Jeff Hafley has it made with the Miami Dolphins, theoretically at least. His personal friend Jon-Eric Sullivan is the general manager; he was able to bring another close friend, Sean Duggan, with him from Green Bay. He has an owner willing to spend money and give them all the time they need to turn the franchise around.
Life, as they say, is good for the first-time NFL head coach. Hafley has stressed that this team is not tanking. He preaches competition and getting his players ready to win on Sundays. He isn't delusional; he is a coach.
Hafley believes he has the ability to create a solid team based on coaching alone, but his real challenge, that real "test," isn't going to come from his style of coaching; it's going to be keeping his players invested when the team starts losing.
Miami Dolphins are banking on young roster to keep hopes of winning alive all season
In the offseason, it's easy to stay focused. There are hopes, dreams, and a desire to prove the doubters wrong (raises hand). Miami isn't expected to be that good. Honestly, I don't think they will be the worst team in the NFL; that's reserved for the Cardinals.
Miami may only win four games this year. Any more than that, and they managed to upset a team or two.
For Hafley, his test will come during those stretches of losing that may end up being blowout losses. Hafley has to keep the younger players focused and the veterans interested. There are a lot of distractions in South Florida that can rear their ugly heads when things are going well; they are worse when things are going badly.
Hafley knows that until the team is playing games, there will be questions about how they handle those adversity tests.
"I think we'll learn more as adversity hits, because I think you learn a lot about people when things aren't just going easy, and there's jobs won and there's jobs lost, and there's games won and there's games lost."
The coaching staff has to keep the players engaged and moving forward, and they have to trust the process. It's going to be ugly this year, and Hafley and his staff can't sugarcoat that with false promises. There is no room for "If you play this way like we are teaching you, you will win."
Miami wants long-term success, and that means they have to go through the rigors of a bad season, all the while staying focused on their growth and understanding of the NFL level. The biggest challenge for the Dolphins' head coach is giving them reason to believe the sky isn't falling when it appears that it is.
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