MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Miami Dolphins rolled out the newest member of their coaching staff on Thursday.
Dressed in his traditional grey cotton sweatsuit, Miami Dolphins Head Coach Mike McDaniel introduced the team’s new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver and allowed him to steal the spotlight.
McDaniel was the quality control assistant in Houston during the one season that Weaver spent with the Texans as a player in 2006. The pair also coached together in Cleveland in 2014.
McDaniel said he wasn’t just looking for quality, but a “leader of men” which led to Weaver’s hire.
“The process was real cool for me because it started with the person who could have the biggest impact on our team as a person,” McDaniel stated in his opening comments at Thursday’s press conference. “Then, throughout the process, we got down to the nitty-gritty of the football schematics and continue to build upon what we’ve done.”
Weaver told the media that he’s excited about the talent level of Miami’s defense.
“There’s multiple guys on every level of the defense to get excited about. (Zach) Seiler, (Jaelan) Phillips, (Bradley) Chubb (Christian) Wilkins, (David) Long at linebacker,” Weaver said. “(Jevon) Holland is an absolute beast and playmaker. Jalen Ramsey. At every level, there’s someone to get excited about, and I probably forget some.”
Weaver also discussed his scheme and in particular, how the unit will operate next season.
”The scheme we used in Baltimore is extremely multiple and flexible and the foundation of what we’re going to do here will be that,” he said. “The beauty is that the things they’ve done here and had a lot of success with is similar to that, so there will be a lot of crossovers.”
When it comes to blitzing, Weaver said that he is a bit more cautious and that he would be more calculated and not as reckless.
He said that he has been around coaches who blitz all the time and coaches who do not blitz very often. He said that blitzing is based on time, nature, and situation.
He’s hoping his experience as a player and coach will help him connect to his talented roster.
“As an ex-player, I know how finite this career is,” Weaver said. “I take my responsibility as a leader and as the defensive coordinator extremely important. I don’t want to waste anybody’s finite time in this league. Because of that, we want to be great in all we do.”