Why Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley called the 49ers ‘the blueprint’

It’s no secret that the San Francisco 49ers have been one of the better teams in football of late.

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Despite having not won a Super Bowl since 1994, the team has been to the big dance twice since coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch took over in 2017. And while Miami Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley would not dare to compare his team to the 49ers, he called the California franchise “the blueprint” for what they will try to do in South Florida.

“John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan, coming in together, being aligned, it sent a message to me: if I ever get a chance to do this, I want it to be like that,” Hafley said Wednesday, calling Shanahan “a huge influence.” That he and general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan were essentially hired at the same time gives him hope that they could construct something similar. “Sully and I together, trying to build this thing the right way, Kyle kind of gave me the blueprint for that.”

This comes as the Dolphins prepare to take on the 49ers on Sunday. Hafley, who served as San Francisco’s defensive backs coach from 2016-2018, called the upcoming matchup “a challenge” due to the presence of star running back Christian McCaffery and Shanahan, whom he referred to as “one of the best play-callers” in the NFL.

“One he’s a great runner,” Hafley said of McCaffery before comparing him to the Dolphins’ De’Von Achane. “He can hit explosives. He’s got, you know, big play capability, he’s strong, he has good contact balance. The threat of him out of the backfield is, I mean, it’s kind of like our guy. You got to know where he is. You can catch the ball, he can run routes, he can do it all. I think he’s one of the best backs in this league and have a ton of respect for him.”

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Added Hafley: “You combine that with, in my opinion, one of the best play-callers in all the game. It’s funny, even looking back, a lot of these guys were there when I was there, back in 18. So it’s the same guys and the same system with the same coach and they brought some guys back and added some weapons. But it will be a big challenge.”

Some of those weapons include the return of wide receiver Deebo Samuel, an All-Pro for the 49ers back in 2021, as well as the addition of another star wideout, Mr. Consistent himself a.k.a. Mike Evans. That, in addition to a defense that includes a future hall-of-fame linebacker in Fred Warner as well as five-time Pro Bowl defensive end Nick Bosa makes for an extremely tough matchup for the Dolphins, one of the youngest teams in football.

Hafley, however, doesn’t see Sunday’s game as way to see how his Dolphins measure up. Instead, the matchup will be purely about whether Miami can take a step forward.

“I understand who we’re playing and I understand all these players that we’re about to play against,” Hafley said. “This game is gonna be about us taking a step forward and I really mean that.”

Read more Hialeah seniors get a new location for meals and activities in center at La Carreta