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MIAMI
GARDENS -- Miami Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley met with reporters Monday (Sept. 7), the first day of Week 1 of this NFL season. The Dolphins open at the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.
Highlights:
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- On the captains, who were just named (Zach Sieler, De'Von Achane, Malik Willis, Patrick Paul, Aaron Brewer and Jordyn Brooks): "I'm excited. The players voted for those guys and I think they deserved it. They showed their ability to lead in their own way." Adds, "Those guys set the standard in what they're looking for." Says all players should lead in their own way.
- Hafley said he'll expect rookies to lean on preparation from practice as they enter their NFL debuts: "It's what you work on during the week, if your preparation is there, there should be no hesitation. I'm excited to go on this journey with them."
- Hafley on first head-coaching role in NFL: His process is the same as the players': Keep going over the game plan, "and let it rip. ... I'll put in the work, so I'll make my calls fast and be decisive."
- Hafley was in the booth while serving on the Green Bay Packers' coaching staff. Says in the booth, it's nice and quiet, he has all his notes laid out in front of him. "It's kind of like playing a video game up there. It's a lot different." But now he has to be on the field, of course. "I'm excited to be on the field. I think with the young team we have, being able to look them in the eye, being able to pick them up when they have a tough moment, being able to congratulate them, then sit them down and tell them they've got to go do it again."
- On analytics vs. gut feeling: Hafley and his assistants have those conversations during the week. "You do your homework, you have a plan, and a lot of times you stick with the plan, but there has to be a feel of the game."
- Hafley said Raiders tight end Brock Bowers "has the ability to change games," especially since he can line up as a tight end and an extra receiver. "You've got to have a good plan because you better know where he is."
- On edge rusher Maxx Crosby: "You better know where he is. He's one of the elite defenders in the league. ... He's another guy who can wreck a game."
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Dolphins' Jeff Hafley: Our six team captains 'set the standard'
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