How Dolphins Coach Jeff Hafley Slapped Down the Willis "Ball Tap" Comment

Hafley explained why the Bengals DB comment about his quarterback was much ado about nothing

Miami Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis (2) and head coach Jeff Hafley run off the field after warmups before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Those comments about how Miami Dolphins QB Malik Willis likes to pat the ball before throwing just became a big story very quickly, but head coach Jeff Hafley shot it down as a nothing burger just as quickly.

For those not aware, Cincinnati Bengals safety Jordan Battle — a native of Fort Lauderdale who played at national powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas and had Jason Taylor as one of his assistants for two years, by the way — created the stir Thursday with those comments on camera.

There has been significant social media criticism of Battle from national media members for revealing that kind of info to an upcoming opponent, but Hafley said ball-patting isn't exactly uncommon in the NFL.

"I played high school quarterback," Hafley said before practice Friday. "I did the same thing. It never hurt me. I'm just joking. But I did play high school quarterback, and I probably patted the ball. Being very honest with you, I've studied quarterbacks for over 25 years, and that is not uncommon. A lot of quarterbacks pat the ball or take their hand off the ball. I mean, there's some I've studied that look up right before they throw the ball. I just I don't think there's anything revolutionary about that. It's a timing and rhythm thing with a lot of guys, and there's a lot of them that do that."

Another issue with that whole idea that the defense can get an advantage is that it doesn't necessarily work for defensive backs if they're in man coverage because they'll be looking at the receiver they're covering after the snap and not at the quarterback.

Maybe the whole thing was just more bizarre than anything because in today's NFL teams have become ultra-conservative with the info they share — to the point of paranoia — all in the name of "competitive advantage," so any player volunteering that kind of info was bound to raise eyebrows.

But, as Hafley pointed out, it was just a shame for the Dolphins that Battle didn't reveal something that could have a bigger impact into what happens at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.

"Any opponent that wants to share our tendencies with us, we'll take any time," Hafley said. "But there's nothing there on that. If there was something big, like he told us every time our left guard was in a three-point stance we were running the ball, I'd be like, all right, we've got to fix that. It's just there's nothing there."

It did make for a pretty story, though.