Dolphins' Vic Fangio: No blitz, no regrets
MIAMI GARDENS — Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio does not regret choosing not to blitz on the final two possessions of the Titans' victory on Monday.
"No, they were kind of unusual drives in that they got some early big plays that turned into a red zone two-minute on both of them," Fango said. "Yeah, you always wish something different had happened. But no.”
Miami has had a ton of success with limited blitzes this season.
And the Dolphins had a 27-13 lead with 4:34 to play.
What confluence of events could allow for that loss to happen?
"Well, we saw it there," Fangio said. "They got some big plays, which allowed them to score fairly quickly. On the first one, we weren’t able to execute the four-minute offensively and they got it back around the 36- or 37-yard line or whatever it was, and they scored on us. There was still time left for us to have a legitimate chance. So a lot of it happened very quickly.”
The Titans went 80 yards in nine plays on the first score.
The Titans went 61 yards in four plays on the second score.
Those drives were 2 minutes, 40 seconds, and 1 minute, 49 seconds.
What happened?
"I don’t think communication was the issue," Fangio said. "I needed to call it better and we needed to play it better. We’re teammates in this operation, players and coaches, and we all just needed to be a little bit better.”
After the game, Fangio and coach Mike McDaniel discussed how the final two drives went.
"I’m very aware our defensive coordinator is one of, if not the best, defensive play callers that I’ve ever been around," McDaniel said. "You talk about timeliness of certain calls. Your job is to prepare players and put them in the best position to succeed.
Mike McDaniel supports coordinator Vic Fangio
"Within that, knowing the scheme and knowing the offense, each and every week, the last person I’m worried about doing everything they can for the team is Vic Fangio. With that, we’re teammates. There was no projection towards him. We talked through what we saw, why stuff happened, so that we can coach our players so that you learn from it. "
Fangio, 65, says he's able to move onto the next game pretty quickly.
"But I’m just disappointed in the way that it ended," Fangio said. "We had been pretty good all year in two-minute situations, if you remember. We were out there with games on the line, and we just didn’t get it done this time.”
Nobody was making excuses, but linebacker Jerome Baker and safety Jevon Holland, the quarterbacks of the defense, were both out Monday.
And on the final two drives, Miami also lost starting safety DeShon Elliott.
"Those two (Holland and Elliott) have had a great season working together," McDaniel said. "So anytime you have those processes kind of interrupted, there’s communication. Don’t get it twisted. It was not (Brandon Jones and Elijah Campbell's) fault that we gave up a lot of yards."
DeAndre Hopkins helped Titans upset Dolphins
One key pass allowed on Monday was a crosser to DeAndre Hopkins.
Jalen Ramsey gave chase, with help from Kader Kohou.
“Yeah, I mean we just didn’t pick it up the way we usually do and had a problem with that," Fangio said.
Monday's loss was brutal.
New center of attention Jonotthan Harrison taking mindset as potential starter
It is also true Miami is still ninth in the NFL in defense, seventh in sacks and ninth in third-down defense this season.
"I think the best thing to get it going is just to get out there and practice and prepare for the next opponent," Fangio said. "And not sit around and just think about the last game.”
The Tape Don't Lie Miami Dolphins lose to Tennessee Titans and | Schad
Joe Schad is a journalist covering the Miami Dolphins and the NFL at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com and follow him on Instagram and X @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe's free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter. Help support our work by subscribing today.
Sunday's game
Jets (4-8) at Dolphins (9-4)
1 p.m., CBS; NFL+, Paramount+, Fubo and YouTube Sunday Ticket outside South Florida
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dolphins DC Vic Fangio is a legend, icon and guru. But Miami blew a 27-13 lead on Monday.
