“Spoken like a true idiot. Fired by 2028”: NFL followers mock Jeff Hafley as Dolphins HC refuses to measure success by wins

Jeff Hafley is drawing much blowback for a rather audacious take on his team’s prospects for the 2026 season.

On Thursday, the Miami Dolphins head coach had an interview with Stephen A. Smith. When asked what would constitute success in his first year on the job, he said it would be defined by players’ development rather than win-loss record alone (discussion starts at 11:50 in the video below):

“Success for me is gonna be we go on that field and play so hard that even you turn it on and say, ‘Man, those guys are flying around.’ I just think this year’s so much about developing who we are as a football team, finding the right guys and by the end of the year saying, ‘We’ve got something real powerful moving forward.'”

Much ridicule ensued:

Under Hafley, the Dolphins are expected to lean more on the defense and run game, a contrast to the speed-based pass-heavy attack employed by Mike McDaniel. In the same interview, he acknowledged that implementing that strategy would involve cooperation with the rest of his staff:

“I want to call the defense, it’s really important to me. I’ll be leaning on Bobby Slowik & Chris Tabor – our other two coordinators – while hiring a guy who has been with me for 9 years on defense to really be my coordinator, so I can really be with the whole team.”

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Jeff Hafley still has two obvious holes to fill in Dolphins’ roster

However Jeff Hafley spins what success for the Dolphins means, he still has at least a couple of weaknesses to address.

The first is wide receiver. The team has already been well-known to have among the worst wideout corps in the league after losing Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. But it only became clearer when Tutu Atwell was traded back to the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday for running back Jarquez Hunter, five and a half months after signing his contract.

Another is the secondary. With Minkah Fitzpatrick having been traded to the divisional rival New York Jets and Rasul Douglas departing for the Washington Commanders, the Dolphins have nearly no notable defensive backs on the roster, a stark contrast from when they had Xavien Howard and Jalen Ramsey.

The shallowness of that room has been exacerbated by injuries, yet Hafley has made it clear that he will not seek any further outside help:

“At this point, we’re coaching the guys we have. I appreciate all the hard work that the guys who are here have done.”

The Dolphins’ 2026 season begins at the Las Vegas Raiders on September 13. Kickoff is at 4:25 p.m. ET on Fox.