Why the new Dolphins regime believes ‘this whole thing is about relationships’
There was one word that consistently got thrown around during the Miami Dolphins’ introductory, coordinators press conference.
Relationships.
From Bobby Slowik to Sean Duggan to Chris Tabor, the word was repeated ad nauseam on Wednesday, somewhat indicating how this new regime will operate.
“Really, at the end of the day, this whole thing is about relationships,” said Tabor, the special teams coordinator. “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.”
A coach since the early 90s, Tabor’s value comes from the role itself in that he’s the only person on staff that touches all corners of the team. Coach Jeff Hafley first met Tabor during his two-season stint with the Cleveland Browns and just knew he was needed in Miami.
“I view that as a really important hire because he’s got the whole team in there,” Hafley said. “It’s not just the offense and the defense, he’s got everybody in there so he’s going to be a big voice.”
For Duggan, the defensive coordinator, the relationships are by far the best part.
“Developing relationships with guys is always important no matter what age you are,” Duggan said. “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.”
At 32 years old, Duggan happens to be one of the youngest coordinators in the league. That, however, has no bearing on his ability to connect with players – both older and younger than him. He wants to know the person inside the helmet.
“Getting to know them individually, what makes them go, what’s their why, their background, where they’re from, their family,” Duggan said. “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.”
With Slowik, one of the few remnants of former coach Mike McDaniel’s staff, this latest opportunity gives him the chance to reconnect with the same talent that helped during his time as passing game coordinator. Slowik specifically loved the fact that he gets to coach De’Von Achane following the tailback’s first Pro Bowl appearance.
“He’s just a guy that can really do everything, and he does it all well,” Slowik said. “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.”
That relationships will be prioritized during Hafley’s tenure should come as no surprise. From Richard Sherman to Ronde Barber, many players have raved about his ability to not only connect with guys but also simplify the game so that they are ultimately at their best. Hopefully, this approach will bring the postseason victories that have been so elusive for this franchise over the past two decades.
