Now, there's obviously plenty of reasons to want to live in South Florida and coaching this organization, but I'm curious which of those reasons what's most important to you. You're right, there's a lot of reasons, but most importantly to me at this time is I think there's a quality football team here that has great potential, and hopefully we can untap that potential and have a good season. You were listening to the Miami Dolphins Podcast Network. This is Drive
Time with Travis Wheatfield. Back to throw to a looking the wide open touchtop clinic Hill unbelievable, just flew by it for a second time doing to where he was going right away. That the man I want to help you soon up on his way. Wattle waddle to a shotgun, back to throw looking steps up, fires again, It's Waddle, It's six touchdown PA. Drive Time with Travis Winfield begins. Now can check your pulse? What is up? Dolphans And welcome to the Drivetime podcast, part of the Miami Dolphins
Podcast Network covering your team, your Miami Dolphins. How's it going? Everybody? I am your host, Travis Wingfield, And on today's show, I catch up with new Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, coach is in the building. Plus will pull quotes from the guys who played under coach at his past stops, including three prominent coaches who listed Fangio as the toughest defensive coordinator play against and a game plan against in their pro careers. From the Baptist Health Studios inside the
Baptist Health Training Complex. This is the Drive Time Podcasts. Let's go ahead and play my interview with Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. What's up, Dolphins. I'm Travis Wingfield in today I'm joined by a very special guest, new Dolphins defensive coordinator, Vic Fangio, coach. Welcome to the Miami Dolphins. Thank you great to be here, very happy to have you in. And you've obviously spent you know, much of your life and career in the National Football League, but
never before has your journey brought you down here to Miami. Now, there's obviously plenty of reasons to want to live in South Florida and coaching this organization, But I'm curious which of those reasons what's most important to you. You're right, there's a lot of reasons, but most importantly to me at this time is that I think there's a quality football team here that has great potential and hopefully we
can untap that potential and have a good season. And your experience when moving to a new team looking for players for your defense, what stands out most about those incumbents that you like? Is it talent? Is it fit? Is it coach ability? Well, it's all that, but I really like to have the wipe the slate claim and I don't really like to watch too much of what they've done in the past. I like to get out there, work with them, and form my own opinions without being
influenced by what may have happened in the past. But obviously, if we have a free agent that we're thinking about signing, that one of our current players that contracts up, you know, and the Chris and management want my opinion, I'll look at them, but I like to give everybody a clean
slate and form my own opinion. You mentioned free agency, the draft coming up obviously team building season, but before that, rounding out your coaching staff and as you build out your defensive staff, what are some of the traits that are most important to you as you and coach McDaniel look to keep your staff together here and build around
those guys or bringing new coaches. Yeah, we're looking for good teachers one you guys that can install the defense, teach the players what we're expecting from them, both from an assignment and technique standpoint, and then get those techniques taught on the field well enough to where they show up in the game. So it's teacher first and foremost. Obviously you've got to do a good job relating to
the players to get that taught. But everything that is involved with teaching and coaching players is what we're looking for, and we've seen the concepts and rules of it's called the vic Fangio defense kind of trickled down throughout the National Football League over the course of the last several years. As you kind of step back and see the footprint that you've left on the night on the NFL, do
you take a sense of pride in that? Oh, I don't know, you know, it's I guess imitation is the best form of flattery that or something like that, But you know, I'd prefer it not being that way, because, uh, you know, offenses get used to attacking it, and so we always have to adjust and come up with new things. But yeah, I think it's good that teams have tried to copy it to some degree and because they've seen it be successful. Often never duplicated rights. How it goes?
What do you want to that's right of your defense. So you were able to take some time away this year and not be involved with the team, you know, most of the season until the Eagles last a couple of weeks ago the Super Bowl. What did you take from that time away? That was good time? I it's spent it well. I treated it like a college professor on a sabbatical. I had a full video setup of everything in the league, just as if I was coach in somebody's office, and uh studied a lot of different
situations and facets of the game. And it was very very good for me and already come up with a new coverage or two that like imant just to try out. So that's that's one of those things where you take some time off, but you can never really get the coach out of the coach. You always look on tape. Right. Oh, yeah, it was time off, but I used it well. Sure, that makes a lot of sense. So especial up to some non Dolphins defensive topics here, the Dolphins had their
best offensive output last season in twenty five years. When you take a look at this Dolphins offense, were some things that would maybe keep some defensive coordinators up at night. Well, I think it starts with their receivers. You know, a Wattle and Tyreek Hill. There two great receivers and who have had a nice year going when he was healthy. And Mike does a good job mixing things up both from a formation and play standpoint, and they're a tough
offense to handle. So we also got some very exciting news here in Dolphins Land the last week, and the linebacker Zach Thomas was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Now, you coached against him back when he was playing, and I'm curious. As a defensive genius, I'm sure you appreciate his talents. What are some of the things that you remember about his career in the National
Football League? Yeah, very instinctive player, very tough, and I think those are two of the two most important qualities for an inside linebacker, and he excelled in both those areas. And when I meet him, I want to see if he has any time left, if he's got any plays left in him, maybe he does it. He's in great shape. I saw a video him at the Hall of Fame. He looks pretty good these days, so maybe give him
a coal. Last one for you here, coach, what are you most looking forward to about joining the Miami Dolphins? You know, just to get this franchise back to the heights that had had in years passed? Um. I think the NFL is a better league when the Dolphins are contending, and we hope to get it back there. I think we all agree on that. That's all I have for you today, coach, appreciate your time today. Dolphins defensive quarner of Vic Fanjio, thank you. So there you go. Fun
conversation with the Dolphins new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. It's still surreal seeing him in the building and you know, knowing what he has accomplished in this lead, what he brings with him, and the just the respect that he garners in terms of what he's accomplished in the National Football League. Really cool to see his presence in the building.
Cool to get a chance to meet him. Very nice guy and I cannot wait to see what he has in store for us with his defense through O T A S, through training camp and into the regular season. You guys know my favorite nugget, And there was him saying, cooked up a couple of new coverages. I can't wait to see when we roll out here in mini camp and training camp from his time away this past season away from the National Football League. So great stuff there.
I hope you all enjoyed that. You can see the interview up on YouTube as well, So go check that out and just maximize those numbers. Guys, like you know, good numbers help me, helps the team, helps the content team. Really get our our Boston Press will go check out the YouTube video as well as the podcast version here. We really appreciate that. In the meantime, let's go ahead and take our first break and come back on the
other side and do some testimonials. I went around web and found a bunch of quotes from players and coaches who have worked with and played for coach Fangio. That's next Draft Time podcast, your host Travis Wingfield, brought to you by Auto Nation. We heard from the man himself,
We talked about his defense. We produced plenty of content that we can dive into over the course of the off season with regards to this big time get a big fish officially reeled in for the Miami Dolphins, and man, this team just keeps getting their guy McDaniel, Toronto Armstead, Tyreek Hill, now Vic Fangio. There's more star power here than we've had in a long long time. So having all this experience and all these accomplishments, coach Fangio has
left a lasting impact on the National Football League. So I wanted to explore some of the comments from his peers, his contemporaries, his adversaries, and everything in between all of that. Let's go ahead and start with my favorite one here from an ESPN story back in Packers head coach Matt Lafleur, forty Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan, and Rams head coach Sean McVeigh all were asked the same questions in this piece, and one of those questions was which coach's defense is
the toughest to read an attack. I'm gonna go ahead and read these for you guys, word for word. Here the Fleur. There are so many guys and every system is different, but I look at Vic Fangio. Just the fronts and multiple looks you get from him. They're incredibly difficult. And he talks about the Colts as well. Shoot Indianapolis last ye, knew exactly what we're going to do. We didn't have a lot of success against them because they were so sound. Kyle Shanahan, My hardest has always been
Vic Fangio. He does so many things with his personnel groupings that he puts you in a bind with protections. He ties a lot of stuff together. Playing against him, I feel he packages stuff very similar to how I would think Bill Belichick is very similar. They do in a different style. You know, they don't just run their defenses. They figure out what you're doing and then they think about how to stop what you're doing. And that's very similar to how I am. I don't just run my
off events. I have no idea what I'm going to call until I know what defense I'm visualizing and trying to attack. It's fun and that is very similar to what we heard from obviously head coach Mike McDaniel throughout the course of season, and of course him being with Kyle Shanahan for almost two decades. It makes a lot of sense now Sean McVeigh for US, I think Fangio and the Bears did an outstanding job of a sound scheme with versatility mixed with great players, and clearly what
New England did in the stretch was impressive. This is about eighteen season. Those are the two defenses that gave us the most trouble. I thought the Saints were excellent
as well. The first paragraph of a story from the Athletic from the Great Ted Win alluded to that story up on ESPN, and Ted continues spelling out the two thousand eighteen Rams Super Bowl team that hit his snag in their Week four team game against Fangio's defense in the Chicago Bears, and that game ended fifteen to six in favor of the Bears, just as the Rams second loss of the season and just six points in a game after entering with an average of thirty four point
nine points per game that year heading into that contest. They would then go on to score thirty and twenty six points all before their birth to the Super Bowl that year. And there, when Writes, is where the Patriots defensive game plans centered around similar tactics, namely a tilt front on early downs, a six one look that had Donte high Tower as the only off ball player in
the box. They snuck the big nickel down and Patrick Chung to account for added gaps from all the tight formations they run the twelve personnel condensed sets from that McVeigh offense. I won't go too much further into this, but the original story on the Athletic is titled Vic Fangio the most influential d C in the modern NFL. So you have Bill Belichick in the Super Bowl taking what he saw on that bear's tape from Vic Fangio and applying it to win a championship. I mean, does
that not get you very excited? Because it does for me. Another big name who sung the praises of Coach Fangio is Brandon Stateley, the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers. I think we'd all agree that defensive game plan that they gave the Dolphins this year, you know, the healthy Dolphins offense, the most fits they saw all season was
a great plan implemented by Staley and those Chargers. From this piece on ESPN, Fangio discussed the occasions where people in the NFL will reach out to him looking for input on who might be the next coaching Jim and Fangio was quoted here saying they'll ask, do you have another Brandon Staley for us? The story continues detailing Staley's old school approach to physical defense, but with the youthful outlook on analytics and player relationships. That sounds familiar, doesn't it.
The Broncoes traded for linebacker Kenny Young at the deadline that season. He came over from the Rams where he played under Staley, or this past season, I should say he said this about coach Fangio. Well, um, I've gotten a chance uh to really you know, get it to his head a little bit it spending time with him over the past few weeks of seeing his overall philosophy
of what do you think of a defense? But um man, I always know he's a great coach because you know, we had Staley last year Brandon and uh, basically he was the father of what Staley brought to to the Ramps. So it really was a lot of carry over. But he's a very brilliant coach, very smart, thanks out the box. And I think one of the things I respect most of about him is that he put his players where they're at best and on matchups, whether it be with
this scheme. Um, you know, that's one thing you really really don't take for granted as a player because a lot of situations guys be out of out of place, and uh it doesn't jail well. But um, he's uh, he's he's he's been helping us a lot, helping me a lot tremendously, and UH just just just allow me, I honestly go play too. You know, I think he has to trust but man, I just just decided that. You know, I came here and I was able to
help the team very very early. Uh, continue to learn and learn from him and just continue to build this thing with my guys. What do you say we get a call from Staley on Fangio. There's not anyone I have more respect for in the NFL than Vic. And I definitely know we're going to face a team that's going to be as well prepared as any team will play,
because that's a hallmark of a Vic Fangio team. State said about the Broncos back in just the consistency he brings to the office with his process and the energy he puts into the game plan and practice, the level of detail and focus he has, every player knows there is nobody working harder in that building than Vic Fangio. He's a complete coach, and I got to see that he's as good as it gets in the NFL. End quote. I've got more sound here from Brand's really talking about
Vic Fangio. Here's the head coach of the Los Angeles Charger was talking about the defensive coordinator of your Miami Dolphins. Yeah, Vic, I mean, Vic means a lot to me. I mean as much as anybody in the NFL that I've been able to work with. Um. He's made a huge impact on on the way I coach um, the way I view the game. And you know, he certainly stood the test of time in the NFL, and I just really admire his path. You know, he didn't have an easy path to coach him, and he just has an incredible
work ethic, incredible focus. I think he is really global with the game, being able to change with the game. Wherever he's been, they've had incredible defenses, starting with the Dome Patrol. You know that linebacking crew that he had with the Dome Patrol. I don't think people remember that group of four guys were his guys, you know, and um, you know Von Johnson, Sam Mills, Pat Swelling, Ricky Jackson.
I mean you're talking about you know, Ricky Jackson a Hall of Famer and Pat Swelling a defensive Player of the Year and um, you know, and then he became a decordinator with the Carolina Panthers, an expansion team, and um they led the NFL and Sacks Kevin Green was defensive Player of the Year, Hall of Fame player. Uh, you know, and you know, he just stood the test of time. He's been you know, uh, you know, obviously those San Francisco defenses he had in the you know,
that kind of decade. I mean that those groups were as good as any of the last twenty years with you know, Navarro and Pat and Alton Smith and Justin Smith and uh, that group of players. And what he's done is he's been able to evolve and and grow as a coach wherever he's been, and he's been able to move with the dynamics of the NFL in terms of the offensive explosion in the league. And and so that's something I've always taken away from him, and I was fortunate to be with him in Chicago, and a
lot of people talk about our group. At the end of Chicago we were number one, but when he got there, they you know, they were the worst defense in the NFL when he got there. And then he got him kind of mid midway, you know, halfway UM his first two years, and then we were in the top ten my first year with him, and then we were the best defense the second year. And then we went to Denver, we were in the top ten. And he's got another top ten group this year. And uh, you know, just
the consistency and performance. UM. He you know, I was a Division three assistant coach and for one of the best coaches of the last thirty years. UM to see something in you and to take that chance on you when so many others wouldn't. UM, you know, in a place like Chicago that's known for defense, to be able to, Hey, I'm gonna hire this guy that no one's ever heard of, UM to coach the position that I coach, and he's
an outside rusher coach. So I always took that really seriously that I'm coaching the position that he coached, and I just I had a front row seat to uh, an incredible football coach, and Um, he's certainly the reason why I was able to become a decordinator with the Rams, because the amount of respect that Sean and all the offensive coaches in this league half for him. And I wouldn't be um where I am today without him, you know, because I wouldn't have gotten that opportunity with Sean if
I weren't for Vic. I want to read this file Takeaway from the wind Story, which features analysis and thoughts from some of the most prominent XS and o's content creators out there in the business. Fangio's system is being popularized at a time when we're seeing an influx of blue chip quarterbacks in the league. The goal playing against Mahomes, Josh Allen and other top quarterbacks has shifted from trying to shut them down to slowing them down and testing
their patients. Fangio's system is built to do just that. It has the ability to create confusion that can lead to drive killing negative plays. Let's go ahead and read some testimonials here, because that's pretty good, But I want to go to the players here real quick. Former Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller having a guy like Fangio here is amazing. We've got answers to anything any offense can do.
I'm pretty excited for the twenty nineteen season when he got when he got hired there by the Denver Broncos. Let's hear a little bit more here from former Broncos outside linebacker, former Rams outside linebacker right now currently with the Buffalo Bills, Von Miller. Here, he is talking more about Vic Fangio. Um. Yeah, I was here. I was here for the press conference, and the same guy that everybody saw in the press conference was the same guy
that we saw this morning. And I think that's a compliment. You know, you don't want this guy to be in the press conference and then get in front of the team and it's this guy and when you want to one with him, he's this guy. And it's not the case with coach Vick. And I knew that from all the players that that he's coached with that I'm that I'm familiar with. I knew he was that type of guy, and you know he was. He was definitely that today.
You know, technique assignment, UM, you really just keep everything simple. But it's easier said than done, you know. UM And coach fans. He's all about that technique, assignment, um, intensity, effort, and um. You know I like that. You know he's a he's an outside linebacker guru, and you know he's he's up next with me. Former Bears outside linebacker Khalil Mack. He challenges you quietly. He has his own little swag
about him. That Italian Mafia kind of swagged him. I love it, I love it, he says former Bears cornerback Prince Amukamara. They're going to get a leader talking about the Broncos and they're going to get somebody who cares for them. They already have a history of a great defense. All of that will be enhanced. And again he's talking about when Fangio was hired to the Denver Broncos back
in twenty nineteen, talking about taking that defense to another level. Obviously, the hope is that's what happens here in South Florida with the Miami Dolphins, and this defense, which we all have talked about, has a lot of talent in terms of the personnel on this Miami defense. Former Bears and Broncos linebacker Danser Faithan said this the good thing about playing for vic Fangio is that there was always something you could learn. He's coached some of the great linebacker.
When a guy like that is talking, a person in that position listens, because that's where I want to see myself. Former Bears linebacker Samuel Acco. I spent four years playing for the Bears, four years playing for vic Fangio, and he always was the same guy every single day. He's a very still a guy, but I think people realize how passionate, how loving, and how caring he is. I consider him a friend. He's the first one in the building,
last one out. He prepares so meticulously that you know, as players that you're gonna have a chance to win. Every Sunday. You realize you're around greatness. End quote. How about former Bears defensive tackle a Keem Hicks and free agents this year. I'm sure every defensive coordinator shows the players how they want it done and what they're looking for, but he has a special way of doing it. One of Vick's strengths is he doesn't ask more of you
than what you have. He doesn't put you in compromising situations. He puts you in a spot so you can play to your strengths. And quote more from Hicks, this kind of reminds me of team when I was in New Orleans and being able to adjust and go inside sometimes go back outside, so they really can't get a beat on you. Vick's defense in general, it just makes guys look good and quote former Niner safety Dante Whittner, when Fangio was announced as the Broncos head coach, said, congrats
to the smartest coach I ever played for, the Wizard. Mr. Fangio on becoming the head coach of the demo Broncos. Former Niners linebacker Navarro Bowman said, he's a great human being. What you see is what you get with Vic. End quote. Obviously a very very respected coach around the National Football League, has a certain level of affinity from the ex players that he has coached, and you kind of see it coincide with the quality of players that he's been around,
like Navarro Bowman, like we talked about Khalil Mack. Everyone on that list we just talked about was a very very good player at one point in their career or maybe even still is. And those guys really seem to appreciate what Vic Fangio brought to the table. Uh, in terms of what he did for their careers, what he did for the defense as they were part of, and just the way he cared about them as humans. So
really good stuff there from his exployers, coach Fangio. And let's go ahead and take a break here, and I want to come back on the other side and take a look at how coaches defenses performed against the quarterbacks in the divisions that he was a part of, the a f C West and the Den for Broncos from one and of course the Chicago Bears in the NFC
North from eighteen. We'll talk about that next to your Drift Time podcast, your host Travis Wingfield, brought to you by Auto Nation, and earlier I mentioned a quote about how tough Fangio can make life on opposing quarterbacks, testing their patients and eventually capitalizing on the fact that they made it a rock fight with one or two big takeaways to keep the score close against these quarterbacks that
are very, very difficult to beat. So I got to thinking about the quarterbacks he saw the most, and I found that all but one opposing division rival quarterback posted lower numbers to their career averages against Fangio LA defenses, both with the Bears from eight team and his three years in Denver. What say you we explore that research project.
Patrick Mahomes twenty nineteen twenty one with the Kansas Chiefs, and Mahomes is one of three quarterbacks right now in the NFL with multiple m v P s and multiple Super Bowl championships. How about that in six career games against Fangio's Broncos, Mahomes had accumulative passer rating of nine point one. His career rating is one of five point seven. The lowest single game passer rating of Patrick mahomes career came on December one, when he had a fifty seven
point three passer rating against Fangio's Broncos defense. Justin Herbert just two years because he was drafted in one against Vic Fangio. In four career games against Fangio's Broncos, Justin Herbert had accumulative passer rating of ninety three point five. His career rating is ninety six point two, so three points lower. Derek Carr was the only one who had
a better passer rating his career average. He was plus four point seven versus the Broncos between one compared to his career figure, and you know what an early in cars career he was. He struggled, So that's to me a little bit inflated. Uh. I didn't do this, but I think if you look back at cars, like three years prior are to that and in the next three years, you might get a different stat on that um. But
quarterbacks in the NFC North, same story. Aaron Rodgers from eighteen, and this is a guy that has traditionally owned the Bears. Right in seven games against Fangio's Bears, Rogers has a pass rating of ninety nine point one. His career rating is one or three point six and those he has actually touched on interception ratio and those six seven games was really really good, but his yards per attempt was
like super lowest. That patient style of forcing him to be patient and take the whole field worked in that in that sense. Matthew Stafford of the eighteen Lions seven career games against Fangio's Bears defense, Stafford posted a rating of eighty six point four. His career rating is ninety point nine, and again Stafford early on struggled. So again that's the same thing with Derek Carr there at this
even even better number if you asked me. And then the Vikings had various quarterbacks, too small a sample size for any one of them over that time period. I think for now that about covers it. We will have the vic Fangio introduction press conference for you guys on Monday. That is at eleven a m is the scheduled time for that. It will stream on the YouTube channel on social media, and we'll have it covered for you guys
right here on Drivetime breaking it down. After that press conference, raps and I believe we should hear from Mike McDaniel as well. I will submit a mail bag and get your questions for the podcast I want to hear from. Y'all. Will have plenty to come this offseason, so make sure to smash and obliterate that subscribe button up on Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcast subscribe, rate and review. Follow me on Twitter at Wingfield NFL. Follow the team
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