The Miami Dolphins have the youngest team in the NFL. They have a head coach who has never held the position at the NFL level, but suddenly things seem to be clicking for Jeff Hafley. That means they are clicking for the team too.
It may be a year or two before fans begin to see if his approach to developing players will work, but on paper and on the field, a simple decision has already made a big difference.
Hafley has opted not to run 7-7 sessions. Instead, he is giving each player more time to spend with their position coaches doing individual drills. When it comes to full team sessions, Hafley is jumping into 11-on-11 instead of leaving four players off both sides of the ball.
Jeff Hafley is earning praise from his Miami Dolphins players for the early training camp approach
By spending more time in individual sessions, players are getting more one-on-one instruction. They are working harder to refine technique, a basic part of football. The real change, however, is what happens when the players meet to go head-to-head.
11-on-11 is real football. It's game-day football. Something that is not lost on the players. Almost everyone who has been asked about the change is liking it. Including center Aaron Brewer.
"That's just real-life football," Brewer told the media. "We're not out here playing flag football. Like when you go to game day, it's 11-on-11, not 7-on-7."
During 7-on-7 drills, there are no linemen outside of the center. There are no defensive linemen either. The offense doesn't run the ball, so the linebackers are dropping into coverage on every play. On the surface, it would seem like a good way to get better in pass defense. It's not.
Linebackers will inevitably lose the ability to read the offense. In 7-on-7, they are not reading what the running back is going to do out of the backfield, but instead reacting to where he goes as a receiver. Coverages are often different in the secondary, and down and distance situations are more difficult to run as well.
11-on-11 is real football. Each player has to go through real-game reads and situations. It's easier for the offense and the defense, but the translation to the field is where it will have a bigger impact.
For younger players, this is how practices should be. They get time with their position coaches and spend more time working on real game situations. It may seem like a small thing, but if the Dolphins are preaching development, this is how you start.
In his second press conference of training camp, Hafley broke down why he leans more on 11-on-11 sessions. It's a deeper look into the subtle opportunities of using down and distance, getting players used to snap counts, and line adjustments, something you don't get in 7-on-7.
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