Anthony Weaver, the new defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins, was Jim Harbaugh’s assistant head coach for the previous three seasons.
It’s not surprising that Anthony Weaver’s hiring as defensive coordinator led Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel to sing his praises, but Weaver’s impressiveness is also evident to those who have watched him closely over the past three seasons.
One such observer is Gerry Sandusky, the radio play-by-play voice for the Baltimore Ravens. He also happens to be the son of the late John Sandusky, the offensive line coach for the Dolphins from 1976 to 1994.
Additionally, Sandusky gave Weaver a high recommendation when he appeared on the Joe Rose Show on South Florida radio station WQAM on Monday.
After serving as the defensive coordinator for the Houston Texans in 2020 and playing for those two teams for seven years, Weaver spent three seasons in Baltimore as John Harbaugh’s assistant head coach before joining the Dolphins.
According to Sandusky, “He is a quality guy,” WQAM said. You’re going to adore this guy as your DC, I promise. Additionally, he has a great deal of experience and has witnessed the advantages of multiple and unpredictable. All day long, the Wink Martindales of the world were blitzing away, and then you had your super conservative guys and you sat back in your Cover 2 shell. Like all great coaches, Anthony knows how to adjust scheme to personnel, so he will be a guy who can adjust personnel, games from a distance, and philosophy of “look, you got a very athletic group on your defensive side, he’s going to cut them loose.”
After Weaver interviewed for head coaching positions with the Atlanta Falcons and the Washington Commanders, he was hired by the Dolphins, and Harbaugh gave him full support as an NFL head coach in the future.
After Mike Macdonald left to become the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, Sandusky said Harbaugh may have chosen to promote Zach Orr, the inside linebackers coach, to defensive coordinator rather than Weaver because of his deep respect for Weaver.
“John knew Anthony was ready to be a defensive coordinator,” Sandusky stated. However, he also knew that Zach Orr was prepared to be a defensive coordinator. Given the way John thinks, I’m sure he felt that if he appointed Anthony as defensive coordinator, Zach would not be fulfilled; however, if Zach was appointed defensive coordinator, he knew Anthony would be receiving a promotion because he was qualified. The Ravens were thus fortunate. Two men were prepared for that task. And the Dolphins are fortunate to have acquired a superb defensive coordinator recently.”
Regarding Weaver’s prospects for success as a former player in the NFL:
“There are a lot of players in this league that I never would have thought would make great head coaches or defensive ends. Anthony is here. That’s how you’ll see him every week at the defensive coordinator press conference. His smile lights up the whole room. His physical presence is captivating, but it can’t help but make you think of Vic Fangio. Not one of those adorable, cute guys. The embodiment of the grind, grind, grind is Vic Fangio.Guys, it’s not working anymore. The player of today won’t be reduced to dust. To bring out the best in players, you must go within and ask them to volunteer for it. And as a defensive line coach here in Baltimore, I’ve seen Anthony do that. When guys are working independently, he can make them work ten times harder than they would have liked to. And that’s the coach for today.”
Regarding whether he can extract the same multiple-use performance from Jevon Holland that the Ravens did from Kyle Hamilton in 2023:
“I wholeheartedly concur. And I am aware that the other child, Jaelan Phillips, is recovering from an injury, but Phillips, in my opinion, is one of those unicorn athletes who, while he may not be able to play three levels, he can certainly play two, and he can be moved outside or hidden.
Three-level players include Jevon Holland. Anthony will know how to use the excellent athletes you have on that defence in unconventional ways. Hey, that works with your Mike McDaniel plan. Anthony will fit in much better than Vic Fangio as you
Regarding unleashing his players’ full potential:
“I’ll send Justin Madubuike out there to give you a. As a third-round draft selection, Justin Madubuike is anticipated to be a respectable player. It could be argued that he is now comparable to Aaron Donald. And that’s largely due to his work ethic, but it’s also largely due to Anthony Weaver, the coach who helped him discover his potential and bring it out in him, making him into someone you never would have imagined. Anthony needs to take care of that for your defend
