South Florida is a notoriously demanding sports market, and the Miami Dolphins’ disastrous 0-3 start has quickly drained the fanbase of its early-season optimism. The local buzz is looking away from the on-field activities and away from the team’s developments. It has visibly hurt head coach Jeff Hafley. 

According to a HeatMuse account on X, “Dolphins HC Jeff Hafley was visibly taken aback by the lack of reporters at his press conference today, with many of them attending Heat Media Day instead.”

“Is this everyone that’s coming?” the Dolphins head coach asked the sparse media at the press conference, with his tone turned sharp. “It’s Heat media day,” one reporter at the presser replied, leaving Hafley with a simple “all right.”

South Floridans have often leaned toward the Miami Heat over the Dolphins, largely because of the organization’s stability and winning culture. With a front office led by Pat Riley, the Heat features a competitive roster that has raised the fans’ expectations. And now that Riley has brought Giannis Antetokounmpo into the roster, the fans and media personnel are naturally inclined towards the basketball court and away from the Dolphins. 

To top that off, the Miami Heat have won three NBA Championships in 2006, 2012, and 2013. And the wins were more recent than the Dolphins’ two Super Bowls in 1972 and 1973. The Dolphins haven’t even appeared in the Super Bowls since the 1984 season. 

Well, the Dolphins are still in their rebuilding phase. They’ve showcased a prolonged state of mediocrity. In all three games this season, the Dolphins lost by more than 10 points. In the Week 1 game against the Las Vegas Raiders, the Dolphins lost 27-13. The San Francisco 49ers defeated them with a 35-13 score. And this week, the Kansas City Chiefs dominated the field with a 24-10 win over Miami. 

But there’s still hope for the Dolphins. While they’re still searching for their first win of the season, they’re certainly working towards getting better in the league. In the 2026 NFL Draft, the Dolphins drafted Jacob Rodriguez, Kadyn Proctor, and Caleb Douglas to strengthen their rookie class, after moving on from Tua Tagovailoa, Bradley Chubb, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Tyreek Hill this past offseason. Of course, the front office is determining the players who can become the team’s foundational pieces in the near future. 

But with the way they’re performing, Hafley has realized that he needs to work harder. 

“I need to figure out something different to do, maybe with different players in certain spots, maybe adding a tweak or two to scheme, maybe totally changing the scheme in order to generate pressure,” Hafley promised to solve the Dolphins’ pass rush issue and lift the team from the bottom of the power ranking. 

“That’s the job of a coach, and that’s my job to do, and that’s my job to figure out. I don’t have time to get frustrated. I understand what’s ahead of me, and I understand the process that we’re in right now.” 

Jeff Hafley understands that he was hired to navigate a difficult rebuild. But the thin press room showed that Miami’s patience is running out. Until the Dolphins stop losing by double digits, the Heat will continue to own South Florida.