MIAMI GARDENS — I felt Anthony Weaver’s presence Friday. I felt the seriousness from Weaver, the Dolphins’ defensive coordinator. I felt the bad intentions. I felt the urgency of his message. And Weaver, the Dolphins’ 6-foot-3, maybe 260-pound defensive coordinator who is a former defensive end for Notre Dame, and then the Baltimore Ravens (2002-05) and Houston Texans (2006-08), didn’t have to raise his voice a single time.
“I’m old school,” Weaver began when talking about the problems his defense has had through three games, “I may sit up here, I’m a nice guy, I smile, I do all those things. But all of our problems that we need to solve can be solved through violence.”
I loved that Weaver, normally a very upbeat, “up with people,” happy guy, preached this sermon about the Dolphins, who are regarded as a laid-back, finesse team.
Weaver, considered by many the odds-on favorite to become interim coach if Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel doesn’t make it through the season, delivered a poignant message, sometimes chilling message Friday during his weekly media session, the type of message the Dolphins probably never get from McDaniel.
“He was a player,” defensive tackle Zach Sieler said. “He knows how to see ball just like we do.”
It was a bottom-line missive. It reflected the type of toughness we heard back in the day from Dolphins interim coach Dan Campbell.
Weaver was grave Friday. All you had to do was look into his eyes and hear his tone to know he meant business.
“He doesn’t raise his voice or anything,” outside linebacker Chop Robinson said about how Weaver gets players’ attention. “It’s kind of more of an intensity.”
Weaver, whose defense was neglected of major upgrades for the majority of the offseason, continued on the theme of violence, a characteristic he kept strictly in the on-field football context.
“Yeah, they want to legislate it out of the game,” he said. “But we play defensive football. And in defensive football, at some point, you draw a line of sand and you say, ‘I’m going to set the edge. I’m going to stick my helmet under this guy’s chin and I’m going to set the edge. I’m going to violently take the ball away.’
“And that’s what we need to do. With a steely-eyed focus, with resolve, with resiliency, and we’re going to stop people. And I’m determined, we’re all determined, for that to happen.”
Say what you want about Weaver’s defense being among the worst in the NFL this year. They haven’t produced a turnover, and they’re allowing 30 points per game, yielding a touchdown or field goal on their first 10 possessions to start the season, and rank 26th at 370.3 yards per game.
Friday, we saw Weaver speak in certain terms about how to play defense in the NFL. And, yes, he knows a little something about that subject. His Dolphins defense finished No. 4 in the league last season and Weaver was a big reason they had such success.
He spoke Friday about why he has such a calm demeanor.
He said his defense was basically a mess in the first half of last week’s 31-21 loss at Buffalo. He said they entered the game with trust.
That trust went out the window. But Weaver said it Friday in more colorful manner. The calm coordinator dropped an F bomb.
Things were corrected last Thursday partly due to Weaver’s calm demeanor.
“I try very hard to stay calm in the chaos,” Weaver said. “I’m not a guy who’s going to run around screaming, yelling, all those things, because I think that players are a reflection of their coach.”
But don’t let the smooth taste fool you. Weaver is intense. Weaver talked about trying to force turnovers.
“I don’t know how many times I gotta say violence, right?” Weaver said. “You want to take anything away from somebody during a game of football, you have to do it with aggression. That’s what we need to do.”
Players love Weaver. They understand him, he understands them.
Related Articles
Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver sends impassioned message of playing with violence
Dolphins’ Tagovailoa responds to Cam Newton’s harsh criticism, makes stunning admission
Dolphins-Jets predictions: Who will win battle of 0-3 teams?
Who has the edge? Dolphins vs. Jets, needing a home division win
“What he’s saying about violence,” defensive tackle Benito Jones said, “he just wants to be a gritty team. I feel like we are. but at times I feel like we probably get a little complacent… and what he’s trying to say is let’s just be a violent team from the beginning to the end. That’s all he’s trying to say. He wants us to play more violently, make people respect us.”
The Dolphins need more Weaver.
He’s a nice guy but he’s a football guy. He’s candid. He’s blunt. He has an aggressive streak. He speaks the truth.
“Excuses change nothing, execution solves everything,” Weaver said, before, again, staying strictly in the on-field football sense. “But you can do those same things with violence.”
