Dolphins' Jeff Hafley Reveals What He is Proud of Despite Loss

Miami Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley took the podium to speak on the Week 1 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. Despite the loss, the head coach stated that he was proud of the fight that the team showed.

"Nobody likes to lose. I told you that from the start ... I am proud of the way the guys fought. Two-possession game; we had the big return, and it would have been a one-possession game there. We had the interception ... we had opportunities, and they fought," Hafley said. 

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Hafley is speaking about the Dolphins somewhat keeping pace with the Raiders through the third quarter. The score was 27-13, and Miami pulled off a huge kickoff return as running back Jaylen Wright ran it back for 79 yards.

The offense could not get anything going, and kicker Riley Patterson missed his field goal that would have cut the Dolphins' deficit to 10 points.

Hafley also spoke on the fact that this team has multiple rookies on the roster, with many holding starting positions.

Linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, safety Michael Taaffe, wide receivers Caleb Douglas and Chris Bell, and offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor were just a few of the names playing prominent roles. Due to the nature of making their professional debut, Hafley pointed to needing to calm them down a bit at times.

"We have to coach better, and we have to play better. We had a lot of guys out there who were out there for the first time, and we had some of them take a deep breath and settle in a little bit," Hafley said.

"I do like the fight," Hafley added.

Jacob Rodriguez on Defense Failing to Stop the Run

As stated, multiple rookies were in prominent roles, especially Rodriguez, who wore the green dot. The green dot indicates a player who has direct communication with coaching staff.

Rodriguez was hearing play calls and getting the defense set, and nearly had to jump in as the backup long snapper, Tucker Addington, suffered a shoulder injury. Still, the rookie linebacker showed some big self-awareness when he spoke about the "self-inflicted" aspect of not stopping Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty.

"A lot of it was self-inflicted. We have to set the edge and play with a good pad level. A lot of stuff like that, just basic football. Kind of the theme of the whole game: we gotta be able to stop the run to get into third and pass," Rodriguez said. 

The Dolphins certainly did not stop the run, as Jeanty secured a 4.4-yard-per-carry average with 102 yards on 23 attempts. Fellow Raiders running back Mike Washington also had a 5.9-yard-per-carry average on seven attempts for 41 yards.

Rodriguez pointed to the fact that stopping the run led to the defense not being able to get after quarterback Kirk Cousins. The Las Vegas passer ended the day with 160 yards and three touchdowns.

Cousins did throw two interceptions, but that was still not enough for the Dolphins to get the win.

Now, Hafley and company will have to look at the tape and create a new game plan to stop an even bigger challenge in the San Francisco 49ers, whom they face in Week 2. The 49ers also have All-Pro back Christian McCaffrey, who poses all kinds of new problems.

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