Dolphins

Dolphins HC Jeff Hafley commented on what the team will be focusing on during the bye week and where he would like his players to ultimately be as he nears the halfway point of his first season as an NFL head coach.

“I think it will be a good time for us to look hard and evaluate the players, evaluate the scheme, evaluate how we’re coaching, evaluate what certain guys can do, and take a hard look and then come back and go back to work,” Hafley told the team website. “It’s going to be who we are. We’re going to roll up our sleeves and this group’s going to work. And I know that they’re going to. This is not going to be a group that starts going backward and pointing fingers. It’s not who they are. They’re going to work and they’re going to get better and they’re going to compete, and we need to do the same thing as coaches…I want to see more consistency. I want to see better execution. I want to see the same fight. I want to see the same energy. I want to see the same connection. We need to execute better. And that’s all of us. That’s not me just talking about the players. That’s everybody.”

“Well, I think we’re building,” Hafley replied when asked about the team identity. “You’re probably tired of hearing it, but I think we’re a team that plays really hard and gives great effort. I think we’re a tough, physical team. If you look at identity, those are who we are. Now we need to take the next step and we need to be more efficient and we need to execute at a higher level. And again, that’s not me talking about players only. That’s coaching, too.”

Jets

Jets CB Azareye’h Thomas is in his second year after being selected in the third round in 2025. New York DT Darrell Jackson Jr. says Thomas has always carried a veteran mindset since they played together at Florida State. 

“Yeah, man, AZ, he’s a vet,” Jackson said, via Jack Bell of the team’s site. “He was a [pro in college, just his mentality, his mindset, how he approached everything. He’s a great dude, a great guy to be around.”

Jets CB Jarvis Brownlee Jr. was also a college teammate of Thomas at Florida State. Brownlee said he’s seen Thomas grow consistently. 

“Man, I think he’s been good, I think he’s been improving. I was with AZ at Florida State, so I kind of know him and the person that he is. And, man, from his first year, from last year to this year you can see the growth in how he’s developing. I think he’s just getting better each and every week because he’s learning the knowledge and he’s getting the game.”

As for New York having the No. 5 pass defense in the NFL, Thomas thinks it’s a credit to them instilling their brand of football. 

“Like every other game, we just got to continue to go out there and put our brand on display,” Thomas said. “It’s really not about them. It’s not about anything else. It’s about us. It’s about what we do, and it starts today.”

Patriots

Patriots HC Drake Maye and HC Mike Vrabel praised OT Caleb Lomu, who has stepped up in the absence of LT Will Campbell.

“I feel like he owned that and did a good job of anchoring. He’s athletic and he’s big,” Maye said of Lomu, via ESPN. “You get reminded of guys that played three years and come out of college. I was in the same scenario … I was really proud of him stepping up. I told him after maybe the first or second time we scored with him in there, it’s like, ‘Hey, we’re just playing ball now. Just have some fun’,” Maye relayed. “I think that’s kind of just a reminder I try to tell the young guys — once you get in there, you get rolling. After that, you kind of let the nerves settle. It’s just playing the same old football.”

“He’s talented,” Vrable added. “He’s continuing to get more comfortable each and every day, and he sees what this league is about; maybe he starts to have more confidence in himself that he can do this at this level and he can do it fairly well.”