Dolphins' All-Pro praises new scheme that will "mess up the quarterbacks"
The devastating injury to Jalen Ramsey has Miami Dolphins fans thinking "here we go again". After being dreadfully bitten by the injury bug in 2022 – more like swarmed and bitten by hundreds all at once – the Dolphins 2023 season started out with more of the same. And with Ramsey and Xavien Howard expected […]
The devastating injury to Jalen Ramsey has Miami Dolphins fans thinking "here we go again". After being dreadfully bitten by the injury bug in 2022 – more like swarmed and bitten by hundreds all at once – the Dolphins 2023 season started out with more of the same.
And with Ramsey and Xavien Howard expected to form one of the best CB duos in the league, the questions turn to what will happen to the defense without him.
As it turns out, they may already be in position for a vastly improved 2023 regardless of who lines up next to Howard to start the year.
Howard joined NFL Network on Monday and spoke glowingly about the new scheme that defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is implementing this season and how it will help the defense, especially the secondary.
"This defense helps out a lot," Howard said. "It gives the quarterbacks a different look. I've been in the system for 3 or 4 years where I was playing nothing but man (coverage) most of the time. As a quarterback, it's not that hard to see if a guy is in man, but now we've got a little something that we mix it up. It messes up the quarterbacks and it messes up the offensive line."
Miami will be transitioning from former defensive coordinator Josh Boyer's aggressive, blitz-heavy scheme to Fangio's system that relies more on two-deep safeties, which helps avoid the big plays that were more susceptible to happening under Boyer. Fangio's system also substantially involves moving players around post-snap to confuse opposing quarterbacks. That's likely what Howard is referring to when he references giving different looks and mixing up opponents.
Importantly, it will rarely, if ever, isolate Miami's cornerbacks and ask them to win an exorbitant number of matchups in man coverage without help. Whether that's Kader Kohou, Cam Smith, Eli Apple, or someone else, it helps in that it takes them off an island. However, they will be asked to handle more complex zone situations and read-and-react assignments, so the challenges are still there.
For whatever its worth, it sounds like Miami's new defensive scheme is already becoming popular with its players as the preseason approaches.
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Featured image via Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
