Calais Campbell explains a major factor driving his decision to choose the Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins officially secured the services of defensive lineman Calais Campbell on Tuesday, as the sixteen-year veteran signed his name on the dotted line before shouting out to the fans on social media. Campbell, who played for the Miami Hurricanes from 2004-07, had a number of options open to him, but he ultimately elected […]
The Miami Dolphins officially secured the services of defensive lineman Calais Campbell on Tuesday, as the sixteen-year veteran signed his name on the dotted line before shouting out to the fans on social media.
Campbell, who played for the Miami Hurricanes from 2004-07, had a number of options open to him, but he ultimately elected to return to the region where his football career began to take off.
And why? According to Campbell, a lot had to do with the man that Mike McDaniel tabbed earlier this offseason to run his defense.
“Huge," Campbell responded in response to a question about the importance of his relationship with defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver in his decision. "Huge, because I definitely had quite a few teams interested. I feel like the main reason why I wanted to come here was because I really believe in who Anthony Weaver is as a coach and in our relationship. We talked a lot during the process and just knowing that he knows what I’m capable of doing. He understands my mind and how I see the game, and he trusts me. At this point in time in my career, every time you build relationships, you have to kind of reestablish trust. You have new people that you’re interacting with. They’ve got to kind of get to know you, who you are.
"Now because of my pedigree and how long I’ve been in the league, it happens usually fast, but with somebody like ‘Coach Weave’ (Anthony Weaver), he knows I’m never going to try to hurt the team. I’m always going to be in position to try to do what’s best for the team, but I take calculated risks sometimes and play with different technique sometimes, but everything is calculated. So we had those conversations when we were working together in Baltimore of like, ‘This is how I want to play it this week.’ It was never like some spur-of-the-moment, just do what you feel. Every once in a while, you trust your instincts or whatever but most of the time it was calculated. It was planned. But just that belief and trust that he’s going to allow me to do the things I know are going to make me be successful and this team be successful.”
Weaver, who joined the Dolphins back in February after Vic Fangio parted ways with Miami, and Campbell spent three years together in Baltimore from 2020-2022, with Campbell earning Pro Bowl honors in 2020. As such, it's clear from Campbell's comments that he and Weaver have an advanced relationship over just about everyone else on the roster, which can only be a good thing for the six-time Pro Bowler's prospects of stepping in and not missing a beat.
Last season with Atlanta, Campbell posted a solid 6.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss across 17 games. Not bad for a guy who fits in as a natural 5 technique. Add that in with his familiarity with Weaver and he's got a chance to be a key part of Miami's defense, especially early on with both starting edge rushers still coming back from injury.
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