Why High Hopes for Holland in 2023 Are Justified
New Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio wasn't about to make wild predictions in his introductory press conference Monday, whether it pertains to his unit in general or individual players specifically.
It became obvious when he shook his head at a question asking whether he was inheriting a Super Bowl-caliber defense?
"Oh, I don’t know," he said. "Can we get one practice on the field?"
Fangio did mention a few players by name, like Bradley Chubb, Christian Wilkins, Jaelan Phillips and Jevon Holland.
With Chubb, he described his time in Denver when the two were there together, but his rundown consisted pretty much of the injury issues that Chubb went through during his time with the Broncos.
With Phillips and Holland, Fangio mentioned how much he liked them both as prospects when they were coming into the 2021 NFL draft.
Fangio then was asked again specifically about Holland.
"I haven’t studied him enough since he’s gotten the NFL as far as what can I teach him, but I do know I really liked them the year he came out in the draft," Fangio said. "I like his physical ability, his combination of size, speed, quickness, he’s got good instincts. I think he’s smart from a football standpoint. And you’re right, we’ve had some good luck with safeties over the years in the last few stops, and I’m hopeful and confident that he can be one of the top safeties in the league.”
VIC FANGIO'S HISTORY WITH SAFETIES
Notice the line in Fangio's comment about having "some good luck" with safeties over the years.
Yes, you could say that.
In his 19 years as a defensive coordinator or head coach (when he said he was i charge of the Denver defense), Fangio had 31 Pro Bowl selections on his units.
Seven of them came from the safety position, and more importantly they were earned by six different players.
The list features Dashon Goldson, Donte Whitner, Eric Reid, Antoine Bethea, Eddie Jackson and most recently Justin Simmons with the Broncos.
That's a pretty good list.
The first four players worked with Fangio with the 49ers from 2011-14, while Jackson was with Fangio in Chicago.
So this might be as much about the scheme as it is about the player.
And when it comes to Holland, there's little doubt he has Pro Bowl traits.
Those were very evident from his rookie season when he made all sorts of plays for the Dolphins defense. He maybe didn't quite take the leap that was expected last season, though injuries in the secondary probably didn't help his cause as he had to provide more help to the cornerbacks.
With Fangio on the scene with a scheme that allows the safety to play center field, it plays right into Holland's strengths and should bring back the Holland of 2021.
He ended up being a fourth alternate in the AFC for the Pro Bowl Games and a big jump right to earning a Pro Bowl spot outright wouldn't be the most shocking we could see from the Dolphins next season.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Dolphins news and analysis year-round. Also, you can follow me on Twitter at @PoupartNFL, and that's where you can ask questions for the regular All Dolphins mailbags. You also can ask questions via email at fnalldolphins@yahoo.com.
