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Building The Right Way
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- Building The Right Way
Miami Dolphin Head Coach Hafley Rejects the Idea That Losing Must Derail Miami's Focus. Sure, six losses stacked against one victory is disappointing but it's the coach's job to keep his young team focused beyond the scoreboard. Building for the future and building the foundation of winning begins with habits and mindsets.
"It's about the process," Hafley said. "It's about the constant quest to be better today than we were yesterday. There is no how do you keep them focused? There is no how do you keep them working hard. That's just not how we're built. Regardless if we win or lose, how can I get better today in everything that we do?"
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The process will always be front and center and priority to everything.
"We're not built that way now. We're not going to be built that way when this thing gets rolling," Hafley said. "It's always going to be about the process."
Hafley's message was that improvement should remain the daily standard, regardless of the standings.
"When you keep that the focus, those questions … never come into play," he said.
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Kyle Louis' Expanded Role Gives Miami Another Development Opportunity
Miami intends to keep finding opportunities for Kyle Louis . The New England game was Louis's most snaps to date.
"When we put him in the Vegas game it was for two plays in the second half," Hafley said. "He got hurt on the interception. That limited Louis' earlier opportunity to gain experience."
Now that he's back on the practice and playing field, Coach Hafley is looking for Louis to pick up where he left off.
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"Hopefully he kind of dusted off any anxiety or any nerves that he had," Hafley said. "I hope the fuller outing will help him recognize the action faster as he adjusts to game speed. I also thought he did a pretty good job for the first time going in."
Hafley is looking to get Louis on the field every chance he can.
"We'll continue to use him in a variety of roles," Hafley said. "He's been good on special teams and we expect him to be a good player. In order to do that, he needs to play and develop."
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Hafley noted Miami will find roles based on personnel and how opponents play.
"I was pleased with the way he played," he said. "We would expect him to take another step."
Kenneth Grant's Workload Is a Gradual Build, Hafley Says
Kenneth Grant 's path toward a larger workload is tied to rebuilding comfort and conditioning, the coach noted.
Grant's snap count has increased as he's regained his health after a preseason toe injury kept him sidelined. Hafley emphasized the need for a gradual increase in work.
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"It's got to be a little bit of a buildup for him to play more," he said.
Hafley described Grant's progression as getting "more comfortable playing again and getting in shape" to "take on double teams over and over again and strain at the line of scrimmage. Hopefully as we go he'll get more reps. The goal is for Grant to continue to improve."
This story was originally published by Athlon on Nov 6, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
