Dolphins Fans Are Still Seething Over Vic Fangio Getting the Last Laugh
Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
The Miami Dolphins posted a video to social media right after Super Bowl LIX to get the fan base excited about the 2025 season. It did not have the intended effect.
The work starts now. 🐬 pic.twitter.com/s4wpTc0CFx
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) February 10, 2025
All it did was turn the fans off and surely led the social media manager to rethink why they posted the video in the first place.
The video lasted under a minute, and for good reason: The Dolphins were an average football team and gave fans nothing to get hyped up about. They couldn’t fill a full 60 seconds with highlights from their 8-9 season, and instead of being a reminder of the season’s (few) good moments, it wound up serving as a painful reminder that the Phins extended their 24-year playoff winless drought.
After seeing just how far Miami had to go on Sunday, there wasn’t any appetite for “The Countdown to Week One,” and the line “The Work Starts Now” didn’t go over well, either.
Especially not after former defensive coordinator Vic Fangio lifted the Lombardi Trophy with the Philadelphia Eagles, with all of Miami Gardens having just watched it on television. Some fans are still perturbed General Manager Chris Grier and Coach Mike McDaniel will be brought back for next season, and they were quick to show their dissatisfaction.
“Bro, the work started 25 years ago… you still haven’t won a playoff game,” @noswimzone wrote. “Get your s**t together.”
“By work do you mean the vets taking practice off, especially between games,” @EdwinSphere asked. “Dolphins are running a hybrid system apparently as if they are a 9-5 company.”
One fan compared the Dolphins to the Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles and noted how much further away they’ve been from the Super Bowl without Fangio.
“This should be us, but we had to get rid of Fangio and field the worst O-line in the NFL,” @brianschack noted. “Pretty much the exact opposite of what the Eagles did.”
“Gimme a break,” @GNeed72 said. “Watching the Super Bowl is a clear reminder of how much of a joke the Dolphins franchise is under Ross’ ownership.”
Finally, @allgames, another fan of Fangio, wrote, “You kicked out a Super Bowl-winning defensive coordinator because he was too tough.”
It’s no secret that the Dolphins players weren’t too fond of Fangio’s approach in Miami. When the team parted ways with Xavien Howard last winter, Jalen Ramsey posted on social media “I won’t ever forgive dude for not utilizing our full skillset.” Throwing shade at a coach a month after he goes out the door isn’t uncommon, but considering the source, it spoke volumes. Ramsey’s a seven-time Pro Bowler, four-time All-Pro, a team captain, and a Super Bowl winner. When he speaks, you listen.
Still, you can’t say that Fangio’s approach didn’t work brilliantly for the Eagles. His defense finished the regular season No. 1 in yards allowed and passing yards allowed, and No. 2 in scoring. They held Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs scoreless through three quarters. Darius Slay is a decorated cornerback, but Fangio really shined in bringing along rookies Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, who finished in second and fourth-place, respectively, in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.
Fangio has vindication, while the decision-makers the former DC took the fall for are still in place, and far from seeing their vision realized. You can maybe point out that Philly has a ton of young talent on the defensive front, with Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Nolan Smith, and Milton Williams all being 25 or under. But that brings up another valid, pointed question: Where are those guys in Miami?
When healthy, they have an impact player in Jaelan Phillips, and Chop Robinson is coming off a solid rookie season. But the defensive pipeline that the Eagles have is nowhere to be found. The Dolphins have gone offense, offense, offense with most of their high picks… when they have high picks to begin with. Outside of their two first-round edges and soon-to-be free agent Jevon Holland, their high defensive picks have been awful.
Fangio might not have been able to pull off turning Cam Smith into a Mitchell or DeJean, but in case you didn’t notice, neither did Anthony Weaver. Third-rounder (in 2022) linebacker Channing Tindall isn’t even a linebacker, he’s a special teams ace for one of the worst special team units in the league. And… that’s it. Since 2021, the Dolphins have had 11 picks in the first four rounds. Robinson, Phillips, Holland, Smith, and Tindall were the defensive guys. The remaining picks were poured into the offense.
Say what you want about Miami’s defense in 2023, but they finished fourth in PFF’s Defense Grade that year, and fell to 18th in 2024. Meanwhile, the Eagles lept from 14th in 2023 to first in 2024, with the Super Bowl win to back it up. It’s the Fangio Effect, baby, it’s real, and you can’t expect fans to ignore the obvious. The Work Starts Now to pick up the pieces and move forward.
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