Welcome to my fan submission series, “Frankly Fans.” In these articles, I will be asking fans of the Miami Dolphins what they want to read about and bring that request to life. This week’s question comes from David N., a fan since 2000 and season ticket holder since 2020. David’s question is:

How does Vic Fangio like to use his players on defense? 

First, we have to discuss what kind of defense Vic Fangio uses. Fangio uses Cover 6 as his base coverage. Cover 6 combines Cover 4 to the strong side and Cover 2 to the weak side. This means that the Dolphins will primarily be in zone coverage as opposed to the man coverage that both Brian Flores and Josh Boyer liked to employ. The main thing about Fangio’s defense is that it is completely disguised until after the snap, leaving the opposing quarterback to make split-second reads which tend to lead to mistakes. Now we can discuss how Fangio will get the best out of each layer of the defense. 

Secondary 

I think Xavien Howard is probably the most excited because he won’t be left on an island anymore. With Josh Boyer as defensive coordinator, Howard was constantly one-on-one with the top wideout; sometimes, he made plays, but other times he got beat; such is the nature of man coverage. Either way, Howard now has Jalen Ramsey playing next to him, and any time you have a player of that caliber on the field with you, it’s easier to focus on your assignment. Jevon Holland will now play in a two-high safety look and will be able to see more of the field. This will likely help him read and react to the offense better, as opposed to having to cover behind whichever corner was stuck in one-on-one coverage. Overall, the secondary is going to be asked to cover more of the field instead of just focusing on individual players. 

Linebackers 

Due to the two-high safety look, the linebackers have a tougher job. However, the way Fangio lines up his defense, each phase can help the other so no one position is working harder than the next. The linebackers are required to have sideline-to-sideline speed, which, luckily, both Jerome Baker and new addition David Long Jr. have. This sideline-breaking speed is because the defensive line is asked to push any ball carrier toward the side of the field so the linebackers and safeties can collapse on the ball. With the lack of blitzing in this scheme, the backers can focus on runners if they manage to get to the second level. 

Defensive Line 

Fangio’s compliment to his defense starts with the defensive line. The line uses a gap-and-a-half technique, which means that each lineman is responsible for attacking a primary gap aggressively, but with enough control to switch to a secondary gap. As I mentioned earlier, the line is also responsible for pushing the ball toward the sideline so their teammates can come up and make a play. Bradley Chubb had some of his best seasons under Fangio, so with a familiarity with the system, he could be in for a big season. With a lack of blitzing, sacks, and pressures will have to come more naturally, but with players like Chubb and Jaelan Phillips on the outside, getting to the quarterback is very much possible. 

Vic Fangio was highly sought after for good reason. The way each level of his defense compliments the other is one of the main reasons his scheme has been adopted by plenty of other defensive coordinators. Players like Holland, Ramsey, Howard, Baker, Christian Wilkins, Chubb, and Phillips will look to thrive in this new-look defense. Hopefully, the Dolphins can combine a top defense with a top offense, which we haven’t been able to do in a long time.