Sounding at times like an offensive lineman facing a stiff pass rush, Miami Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley sought to take some heat off backup quarterback Quinn Ewers following a preseason debut in which Ewers had as many interceptions as completions. Hafley began by acknowledging the obvious: Ewers had an off night in the 20-7 loss to the Washington Commanders, finishing one of eight for 27 yards and a passer rating of 1.6. Buy Miami Dolphins tickets on StubHub “Certainly, there were some mis-throws, some missed opportunities,” Hafley said. “The interception that he threw clearly wasn’t a good decision, especially in that point of the field.”
But Hafley went on to say that he pointed out to the team the times Ewers’ support let him down — an incompletion “that would have been about a 25-30-yard explosive, maybe more (play) and the receiver broke out and he should have hooked up,” Hafley said. Hafley also pointed to a scramble around left end that resulted in a 4-yard gain before Ewers took a hit by linebacker Jordan Magee. More Miami Dolphins: Miami Dolphins takeaways: Good day for Malik Willis, Green Bay imports
“The receiver should have blocked down, popped out on the boot, and there was nobody there in the flat,” Hafley said. “And that would have been a quick, bang, 5-yard throw down the sideline and now there’s two catches for 50 yards. “So clearly there’s some throws he wants back and there’s some mistakes there.” With third-string quarterback Cam Miller going three for 11 for 39 yards and two interceptions, it meant that Malik Willis’ backups combined for three interceptions and only four completions. Asked if he and general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan had discussed the possibility of bringing in another quarterback, Hafley said there hadn’t been enough time to go over it after returning from D.C. Working against Ewers were the circumstances of his interception. Early in the second quarter, Ewers faced a third-and-7 situation from his own 11-yard line. Ewers threw a deep ball with no receiver in the vicinity. It was easily intercepted by Quan Martin. “I pointed it out in the team meeting today,” Hafley said. “When you’re back there on third-and-7, you’ve got to protect the football. And if we punt it, it’s OK. We can’t make those mistakes.” The Dolphins began the game with the first-string offense driving 93 yards for a touchdown before the Commanders took over, yet Hafley listed several positives from the game. Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley saw physicality It’s a popular theme for Hafley, who is determined to wipe out the long-held notion that the Dolphins are “soft.” Hafley wants the Dolphins to go toe-to-toe with opponents. Asked specifically about guards Jonah Savaiinaea and Kadyn Proctor and edge rusher Chop Robinson, Hafley said they came out firing. “We played physical from the start to the end,” Hafley said, crediting tight ends Greg Dulcich and Will Kacmarek, among others. Dolphins 13 draft picks had 'good moments' ... and mistakes “I thought there were some really good moments and really good plays made,” Hafley said. “I thought some of the guys, it wasn’t too big for them. They were able to lock in and execute the calls and be detailed while maintaining the play style. And then I think there are some others that, it’s the first time in an NFL stadium and the first time playing in a game and their eyes were in the wrong place.” De'Von Achane gets raves for short-yardage situations Running back De’Von Achane, who stands 5-foot-9, 191-pounds, is feared for his quickness, but Hafley said it’s too easy to overlook his ability in short-yardage situations. “He does a really good job of pushing the pile,” Hafley said. “So I think it’s his vision, I think it’s his strength in his legs, and I think it’s his ability to see small space and get in there that makes him a good short-yardage back, where sometimes people think you just put a 245-pound back there and he just runs forward. That’s not always the case.”
What about Caleb Douglas' one-handed catch? Hafley is aware of the buzz surrounding Caleb Douglas’ spectacular one-handed catch for a 28-yard gain on the opening drive. Hafley called it an “unbelievable” catch, but didn’t want anyone to get carried away. So after showing it once in the team meeting, Hafley thought that was enough. “I was like, ‘You guys have seen this on Twitter a million times,’ and I just skipped it and kept going,” Hafley said. Ollie Gordon II gets the talk after unsportsmanlike penalty Early in the second half, running back Ollie Gordon II was called for unsportsmanlike conduct penalty following a play. Hafley pulled Gordon aside to correct him. “I’m not a big fan of pre-snap penalties and post-snap penalties like that,” Hafley said. “Those are not acceptable to me. It’s disrespectful to the team. It’s selfish. And it’s how you lose games. And I’m not going to play players that can’t control themselves and get us 15-yard penalties and have us go backwards and put our team in a bad position, put our coaches in a bad position. And that’s a big learning lesson.” Gordon later returned and had a 12-yard run. Hal Habib covers the Miami Dolphins for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at HHabib@usatodayco.com. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Dolphins' Jeff Hafley: Quinn Ewers was off, but so were others