MIAMI GARDENS, FLA. (WSVN) - Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley shared his must-have on the sidelines of each practice: several packs of bubble gum.
Speaking with 7Sports’ Josh Moser, Hafley acknowledged perceptive fans who noticed his tendency to chew bubble gum during the preseason and blow perfect bubbles throughout the game.
“I’m not sure but my wife yells at me all the time ’cause she says I chew it too much and I don’t look very good doing it,” Hafley said when asked when he first picked up the habit. “She tries to get me not to.”
Hafley’s children have taken his side in the bubble gum saga.
“The kids love it,” Hafley joked.
He said he goes through nearly two dozen pieces throughout a typical game.
“I probably go through 10 pieces a half,” said Hafley.
He added that it truly stuck during the team’s practice sessions.
“It’s just kind of become a habit in practice, like I have a whole packet of gum in my pants right now that are — it’s done,” said Hafley.
As for the professional bubbles he’s frequently seen blowing on the sideline, he’s never realized that he’s done that. When he does notice, it’s because some of the gum gets stuck on his headset.
“The bubbles, I don’t even realize I’m blowing them. Sometimes you get caught up in the mic and I got to clear it off but I guess that’s kind of embarrassing but it is what it is,” said Hafley.
Now when it comes to his go-to flavor for gum, Hafley prefers the standard option.
“I just like the original flavor bubble gum,” said Hafley.
He hasn’t ruled out exploring an iconic baseball-themed bubble gum brand.
“I’m thinking about whipping out the Big League Chew,” said Hafley. “I’m gonna try to get back into Big League Chew and go with the old school Big League Chew.”
Taking on a more serious topic, Hafley welcomed outside opinions that have projected the Dolphins to finish the upcoming season with a bottom-3 record in the NFL.
His message to his players: keep letting others outside the locker room doubt them.
“You know, you try not to go there very often ’cause I think you can get caught up in that and then it wears off. I think the things that are real — how hard we’ve worked to build a foundation and build a culture for everything we have and to get these players, I think when things get hard, those are the things that are gonna matter,” said Hafley. “Can we give them a little jolt here and there? Sure, but I think they kinda see that on their own.”
The Dolphins take on the Las Vegas Raiders on the road for Week 1 on Sept. 13 at 4:25 p.m.
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