MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Even allowing five passing touchdowns in a blowout loss to the Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is staying the course.
With Xavien Howard out, it’ll be Eli Apple (who has allowed 11.6 yards per completion this year) as the boundary cornerback and Kader Kohou (131.1 passer rating against) as the nickel.
So no, neither Nik Needham nor Cam Smith is coming to the rescue against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills, who rung up 48 points on the Dolphins when these teams met three months ago.
Miami Dolphins Vic Fangio Sticking With Guys He Trusts
“When X went out early last week, we went with Eli, and Kader stayed at nickel,” Fangio said Thursday. “I think that’s the way we’ll go moving forward.”
There were massive breakdowns in communication with that group Sunday, leading to busted coverages and easy touchdowns for Baltimore. For those, Fangio fell on his sword.
“We had some execution problems,” he said. “You know, I think one of the biggest problems was I just didn’t call a good enough game.”
Asked to elaborate, Fangio said, “Some of the calls put us in tough situations that we didn’t handle well enough, and usually that doesn’t happen. But you’ve got to give Baltimore credit. They’re a well-balanced, good offense, and they can do that to you.”
Expect the Bills to try to do the same against the Dolphins.
Allen — whom Fangio said is “the new John Elway on steroids,” before adding that he doesn’t mean that Allen is actually juicing — is 9-2 in his career against the Dolphins with 31 touchdowns and five interceptions and a 7.9 yards per attempt average.
That history probably plays a role in Fangio’s decision to stick with proven players instead of giving the rookie Smith a shot.
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But Fangio’s real reason is that he watches Apple and Smith in practice every day.
“I think Eli recently has played better than he did earlier in the season,” Fangio said. “And you know, he’s a veteran, there’s know-how, he knows his limitations, he knows who he’s covering, knows the strengths and weaknesses of whoever we’re playing, and does a good job adjusting.”
As for what Smith, a second-round pick, needs to do to get on the field?
“Just improve in all areas, assignment, technique, execution, know-how. A little bit in all areas.”
One last point on the secondary: Don’t be surprised if you see Jalen Ramsey predominantly on Stefon Diggs, and perhaps even exclusively.
With Howard out, Fangio seemed a bit more open to the idea of having Ramsey shadow the opposition’s best receiver than he has been to this point.
“I’ve done a couple of years of my career a lot, every week,” Fangio said. “When you have two corners that you think are pretty good, you’re less likely to do it.”
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