{"id":260141,"date":"2026-05-06T03:29:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T03:29:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/260141\/"},"modified":"2026-05-06T03:29:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T03:29:11","slug":"jeff-hafley-has-submerged-himself-in-miamis-offensive-installations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/260141\/","title":{"rendered":"Jeff Hafley has submerged himself in Miami\u2019s offensive installations"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jeff Hafley is spending most of his time during these spring and summer Organized Team Activity days working with the offense, sitting in installation periods, and it\u2019s intentional.<\/p>\n

The Miami Dolphins\u2019 first-year head coach openly admits he learned from the mistakes he has made in his past, likely referring to his stint as head coach at Boston College, and intends to not be viewed as a \u201cdefensive coordinator\u201d who serves as a head coach.<\/p>\n

As a result, he has Sean Duggan, his newly appointed defensive coordinator, leading all defensive meetings while he digests the offense, gaining a better understanding of that side of the team.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce training camp hits I\u2019ll take [the defense] back over. [This] allows me to be the head coach right now and that\u2019s huge,\u201d Hafley told the Richard Sherman podcast, joining All-Pro cornerback and future Hall of Fame cornerback he coached for a 35-minute conversation that occurred after the NFL Draft.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sitting in the quarterback meetings. I\u2019m sitting in the offensive installs. Because what I learned from this go around is I have to learn everything that\u2019s going on. I can\u2019t be the defensive coach,\u201d Hafley continued. \u201cI don\u2019t want the players to see me as just the defensive coordinator. I want them to see me, and feel me as the head coach. And I want to know all of the scheme.\u201d<\/p>\n

That means Hafley has been spending a ton of his time with Bobby Slowik, Miami\u2019s newly hired offensive coordinator, who is actually a holdover from Mike McDaniel\u2019s staff, where he served as the Dolphins\u2019 passing game coordinator..<\/p>\n

Hafley and Slowik worked together in San Francisco, but they were on the defensive side of the ball back then (2017 and 2018), before Slowik shifted to the offensive side, learning under Kyle Shanahan, whom he worked under with the San Francisco 49ers.<\/p>\n

Slowik had a controversial two-year tenure with Houston Texans, where called plays for C.J. Stroud in his first two seasons as offensive coordinator, the last of which led to his firing after the 2024 season, which fell short of Houston\u2019s expectations.<\/p>\n

McDaniel added Slowik with the belief he could help the passing game go to a higher level, but Miami ranked 25th in passing yards per game last season.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know him, he\u2019s so smart. As a person, what a stud as a guy,\u201d Hafley told Sherman of Slowik, whom he pointed out was one of the NFL\u2019s fastest risers before his dismissal from Houston. \u201cTo have that on the other side, knowing how detailed he\u2019s going to be, how organized he\u2019s going to be. He\u2019s been trained by one of the best playcallers in the last few years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hafley is referring to Shanahan, whom he credits with Matt LaFleur for teaching him the finer points of leading a football team, not just a defensive room.<\/p>\n

LaFleur also helped Hafley understand the importance of laying the foundation for the kind of culture you want your team to have.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to be young. We have some really good pieces, don\u2019t get me wrong. We have some vets on the team that are as good as players I\u2019ve been around,\u201d Hafely said, likely referring to De\u2019Von Achane, Jordyn Brooks, Tyrel Dodson, Aaron Brewer, Austin Jackson and Zach Sieler. \u201cThey are awesome people and have good leadership qualities. But with that, we\u2019ll probably be one of the youngest, if not the youngest team in the National Football League with all the rookies we are going to bring in.<\/p>\n

\u201cWill that be hard? Playing a lot of rookies is difficult at times. But in time, we get a chance to develop those players, teach them, and have them grow up,\u201d Hafley said, likely referring to the team\u2019s 13 draft picks, which will step on the Dolphins field for the first time on Friday when rookie minicamp opens. \u201cTeach them the way we want to do things for the future. It\u2019s going to be about the foundation and what we want it to look like.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Hafley, judge his team based on how they handle adversity in 2026, and how they finish the season.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will go through adversity. It\u2019s coming. You are either in it or it\u2019s coming. It\u2019s going to happen,\u201d Hafley said about life in the NFL. \u201cWhen you go through hard moments you have to have people you trust\u2026 When you go through the fire with people it\u2019s nice to know what you\u2019re dealing with.\u201d<\/p>\n


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