna try and kill us,’” Wolfe said. “I remember San Francisco came to practice with us, and they thought that he, Vic, had double-sent the script because there was so much stuff on it, and they were like, we’re not doing all this stuff.” He closed out his comments with, “He didn’t believe in working smarter.”

Then there is the story of Former DB Su’a Cravens, who took to Twitter in 2021 to blast Fangio. I will post a link to the tweets because there are far too many to list. But Cravens said that during warmups during the first day of OTAs, he was speaking to another player about religion, and Vic walked by and told him to “Talk Football or Shut up Su’a.”

Obviously, that got him off on bad footing with some of the players. Then Su’a shared this story below.

By the way, Cravens has teammates publicly backing him up on all of these stories. And there are more stories, but I think you get the point.

Oh yeah, then there was the time Vic said there was no race or discrimination issue in the NFL, and the Broncos and the league made him apologize the next day. Which, again, there is not a race issue in the NFL? You have a better chance of winning the lottery than being a minority head coach in the NFL.

Those comments didn’t exactly win over his locker room and had players turn on him.

So why am I bringing this up, and what does this have to do with Vic leaving the Dolphins?

Well Dolphins players on defense are openly celebrating the news of Vic leaving, and it seems some of the issues Vic had in Denver connecting with his players he also had in Miami with the defensive players/

It’s clear as day Mike McDaniel and Chris Grier either ignored the above information from Denver or didn’t know it and couldn’t see a personality conflict was on the horizon with Vic coming to Miami.

Was any due diligence done?

Players talk to each other; word spreads fast.

As of this writing, I know Vic will probably get a new job in Philadelphia as their defensive coordinator. He was a consultant with the Eagles last year, so maybe he has a better pre-existing relationship with some of the staff and players in that locker room.

VIC AND MIAMI

Vic Fangio is as old-school as they come, and at his age, he isn’t changing. Mike McDaniel is the exact opposite of that, and why would they have thought this would possibly work?

And here is the thing: on the field…it worked. With all of those injuries, Miami had a Top 10 defense. It just seems like Vic was set in his ways, was difficult to work with, and wasn’t flexible at all.

But why would Vic want out?

Exhibit A: Look at Mike McDaniel and look at Vic Fangio. Do they seem like they have anything in common? At all?

Then, let’s also not ignore the obvious. Vic Fangio probably sees Miami as a sinking ship. Philadelphia had a collapse this season, but they were just in the Super Bowl last year and are loaded with talent on defense.

In Miami, the situation is very different. In Miami, a head coach is entering year three, coming off back-to-back collapses, and is on the hot seat. As a defensive coordinator, his two best pass rushers, Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips, will miss most, if not all, of next year. Chubb will probably miss almost all of next year, and Phillips will probably miss in the first month or so. And even if both do get on the field in 2024, they won’t be anywhere near 100% or the same players they were before their major injuries. It will take till 2025 for them to get back to full strength or close to it.

Christian Wilkins is a free agent, and Miami has no cap space to keep him at the moment; that will be a challenge. Xavien Howard makes big bucks but is declining, and he said he won’t take a pay cut. Andrew Van Ginkel played so well that Miami probably can’t afford to keep him. He clearly has no use for rookie Cam Smith, as Miami had a million injuries in their secondary, and Smith never saw the field.

Emmanuel Ogbah and Channing Tindall, one makes big bucks, the other a 3rd round pick, don’t fit his system.

Why would Vic want to come back? The Dolphin’s defense is a mess right now, and they will not be in a great spot come the fall of 2024.

For all of Vic’s flaws, he knows a bad situation when he sees one, and right now, Miami’s defense isn’t in a great spot entering this offseason and won’t be in a great spot entering the 2024 season.

SO WHAT IS NEXT FOR MIAMI

The Dolphins are in the market for another defensive coordinator. I think they will hire from within. Renaldo Hill or Anthony Campanile seem like the likely candidates.

Hill has prior defensive coordinator experience in the NFL from his time with the Chargers. Campanile gave a funny speech that aired on Hard Knocks, so he is the fan favorite because of that alone.

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network floated the name of Brandon Staley, and Dolphins fans went nuts rejecting the notion. First off, Staley may not want to come to Miami with a head coach on the hot seat. He will look for a situation where a new coach is taking over, and he has a few years of stability.

So, Dolphins fans, don’t stress over Staley. You may not want him, but he probably doesn’t want you either.

This is not an attractive job, so getting a strong candidate will be a challenge, hence why I think they keep it in-house.

Also, keeping it in-house is good for morale, as assistant coaches feel like there is room for growth and advancement. It won’t be a culture shock to the players, and Mike McDaniel needs to keep his inner circle tight right now. And promoting from within and not bringing in an outsider is clearly the way to go.

With that said, Staley and McDaniel share the same agent, and in the NFL, that can grease the wheels to get something done sometimes and create an “arranged marriage,” so to speak. So, nothing would truly shock me.

But overall, as much as Vic had his warts, this is not a good day for the Miami Dolphins organization. The numbers speak for themselves: a Top 10 defense, 7th vs the run, and the guy who put that together is walking out the door. And from an X and O’s standpoint, whoever they hire will be a downgrade from Vic, that I can say for sure.

Vic walking away from this head coach who, after back-to-back collapses and no post-season success in Miami, cannot afford people abandoning him. Continuity is key, and Miami on defense doesn’t have that at the moment.