MIAMI GARDENS - New Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver has organized staff basketball games every Tuesday and Thursday.

"If anybody's interested in looking at a very non-athletic basketball game that looks like a 40-plus-and-over league, you can come watch us," Weaver said Wednesday.

Weaver laughed but the truth is: 1) It's competitive and 2) It's been great for coaching staff bonding.

"I'll tell you this," Dolphins defensive line coach Austin Clark said. "Coach Weav, - he's a big man with a shot."

The consensus is Weaver is the best player on the court.

Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver is a former player

This makes sense, as Weaver, 43, has played football for Notre Dame, the Ravens and Texans.

Consensus is, Clark is a foul machine.

"One, there's no number of limited fouls," Clark said. "And what we should really be talking about here is, 'Who are those coaches that are calling frickin' fouls?' Like, are they really fouls? You know what I mean? Like, I'm not gonna' throw those guys under the bus. But if your d-line coach is not the hardest competitor out there, and we're not boxing people out and throwing a few elbows, we're probably doing something wrong, you know?"

Clark is a holdover on Miami's staff. Weaver and a handful of others are newcomers.

Players say Weaver and his staff are youthful and bring high energy.

"He just want guys that are gonna' fly around," cornerback Kendall Fuller said of Weaver.

"It's been really cool get to know him," defensive tackle Zach Sieler said. "Obviously, him being a former player. And then also him coming from Baltimore. I see a lot of crossover from that. And that Baltimore mindset, and just, it's been cool."

The Baltimore mindset?

Physical. Aggressive. Attack.

Sieler and departed Christian Wilkins played so many defensive snaps last season. A ridiculous amount. Weaver will likely go with a deeper rotation.

Dolphins' Anthony Weaver wants 'tsunami' approach on D

"It's kind of like the tsunami approach, right?" Weaver said. "I'm half Samoan and I lived in Hawaii for a little while. And they always say like the first wave of the tsunami does damage. But the second wave does the most damage. So for me, like, sometimes people get overly concerned about who's starting the football games. That means nothing. I want to know who's finishing the football games. You have the best chance of finishing games when you're fresh."

Weaver has been pleased with the organized team activity portion of Miami's defensive install.

"They have attacked the day with the right purpose and intentionality," he said.

Clark, the defensive line coach, thinks Weaver's history as a player helps him.

"He kind of learns how guys tick," Clark said. "He can kind of relate to them in a different way."

Weaver is also a "phenomenal communicator," Clark says.

Communication and cohesion are keys to Dolphins D

Weaver noted on Wednesday that his time in Baltimore has helped prepare him for this moment. He could have coordinated elsewhere, but wanted to take a step back to re-launch in a place like Miami.

Weaver believes in discipline in accountability.

But those around him say he also believes in cohesion and communication.

"I think our players feed off just like just our collaboration and the way that we work together," Weaver said. "The teams that I've been a part of, like that actually cared for one another, where they hung out outside of the building, that cared about like, their families, their wives, their girlfriends, their kids, that's transcending."

Joe Schad is a journalist covering the Miami Dolphins and the NFL at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com and follow him on Instagram and on X @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe's free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter. Help support our work by subscribing today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dolphins' Anthony Weaver wants cohesion, teamwork and communication