Jeff Hafley is keeping his finger on the pulse of the Miami Dolphins, but he is also making sure that any player who doesn't want to be a part of what they are building can "Go talk to Sully."
Hafley met with the media on Monday and was asked about the players getting down on themselves with the continued losing. Specifically, whether they get down on the process that is being installed by Hafley and GM Jon-Eric Sullivan.
The head coach made it clear that he doesn't believe his players will fall into those traps, but he did say that he spoke with the players earlier in the day.
"I told them that if they weren't up for it, then go talk to Sully, right? This is the time to find out as we build this thing and grow, who are the real guys?"
Miami Dolphins head coach sends a strong message right as Carlos Washington Jr. is released
On Tuesday, the Dolphins worked out three offensive linemen and three defensive linemen, but the surprise came when they announced the release of running back Carlos Washington Jr. This is a move that shouldn't be unexpected, despite the optics of coming one day after laying down an ultimatum to the team. There is nothing to indicate, despite some social media speculation, that Washington's release had anything to do with Hafley's comments.
Washington was signed to the 53-man roster, not elevated off the practice squad. This means he can't be sent back to the PS; he has to clear waivers before he can rejoin the team, if he does at all. The move signals the Dolphins are likely to add someone to fill his spot on the 53.
It is unlikely that any player would walk into the GM's office and say, "Get me out of here". For one, as Hafely mentioned, this is going to be a rough season, and they have made it clear to the team that this is a realistic possibility.
"I told the guys very clearly that this was going to be a tough journey that we were all going to go on."
The message is still quite loud, especially if you are listening from the outside. Hafley strongly believes that this team will eventually flip the script and become a strong contender; he also said that when that happens, it will be because the right people are on the team.
Miami's biggest issues aren't coming from the team's youth, but from mental mistakes that create tougher down-and-distance situations on offense and coverage mistakes that give up chunk yards. It may seem like inexperience is part of the problem, but some of these mistakes are being made by veterans.
Hafley's approach to the team falls somewhere between the overly strict coaching of Brian Flores, which, in its own way, worked, and Mike McDaniel's far more casual approach that worked when the team was winning.
The new coach holds his players accountable with higher expectations, but doesn't take an in-your-face approach to tough discipline like Flores. The question is, will this work?
Four games into the season, the Dolphins are showing signs of improvement on offense and defense, less so on special teams. The defense remains physical down to the final seconds, but the offense needs to find a way to finish long, time-consuming drives and put points on the board. It's like a switch is waiting to be flipped.
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