Vic Fangio parting ways from the Miami Dolphins wasn’t necessarily met with dismay or sorrow from his players, and former NFL quarterback and analyst Ron Jaworski didn’t like that response.
Fangio, who has since signed on as the Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator, was met with several Miami players virtually celebrating the move, including Jevon Holland and Cam Smith posting cryptic messages on social media right after the news broke.
Holland’s Instagram Story showed him kicking rocks and Smith posted an "unlock" emoji, both of which are expected to be about Fangio.
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Longtime NFL agent Drew Rosenhaus, who represents 11 players in Miami, also made a comment that confirmed some of the players’ dislike of Fangio’s coaching style.
"There were quite a few players on the team that didn’t necessarily get along with Fangio," Rosenhaus told Josh Moser, a Miami-based broadcaster. "It wasn’t a great relationship with many of the players. There were some guys that loved him, but there were quite a few that didn’t. It definitely wasn’t a unanimous positive relationship."
Jaworski, appearing on 94WIP, a Philadelphia sports station, called out those players for criticizing Fangio.
VIC FANGIO JOINING EAGLES AS NEW DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: REPORTS
"Coaches coach," Jaworski said. "I have connections as well around this league and I hear another side of that story, that there were some players on that defense that didn’t want to work, didn’t want to put the time in, didn’t want to put the effort in, didn’t want to make the commitment to be successful."
Jaworski, who is known for his years as the Eagles' quarterback but also played for the Dolphins, Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs, alluded to Miami being a party city, and players are inclined to do so.
"Guys like to party at night, and South Beach is really a great place to party. And Vic tried to get those guys and push those guys to become harder workers and better athletes and more committed to their team," he said. "And he couldn’t get through to those guys. Those were the guys that Vic was pushing, and they’re the guys that are whining right now."
Despite what some Dolphins players may think, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni clearly likes Fangio’s coaching style, and Fangio quickly joined the organization he consulted for in 2022 when they went to the Super Bowl.
It was reported that, once Fangio left, he was looking to be closer to his family in Pennsylvania. Because the Eagles fired Sean Desai and won’t be bringing back Matt Patricia, the connection between Philly and Fangio was strong.
Fangio, 65, has seen the NFL evolve over the years, and his defensive schemes have done so as well. He has been a defensive coordinator with six different teams since 1995, including his most well-known years with the Chicago Bears from 2015 to 2018.
Fangio earned AP NFL Assistant Coach of the Year in 2018 after his Bears defense led the league in points given up per game (17.7), which helped lead the way to a 12-4 record. However, Chicago would lose in the Wild Card Round.
His 37-year coaching career in the NFL also includes stints as defensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers, Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans and San Francisco 49ers; he was also head coach of the Denver Broncos for three seasons.
