In his first game as an NFL head coach, Jeff Hafley’s Miami Dolphins lost 20-7 to the Washington Commanders on Friday night. Following the game, he spoke with the media about his team’s performance. He started with Miami’s opening drive, where the first unit looked solid behind quarterback Malik Willis, De’Von Achane and an offensive line that blocked with purpose and toughness. That drive went 93 yards in 14 plays over 7:06 minutes that culminated with a one-yard rushing touchdown by Achane.
Hafley detailed how the Dolphins began the game, telling reporters, “I love the way our team came out. Offense, defense, especially in a tough situation because we were backed up, and I thought Bobby [Slowik] had an unbelievable plan coming in. I thought they executed at a high level. The protection was good. We could run the ball.”
Talking about his quarterback, he said, “Malik was throwing the ball on time; he was accurate. That was an awesome drive to watch. Really proud of those guys. Again, credit to O-Line, the wideouts, tight ends, Malik. Really, really pleased with the way they started and we got to build up in the house.”
He went on to discuss Willis’ performance, saying, “Kind of what I had seen in the past, extremely composed and very accurate. Just leadership in the huddle, and it was awesome. Let’s give credit to those guys around him.”
Hafley continued about Willis and the offense, “I thought the O-Line did a really nice job, and I thought the protection was good. I thought he was able to run the ball with Achane; it was like 5 or 6 yards plus a carry that opens up passing lanes, we can run it, we can throw it. Then when we kind of got outside the pocket a few times, it was very clean, very, very clean. That’s a really, really good first step, with obviously a lot to build on.”
Part of the opening drive was a spectacular one-handed catch on a third-and-5 by Caleb Douglas that went for 29 yards. Hafley was asked about the play, and said, “Probably haven’t seen it on replay like you guys have, but it was pretty incredible, and I look forward to watching it on TV.”
Asked about the rookies as a whole, Hafley responded, “I think for some of them, they had anxiety, and I knew they would. It's why you keep doing these. It's why you have the joint practice. It's why you have preseason games. It's why you play those guys.”
Never shy of critiquing and constructive criticism in his answers, Hafley added, “Some of them, instead of trusting their eyes and where they're supposed to be, they just kind of got big eyes. And when they're supposed to stay outside, they jumped inside. When they're supposed to line up on the left, they might [line up differently], so there's some stuff that some of them got to, see this and do it again and see it and do it again.”
As referenced in earlier press meetings, Hafley isn’t just about results; rather, the building, learning and developing, as he said, “And I think it's going to be a process with those guys. They need to play. And there's no substitute for that. And we need to play them. There are some of the guys that it wasn't too big for, and I'm excited to watch that. But I think going through this together as a team will help.”
He fielded a question about first-round pick, cornerback Chris Johnson’s performance, who played through a minor injury. Hafley answered, “Yeah, without really watching the tape, you know, I think there was a dig, which was a tough down for him, since it was a condensed split, and there was probably outside leverage if I had to replay it in my head, just seeing it live. Tough down for him.”
Added Hafley, “Then I loved the way he responded. He made two plays. He had a really, really good break on a pit route in the end zone that was a tough down and put him in, and you know, he got his hand on the ball, and that was a big stop for us down there.”
When asked about his first time on the sidelines in the league as a head coach, Hafley said, “You know, it’s not about me. I mean this was about our team tonight, coming out, and a lot of guys having a lot of opportunities to play.”
In true Hafley fashion, he kept his answer about his team and staff, adding, “I mean, what’s cool about the preseason games, we talked about the fast start really on both sides of the ball. I thought the defense, not just early, I thought the defense came out really hot. We got some pressure on the quarterback. We stopped the run, forced a punt, and we hit a little bit of a lull, but then it was really cool to see the defense, I think they had six straight stops in the second half, and a sudden change field goal, which was really impressive.”
Crediting his defensive coordinator, he added, “Sean [Duggan] called a lot of that, and I thought he did a really nice job. I just give the guys credit for continuing to fight. Once a headset is on for me, I’m just coaching football and enjoy being out there with the guys.”
Hafley and his guys will head back to South Florida and get ready for joint practice with the New York Giants on Thursday as the teams prepare for Saturday’s preseason game at Hard Rock Stadium.
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Jeff Hafley evaluates Dolphins performance in his first game as HC