Read the full transcript from Head Coach Jeff Hafley and General Manager Jon-Eric Sullivan's introductory press conference on January 22, 2026.
Chairman of the Board/Managing General Partner Stephen Ross Opening Statement:
"Good morning, I'm Steve Ross, Chairman of the Miami Dolphins. I'm very excited to be here today as what I hope starts a new beginning. I know many of you are all frustrated over the last few years with the performance of the team, but I've got to tell you, I am equally frustrated. When I first bought the team, I said certain things that I would do and what were important to me. One was establishing a winning football team that played for Super Bowls on a continual basis. The second was to really make this team and this county much better, to bring it together and have an obligation to really be supportive of the county and really be the best in class football organization. I think we've accomplished two of those things, but the frustration and probably what everybody looks to in the Miami Dolphins is about winning football. That's the way I live, that's what I believe in, and I believe that's the only way you do business. There's only room in one place; it's at the top, the rest of it is very crowded. The frustrations I know that you've all had reading the newspapers, which I don't read anymore because it just emphasizes to me the frustration that I have, so I really look to this to really be a new beginning.
"In getting ready for that, you could see what was happening during the season. We started early and really so that we could be very thorough in our search, in trying to find the right people to lead this organization. I'd like to first of all thank the people that really worked tirelessly in talking, thinking, working together. I'd like to thank Tom Garfinkel and Danny Sillman, Brandon Shore, Dan Marino and Troy Aikman. We were able to really use the knowledge that they all had in trying to find the best leadership for this team going forward. We really were very thorough knowing what we were going about, and when you really look and think about people, you want to get people who are winners, people who came from winning organizations so they know what winning is. The greatest remark is that winning isn't (everything) – the Vince Lombardi line – it's the only thing. Having that kind of ideas, because that's what these people really believe in, really led us on our search. We were very, very thorough in reviewing who was available, what people thought of them, what their backgrounds were, and I think by doing that, we were really in a position to be able to pick the coach that we thought would be the best.
"We first started with the general manager, in which we had some time, and one person clearly stood out. I mean, the experience he had and having been part of winning organizations, Super Bowls. His enthusiasm for the game and his knowledge of the game, and the knowledge of how the league works and what it takes to create a winner stood out far and above anybody we spoke to. I know the first conversation we could have with him was via Zoom, and about ten minutes into it, I just said, 'Hey, this is our guy.' I'm very, very thrilled to welcome Jon-Eric Sullivan as our general manager.
"Then, we had to go out and find the coach. I thought maybe he would really be partial to the Green Bay Packers, but we were totally thorough and he was totally objective. After interviewing, talking to people, they were all really great candidates. I think the enthusiasm, the knowledge, the background, Jeff (Hafley) stood out amongst them all. We were really fortunate that he was available; we made our decision early. As you know, there are many openings this year, probably more than ever before, and I'm very happy to be standing today knowing we got who we wanted and that the rest of the teams are still looking. We are now preparing, getting ready immediately to fulfill the ideas of what we all want to see is a new generation of winning football games and being very, very competitive. With that, I'd like to introduce, Jon-Eric (Sullivan)."
General Manager Jon-Eric Sullivan Opening Statement:
"Good morning, everyone. I appreciate everybody being here. Before I even get started, the most important thing is for me to express gratitude and it starts with the Ross family, especially Stephen (Ross). You have bestowed upon me an opportunity of a lifetime. I will be forever grateful. The magnitude and responsibility of what lies before me in this role does not fall short on me. I will go to work every day and work tirelessly, along with the other great people in the building, the leadership committee, to bring you the winner that you deserve.
"To the search committee, Danny (Sillman), Tom (Garfinkel), Brandon (Shore), Troy (Aikman), your wisdom, your guidance, your communication throughout the process was invaluable to me and this organization, I can't thank you enough. It was a long road, but it was a very productive and fruitful road and I think we ended up where we needed to be, so thank you. Saying that, it was a nice look under the hood for me in terms of the collaboration and the work ethic and the communication that will allow us to do a lot of really excellent things together down the road.
"To the Packers organization, I was very, very, very lucky to land where I landed 22 years ago. I was very lucky to be mentored by some of the best in the business. Phenomenal people that happened to also be excellent with what they did in their profession. I was very fortunate to be entrenched in a process, a proven process, that brought 30 years of sustained success to that place and that others have left and gone on to have success around the National Football League with John Schneider, John Dorsey, Reggie McKenzie. If you do your homework, you see what this process will bring to the table when the opportunity presents itself to implement it. I have to start with Mark Hatley, he's the one that hired me, God rest his soul. We didn't have a chance to work together long, but he brought me through the door. Obviously, I'm not standing here today without him. Ted Thompson in my opinion is one of the best to ever do it. He was a guy that was seen, not heard. He trusted the process and more importantly, he trusted the process through times of adversity. He never wavered. We will implement that here; that same thought process, that same conviction with how we move and work every day. The thing that I will take away from him, most importantly, is beyond anything, he always, always did what is best for the team. I will not stand up here and make a whole lot of promises today, but the one thing I will tell you, and I think is vitally important for everybody to know, especially the players that are here, every decision that falls within my line of responsibility will be what's best for the Miami Dolphins, unequivocally. It will never be about personal relationships or personal agendas; it'll be what's best for this place and the greater good. Brian Gutekunst was probably who had the most impact on me because of how our careers fell. I was always kind of chasing Brian. He was a southeast scout, then I was a southeast scout, and he was the college director, then I was the college director, and so on and so forth. Having said that, he was a tremendous sounding board for me all the way through. His belief and faith in me, I can never repay him for and I'm grateful for the relationship. He's one of the best in the business.
"The thing that he showed me and taught me is preparation, preparation, preparation. Player acquisition is an everyday, 365-day a year job. It does not stop, and you have to be prepared and ready to strike when the opportunity presents itself. We will move with responsible aggression here. We will utilize every avenue of player acquisition to bolster this roster, and working with him and alongside of him has showed me how to do that at a high level and I think that will benefit this place as we move forward. Mark Murphy and Ed Policy, the two presidents in my time there, I cannot thank you enough for the support and the guidance. I'm just very appreciative for the longevity that you allowed me to have within the organization.
"To my greatest mentor, my father. My dad is a 30-year NFL coach, close to it, longtime college coach before that. He allowed me to see the game at a very high level at a very young age, which gave me pedigree that has gotten me to where I am today. No shot I'm standing here without him, and words will never do it justice but thank you. Then obviously my family, this isn't possible without you. I'm going to get beat up in the media before I even start like this guy couldn't keep it together. (laughter) Being a dad to you, Samantha, you Ceci, you Mia, and then a husband to you Jen, is the greatest honor of my life. Regardless of whatever we accomplish in this profession, nothing ever trumps that so just know that.
"In my short time here with ownership and the leadership, I can sense a burning desire to win and do things the right way. I said it before and I'll say it again, I don't take it lightly that I've been put in this position, and every day that I walk through those doors, I, along with the other great people in this building, will make sure that we do everything possible to bring you and your family, Stephen (Ross), the winner that you deserve. The goal is simple; it's a standard of excellence. We're chasing championships, it's as simple as that. This is a tough business; it is not a complicated business in my opinion. The things that we do day in and day out, the little things will get us where we want to go. Together we will implement a proven process, we'll build something special, but we'll build something that is sustainable over time. It's not going to be an easy road, but I think the journey is well worth going on, and we will do it together and we will achieve together. When we get to the end of this thing and we hoist that trophy, we'll realize that we started at the bottom, we fought our way to the top, and it will be one of the more special moments of all of our lives. I have no doubt that we will get there.
"The pillars will be a draft and develop philosophy. I've already spoken on that in previous interviews, but we will draft, develop and retain our own. There are things that come with that; No. 1 is culture. When you raise your own, people are vested, they're bought in. There's a financial component to it with rookie contracts, it keeps you in a healthy cap situation. But the most important thing is the culture piece of it. Free agency, we will be very intentional and deliberate how we move about that. We will definitely utilize it when we get into a healthy cap situation and we can. But we'll be disciplined, we'll be intentional, and we will chase difference makers that add value to the field immediately but also add value to our locker room in terms of the kind of culture that we want to build. It's my job to turn over every rock within the player acquisition game if you will. We will utilize every avenue, and the most important thing that I want everybody to take away today is we will bring in the right kind of people. I've said many a times Miami is a very attractive place to come and play football. It's an attractive place to work, but if you don't infuse this locker room with the right kind of people, it can be a distraction in a hurry. That is our job as a personnel staff to give Coach (Jeff) Hafley the kind of guys that want to chase championships, that are selfless, that are mentally and physically tough, who have a burning desire to be the best football players that they can be.
"Jeff Hafley, I can tell you today you've got a phenomenal human being who is an excellent football coach. This process was thorough. We spoke with a lot of very, very talented coaches who brought a lot to the table, and it was a great process because in speaking with all of them, it just confirmed my conviction on that this was the right guy. I got to watch him work for two years. Jeff (Hafley) is a friend of mine; we've become friendly over the last two years, but understand this hire was based on professional respect. I have watched him day in and day out connect with players. I've watched his ability to teach, I've watched his ability to inspire, and I've watched the intellect and the organization and how people, coaches and players around the building buy into him. He will bring discipline and accountability not only to his players but to his coaching staff. Coaches will have to teach, that is vitally important. We're aligned in terms of player development. I told you, we're going to draft, we're going to develop, we're going to retain our own, but that only works if you're aligned within the player development part of things; we are. His emotional maturity, his ability to get through the bad times and keep people on the ship when everybody else wants to jump, is something that stood out to me, and he's a master of the game. Obviously defense is his trade, but he's got a deep knowledge of special teams and offense. I think more importantly, the toughness and the kind of attitude and competitive atmosphere that he will bring to this football team will speak for itself as we move down the road.
"Again, I'm not here to make predictions, that's not my job, but we're going to set a standard and a way of doing things early on and as we move down the road, I have no doubt that that will bring us to where we want to go in terms of wins and losses. The culture of competition, hard work, resilience and love for each other will bounce off the walls of this place day in and day out to where you can't deny what we're about. I thank you for your time, I'm excited for this journey. Let's go."
Head Coach Jeff Hafley Opening Statement:
"It's nice when I don't have to adjust the microphone too much because we're very similar in size. (laughter) It was that way in Green Bay, too, with Matt (LaFleur), so thank you, 'Sully' (Jon-Eric Sullivan). Thank you, Mr. Ross, and I'll get to the thank yous as we get going. I kind of want to talk a little bit before that because I'll probably get emotional, but I've got to tell you, you kind of saw the passion in how he got emotional and how he cares, and that's who he is. And this place is really lucky to have 'Sully' as the GM, and he's a huge part of why I wanted to come here.
"I'm not one to write things down. I'm not one to sit up here with a detailed plan on what I'm going to say. I think for those that are going to listen to me and ask questions, what you see with me is what you get. It's going to come from the heart. It's going to be honest, and it's how I'm going to feel. I am truly humbled to stand here and be the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, and I take a lot of pride and responsibility in that. And over the last really 48 hours, I've had a lot of time to reflect on that and on my journey and really where I came from and how I got here, and the biggest thing that kept hitting me was people. It's the players, it's the coaches and it's the families. As I really go through it, it's all those lessons that I learned in all the places that I've been.
"I've had a little bit different journey. I started off coaching Division III football, worked my way up, went to the NFL, went back to college football, became a head coach, went back to the NFL, coordinated. Now I'm here, but here's what I learned. I started coaching Division III football, where I lined fields and cleaned helmets and did laundry, and I loved it. What I learned was there's no job too small and that's what you're going to get from me every single day, because I learned how to work hard, like, really hard. There's no replacement for that and there won't be here. As I continued to move up, I learned a lot from a lot of coaches. I learned how to tell people the truth. I learned how to tell players the truth, even if it wasn't what they wanted to hear. I learned that it's OK to tell a player you love them and to pour everything you can into them, because they're going to give it right back to you. I learned how to be at my best when things get hard and I learned that when things are good, that's when I got to put my thumb on them. I learned what it's like to hold people to an extreme level of accountability. I learned what toughness is about, and I learned how to grind. From Hall of Fame players, I learned that you can't be afraid to coach guys. Every good player wants to be told what to do and how hard to do it, and you can't back down because they all want to get better. I learned about alignment and that you have to have people's backs and you have to come together, which is a huge reason why I'm here today with this guy right here. I learned how to win and unfortunately I've taken some losses, but what I've learned, I'm going to get back up every single time. And so are those people that are around me every single day.
"In doing that, I've kind of had the core beliefs which we're going to instill in this football team into the players and into this organization, and the first one is trust. A lot of people use that word lightly, I don't. I think right now in the world we live in, a lot of people are slow to trust. It might be you, it might be the players and that's all right, because I'm going to earn it because actions speak louder than words. I'm not going to be one to sit here and talk a lot, but I'm going to follow up with what I say I'm going to do, and so will our team. The next thing that I believe in is belief and I think this is really powerful because it's a hard world right now where people read stuff, they see stuff; and you'd be surprised on how much insecurity there is with players, with coaches, with everybody. I'm going to let those players know that I believe in them, and in turn, what you're going to see, you're going to see a group of guys that believe in themselves and that becomes powerful because when they start to believe in themselves and our team starts to connect with each other, then look out. Because you get that connection and then we want to talk about accountability, then we have accountability. Accountability is love and it's an extreme level of accountability. When we build a standard and it starts to become real, the players will start to hold themselves accountable, but that's going to start with me. The final thing that I'm going to talk to them about every single day is toughness. That's physically, that's mentally, that's everything that we do. It's a toughness that thrives on competition. It's a toughness that reflects the people and the spirit of the city of Miami, and that's what I'm most excited about.
"As we piece this thing together, it's going to take time and there's going to be a lot of hard work, but then it's going to be built the right way, like the foundation that was laid for me when I was coaching Division III football and I learned how to do things the right way. That's how we're going to do it here with a staff that's going to buy in and with a group of men that are that are going to give everything that they got. And I can look you guys in the eye and tell you, I cannot wait to get started.
"Now really, to my thank yous – to Mr. Ross and your family, thank you for believing in me. I do not take that lightly, and I will do everything I can for you and your family. To everybody in this group from 'Sully' to Brandon (Shore) to Troy (Aikman) to Dan (Marino) to Danny (Sillman) to Tom (Garfinkel) – thank you guys for believing in me in this process. You guys put me through multiple interviews. We spent time talking to each other. We had multiple hard conversations on phone calls, but it was always the communication and it was awesome and I appreciate it. I want to thank all the coaches that I've ever been around, from WPI (Worcester Polytechnic Institute) to Boston College to every NFL team, and I want to thank the players because I wouldn't be here without those players. I learned more from players than I've learned from coaches, and I hope they feel that way with me, because the thing that I got into this for was changing lives, and there's so many of those players that changed my life, too. I want to thank Matt LaFleur and the Green Bay Packers. The last two years have been two of the best of my life. He's a great football coach. He's a great friend, and he's going to have continued great success. I also want to thank those players there. In two years, we got real close. I mean really close. The love, the connection, the support. It was hard to say goodbye to those guys, but the phone calls and the texts you guys, meant everything to me. I love you. I wish you the best, other than when we come to Lambeau next year (laughter).
"I want to thank my family, and this is why I saved it for the end. Hope and Leah – Hope is laughing now, so that's good – I thank you guys and I thank Gina, and I can tell you this about Gina. Gina is not into this so she can walk around and tell people that she's married to the head coach of the Dolphins. She doesn't care. All she cares about is us. How I'm feeling, supporting me and doing everything she can for those kids. I'm lucky today, too, because I've got my mom, my sister and brother here today. Flying here to be with me means everything, and I thank them for that and for my real coach, my dad. My first coach who toughened me up and was there for me. I appreciate family more than you guys have any idea and like I told you guys, I'm going to wear it on my sleeve at times. I'm going to be passionate. I'm going to tell you how I feel and you're going to get everything I have. And to the city, to the fans – this is a storied organization, one of the best in all sports and you deserve a winner. You guys deserve a winner, and I am going to do everything in my power to bring you guys that. I am so proud to be here and I cannot wait to get started. Thank you."
Jon-Eric Sullivan:
Q: I'd like to ask you, when you were talking with Managing Partner/Chairman of the Board Stephen Ross over your two roles, how did he lay out his expectations, his vision for what you would accomplish? Obviously I'm sure he mentioned winning many, many times, but how did he put it to you? Was there any kind of timetable that he expressed to you? Was there any recognition of the constraints you have with the salary cap? What can you tell us about that?
"What I would say to you right from the jump and my communication with Stephen Ross was, like I said, the desire to win. But he made it very clear, I mean, quite frankly, his words to me were, 'If you don't get this done, you will never be able to say it was because you didn't have the resources,' which tells me everything I need to know. I think we all know that every place is not like that. I come from a place the last 22 years, it's all about winning. Every decision we make is about winning, and I could feel that from Stephen (Ross) and Danny (Sillman) and Tom (Garfinkel) and everybody that was involved in the process from the jump. So yes, there were some more specific things that were talked about, but at the end of the day, the burning desire to win and his ability to articulate how important it was and what he was willing to do to get there spoke volumes to me. To be perfectly honest with you, of course, I wanted to be a general manager in the National Football League, but I wasn't leaving to go just anywhere. The place that I worked at afforded me that flexibility. This was very attractive to me because of Steve and his desire to win and the things he's willing to do to get us there."
Jeff Hafley:
Q: I wanted to ask you, you talked about your journey and the D-III start. How different, I guess, are you or what do you still take from Siena and Ed Zaloom and Bob Ford? And surely you didn't envision this, but I guess how much of that guy is still within you, what you took from those times?
"One, thank you for bringing them up. I talked to Ed Zaloom, probably he texted me before almost every game, and that's the head coach who was at WPI. And then Bob Ford is one of the winningest coaches in all of football. He took Albany from Division III to II to I-AA all the way to (Division) I, and he's one of the best to ever do it. I learned everything from those guys. It's what I just talked about. It laid my foundation. It taught me how to work hard. It taught me how to treat people, and it taught me how to coach the game of football, the fundamentals, the technique. And it told me there was no shortcuts, right? I wasn't a guy who all of a sudden started coaching, and I was sitting here in the NFL. I had to work and I had really good role models to look to, to do that, and I would do it no other way. What I take from that, that's how the foundation is going to be built here and it has to be. It's got to be built on fundamentals and technique and it has to be built on hard work, and those are the things that I'm glad I learned because nothing was easy for me. It's not going to be, but if you do things right and you surround yourself with the right people, and you bring that energy that they had and pour that love into them like they did to me, then look out."
Q: I wanted to ask you about your experience as a head coach at Boston College. What did you did you learn from that experience and why did you eventually leave to go back to the NFL?
"Yeah, a 40-year-old head coach who, we just left the playoffs at Ohio State, where I was a coordinator and my first week on the job, my first month on the job, Covid hits. I had to learn that everybody's got a plan until you get punched in the face and I got punched pretty hard. What I learned about myself is you can get through anything. If you get organized, you get detailed, and you go one step at a time and you just go to work, you surround yourself with a really good staff and you pour into your players and you bring that energy. I learned a ton. I had to do a lot there. I had to do academics. I had to worry about nutrition and residence halls and everything – you can name it – and deal with the Board of Regents and I had to be a CEO. I'll take a lot with that from there to me here. I made mistakes, right, as a young coach, which you're going to make in a lot of different ways, and I learned from them over those four years. We had some hard years. We had some really good years, but I think those experiences will help me out a lot as I go forward. I've grown and I've matured, and I have learned and I can admit those mistakes and I grow from them so they won't happen again here. So I take a lot with me from those four years and I wouldn't trade them. Why did I leave? At the end of the day, I wanted to coach football, and there was a lot going on that really wasn't allowing me to do that anymore. The landscape had changed with NIL and the portal and everything else that came in, and when Matt (LaFleur) called with an opportunity, that was really hard for me to leave. Really hard to leave the staff and leave the players but talking to my wife and really thinking things through, I want to coach football. It's all I ever dreamed of and I wasn't doing that anymore. I didn't feel like I was myself anymore, so we decided it was what was best and ultimately I wanted to be a head coach again in this league. So I bet on myself. I took the job and now I'm sitting here."
Jon-Eric Sullivan:
Q: Both of you guys are obviously from Green Bay, and you bring that mindset, the ideas. Could you just talk – and you did a little in the opening of what the Green Bay way is or what you two hope to bring here?
"I think in terms of player acquisition principles and philosophy, I'm being a little bit redundant, so forgive me if there's a frustration level out there, but what we've always done is build through the draft and again, it's about culture. Now we have certain principles and pillars within how we approach the draft that I won't get into, because I don't want to give away the secrets to the sauce, so to speak, but we're going to build through the draft. We're going to retain our own players, if at all possible, because of the culture piece of it. I think that has allowed Green Bay to have sustained success over time and then again, there's a financial component. Rookie contracts, all that kind of thing. We will utilize free agency. We have to get back to a spot within the salary cap that will allow us to do that and we will, but I think if you look over the years at the intentionality of which they've gone about it – Ted (Thompson) was Charles Woodson. When Brian Gutekunst first took the job, we were a little more active to kind of jumpstart the roster. Za'Darius Smith, who was an All-Pro that year. Preston Smith, who finished his Green Bay tenure with 37.5 sacks. Obviously, Josh Jacobs and Xavier McKinney the years before. So we're not just checking boxes so that we can look busy. We're intentional about the caliber of player and then what they bring to the locker room. You can't have good culture if you've got guys that aren't bought in and wired right for what you're trying to build. That's what I would say is we're going to build through the draft and we'll be very selective and deliberate in free agency. I think you have to be. If you're not, you're treading in dangerous waters, but then there's certain principles within that that again, I won't get into because I'm helping out our competition, but I just think the culture and the caliber of players that we've targeted over time and then the intentionality of the standard, if you will, within how we go about our draft process, allows us to pick good players but also hit on players in the middle and late rounds. I think this is not to sit up here and pat myself on the back or say that Green Bay is a perfect place. Look, it's not an exact science. We've missed. You guys can do your homework. We've missed, but we've hit on a lot of players over my time there in the middle to late rounds that allow us to be successful and get value out of players that maybe some other teams aren't."
Q: I wanted to know about power structure, power distribution, whether you're a strong GM, etc., so my questions are what was your role in the Mike McDaniel firing? What was your role in the Jeff Hafley hiring? Did you have final say? Did you have a strong opinion, the dominant voice and considering that there's an outside voice in Troy Aikman outside of the organization, what was his role in those in those movies?
"That's a great question. I'll start with Mike McDaniel. By the time I'd gotten here for my second interview, Mike had been let go, so that was an ownership decision. It was clear to me in my second interview that we were moving in a different direction. Things I'll say about Mike – we have a lot of mutual friends in the business – tremendous amount of respect for him as a football coach, what he's accomplished and what he will continue to accomplish in this league. He's a brilliant football mind and anybody that knows him and knows his game understands that, but no, I was not involved in that decision. That had happened before I got here.
"In terms of the power structure with the hiring of Jeff Hafley, I came into this and was very, very vocal from the jump that look, I have a lot of conviction on a guy that I'm in Green Bay with, but we have to go into this eyes open. I said it before in the previous statement, my job is to do what is best for the Miami Dolphins, period, no matter how hard or easy it may be, and I had to live by that within the very first process that I was thrust into. So yes, I articulated to Tom (Garfinkel) and Danny (Sillman) and Stephen (Ross) and Troy (Aikman) and Brandon (Shore) and Dan (Marino) how I felt about him, but I also put together a list, or we put together a list of the most competitive potential head coaches out there and I think we did a great job of going into it, eyes open. We had great conversations after each interview. There were a lot of really strong candidates and like I said, the power structure is what I am used to in Green Bay. Yes, we don't have an owner, but essentially Ed Policy is the owner. In my short time with Stephen and Danny and Brandon, it's very clear to me that it's about winning here. It's not about ego and pride and who has the most stroke. It's collaboration with boundaries and trust. I've said that a thousand times over again. We all have a role to play in this, and if we don't get in our own way, this will be a good thing. Brandon has been excellent. We've had in one week of working together, we've had some great conversations. It's very clear to me that he's a team player. Danny's energy is endless. We talk every day, multiple times a day. Stephen has expressed to me that he's willing to do anything to win. Tom has been an excellent resource. And Dan and Troy, I mean, how do you get better than that? These guys were two of the best to ever do it in the history of the game. They have a perspective from a player's point of view. They've had coaches sit out in front of them and message the team over and over again. They were phenomenal resources for me as we went through this. I would look at them at the end of it, I'd say, 'Do you believe in that guy? Would you follow him?' If they said yes, it carried weight. How could it not?
"I say all that to say, the power structure here, I'm very comfortable with this. This is never going to be about me. This is about us and moving through this thing together and ultimately winning a lot of football games and chasing championships, and if we don't allow ego and pride to get in the way, we'll be fine. We've seen other organizations that do that, and then you're running uphill. It becomes fractured, there's silos, and now you got big problems. We've kind of vowed to each other on the front end to not let that happen, and I think it's all of our responsibilities to make sure that it doesn't and I feel really good about it."
Q: Question is directed to Jon-Eric. Is it Jon-Eric?
"You know what? That's a great question. Let's get this out of the way now. So sure, if you want. A lot of people call me 'JE,' but most people in my profession call me 'Sully,' so you're free to do any of it. I've been called a lot worse, but most people call me 'Sully.'"
Q: All right, Sully, what are your thoughts on the Dolphins quarterback situation? How do you plan to address that over the coming months?
"Obviously that's a huge question looming over the organization. I'd be naive to think that everybody doesn't understand that. I have a lot of respect for Tua (Tagovailoa). He's a good football player. He's accomplished a lot in this league. I think whether it's Tua or anybody else, it's unfair and irresponsible for me to sit up here and talk about anything specific before I've talked to the player himself. Quarterback is the most important position in professional sports. I also think it's the most dependent. These guys heard me say this in the interview process. We will evaluate that position like we evaluate every other position and we will do what is best for this football team. With Tua or anybody else, to sit up here today and tell you that I have a great understanding of what we're going to do or which way we're going to go, that would be a lie because there's just too much work to do. There's too many conversations to be had at this point. A lot of respect for Tua, what he's accomplished in this league. I thought Quinn (Ewers) did a great job at the end of the season. We have to figure that out. We will, but today's not the day I can give you that answer. I understand the question. I just can't give you that answer today."
Q: It's kind of a two-part question on the on the search and the decision. This organization has gone in the direction of coordinators as head coaches, first-time head coaches for a while now. When you were going through the process, how much did you weigh NFL head coaching experience in that process? How much was that part of it? And Jeff, to you as a follow, just how ready do you think you are to take that step to be an NFL head coach and the role what it takes?
"It weighed in. I won't talk about specifically who felt stronger about it than others, but I can say to you, like it was a big deal to me. I'm a first time GM. I would be naive to sit here and think that there aren't going to be blind spots along the way that I figure out on the move. I'll figure them out, we'll be fine and we'll do well. I have no doubt about that, but to have a head coach who sat in that chair in the National Football League before would have been a tremendous asset to me. Having said that, as we went down the road, it became clear I always had the conviction on 'Haf' (Jeff Hafley). That doesn't mean that I thought – there were really good conversations that took place. To be perfectly honest with you, in the last interview with him, I sat back and kind of let them lead it because I thought it was important for them to ask and get answers to what they needed to. It became very clear to me after 'Haf's' Zoom interview that they saw a lot of what I saw and that when he came in person, it kind of dotted the I's and cross the T's and slam dunked it, if you will. I don't know if I'm answering your question, per se, but I could watch them grow in the conviction that I had coming through the door. But I want to be very clear it was never done from the start. I know there's a perception out there. I can appreciate that, I understand that; but that is that is a misnomer by a long shot. There was a process that had to take place. We all jumped into it with both feet, eyes open, and we made the best decision at the end of it that we felt like was going to take the Miami Dolphins to where they needed to be."
Jeff Hafley:
"Yeah, you asked me if I felt ready. The other thing that I want to reiterate is, I went on a lot of Zooms. I went on six Zooms. I had six teams call me right after to try to set up a flight to go out there and most know those teams just by reading through it. I chose to come here first and that was very important to me. I wanted to get a feel not only for Jon-Eric, but I wanted to get a feel for Mr. Ross and the entire organization and those conversations led me to want to be here. Am I ready? I kind of took you through my journey where I've been, what I've done, and the head coach experience that I've had, and then going back and being a coordinator and running a whole side of a room and really being the head coach of the defense. I do believe I'm ready. Now, are there going to be things that I learn as we go through this as a first time NFL head coach? Yeah, I mean, that's life, but what I'm going to do is I'm going to make sure I surround myself with great people and do everything I can, that if I do make those mistakes that I won't make them again. But I feel more than ready and more than ready to do it here."
Jon-Eric Sullivan:
Q: You mentioned that it's going to be a process of building this roster out and getting it to where you guys want it to be. Just from a construction standpoint, where does that start? What area on this roster does that start with and do you realistically need to have a quarterback in place to have that situation figured out before you start to figure other things out, or what's that process going to look like?
"I think obviously it always starts with the quarterback. Anybody that's in this business will tell you that, but we'll build this from the inside out. I think you have to do that. I think you have to, to make sure that your line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball is big, tough, resilient and that there's depth so that you can survive the – it's a violent game, there's going to be injuries – that you can survive injuries. The thing that I think we have to focus most on right now is making sure that we build infrastructure. And yes, we need to get the quarterback situation in place, but we're not going to do it in an irresponsible manner, where we sacrifice building the infrastructure of this football team so that when we do find our guy, he can go be successful. We've all seen teams that go about it, maybe in a questionable manner and you get a really good player at quarterback, but he can't stay healthy because he's getting killed or he doesn't have anybody to throw to. So yes, we will find our guy, but we're going to make sure that we're building the infrastructure along the way so when we do find our trigger man, whoever that may be, whether it's Tua (Tagovailoa), Quinn (Ewers) or somebody that's not in the building, we have a team that he can go play and win with."
Jeff Hafley:
Q: I read that you slept in an office for two years while at Pitt. What would you say to that guy now and then how did that experience prepare you for this current moment? And a follow up for Sully, what does that humbling experience say about the guy next to you?
"Yeah, I did. When I left to go to Pitt, I got dropped off and I slept under my desk for two years. What would I say to that guy now? I'd say it worked. (laughter) I mean, here's why I did it. When I left, I left a full-time job at Albany, where I coached DBs and Paul Rhoads hired me. Paul, who I have a ton of respect for, who I later hired at Boston College, he was the defensive coordinator, brought me with him to Pitt. What I wanted to do is I wanted to have no regrets, and I wanted to give everything that I had because I had sacrificed a lot. I really didn't go out. I didn't do anything but coach football. I missed family weddings, I missed friends, and I just said, 'I'm going to give everything I got for two years and I want to see where this takes me.' And that's what I did. So I woke up real early. I was always the first one in and I was always the last to leave. So at least I could say no one could beat me in and out of the office, but I gave it everything that I had so I'd have no regrets. Then two years later, Coach Wannstedt hired me to be the secondary coach. I just think it's, again, it's a life lesson of hard work and I mean really hard work and sacrifice. If you do it, they pay off. Now, I think that guy might have been a little crazier than I am now, but it worked."
Jon-Eric Sullivan:
"To answer the second part of that question, not surprising. I came into the building in Green Bay, most mornings at 5 a.m. to work out, to get my day started; and he would always be in the building already. The work ethic and the passion for what he does and how he goes about it, I've seen for two years, which is a big part of what drove me to the conviction that I had on him. His work ethic and his desire to win and to connect with players and to do the little things when people aren't looking, it's uncommon. It's uncommon. Not everybody's willing to do it and I think when you're talking about partnering up with somebody that you can win with, that's a huge part of it. Like this guy wants to grind. The one thing I can say, we're going one way and it's going to be the hard way. And if you're not part of it, if you don't want to be part of it, it doesn't make you a bad human being, but you're going to have to get off the train. It's going to be an uncomfortable environment for you and he is not afraid to be uncomfortable when it comes to work ethic."
Jeff Hafley:
"He's right though. He'd be working out. I wasn't working out. (laughter) I need to. But this guy, he works out a lot. I'd be like, 'hey, Sully, sorry I got work to do.' But I probably need to start working out with him soon."
Q: Haf, I wanted to ask you about offense and defense real quick. Do you plan to call defensive plays and what type of offense would you ideally have here?
"Good questions and thanks for calling me 'Haf.' That makes me feel very comfortable, though my brother would tell you he's the first 'Haf' and might get insulted. (laughter) Yeah, I'm going to call plays. That's really important to me and I have a plan in place with potential hires that will allow me to be the head coach in the offseason, kind of like I watched Kyle Shanahan do it and kind of like how I watched Matt (LaFleur) do it in Green Bay. But I am going to call plays; it's really important to me. It's something that I love to do. It really connects me with that group. I think it will bring a lot of energy to that side of the football, and I think the details will be exactly how I want them early on as we go. Offense and defense schematically speaking, it's all going to start with fundamentals and technique to me. Whether that's getting off a block, whether that's blocking, it's putting your eyes in the right place. It's the little things that I think are lost right now in football, so that will be the foundation. Then what's it going to look like on offense is what everybody's going to want to know. I'm never one to just say, 'Here's the playbook, this is what we're running regardless of who we have.' I'm not like that. I want to take a close look at what we have and I want to make sure we fit that and give our players the best chance to succeed. Now I need to hire an offensive coordinator, and there are certain core beliefs that I really do believe in like running the ball and being really physical up front, so when they know we're going to run the ball, we're still going to run it well. That's going to be huge for me. And then we do, we need to build it around the quarterback, and you have to surround that quarterback with weapons – the o-line, the wideouts, the backs so it's not all him. Because do I like being under center and do I like running the football because the play pass off that, you create separation between the second and third level and from a defensive standpoint, that's really hard. The screen game, the keepers, everything looking the same, hunting explosives, right? Those are things that have always given me trouble as a defensive coach and I'd like to implement some of those, but it's going to come back to what can our players do at a high level, evolve as we go, to figure that out, to give them the best chance to have success and ultimately win. I've taken a lot of pride on the defensive side of the ball, whether we've been 3-4 spacing, 4-3 spacing, had to evolve this year when Micah Parsons walked in with a week to go and totally had to change stuff – that's what good coaching is. It's developing, it's teaching and it's getting the most out of players, so I'm excited for that."
Jon-Eric Sullivan:
Q: Sully, you're coming from a place where it's pretty rare, you can count on one the amount of quarterbacks you had over thirty years. I'm curious what in that process you learned about finding that guy and what you're going to look for here?
"I've learned if you can help it, don't wait till you don't have a quarterback to find one, you know what I mean? It starts there. If you think about what we did with Aaron (Rodgers). I watched Ted Thompson. I referred to him earlier, talking about him always doing what is best for the team, even when it's not popular. You've got to remember, Brett (Favre) was still in place and playing at a very high level, and there were a lot of people in that building that didn't think drafting a quarterback who was going to sit for an extended amount of time with a first-round pick made a lot of sense with where we were as a team. He did in that moment what he knew was best for the Green Bay Packers and the history speaks for itself, and then we turned around and did it again with Jordan (Love) when we had Aaron, so it starts there, right. The quarterback position again is the most important position in sports in my opinion, certainly the most important position in football. We're going to invest in that position every year if we can. Now depending on where we are as a football team, it'll be at different values, but we will draft quarterbacks every year, if not every other year because I think you have to. If you hit on a guy, great. And if not – if you hit on two, you have trade value. Again, I think if you look at the history of the Green Bay Packers all the way back to Ron Wolf – I mean, Brett Favre's backups were Matt Hasselbeck, Kurt Warner, Aaron Brooks, Ty Detmer, you can go on down the line. I can't say enough about the importance of it and we'll be very active in acquiring quarterbacks to make sure that that room is deep, as deep as we can make it."
Jeff Hafley:
Q: For Haf, what was Monday like for you? Can you paint the picture of you come in, I'm sure you have another flight to catch for another interview and all of a sudden you have a job offer, all while the College Football Playoff National Championship is across the street?
"Gosh, that was Monday, that feels like – what a day. I don't even know what today is. (laughter) One, it's exciting. Finally get a chance to fly in and have an opportunity to interview in person for an NFL team. A little overwhelming; I had teams while I was in the hotel room trying to get me on the phone, owners trying to get me on the phone, Zooms trying to be set up. I had a team that was trying to have me leave the hotel possibly to interview in this state, but I sat in that hotel. I kept going over my notes, kept talking to Gina, and then I went into the interview. I did, I had a plane that was waiting to take me somewhere else. I sat down with this group again and Mr. Ross and 'Sully' and we interviewed. They asked more questions and we talked about staff, and they just kind of wanted to get a better feel and I wanted to do the same from them. Why not just be totally honest, right? So then they told me to leave the room and I was like, 'All right, I think I've got a good chance at this job.' I called my wife and said, 'I think I might get it.' And then time went on and it was like 45 minutes went by and I was like, 'Maybe I'm not going to get this. Maybe I need to get on that plane and call my agent Trace and say, 'All right, keep that plane running, I might be out of here.'' Then they called me back in and they offered me the job. I think they would probably tell you I was a little bit overwhelmed and probably didn't know how to react, but handshakes and hugs, immediately asked to call my wife before the whole world knew about it, because it was probably close to getting Tweeted out there. Called my mom, my brother, my sister and just very emotional, very grateful. And then to top it off, I get to sit next to Mr. Ross at the National Championship game. I'm like, are you kidding me? I mean, could this day get any better? So thank you for that question, because one of the best days of my life and just to rehash it with you guys, it was a cool day."
Jon-Eric Sullivan:
"Can I say one thing real quick? I don't know if this is appropriate or not, but I'm going to do it. I can, I can now. (laughter) I'm joking. I want to say, I came from a place that was first class in everything they did and I've been here for a week. The support staff here, it's a lot of people who will never get their names in the paper, but their willingness and their excellence in helping me get accustomed and my family, thank you. It's been amazing and you guys have made it super easy. I felt like it was necessary to say that, and thank you."
Jeff Hafley:
"Well said, man."
