The Miami Dolphins have not had a ton of success over the years. Last season, in particular, was rough on the franchise. New head coach Jeff Hafley is working to change this, though. He had former Miami head coach and his mentor, Dave Wannstedt, come out to a practice recently.
Wannstedt coached the Dolphins from 2000 until 2004. He wasn’t there for long in the grand scheme of things. However, he did bring the team two playoff appearances and a division title. And he is the last Miami head coach to win a playoff game, which happened back in 2000.
However, some were not fans of Wannstedt’s appearance at the recent practice. One reporter, in particular, is still holding a grudge over how his tenure with the Dolphins ended. His disdain drew the ire of Pro Football Hall of Famer Jimmy Johnson on social media.
Jimmy Johnson Defends Ex-Dolphins HC After Reporter’s Social Media Shots
Fox News writer Armando Salguero took to social media after a video of Wannstedt at Dolphins practice emerged. He used the opportunity to invoke memories of Miami’s brutal 2004 season and wrote, “Dave is a nice person but I just spoke to 2004 and it still has not forgotten the nightmare.”
Salguero’s post was met with disdain from some Dolphins fans. But the NFL writer did not back down, telling one fan they were wrong to think that Wannstedt was the best coach the franchise had since Don Shula.
This situation drew the ire of Johnson, a former Dolphins coach himself. He took to social media to call out Salguero for his comments.
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“Dave was last coach to win a playoff game with the Dolphins and had a winning record with the Dolphins…what have all the coaches done in the last 25 years?” the Pro Football Hall of Famer said.
Dave was last coach to win a playoff game with the Dolphins and had a winning record with the Dolphins…what have all the coaches done in the last 25 years? https://t.co/RNdz8KBs5g
— Jimmy Johnson (@JimmyJohnson) August 20, 2026
The Dolphins had high hopes in 2004, coming off a 10-6 season. Unfortunately, things did not go their way that year. Miami failed to win its first game until Week 7, and it got off to a 1-8 start before Wannstedt was eventually fired.
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Since then, Miami has had eight head coaches, including Hafley. This has resulted in four playoff appearances in the last 21 seasons. Mike McDaniel, fired after 2025, is the only one of these coaches to make multiple playoff appearances.
Miami is widely expected to miss the playoffs in 2026. Hafley comes from a successful organization in the Green Bay Packers. However, Miami made major changes, including trading Jaylen Waddle and parting ways with Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill in the offseason.
How Hafley performs in 2026 will be interesting to see. In any event, it’s clear that everyone involved with the Dolphins wishes to see this team finally turn that corner sooner rather than later.
