Hafley and Sullivan have deep familiarity with Willis from his time with the Packers, and saw what he did on the practice field, the film room, with the scout team and even interacting with people in the facility every day.
When he’d crack a little joke Thursday, they would smile in unison. When he said things that they liked, which seemed to be pretty much every sentence during his 15-minute session with reporters, they would nod in approval. They know who he is, they know what he’s about.
And they’re betting on him.
“There’s a lot of great reasons to be here,” Willis said. “I mean, those two guys are the biggest ones in my opinion, as far as what I see this organization and this team becoming. I can’t see the future, but all I know is they’re going to put in the work each and every day. And whatever role, whatever mission, whatever it is, they brought me in as a piece of the puzzle. I’m grateful and honored to be a part of that.”
Willis grew up in Atlanta, so he’s familiar with the hot, humid weather that awaits him during outdoor workouts in Miami. (“Steamy is OK, sir,” Willis said, laughing.) He’s also learning fast about the multicultural aspects of Miami, all the good places to go, is a big fan of the ability to wear shorts most days again, and the area’s long list of great restaurants.
“I need to chill out,” Willis said.
Most of all, he knows the Dolphins are starting over. New coach, new GM, new quarterback and more. Miami was 7-10 this past season, hasn’t won an AFC East title since 2008 and hasn’t won a playoff game since Dec. 30, 2000 — the longest active drought in the NFL.
Willis is tired of waiting. So are the Dolphins. It might be a perfect match.
“We compete each day to earn our spot here. It’s not a given for anything and I don’t think it should be,” Willis said. “We should be competing for everything every day. That’s the only way we’re going to continue to get better and grow. We don’t want to get stale and just think everything’s everything and become complacent.
“We’re ready to get this going. Fins up. That’s it.”