Iron sharpens iron, and Miami Dolphins rookie head coach Jeff Hafley sees the New York Giants’ John Harbaugh as a master blacksmith.
Hafley and the rebuilding Dolphins got their first look at Harbaugh’s new-look Giants during Thursday’s joint practice, only two days before their preseason showdown at Hard Rock Stadium. Although Hafley has never coached with Harbaugh, he saw plenty of the longtime Ravens coach while he was the Cleveland Browns’ defensive backs coach from 2014–15.
According to the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz, Hafley told reporters that he believes Harbaugh will “be great” for the Giants. The former Boston College coach added that Harbaugh, who led the Ravens to a Super Bowl title following the 2012 season, has set a gold standard in culture building.
“I want to practice vs. teams like that [and] with leaders like that,” Hafley said.
Miami Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley’s praise for the New York Giants’ John Harbaugh is surprisingly heartwarming
The repeated playoff failures in the Lamar Jackson era make it incredibly easy to forget just how successful Harbaugh was in Baltimore. Even after Ray Lewis and Ed Reed departed, there was never any doubt that the Ravens would be aggressive and live up to the physical mindset that the two Hall of Famers had long since established.
As it relates to sports, “culture” is among the most overused — and inaccurately used — clichés, though the phrase itself has merit. Anyone familiar with the Ravens cannot dispute that Harbaugh maintained an enviable culture for nearly two decades, and it perennially had them competing for championships.
Harbaugh’s Hall of Fame case is complicated, and not solely because of Bill Belichick’s recent snub. Earning enshrinement in Canton when you’ve only won a single Super Bowl as a coach is incredibly difficult, and Tom Coughlin faces a long road to receiving a gold jacket despite winning two titles in New York.
But those around the league know what Harbaugh brings to an organization, and Hafley is clearly well aware. Just because he’s never been an NFL head coach doesn’t mean that Hafley is in over his head or lacking experience. This isn’t like the NBA or MLB in which franchises hire young assistant coaches who haven’t spent much, if any, time on a big-league staff — though in fairness, that trend hasn’t been a total disaster for the Padres or Nationals this year.
Dolphins fans would absolutely love to see Hafley repeat history and reach the AFC Championship Game as a first-year coach, just as Harbaugh did with the Ravens in 2008 — and it wouldn’t need to come at the Giants’ expense, either. The only way they’d meet again after Saturday is in the Super Bowl.
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