After moving on from Mike McDaniel, the Miami Dolphins turned to former Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley as their next head coach. Alongside him, he brought former Packers backup quarterback Malik Willis.
Willis will now be handed the key’s to Miami’s castle, and will be entrusted as the Dolphins QB1. While Hafley knows that will come with a mountain of expectations, he doesn’t want Willis to change his game, via Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post.
“Don’t change who you are,” Hafley said. “Don’t put any extra pressure on yourself. You’ve earned the right to be here and have this opportunity. Don’t press. Just be you. It doesn’t have to be perfect.”
Over his two-year run in Green Bay, Willis appeared in 11 games, making three starts. He completed 78.7 percent of his passes for 972 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran for 261 yards and an additional two scores.
While the sample size was small, it was impressive enough for the Dolphins to award him a $67.5 million contract. It’s now up to Willis that he was worth the paycheck, and that he can be a starting quarterback at the NFL level.
That experiment didn’t work out with the Tennessee Titans. He went 1-2 as a starter there, throwing for 350 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions.
But Hafley has watched Willis mold into the quarterback he is today with the Packers. He knows exactly what he brings to Miami’s offense. Ultimately, Willis will need to prove it on the field. But Hafley believes he already has all the tools to be successful in the NFL.
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