Basketball
Dolphins defensive coaches rapidly building camaraderie through staff basketball games
MIAMI GARDENS — The Miami Dolphins saw plenty of turnover on the defensive side of their coaching staff this offseason upon the switch from Vic Fangio to Anthony Weaver at defensive coordinator.
Eight new assistant coaches on that side of the ball and two other holdovers are in new roles on the staff.
Weaver found a way to bring them all together this offseason by organizing pick-up basketball games twice a week.
“If anybody is interested in looking at a very non-athletic basketball game that looks like a 40-plus league, you can come watch us on Tuesday and Thursday,” Weaver said last week as the Dolphins wrapped up mandatory minicamp. “It’s pretty ugly. The wives are not happy with us right now, because we all come home with injuries. We have a full injury report, if anybody is interested.”
The best hoopster on the defensive coaching staff? It’s assistant defensive backs coach DeShawn Shead, according to new outside linebackers coach Ryan Crow. It figures, as Shead is 34 years old and not too far removed from his NFL playing career.
The coach who commits the most fouls? Weaver says it’s defensive line coach Austin Clark, the one assistant on the defensive side of the staff still in his role from 2023.
Clark defends himself as arduously as he coaches his big men up front.
“One, there’s no number or limit to fouls,” Clark said. “What we should really be talking about here is, who are those coaches that are calling freaking fouls? Like, are they really fouls?
“If your D-line coach is not the hardest competitor out there, boxing people out and throwing a few elbows, then you’re probably doing something wrong.”
As payback to Weaver, Clark revealed that the Dolphins new defensive coordinator took video off a security camera of an impressive shot he made and showed it to players.
“Since Weaver threw me under the bus, you guys can have that little nugget,” Clark said.
But he admits: “He’s a big man with a shot.”
Don’t expect Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel to get in on the hardwood action.
“I can’t hurt my street cred,” McDaniel joked. “Right now, I talk a lot of noise, and I get like, ‘Is he good at basketball?’ Step on the court one time, and that’s all lost.”
As McDaniel keeps his mystery going over whether he has any game, it’s no mystery that the new defensive staff has a level of camaraderie building.
“Those types of things, man, they have results. They render results,” McDaniel said. “I had numerous players tell me probably in the second week of Phase 1 (of the offseason workout program) how they could tell the defensive coaching staff really liked being around each other. Probably because they were talking crap to each other about their pick-up basketball games.”
Added Weaver: “I love this staff. I think our players feed off of our collaboration and the way we work together.
Under Weaver, the Dolphins this offseason hired former NFL defensive coordinator Joe Barry as linebackers coach and run game coordinator, Brian Duker as secondary coach and pass game coordinator, Crow and Shead into their roles, Kynjee’ Cotton as assistant defensive line coach and Matt O’Donnell and Sean Ryan as defensive assistants.
Ryan Slowik was retained and shifted from leading outside linebackers coach to defensive backs coach and pass game specialist, and Mathieu Araujo was promoted to cornerbacks coach.
“Joe Barry has called plays in this league on a couple of different teams,” Clark said. “He’s won a Super Bowl. Brian Duker was in the NFC title game last year. That’s exciting. Ryan Slowik was great with OLBs. Ryan Crow beat us last year in Tennessee, and I had some familiarity with him.
“I didn’t know Coach Weaver prior, and I can tell you that he’s been phenomenal so far for me. You want to do well for a guy that’s a defensive line coach that’s coordinating as a defensive line coach. To me, that element there is great.”
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