Dave Hyde: Comprehensible and uncommon, Josh Boyer returns to Dolphins protection to safeguard Mike McDaniel’s blindside

If you want a nostalgic reunion, there was previous Miami Dolphins cornerbacks Sam Madison and Patrick Surtain, collectively all over again, speaking Wednesday about coaching with each other this time.

If want a strategic reunion, there was Wes Welker, the Dolphin who obtained absent, in from San Francisco with new mentor Mike McDaniel to immediate the receivers. Now, they just have to have some receivers.

But if you want to see what this Dolphins offseason is about further than the owner and previous coach calling each and every other liars, there was Josh Boyer conveying his understandable and abnormal transition from the old defensive coordinator to the new defensive coordinator.

That is the appropriate framing, way too. Comprehensible and unconventional. Neither would make it proper or incorrect, inspired or insipid.

Absolutely everyone commences with a blank slate when a regime variations, as they do with more than enough regularity all over the Dolphins to have an understanding of why Boyer is the offensive-minded McDaniel’s most important employ. He’ll mentor McDaniel’s blindside.

The protection is Boyer’s now, like by no means ahead of less than the defensive-minded Brian Flores. He was with Flores for 16 decades – 13 in New England, three with the Dolphins. The Dolphins protection also has the affect of Patriots coach Monthly bill Belichick and Dean Pees, a prolonged-time NFL defensive coordinator.

“We are likely to adapt to the gamers we have,’’ Boyer sai. “We are going to shift on to this 12 months.”

Boyer was adamant Wednesday about drawing up the match options and contacting the plays last season.

“I did all that,” he claimed, in walking as a result of the team-oriented system both of those entail.

Here’s why it’s understandable that Boyer was supported by general supervisor Chris Grier when veteran Vic Fangio handed on the task: Retaining younger gamers in the identical defensive method is a primary way to continue enhancement.

Boyer, to be absolutely sure, expects the same process and enhancement from, “All our fellas, specifically men going from Calendar year 1 to Calendar year 2.”

Here’s why Boyer’s return is abnormal beyond him not being aware of McDaniel right until this approach: Of the six other head coaches hired outside the house a group this offseason, all 6 brought in a new defensive coordinator. Ditto for the 7 coaching modifications very last year. And the 5 in 2020.

Of the eight coaching adjustments in 2019, only Eco-friendly Bay’s new mentor, Matt LaFleur, retained Mike Pettine at defensive coordinator. Pettine lasted a calendar year.

Boyer, you hope, lasts lengthier with the Dolphins. That he’s the defensive yin to McDaniel’s offensive yang. That he proceeds molding the younger clay into something impactful. That this standard churn of coaches and failed seasons ends.

“I’m fired up we have a wonderful group of gamers coming again,” Boyer claimed. “I feel in a good deal of the very same matters Mike thinks. Him and I had various conversations throughout this process.

“There’s a large amount of positive vitality in the creating. I come to feel blessed coming to the task I enjoy to do.”

There’s an upbeat mother nature to Boyer, just as there appears to be to be with McDaniel. They are tied by a thing else, way too. Each and every has coached in the shadow of the head coach’s strength, Boyer underneath Flores, McDaniel less than San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan.

Boyer talked of how when he moved from the South Dakota School of Mines to the New England Patriots employees 17 years in the past the query was if he was in more than his head.

The problem is not that now. It’s just how he survived in a position exactly where there’s generally modify. His 17 yrs in the NFL have taught him the chilly nature of modify.

Nonetheless, this had to be the initially time he experienced to say he under no circumstances felt tension to eliminate a sport. That concern came in mild of Flores’ allegation in opposition to owner Steve Ross to tank online games in the 2019 season.

“There’s a great deal of things that are out there that are surprising,” he said. “I know that there are some items that are out there that are not accurate — that is stunning to me. Matters that get reported, and people today say matters.”

He’s moved on to subsequent time in a way not everybody can. When the new Dolphins staff fulfilled with reporters on late Wednesday afternoon, Boyer explained it broke up a nearly 12-hour working day of seeing film on no cost agents and the draft.

“We’re fired up, we’re psyched,” he reported.

As he ought to be. It’s easy to understand he’s back again as defensive coordinator of a defense that made a convert for the superior past 12 months. But let us be crystal clear: It is unusual, far too.