MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Miami Dolphins safety Jevon Holland didn’t come out and tell Vic Fangio to kick rocks again during his first news conference in months. But he came pretty close.
Holland shed no tears in January when Fangio was let out of his contract. And he pulled no punches Tuesday when asked to compare new Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver’s coaching style to that of his predecessor.
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“A complete 180, actually,” Holland said. “Weave is super dope man, like as a person, as an ex-player, as a coach. You can just feel he understands where we’re coming from, wants to hear us and our input on the defense and then is able to put that into how the defense is called and how the defense is taught.
“He’s great, man. He’s really like a dope, solid dude.”
Asked in a follow-up if Weaver having been an NFL player before he transitioned to coaching makes the difference, Holland replied:
“I just think that it’s the fact that he’s a good person that makes a difference. So, yeah.”
You can make your own inferences, but any fair reading of the situation doesn’t reflect well on Fangio, who left the Dolphins after one season to run the Eagles’ defense.
As far as the X’s and O’s go, Holland said there’s a fair amount of overlap from what Fangio did and what Weaver wants to do in Miami. He did reveal, however, that the Dolphins are installing more single-high concepts than a year ago.
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If that planning carries over to the games, it should make for more playmaking opportunities for Holland, who had solid scouting metrics but did allow a 99.3 passer rating in coverage last year.
“I was having success, and then I ended up getting hurt,” said Holland, who missed five of the Dolphins’ last seven games in 2024 with two sprained knees. “So each year, I’m like, I’m playing, I’m trying to, you know, get these accolades and whatnot. But this year, I’m gonna have fun, man.
“Like accolades are gonna come if they’re gonna come. If not, then they don’t. But I’m just gonna enjoy myself out there.
“That’s the bottom line, because when I look back on it, I wanna make sure that I’m enjoying myself and making the most of the experience being where my feet are. In terms of where I am in my career, my fourth year playing ball, yeah, I’ve done good things, but I always got places to improve on, and I look forward to the challenge. That’s why I love the game.”