The Miami Dolphins are forging ahead with former Green Bay Packers at key leadership posts, as new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan has hired Jeff Hafley as the Fins' new head coach.
Haters might call the hire a classic case of insular thinking, but Hafley should be able to build a strong staff from some of his pals in Green Bay. Furthermore, by all accounts, Hafley was a coveted candidate in this coaching cycle, so it doesn't feel 100% like a buddy ball hire.
When you step back and look at Hafley's background, though, it absolutely feels like he was fated to land in Miami long ago. Look no further than his ties to a past Dolphins head coach.
Former Miami Dolphins HC Dave Wannstedt gave Jeff Hafley his first big break with Pitt Panthers
The season after resigning from his post in Miami, Dave Wannstedt took the reins of Pitt's football program. That's where Dolphins legend Dan Marino once starred as a collegian. How about that? Wannstedt just missed coaching up some guy by the name of Larry Fitzgerald, too.
Anyway, in his second season, Wannstedt added a little-known defensive assistant to his staff from SUNY Albany by the name of Jeff Hafley.
After a couple of years, Hafley worked his way up to defensive backs coach. The Panthers went 26-12 while he was in that role. That came on the heels of three non-winning records.
In a resurfaced story by Fox Sports' Greg Auman, initially published this past October, Hafley described how instrumental Wannstedt was to his development:
"I learned so much from Coach Wannstedt, at a young age, on how to be a coach, how to treat people, how to treat a staff, how to communicate with players,...He probably influenced me more than anyone else on all that stuff. That really helped shape me."
It's also noted in that piece that Wannstedt recommended Hafley to then-Rutgers coach Greg Schiano. He brought Hafley aboard and then pulled him into the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Schiano's attention to detail is something that stuck with Hafley and informed how he coaches today.
Hafley has had quite the journey since then. Beyond his obvious stint as Boston College's head coach, where resources were lacking to field a competitive team, he spent time with the Browns, 49ers, the Ohio State Buckeyes, and, obviously, found a two-year home in Green Bay.
The bold move to leave a head coach post in college for an NFL defensive coordinator job that had no guarantees attached to it paid off massively.
Hafley's odyssey of a football journey ultimately yielded the alliance with Sullivan — and the Dolphins' head coaching gig. However, it all got sparked by an ex-Dolphin, Dave Wannstedt, giving Hafley a shot some two decades ago.
Fancy that, eh?