MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — It’s not a matter of “who” when we talk about the Miami Dolphins new head coach, it’s a matter of “what,” and the “what” is a winning mindset, a determined mentality and an aggressive disposition.

The Dolphins’ organization needs an attitude adjustment. The Dolphins need to accept nothing but winning. No more participation trophies.

Here’s hoping new Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley brings what’s needed.

Hafley must deal with this organization’s mental game before the physical game.

Hopefully that’s what the new hires at general manager and head coach acknowledge.

Hafley, the former Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator, is believed to be here because of his relationship with new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan. The two worked together in Green Bay for the past two seasons when Sullivan was vice president of player personnel.

You’ve got to hope Sullivan and Hafley are in lockstep agreement that this team, and this organization, need to reset their priorities.

The Dolphins are 17-23 (.425) in their past 40 games, starting with that 28-27 home loss to the Tennessee Titans in 2023 — a game in which Miami blew a big lead late.

They were 18-12 (.600) in their first 30 games under coach Mike McDaniel, the games before that Tennessee loss.

Last season the Dolphins went 7-10. They lost seven of those games by double digits, five by 22 or more points. In other words, they were blown out on a regular basis last season, including being outscored, 130-27, in the third quarter.

Even with all of that, the big task with the Dolphins is mental, and that’s with the team administration, coaches, players and fans.

The Dolphins need to have a mindset that doesn’t accept or celebrate mediocrity.

The Xs and Os are secondary right now.

For a few years I’ve been begging the Dolphins to make changes.

I’ve written that the Dolphins need culture change.

I’ve written that the Dolphins needed a new offense.

Beginning in December 2022, I questioned McDaniel’s coaching chops.

I’ve questioned everything ranging from toughness to attitude including before the 2025 season, in training camp of 2024, in the spring of 2024, and, well, you get the idea.

This is a core issue with me, this team changing its ways.

To that end, I’ve said I like that the Dolphins leaned toward defensive coaches in this hiring process.

Defensive coaches such as the New England Patriots’ Mike Vrabel, Houston Texans’ DeMeco Ryans and former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin tend to have players who report to work with a hard hat and lunch pail.

Under McDaniel, Dolphins players reported to work with a cell phone and ideas about a viral touchdown celebration.

I’ve always said the McDaniel era can be summarized in the two-week span in 2023 when the Dolphins pounded the Denver Broncos, 70-20, and then went to the Buffalo Bills the next week and got pounded, 48-20.

The organization fixated on the 50-point win over a sub-.500 team at home.

The real story was the 28-point loss to a playoff-caliber team on the road.

It’s that type of mentality that’s caused this franchise to regress.

Hopefully both Sullivan and Hafley understand their No. 1 job is setting higher expectations.

By the way, owner Steve Ross’ credibility is on the line with these two hires — general manager and head coach.

The NFL offseason is about selling hope.

But hope is in short supply with the Dolphins.

There’s a “been there, done that” feel to this entire process.

At this point it still appears to be the same bumbling Dolphins operation we’ve grown accustomed to seeing under Ross.

I mean, they contacted 11 candidates and had a seven-person hiring committee?

Exactly how many Dolphins does it take to screw in a light bulb?

The tale related by tight end Darren Waller about how Ross awkwardly interrupted his exit interview with McDaniel to fire the fourth-year coach sounds as though it’s business as usual.

But don’t be fooled. Ross interrupting a coach-player meeting isn’t the crazy part of this tale.

The crazy part is that McDaniel was still the head coach on Jan. 8, days after the season ended.

McDaniel, who had an underachieving 35-35 record after four seasons, should have been fired on Black Monday, the day after Miami’s season finale.

The fact that Ross allowed McDaniel to stand at the podium for a season-ending news conference that Monday, the same day McDaniel announced he’d have input on selecting the next general manager shows the blithering ineptitude that seems omnipresent in this organization still bubbles to the surface on a regular basis.

Dolphins fans deserve better.

Hopefully Ross understands that now, and hopefully Hafley understands making things better for this organization starts with an attitude adjustment.

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