Read the full transcript from the introductory press conference for coordinators Bobby Slowik, Sean Duggan and Chris Tabor with an opening statement from HC Jeff Hafley on February 4, 2026.
Head Coach Jeff Hafley
(Opening statement) – "I just wanted to talk about the coordinators real quick before they got introduced and before they speak. Obviously, we've hired three, and just so you know the staff is almost finalized so as soon as that does come out, we'll get you the list. There's just a few other things that I'm working on and we're working through, and hopefully that will be done soon.
"Obviously, (Offensive Coordinator) Bobby (Slowik) will talk first. Bobby and I were together in San Francisco, and I kind of mentioned this a few times in other interviews before, Bobby was on defense and it was really it was him, Robert Saleh and DeMeco (Ryans). It was really like me, Bobby and (Robert) Saleh in a room and he'll tell you, it was us three in a room constantly doing everything, game planning, working together, night before the games, working on game plans. So I got to know Bobby as a coach but more importantly, I got to know Bobby as a person, and I think that's really important when you hire people. It always starts there. People that can teach, people that can develop but you've got to know who you're dealing with, because in going through adversity you find out a lot about people. Well, when we started that thing with Kyle (Shanahan), I think we started 0-9 and we built it the right way and eventually they went to the Super Bowl. I know what Bobby is like in good times, I know what he's like in bad times and I know how he is around the players.
"Then when I left to go to Ohio State, Kyle stole him over to the offense, which didn't surprise me because usually Kyle wanted to take the smartest guys, the smartest young guys, and train them to be offensive coaches. It's what he did with Mike (McDaniel), it's what he did with Mike LaFleur and it's what he did with Bobby and it's what he'll continue to do, and the pedigree, the pedigree of what he learned from one of the best play callers in all of the game and one of the sharpest football coaches in all the game. I mean, Bobby learned that for years and became his right-hand man. I know Kyle wishes he still had him back but then Bobby went on to be a coordinator and had a lot of success. He went to the playoffs twice, coached the Rookie of the Year as a quarterback, which we need in quarterback development, and then I coached against him, so I got to see it live. That's the respect I have for Bobby. Even going through the process I called him and wanted to put him on my list, not just thinking that I was coming here, it was for wherever I was going. It just worked out well that Bobby was here, knew the players and had some familiarity with what was going on here so it was a homerun hire. He's got a great family and I'm really excited that he's here. He'll obviously be the first one to talk to you.
"Then (Special Teams Coordinator) Chris Tabor, we can talk about our special teams coach. Chris and I met in Cleveland. He was a special teams coach, I was the defensive backs coach. That was a heck of a staff because (Chris) Tabor was part of that one, too. I had a ton of respect for him. The way he was – because I would sit in those special teams rooms as a young coach to try to learn everything that I possibly could – the way he commanded the room and the way he held them accountable, yet off the field, the way he could joke with them and have fun with them, I view that as a really important hire because he's got the whole team in there. It's not just the offense and the defense, he's got everybody in there so he's going to be a big voice. I think he's going to be able to help me as well through his experiences, so when we found out he was available, I was like, 'Well, forget everybody else I had on my list. This is the guy. He's one of the best in all of the business, and he's one of the most respected.' That, in my opinion, was so fortunate that he's able to join us.
"Then the last one is (Defensive Coordinator) Sean Duggan. When I got the job at Ohio State, we had hired Sean (Duggan) as our graduate assistant. He had been a full-time coach other places, he played linebacker and was a captain at Boston College, and I quickly learned how sharp he was. I would sit in the booth and by the third or fourth game, there were times when I didn't ask anybody questions other than him, and he was the GA, because of how sharp he is. He saw the game so fast up in the booth and the adjustments he could help me make even as a graduate assistant, he quickly earned my trust.
"So when I got the job at Boston College, from a graduate assistant, I named him my linebacker coach. I continued to watch him coach the players and coach his own room and when my coordinator left, I named him my defensive coordinator at Boston College. Then I really got to see him kind of lead the room and call it, because he did call it and he did a really good job there, so when I got the Packers job, I told Matt (LaFleur), there's one guy I have to have, and out of all the guys, I said it was Sean. At first, he was like, 'One guy and you want Sean?' 'Yeah, you'll quickly understand why.' So, Matt lets me hire Sean; he was in a lesser role, he wasn't a position coach, but quickly Matt saw it. It was easy to see. He's one of the smartest football coaches you'll be around. He's really sharp in how fast he can process and he's an unbelievable person and he relates well to the players. When Anthony Campanile left me to go to Jacksonville, Matt immediately said, 'Yeah, that's Sean.' So Sean gets promoted to be the linebacker coach so now you see the trend, how he impresses people so fast because of how good of a coach he is.
"Then he's the linebacker coach, I get this job and there was a time Matt was like, 'I'm keeping Sean.' I was like, 'No, Sean's coming with me.' Ultimately we decided that it was best for Sean to come here. I say that not because he's been with me for eight or nine years, whatever it's been, I say that because I think he's a rising star and he's going to allow me to be the head coach of this team. It's not just going to be 'Jeff's over with the defense; Jeff's the defensive coach.' No, I'm going to be able to touch all three phases because of how good this guy is, and he's going to allow me to be the head coach and then when it's time for me to call the defense, I'll be able to call the defense. I'm really fortunate to have these three guys."
Offensive Coordinator Bobby Slowik
(Opening statement) – "I am very appreciative, obviously being here last year. My relationship with Coach Hafley goes way back. He means a lot to me. I respect him so much as a person, as a family man, as a father, and I think he's an unbelievable coach. I think that shows through with everybody that's worked with him. I think all of us would want nothing more than to be in a building with him, so I'm very grateful for that. I'm grateful to Mr. Ross, Danny Sillman, really everyone in the organization that they were willing to want me back here. Obviously it's a little bit of a unique situation. Tom Garfinkel, Brandon Shore, 'Sully' (Jon-Eric Sullivan), everybody. I want to make sure I take my time to express my gratitude because that really means a lot to me. That's important to me and I'm really excited, really excited to get back with this group and obviously having some familiarity with all these guys."
Q: So how much do you think your offense is going to look like Mike McDaniel's?
"Yeah, shocking first question, right? (laughter) Obviously we're all from the same tree. The way I like to frame it is very similar to like the bones are the same, the roots are the same, but all the trees grow different. A lot of that has to do with the players you have on any given team, which changes year to year. I think a lot of people don't realize how much even within a specific offense, your offense morphs and changes year to year, and that's dependent on the people you have on that team at that time. Then where it evolves is always part of it as well, but I would say the starting point is all the same. Believe in running the ball, believe strongly in running the ball. I think most of the successful teams in the NFL these days run the ball really well at a high clip and really build it from there as far as you got to win in the trenches. I like keeping the defense off balance, it's probably my No. 1 thing as far as what I look for as a play caller, while making sure I marry it to who we have on the team and then in the pass game, we're all about precision and detail and that again, it always kind of constantly evolves how you use that, how you attack that whether it's keepers, play pass, drop back, there's all different ways it can go. A lot of that has to do with who's on the team."
Q: When you say win in the trenches, what does that mean to you and what does that mean to, I guess, collection of talent?
"Yeah, I'm a huge style play guy, huge style play. I don't waver in that. So our physicality, our toughness, our strain, our effort, how relentless we are, are we violent, are we fast – that needs to show up on tape all the time. That's the most demanding thing as far as what they'll get from me as a coach. I think you guys – I'm really just echoing Coach Hafley's statements. He feels the exact same way I do. We see football the same way in that regard, and I think the easiest place to say that and see that is in the trenches. When you come in the day after a game and you throw the film on and you see line displacement and just a wave of guys moving one direction, you know what's going on up there. You know guys are playing football the right way and that's the starting point of everything. When the o-line is rolling, it really opens up a lot so hopefully that gives you a pretty good visual."
Q: With QB Tua Tagovailoa, how much do you hope to revive him or what instruction have you been given as far as him?
"Yes, I'd say obviously we're way early in the process of this whole thing with the new staff. There's new people everywhere. Being perfectly honest, we're still going through the staffing on my end. That hasn't quite been buttoned up yet, so we still got some things going on there. So like the player evaluation mode, we're still in that also. There's a lot of new coaches that have got to get to know the team. So even getting to the point where we're able to talk about who's going to be here, how are we going to do this; like we haven't even got anywhere remotely close to that, with the exception of knowing that we're going to try to push competition as often as we can at every single spot. You know what I can say about Tua (Tagovailoa) just from being with him last year, I know last year, that was a difficult year. It was a difficult year for him, without a doubt for a lot of different reasons, and I think what jumped out to me was the grace he handled that with, the way he went about his daily routine through that season. Even at the end of the year, the kind of person he was to everybody and to his teammates, really, you can't say enough about that. How good of a person he was and how he handled that situation is all you could ask for."
Q: Now can he – do you feel he can rebound from that mentally, physically?
"You know what I think is so great about sports and really why a large reason people get into coaching is, there are stories like that all the time. You're talking about people that are at the peak of their profession. They're the best in the world at what they do, not just physically but mentally. They're some of the strongest human beings there are, and some of the things that all athletes, every year, you hear comeback stories come back from are incredible. So absolutely I think Tua can, he can absolutely bounce back. I think that's one of the great things about sports."
Q: What did you learn in your years as offensive coordinator with the Texans that you might do differently this time around?
"I think it really is hard to pinpoint specifically one year, OK, you were OC at Texans in '24, what would you change? You were helping Kyle (Shanahan) in 2022, what would you change? You were here last year with Mike (McDaniel), what would you change? It's really hard to pinpoint specific things in any given year because there's just so much that constantly is changing. There are so many lessons you learn every single step along the way. I learned just as many lessons in 2022 with Kyle when I wasn't calling plays as the pass game coordinator with him as I did in 2024 in Houston as the OC, as I did last year being here with Mike and some of the things he did and how innovative he was. We did some really cool things I don't think everyone else in the NFL was willing to try last year. So there's always, always just reflection. Lessons learned on maybe I could have done this better, maybe we could have approached this this way, maybe we could have handled this specific avenue with a player different. That constantly is going on. It'd be hard for me to tell you one specific thing."
Q: Going back to QB Tua Tagovailoa for just a second – I'm wondering, do you see his issues last season more on as a physical thing or a mental thing? And by that I mean weighing maybe a hit on his confidence level versus the injuries that he endured, the hip and other injuries. What do you think was a bigger factor?
"I would say it's always – any time somebody goes through a difficult year, it's never as simple as one thing. It never is. It's always a lot of different things that can go into it. Could I pinpoint any specific area? Not really. I just know it was very difficult year for him. And I know that everything he could control and how he went through the year, he did a phenomenal job of controlling those things and hopefully he's able to come out the better end for it."
Q: How would you evaluate QB Quinn Ewers's rookie season and what do you think for his future?
"Quinn (Ewers), the fun thing about Quinn when we were with him last year is just how much he was able to grow. I think everybody just saw that in the last few games he played at the end of the year. He grew every game. You could see him get better and take steps every game. He's got to continue to do that in the offseason program and I'm excited to get him back. He's fun to work with and see what happens and see where it goes."
Q: In Houston in '24, you played against Head Coach Jeff Hafley and the Packers. When you were game planning for him that week, what do you remember most about what was most challenging getting ready for Hafley's defense in Green Bay?
"That's way back there. I remember we ran the ball pretty well, and I remember that we had some protection issues that crept up. Those are the two things that stick out the most. He did a heck of a job in game. We went into the game, we thought we were going to get quite a bit of single high and I knew he was going to mix in some split safety, some stuff like that. Then I think it was like the first, second or third play of the game, we hit basically a single high beater on him for an explosive, and I really don't know if he played single high the rest of the game after that. But he still had a lot of variance in how he was playing a lot of two shell. He hit some simulated pressure, he hit some four-man rush. He overloaded some pressures. He did a great job, changing up and adjusting from what we were expecting that then forced us to adjust our game plan, really, where we had to lean heavily in the run game on that one. I've always thought that with Hafley, he's such a good coach, detailed coach. He reacts to so many things in real time that he makes it really challenging. I'm strictly talking from a play calls perspective, like he makes it really challenging on opposing coordinators."
Q: How would you evaluate the current state of the Dolphins as trenches, and in what areas would you look to improve?
"I think you always walk into this thing and you want to just grow in every area and the easiest way to grow for all of us is competition. Competition naturally makes you uncomfortable and that's the greatest growth state. So we want to do that as often as we can at every spot, and we're going to coach guys to as hard as we can to make sure they're living up to our standard of what they can control – physicality, effort, finish – things along those lines and we'll see where the roster goes. We'll see the pieces we add in. I know (Head Coach Jeff Hafley) Hafley and 'Sully' (General Manager Jon-Eric Sullivan) are having those discussions right now, building a plan of attack. Again, we as an offensive staff haven't gotten anywhere remotely close to that yet."
Q: You were the pass game coordinator last year. The pass game took some significant steps back from previous years. Obviously some of it had to do with QB Tua Tagovailoa and his limitations, but the wide receivers – losing WR Tyreek Hill doesn't help either – but the wide receivers, there was always issues about them knowing their assignments and running the right routes. What went into that and how, what did you learn from that?
"It's very similar to the question I answered earlier in that there's never just one thing. It's always a culmination of a lot of things when you're struggling or when you're going through a difficult time. I would say specifically for us, I know I really want to make sure that when we're on the field, we're playing as fast as we can, as convicted as we can, so that we can hammer the things I've already emphasized with how fast we're going to play, physical we're going to play, violent we're going to play and the effort we're going to play with and you have to have mental clarity to do that. Now, there's always a balance to that because you also have to stress the defense. So we'll be demanding in what we have to know mentally, but we're going to balance that with making sure that we can go and physically perform what we need to perform all the time. The pass game, I believe in that wholeheartedly. I think the best way to have a good pass game offense in the NFL is to have a pass game offense built off conviction. My experience has been that's always been the best pass games, but really that carries over to the run game also. It's the same all the way across the board and how we view it."
Q: Recent offenses seem to have a bunch of complexities whether it was motion, shift. Do you view your ideal offense as a bit simpler?
"I would say, like I referenced earlier, everything I'm trying to do from a schematic standpoint is keep a defense off balance. So from a starting point, that could be something as simple as the tempo we break the huddle with and how fast we go get lined up before they're ready. They're already off balance. It could be mixing in tempo through the course of a game. It could be changing and varying our formations from condensed to wide to condensed to wide. It could be motions. It could be two motions. I mean, there's a lot of different ways to do it and ultimately that's always going to be the end goal. I think every week you go into a game, you're trying to find a different way to do it that week that's the best way to do it that week. I would say this. I threw on a game, actually yesterday in our first offensive staff meeting from 1986. I can't remember the date, but it was Dallas Cowboys against the New York Giants. Lawrence Taylor is on film. I have no idea how it's on the coaching film here. The first play of the game, there were three shifts. I had never been a part of doing three shifts. You know, like we didn't invent this stuff. It's been around for a while, just the different ways to stress defenses, and we're always going to try to do that."
Q: Do you feel like you have guys in place right now to adapt to the changes you want to implement on offense, or does there need to be kind of a cycle through? I know you're really early in the process, but it just feels like especially at receiver, it might be a little bit of a skeleton crew. Would it help to get your handpick your guys in there?
"Again, (Head Coach Jeff) Hafley and 'Sully' (General Manager Jon-Eric Sullivan) are going through those conversations on where they think they need to attack personnel-wise; and I can tell you, whoever's here, whoever's on this team, my job is to coach the absolute heck out of them and get the best out of them that we possibly can."
Q: How much do you enjoy the prospect of calling plays for an offense that will have RB De'Von Achane in it?
"Yeah, I mean, 'Von' (De'Von Achane) was fun to be around last year. I think he had a special year. I think being able to just see how he works, how he goes about it every day, the attention to detail he has. I mean, De'Von is a really, really sharp individual. He might have made one mistake in like six weeks, and he gets pretty mad at himself when that happens. That's just the level he goes to in his preparation, which I think is really special. Not to mention, you really see that in the way he plays, the way he runs, how electric he is in space, how hard he is to tackle, how good he is in the pass game, how good he is in the screen game. I mean, he's just a guy that can really do everything and he does it all well. So when you have a piece like that anywhere on the offense, it opens up a lot of doors, a whole lot of doors. I've been blessed to be around guys that have been able to do a lot of different things very well and it really can stress a defense in ways that I don't think a lot of people realize."
Q: Where can Nathaniel Hackett be valuable for you on the offensive staff?
"Obviously, again, the staffing stuff, we're still kind of going through it. There's moving pieces all the way across, so I'm kind of going to hold on any staffing questions until Coach Hafley talks to you guys."
Q: Will your offense utilize a fullback?
"Yeah, we have Alec (Ingold) on the roster, and I would love if Alec was able to stay here. I think that'd be awesome. I think he's a fantastic leader. I've used a fullback before. I think it's powerful within the offense. I don't think it's required. I think you just need to make sure you have good players and Alec is a good player. So obviously having him here would be fantastic."
Q: FB Alec Ingold is a Green Bay guy. You went to high school there. What do you make of all these Green Bay connections on this coaching staff?
"That was pretty cool. I had no idea, actually, that Alec (Ingold) was from there. He went to high school, I believe he went to Bay Port High School, which when I was going to high school – I could be off, but I'm pretty sure I'm close – like Bay Port High School was only open like three years when I was there going to school. So the difference in kind of what the landscape was like back then was stark, but it's pretty neat that he's just from the same area. We can talk about the same things as far as what's going on there and now we got a whole bunch of guys, obviously on the staff that we can talk about it a lot more. They know all the ins and outs of where you would go there and where you'd go to grab food or go hang out and maybe grab a beer after a sporting event. All that good stuff, so that's been fun. It's been a really fun group of guys and having some guys on the team that are also from there has just been neat."
Q: The question if you were to get this from Head Coach Jeff Hafley or from General Manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, I'm curious, the first name or two that will come to your mind, who's an intriguing young player on your side of the ball that hasn't played a lot, but you see something there worth developing. What names come to mind?
"I'm excited for all of them, honestly. I mean, not to dodge your question, but that's really like why I was so excited to be able to come back here. I really am excited about where this roster is on offense. I'm excited about where it could go. I'm excited about the relationships I already have with these guys and just being able to continue to build on what I've seen them do successfully in the past and emphasize in particular what is important to (Head Coach Jeff) Hafley, what is important to me, to all of these guys, and making sure we're putting our style of play on tape."
Q: Would WR Theo Wease Jr. or OL Andrew Meyer make your list? I thought if you were...
"Yeah, they're on the roster. Absolutely, I love them."
Q: How much did your background as a defensive guy impact your shift when you went to offensive? Was that a shift that you were, like, excited about, wanted to do, or did you understand where it would lead?
"Yeah, I'll broach into the whole story for you. So I played offense. I think everybody knows my family is a coaching family. Got multiple, multiple defensive coaches in the family. I was the black sheep. I was playing offense, I played receiver, I played running back, dabbled in quarterback, didn't last very long. Went to college, played wide receiver. I always loved offense. I knew I wanted to coach, and Mike Shanahan hired me in Washington and then essentially sat me down and told me, 'If you want to coach offense, you need to learn defense first.' And there was a defensive assistant, like a defensive quality control role open, so he said, 'I'm going to put you there and I want you to start at the d-line, but I want you to know as much of this as you can before you come back to offense.' And then I got to defense, and I actually fell in love with it. I started to see why the rest of my family really liked it. It's just so different. There's an emotion, there's a passion that they play the game with and they coach with that I really loved, and I did that for three or four years, then went to San Francisco with Kyle (Shanahan), did that for two more years with (Jeff) Hafley and (Robert) Saleh. And truth be told, from the day I walked in the Niners building, Kyle had said, 'Are you coming to offense? Are you coming to offense? Are you coming?' And I was like, 'No, I want to keep doing this.' I really liked it. And then after two years with Hafley and Saleh and honestly just growing to be able to see more of the game, I really started to get the itch to go back to why I got into it in the first place and go back to what I enjoyed playing and what I enjoyed watching. Kyle kind of called me into his office after the 2018 season, and he had this big – it was like two-page notes written out on all these reasons he was going to give me to come back to offense. He was actually mad because I walked in, I sat down, and he said, 'You got anything before we get into this?' And I was like, 'Yeah, man, I want to go back to offense. I'm done on defense.' And he kind of got mad that he couldn't use all his notes that he took on why I needed to do it. (laughter) But it was something I knew I always wanted to do and I enjoyed the other side of the ball so much that I lingered a little longer than I think intended, but the way you're able to see the game, the way that you're able to game plan, I think there's a huge, huge positive part of the way you coach on defense and how that helps how you may have to coach on offense. All those things are massive lessons that I've taken with me and really carried with me ever since."
Defensive Coordinator Sean Duggan
Q: As a young fellow, how do you deal with sometimes coaching players who might be older than you?
"I'm big into relationships, right? I think developing relationships with guys is always important no matter what age you are. When it comes to age, guys just want to be coached, right? If you can help them get better and you care about them, they're going to listen and they're going to take in your coaching. I take a lot of pride in getting to know my players, spending time with them, building those relationships and then developing that trust so when I do coach them, it helps them get better. I think that's all players want – how do you get me better, do you care about me and tell me how fast and violent you want me to play."
Q: There are a lot of words used to describe defenses around the league – multiple, aggressive, a lot of buzzwords. How would you describe yours and Head Coach Jeff Hafley's defense and what do you like about it?
"You're right, there are definitely a lot of buzzwords. I think not to say the same, but we want to be multiple, we want to fit to the strengths of our players. We want those guys to go out there and play fast, know what they're doing and just go play 100 miles an hour. So I think when you build it like that, the teaching is simple but there's levels to it. There's detail to it. They can go play as fast and as violent as they can. You've got to be multiple in this league and present different looks to the offense or it's going to be potentially a long day. (laughter) You want to be multiple, but you want to let the players play really fast."
Q: There's been talk of winning on the line of scrimmage and building up the trenches. What does that look like to you and how is that going to look on the field?
"Yeah, I believe the game always starts up front. I think that's kind of the beauty of football is, it's always been that way. You can go back and watch film – they used to have ESPN classic which they should definitely bring back. That was a great channel by the way. But it's the same, right? You can go watch games from forty years ago, it starts up front. To me, it starts with stopping the run, staying square, playing your gap. You should be able to see a guy's numbers and his nameplate, taking away space for the offense and then up front when it comes to the pass game, everything works together, right? The d-line has got to get pressure on the quarterback and then we've got to cover in the back end. When you do those things and it's all eleven guys playing with that mindset, I think that's how you start playing really good defense."
Q: You've been a DC before. What was something that you learned during your first stint that you want to correct the second time around?
"I just think you've got to be adaptable at all times. You can't just say, 'Hey, this is our playbook, this is what we're going to do.' You've got to play to the players' strengths, figure out what each guy can do and put them in position to go showcase what they can do. Just being adaptable in-game and out-of-game. In the offseason, building that playbook for the guys and in putting them in the best positions, and in the game, the same thing; you've got to be able to kind of move and groove with the game. If the offense is giving us this, OK, well maybe we need to do a little bit more of this to take it away. Hopefully that that answers your question."
Q: Head Coach Jeff Hafley is obviously a defensive guy, and he's mentioned how important that side of the ball is to him. What is collaboration and working relationship going to look like between you guys?
"This will be Year 8 in a row with him. I think just building the defense, obviously he has a vision for what he wants, kind of taking that vision and making our defense that. I think one of the things I love about working for Jeff (Hafley) is, it's kind of like I was just talking about with the players. It's not, 'Hey, here's the playbook. This is what we're going to do.' It's, 'What do we need to do as a defense to get better,' and it's always evolving. We're always trying to tweak and get better and just put our best product out there every Saturday or Sunday. Sorry – we played a lot of Saturday night games in Green Bay last year, so it messed with me a little bit. (laughter)"
Q: On a personal level, how would you describe this fast rise of yours in your career? Two years ago, you were a defensive quality control coach with the Packers, now you're a DC.
"First thing is I've been very fortunate to be around unbelievable people. And I say people because that that to me is always first right, coaching second. Being around unbelievable people, learning from them, not only Xs and Os but how to grow as a coach and communicator and a teacher, because I believe that coaching is teaching. Teaching guys how to play football the way the Miami Dolphins want that way to look. I've always been a big believer of be where your feet are and give 100 percent at what you're doing. If it's drawing a run card, I'm drawing two-back power, well that's going to be the best card in the stack that day. Everyone is going to know that's my card. If it's drawing a blitz on third down, well that's going to be really detailed. There's going to be no questions. We're going to get that right. I've never been a guy to kind of look ahead and be like, 'Oh, what's the next step?' It's wherever I'm at, let's do the best job I can."
Q: Head Coach Jeff Hafley spoke glowingly about you moments ago. Do you have anecdotes, maybe some of those moments where you left that impression on him and they kind of carried you as like why he feels that way about you?
"I mean, he would probably be able to answer that better than me. I just try to do the best job I can for him."
Q: When it was first coming into fruition that you were getting this job or coming down here and you're able to watch some film, what stood out to you? Any pieces, any players specifically, any identity?
"I think the biggest takeaway I had just in the first couple of games I watched is these guys play really hard. You can tell they love playing football. They play for each other. I think they play with a great effort. They play violently, which I think again, that's defense. Playing as hard as you can for the guy next to you, so you just see a group that's hungry and plays really hard."
Q: I think the Packers have used four-down defensive linemen at a higher rate than has recently been used here and also more press corner coverage. Can you tell me about what are some of the advantages when you do those things, the four linemen and the press coverage?
"Yeah, I mean four-down, it's good against a lot of different run games. I think you've got to have the ability to change that and not give the same presentation every single play. It allows guys to get on edges, both in the run game and the pass game, create some one-on-one blocks for different positions where if you get in odd spacing, some guys are dealing with some more double teams but also creates one-on-ones for other guys. So I think there's got to be a little balance of both. For the backers, it's sometimes a single gap mentality, which is nice for those guys. When you get into odd spacing, sometimes it's nice to kind of play a little lag nose, which is just playing behind the center, and letting the linebacker kind of fill and scrape back. Four-down gives you some advantages, but there's also parts where you're like, 'OK, I like odd spacing better in this look.' I think you've got to have the ability to do a little bit of both. I know we had a style we played in Green Bay last year that was really good for us, and again, it fit to our players. If you go back two years ago, we played more odd spacing. So I think again, it's what players do you have, put them in the best positions to play and let them play fast. You've got to be adaptable. As far as press corners, it's similar. It's depending on the situation. If it's third-and-2 or third-and-1, we don't want to be seven yards off the ball. It's situation, it's based on the call, it's based on which receiver you're going against. Studying the opponent every week, does this guy struggle a little more with press or is he a guy that he can get around that and create space between you and him? I think there's a lot of elements to that; it's the opponent, it's the situation, it's your personnel. Hopefully that answered it, there's a lot of elements to that question there."
Q: What have you noticed on tape about two of your young first round picks, DT Kenneth Grant and LB Chop Robinson?
"Both very talented guys. To be honest, I'm still kind of studying, I don't want to answer too much. I think they're both very talented guys. Again, they play hard, have a motor, so I'm really excited to work with both those guys."
Q: What's your philosophy on the blitz and how often to use it?
"Again, it's who are we going against, what's the situation, what have they shown to struggle with, what are our guys good at, what are we trying to take away? I think there's a place for blitzing, and you've got to be aggressive. We don't want to just sit back and kind of play catch the whole game, but then there's also elements where you do want to play a little bit softer because you don't want to give up explosives. But there's going to be time for both. I think it's such a situational and opponent-based question."
Q: You mentioned your emphasis on relationships. I believe you might be the youngest DC in the league, if not one of the youngest. How do you intend to use your age to kind of relate to the players?
"Again, age – I just view it as getting to know the guys. Getting to know them individually, what makes them go, what's their why, their background, where they're from, their family. I just think that's such an important aspect of coaching. I think it's hard to hold a guy accountable to the highest standard and coach him hard if you don't have that relationship with him, so I truly believe like time is a very valuable thing, right? When you invest time and you invest energy into people building those relationships, it just it's the best. Then you get to know the guy, and there's just nothing better than spending all the time with the guy, investing in him, watching him succeed. I think that's like one of the coolest things in coaching is seeing guys accomplish their dream individually and as a team, because when you go in the locker room after a win, there's nothing better than celebrating with the guys in there."
Q: I wanted to ask you what your why was, but it sounds like that's the why, right? It's coaching guys up. Maybe I'll go a little more macro – what's the best part about coaching to you? Like not the impact of those players realizing their potential, but what's the part of coaching that you like the most?
"Besides just relationships with the guys? I mean, just competing. You get to compete against yourself to get better. You get to compete every Sunday against an opposing team that's doing the same thing. I love competing. Everything I do I try to compete in. Building relationships and competing, I would say those are the two best parts of coaching."
Q: What's your impression of LB Jordyn Brooks from maybe watching him from afar in recent years?
"Yeah, that guy plays hard, man. He plays hard. He runs to the ball. He's physical, good instincts, but just the play style he plays with is awesome to watch. It's inspiring to watch on film."
Q: I think about ten years ago when I first came back here, they sometimes used the Wide Nine, which is I guess where the pass rusher starts way out wide and takes a crazy angle, tries to use his speed. How much have you guys used that? It seems as though somebody like LB Chop Robinson, who's fast and explosive, could benefit from that on occasion.
"I think a Wide Nine is – a lot of people when they hear Wide Nine, they think pass rush, which is awesome. We love getting after the quarterback. We're going to do that from a Wide Nine sometimes, but it also gives you advantages in the run game. The run game in my belief is setting edges and taking away space, so when you set edges from a nine, it makes the ball carrier go inside and then you've got all your buddies in there to help out. As far as pass rush, it gives you a great angle to the quarterback, and there's going to be times when that's great to get in a Wide Nine and sometimes based on the call or the situation, we don't want that. So just like our conversation about the four-down and three-down, there's pluses and minuses to both."
Q: So based on my understanding, you're going to be a multiple defense, four-down, three-down. You're going to play press and play zone, and you're also going to utilize the Wide Nine. Did I miss anything else?
"Again, it's going to be based on the players. It's building the defense. We have a vision of what we've done in the past, but it's about the guys we have in the room."
Q: Is there a coach that you've met since the staff has been assembled that they've said something to you that's kind of clicked or has sparked something? I bet it's been a blur.
"I've met a lot of people the past week, so a little bit. It's Wednesday, right? I'm still trying to – you take stuff from every coach. I think we have a great staff, great coaches, great teachers, great people. So I'd say to pinpoint one thing, that's hard to do but I've really enjoyed getting to know the new coaches I didn't know before. Like I said, I think we have a great staff."
Q: What do you think is the most effective part of teaching?
"I think the ability to take something complex and make it simple for the players, because at the end of the day, it's about what they know and what they can go execute on Sundays and play fast and showcase why they're NFL players. I think the ability to make complex things simple to understand, I think that's the key to teaching."
Q: I'll go back to what was said at the very beginning about your size and all, given your size and that you played linebacker, how active are you going to be in practice? I don't expect you to put on pads, but how active are you?
"I wouldn't last very long with pads on. I may have one play and then I'd be in the training room. (laughter) As far as practice, I think you've got to have great energy. If we want our players to have great energy and play hard and run to the ball, I think we have to do that as a coaching staff. As far as positionally, I'd like to help out with everybody, whatever is needed, but I like to move around a little bit at practice."
Q: Will you be in the box? Are you going to be the box guy for Head Coach Jeff Hafley since Jeff was upstairs?
"We haven't talked about that. I've done both. I was on the field last year. Before that I've primarily been in the box. Last year I tried to get it so when it was cold, I was like, 'Hey, if you need me up, like, I will go upstairs,' and it'd be like, 'I think you're down there.' I'm like, 'It's like 20 degrees outside,' but we haven't talked about that yet."
Special Teams Coordinator Chris Tabor
Q: You obviously have seen Dolphins special teams personnel in Buffalo and elsewhere. Can you share a couple names of guys you're really excited to work with?
"Oh, that's a little bit of a loaded question, because honestly I don't like talking about and singling out somebody because I'm afraid I'm going to lose somebody else. What I can say overall is I've always respected this unit. There's guys that stand out on tape, so there's a good corps here. It'll be just kind of a matter of getting to know the guys and then beginning the process of them understanding me and likewise, I'm understanding them and then hopefully continue to get better."
Q: Has the role of special teams changed in the last couple of years with the dynamic kickoff, the 60-yard field goals and things of that nature?
"I think it has. I mean, I'm going to go ahead and predict it's going to impact this weekend's game, because obviously on fourth down you only get one opportunity. If you're on offense or defense first down and you don't get anything, you've got second down. This one just sticks out, right? But with regards to like the dynamic kickoff and those types of things, obviously you're seeing a lot of returns which is fun, you're seeing a lot of covered kicks. I think last year where I was at, we ended up covering over 100 kickoffs. That's a lot of opportunities for guys to play and a lot of opportunities for the opponent to get big plays. I do think it's growing and gaining more attention."
Q: There was a lot of attention to that poll where you were No. 2 among players in terms of most respected special teams coordinators.
"I paid a lot of money on that. (laughter)"
Q: So why do you think that you were able to make that kind of connection with players? All modesty aside.
"I'll be honest with you, I got into coaching because my dad, God rest his soul, was a long-time high school football coach in the state of Missouri and he was in the Missouri High School Hall of Fame. All I ever wanted to be and is still striving to be, I just wanted to be my dad. One of the things I learned when I was a little kid, his former players would come over to the house. I'd be outside playing in the front yard, and they'd say, 'Hey, where's Coach Tabor at?' And at that moment I realized, 'Man, my dad, he's a pretty cool guy,' and obviously made an impact in people's lives. I think that's really why you get into coaching. Obviously, yes, we want to win but it's my job to get the player better, but more importantly, I need to know who he is as a person. When we can get that connection going, he knows that I'm in it for him, for all the right reasons and I think that's where you can make strides with players. Really, at the end of the day, this whole thing is about relationships. You can go to probably – I'm sure you've all played team sports – at the end, twenty years down the road, you don't talk a lot about the wins and losses; you talk about the other moments in the locker room, all those types of things. I'm a huge – I'm going to date myself right here – but I'm a huge 1980 USA hockey team fan. I just saw the Netflix, the new documentary that came out and you could see how cohesive those guys were, and they were a family. I think that to this day and telling stories off the ice, I think that's what relationships and teams are all about."
Q: Sell me on being a special teams coach, because I have an issue with it from the standpoint of I only know of one person who's ever become a head coach from doing it.
"Oh easy. You're going to go Coach Harbaugh? OK, you're going to go Coach (Mike) Ditka, you're going to go Coach (George) Allen, there's Coach Bill Cowher. There's been a lot of guys, Coach (Bill) Belichick, so we're going to increase you just a little bit there. I think the beauty of being a special teams coach is this, we talked a little bit about the relationships, but my relationships are amongst the whole team. It's just not an offense and defense; it's the whole team and understanding what the player is about. It's also a position where we look at the game globally. What's it mean here? When people talk about going for it, analytics and all those things, sometimes you just want to punt the ball and pin them down because we're going to play field position. We might not score that drive, but the next drive we're going to score and special teams is an important factor in that. So congratulations, I see the future as you as a special teams guy. (laughter)"
Q: You and Head Coach Jeff Hafley just mentioned something that I think really stands out about the position, that you touch all phases of a team. That obviously comes with a lot of responsibility, so how do you value that role?
"It's simple from this standpoint; we're working with a lot of guys, but at the same time, what we're trying to do is find their skill set which is going to maximize their talents. Within that, when you can do that, and maybe it's a player that you only use them in one phase, but he has a unique skill set that maybe you see on offense or defense that you can incorporate in on special teams, that trust begins to develop. Then that player plays more confident and then things start to happen and you start making plays in our area, so it's a fun deal coaching special teams."
Q: You've been head guy for seven NFL games, interim head coach obviously in your career with the Bears and Carolina filling in, how has that helped you? Is that something that you and Head Coach Jeff Hafley have talked about could be an asset?
"I'm just here to help Jeff (Hafley) and make him the most successful head coach that I can, to be honest with you. Having that experience has been nice. It's helped me understand that when you sit behind that desk, there's other things that you don't even realize come across that desk. What we'll try to do in our area is to put a good product out there that Coach can be proud of, that reflects his personality and play well so that he doesn't have to worry about our area."
Q: You and Head Coach Jeff Hafley coached together in Cleveland 12 years ago. Do you recall what your impression was of him at the time?
"You know, people say, 'Well man, you knew you knew Haf,' and I say, 'Yeah, but the relationship from Cleveland, it grew.' Kind of a little bit like what we talked about players, I can remember texting him just even when he was at Boston College, 'Hey, good luck,' and just following his career. Then at the Combine, once again you have some laughs, but you're talking about everything but football. I think that's where our relationship really grew. I obviously think that he's a great human being, great dad, great family man, and those things just resonated with me. I'm just glad that I have the opportunity to be here."
Q: How much of a connection do you think there was in the increase in long field goal percentage success and the rule change that allowed players to work with balls throughout the week?
"I'll say this, with regards to the balls throughout the week, I think that was a great change. I think that's something that we've been pushing for for a long time, and I think that that does help. With regards to longer field goals, I just think that because of the dynamic kickoff – let's just put it this way. Let's say we return the ball to the 40-yard line, OK? Right now, we're probably almost in four down territory, so now the offense has an opportunity. Let's say we just stall out, let's go – nice weather, let's go 38-yard line, what are we at a 56-yarder? I mean that's doable for these guys because the kickers have gotten so much better. They're really good at what they do. It's probably the one position that's probably been penalized for getting better. For example, obviously way back when the goal posts were wider and then the extra points just became automatic, so we started moving those back. Now it's a 33-yard field goal and when a guy misses it what does everybody say? 'How can he miss an extra point?' Well it's a 33-yard field goal, when he misses a 35-yard field goal, 'Oh, it's a missed field goal,' it's two more yards. I think it's how you look at it, but the kickers are, they're the best in the world. There's only 32 of them. Then the guys that are at the 33, 34, 35 spots, those guys are always on call and they're really good also."
Q: Do you foresee the PAT getting pushed back because of the success of the field goals?
"I don't think so. I think it's at the percentage where the league would like to see it. There's still enough missed extra points where it comes into play at the end of the game, and I think that's probably what the league likes to see."
Q: What's your philosophy or approach to like coaching and teaching aggression and effort, but also discipline? I asked because there were some situations last year with the Dolphins where there was an attempt to be aggressive or make a play, block an opponent or whatever, and it results in a penalty. So how do you approach that?
"Well I'd say this, I'd sum it up real simple; when you turn the tape on, I want to be a classy, hard-hitting unit that plays with great unity. Within that, being classy, it's knowing rules. I have to be able to push the boundaries, right? I want to be aggressive, but I don't want to be reckless. I'm kind of giving you coachspeak right now, but when you're coaching a player and he's going after something like it, what's the risk-reward? I think that's what you have to live with if that's what you say you're going to be. There is a fine line there but understanding globally what the game is, where the game is at and what the situation is. Sometimes you can rush a punt, yes, everyone says rush a punt to block it, but sometimes you're rushing a punt just to speed the punter up and maybe hits a touchback and I just picked up bonus yards as opposed to him pinning it down there, so what is the mode that you're in?"
Q: I'm wondering how analytics have changed your job from the standpoint of we see teams go for it more on fourth down. They don't kick the field goal, they don't punt. How has that changed your job, and do you like it?
"Yeah, I don't mind it. Analytics is a part of the game, and I think when used properly, it's a great tool. I've always said this; stats are just ideas about numbers, so however you want to look at that. But the game now in my opinion, because punts are down, but punts are down because of the dynamic kickoff rule which is great. That's what we want and that's why it's so important to be really good on kick return. Like I say, let's get that ball to – if we can get it to the 40. Let's say if you get it to the 37, you're getting close to where you're on the headset and analytics is saying, 'OK, we're in four down territory now.' Or they stall and then you then you pin them down there and then the expected points come on the next series. The game has changed with regards to that, but I like where it's going."
Q: What's the most important part of greatly reducing catastrophic mistakes? That's the only time we talk about special teams coaches. 'Well, they gave up a kick return, they gave up a punt return, their kick was blocked…
"And we do appreciate that, that's the only time that you talk about it. (laughter)"
Q: It's kind of like the first base umpire right, only bring his name up when something went wrong. But what's the best way to eliminate the catastrophic mistake?
"You got to play. You can't play scared. I want our players to play free within the rules and be disciplined. When you turn the tape on, we should be playing extremely hard through the whistle. Mistakes are going to happen, OK? We're all coaching that they don't, but we have to be able to learn through those things. And yes, when you use the word catastrophic, it's fourth-and-1 and they're just trying to draw us offside and we jump offsides, now they extend the drive and then they get a touchdown out of it, I get all that. That's something that I think you're coaching up during the week and then I think it goes back to relationships with the player. You understand what's underneath the hood on that player and how you have to coach them and those types of things, and I think it all ties in together."
Q: I'm not going to ask you about any free agents on your unit or guys where they're looming decisions, but one who's very likely to be on the team, WR Malik Washington. When you prepared for him twice last year, what about him as a returner would interest you now being on this side? Speed, elusiveness, instincts, what specifically?
"I think that he has game-breaking changing ability. I think that he's a really good player. I was just watching him, I love his contact balance. He's not a big guy, but he's 5'8", 195 so he's a thicker guy. I really like that he can get some YACs, some yards after contact. I'm really excited to have the opportunity to meet him and be on his side as opposed to being in the meeting room and talking about how we're going to try to stop him."
Q: With kickers specifically, how involved will you be in the technique? A lot of them have their own coaches.
"Yeah, I think it's a golf swing. I've had the opportunity to be around some good ones, and I've learned the kicking stuff really a lot through the players. My deal is, is I have to learn the player's swing and then from there, I know what his makes and what his misses are, and what is good and what is bad. I'm always monitoring if he's in a good rhythm, if he begins to go down just a little bit, how fast can we shoot him out? It's a thing where after we watch film together, and I can see his A-ball, his really good ball, then when he's off just a little bit, we're talking those things through. I'm studying what's different and then we're going to the problem and what drills can we do, maybe some without even hitting a ball, how can we help fix his swing to get it back in line."
Q: What attracted you to this job? Why did you ultimately decide to come here?
"Oh, Coach 'Haf' (Jeff Hafley). There's no doubt about that and have the opportunity to come down here. I actually have a place on the other side of the state, so I guess I'm a Floridian. (laughter) But no, Coach Hafley was the reason, kind of going back to what we talked about earlier, I understand who the person is, the man behind the curtain, what he's all about and that's what I want to be a part of."
