Here’s what changed — and didn’t — with Boyer here and Flores gone. Dolphins offer insight
In deciding to stick with most of the same defensive personnel and this same defensive coordinator, the Dolphins told us two things without specifically saying it this past spring:
1). They believe the quality of this defense is closer to the unit that allowed 15.5 points per game during the final nine games in 2021, not the one that relinquished 29.1 points per game through the first eight.
2). They believe this wasn’t former coach Brian Flores’ defense — one reliant on his presence to succeed — but mostly Josh Boyer’s.
The decisions not to dramatically change the personnel — or replace Boyer as defensive coordinator — look good in the day-after glow of a 20-7 opening-day win against one of the dominant franchises in 21st century sports, albeit one greatly diminished now.
After beating New England for a fourth consecutive time, the Dolphins awoke Monday ranked second in the league in points allowed (behind Tampa Bay) and sixth in yards yielded (271).
So did defensive meetings — and preparation — change last week with Boyer no longer operating in Flores’ shadow?
Not much, players said.
The Dolphins say that Boyer called defensive plays in every game last season, and players say it’s not like Boyer suddenly has been given authority that he didn’t have under Flores, who has a sharp defensive mind.
“I don’t see a big difference,” linebacker Jerome Baker said. “I can see a head coach just letting Josh do his thing. But it’s not that he has more authority or anything. [Mike McDaniel] is going to sit back and let Josh do his thing. In front of us, nothing really changes.”
Baker paused to make an important point: “Josh is smart as hell, on top of us. He looks at everything, every individual rep, he looks at everything” in making every calculated decision.
Linebacker Sam Eguavoen said: “Flo would be in our [defensive] meetings more often [than McDaniel so far]. But a lot of times he would have Josh have the floor. It’s pretty much been the same.”
And Baker pointed out that Flores “was never in the [defensive] meetings all the time. He would come in now and again but not as much as you would think.”
But there were some changes in recent weeks and on Sunday. Among them:
Eguavoen cited one of them: the defensive intensity in the early stages of practice.
Boyer has been determined to avoid another slow defensive start like last season, when the Dolphins were stout in the opener (a 17-16 win against New England) but then allowed 35 points in Week 2 (to Buffalo), 31 in Week 3 (an overtime loss in Las Vegas), 27 in Week 4 (a loss to Indianapolis), 45 in Week 5 (a loss to Tampa Bay) and 30 in Week 7 (a loss to Atlanta) before stiffening.
Inside linebackers coach Anthony Campanile, a returnee from last year’s staff, “has no mercy on us,” Eguavoen said. “We are going to go hard [early in practice]. We are going to be gassed by the time team periods come. It’s good; that’s the best way to train. Train when you’re tired. His approach has always been like that. [But] all the other coaches got onto it” and are doing the same this season, Eguavoen noted.
How much has Boyer emphasized a better start this season?
“Too much,” Eguavoen said in jest. “At the beginning of practice, we are damn near like dead because we gas out [in individual drills]. We’ve got to mentally still find a way to run to the ball after we’re tired before practice even starts.”
That approach paid dividends Sunday, when Miami’s defense didn’t wilt in the oppressive heat; the Dolphins didn’t allow a point in the Patriots’ final three possessions.
“We’re upping the intensity,” Eguavoen said. “The standards are way higher. We went on a long run last year and we were flat at the beginning of the year. The bar is set” higher now.
From a personnel standpoint, these significant changes happened:
▪ Melvin Ingram — signed to a one-year deal that could be worth as much as $5 million — replaced Andrew Van Ginkel as a starting outside linebacker and played well, with a tackle for loss and a touchdown off the Brandon Jones strip sack.
The defensive snap count between Ingram (32) and Van Ginkel (7) was stark, but it might not be quite as lopsided when Van Ginkel is fully back from having his appendix removed.
▪ Instead of using Justin Coleman (now in Seattle) and Noah Igbinoghene as backup corners, Miami opted for Kader Kohou (18 snaps), Keion Crossen (16) and Elijah Campbell (four). None was badly beaten, and Kohou played very well.
Xavien Howard and safeties Jevon Holland and Jones played all 57 defensive snaps; cornerback Nik Needham played 56.
▪ The Dolphins needed to replace the role of released defensive lineman Adam Butler, who logged 53 percent of Miami’s defensive snaps last season.
Those snaps ended up being gobbled up by Zach Sieler (played 77 percent on Sunday, up from 46 percent on average last season) and John Jenkins, who played 10 snaps — a decision that allowed Raekwon Davis a breather after he rolled his knee in Thursday’s practice.
Davis played 36 of Miami’s 57 defensive snaps.
And Sieler ended up playing slightly more than Christian Wilkins (41 snaps) and Emmanuel Ogbah and Jaelan Phillips (40 apiece).
The challenge becomes considerably more difficult now, with three top-10 quarterbacks awaiting in the next three weeks: Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson (the Dolphins held him to a 73.6 passer rating in Miami’s 22-10 Thursday night win last season), Buffalo’s Josh Allen (107 career passer rating against Miami) and Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow.
The Dolphins will enter Sunday’s game in Baltimore having held their past 11 opponents to less than 300 yards passing (their longest streak since 2017) and their last 13 opponents to 400 yards or less overall (their longest such streak since 2005/06).
Ingram’s indoctrination to this defense left him convinced: “It’s all 11 guys out there getting to that ball, and it’s something special here.”
And at least defensively, it’s business as usual with Boyer, but no Flores.
This story was originally published September 12, 2022 at 10:36 AM.
