Vic Fangio Introductory Press Conference Takeaways

The new Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator addressed the South Florida media for the first time since being hired

New Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio met with the South Florida media for the first time Monday in an introductory press conference at the Baptist Health Training Complex.

The longtime NFL assistant coach and former Denver Broncos head coach touched on a variety of topics during his media session.

Here were the highlights:

-- Mike McDaniel introduces Fangio by saying, "It was a very easy decision when given the opportunity."

-- First question concerns what made the Dolphins a good fit, and Fangio replies by saying, "Miami has a good thing going here." Mentions good players and also the idea of living in South Florida.

-- Fangio says his basic philosophy is trying to make every player better, which in turn would make every position group.

-- In regards to McDaniel, Fangio said he didn't have much of a prior relationship, though they did have mutual friends. They also share the same agent, Richmond Flowers.

-- McDaniel and Fangio did some Zoom interviews together, and Fangio calls him energetic, intelligent.

-- Fangio says he didn't study any teams, per se, last year but rather the league as a whole and specific situations. In what he saw, he saw some good things. Mentioned liking Jaelan Phillips and Jevon Holland coming out in the draft in 2021, as well as Christian Wilkins. "There's a good nucleus of players here."

-- Fangio confirms he ran the defense in Denver when he was the head coach from 2019-21.

-- Regarding Renaldo Hill, just hired as pass game coordinator, Fangio calls him a good coach and points out to the familiarity Hill has with his system.

-- In terms of playing time, who plays and how much "will be up to the players."

-- In terms of his scheme with the Dolphins, Fangio says, "We'll be tailoring what we do to our players and the opponent we're playing that week." Basically, he'll match the scheme to the players, not the other way around.

-- Fangio talked with Bradley Chubb last week, points out Chubb was the victim of injuries during his time with the Broncos. "I'm anxious to get him rolling, keep him healthy and being the Bradley Chubb that we all know he's capable of being."

-- In terms of his philosophy, Fangio says he's not a "buzzword kind of guy."

-- Regarding blitzing the opponent, Fangio replies, "As needed and when I want to." Doesn't want to put a percentage of how often that will happen.

-- Dealing with new offenses, Fangio says defenses always have to continue to evolve and adapt.

-- Fangio lived in Destin, Florida, this past year and he had exposure to what any NFL coach had and most every day spent a few hours watching tape, focusing on situations. He did that no matter where he traveled, mentions he also played some golf.

-- Fangio says he wanted to get back into coaching because "that's who I am, that's what I do." Has no thoughts on retiring, says he'd like to do this job for 10 years if the Dolphins will have him.

-- Asked specifically about Holland, Fangio says he hasn't studied him enough to point out where he could help but pointed out several qualities and says he's hopeful he could become "one of the top safeties in the league."

-- Asked whether this could become a Super Bowl-caliber defense, Fangio shakes his head: "Can we get one practice on the field?"

-- Fangio said he spent some time with incumbent defensive coaches Austin Clark, Anthony Campanile and Sam Madison, and says he's looking forward to working with them.

-- Fangio confirms he helped the Eagles offense ahead of the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl, not the defense.

-- Fangio's last comments: "The NFL is a better league when the Dolphins are relevant and in the hunt. Hopefully we can get it back to that."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Dolphins news and analysis year-round. Also, you can follow me on Twitter at @PoupartNFL, and that's where you can ask questions for the regular All Dolphins mailbags. You also can ask questions via email at fnalldolphins@yahoo.com.