MIAMI — It’s the most predictable phrase uttered at every NFL team’s predraft news conference, before and after the team adds its bounty of new talent through the draft.

Both Jon-Eric Sullivan and Jeff Hafley, the Miami Dolphins’ circle of trust as the franchise’s newly hired general manager and head coach, have been guilty of using it repeatedly when laying out their vision for the rebuilding Dolphins.

“We’re going to draft guys that love football,” Hafley said at the NFL owner’s meeting.

I’ve always wondered what does “love football” even mean?

First one in the facility, lazy ones out?

An athlete who plays through pain, risking his long-term health for the good of the team?

An individual who puts the team before himself?

All of those things apply to almost every player I’ve ever covered in two decades, even the most toxic and selfish ones.

Ndmukong Suh, a Hall of Fame talent who owns the crown for being self-centered, loved football. He just cared about himself and his money more than he cared about other people, or the team.

Elite receiver Brandon Marshall loved football. He was just a talented, but toxic individual who destroyed just about everything he touched.

Jalen Ramsey loved football. But that didn’t keep the All-Pro cornerback from being a challenge to coach.

Richie Incognito loved football. The offensive lineman who was at the epicenter of the Bullygate scandal, was just a meat head jock who was raised rough, and thought abuse was how you showed support to teammates.

Dion Jordan loved football. He’s still involved in it now, serving as the head coach at Division III Eureka College. He just couldn’t stop smoking weed, tarnishing his talent and career because his addiction led multiple suspensions.

Liam Eichenberg, Hunter Long and Channing Tindall loved football, too. But those Dolphins draft busts simply weren’t good players.

I have seen the Dolphins franchise get built every possible way it can be done, and covered most of it up close and personal.

“Lov[ing] football” only gets you so far because the external eventually takes over when a player realizes the NFL is more of a business than it is a sport.

Part of the reason this Dolphins regime covets a team full of young talent is because the fresh-faced newcomers are impressionable. They can be molded into whatever Hafley’s vision is, if everything goes right.

But will that get the Dolphins over the hump?

“Guys that can make a difference for you on the field. Guys that can play winning football,” Sullivan said on Wednesday. “There’s Hall of Fame-caliber guys, and there aren’t many of them.

There’s difference-makers. Guys who walk out on the field and they tilt the field in their favor. We have to game plan for this guy or he’s going to kill us,” Sullivan continued. “And then there are guys who are really good starters. Maybe not difference-makers, but you aren’t looking to replace them. You can roll 17 games with them and win. Those are the definition of good football players.”

That’s how Sullivan defines “loves football,” but it sounds more like a tier of players.

The problem is, somebody will need to teach these young players the game within the game.

How to practice. How to treat their body. How to study film. How to take notes. How to lead, and not just by example.

Those are the players who matter more, and make a difference on Sundays. And if we’re being honest, the Dolphins don’t have many of them at the moment.

Sure, they can address that after the draft, like when Miami added Calais Campbell in 2024 and he instantly became a team captain.

There’s no reason cornerback Rasul Douglas, who had a phenomenal season last year, doesn’t have a contract from these Dolphins. But that’s another story for another day.

Today’s story is about how this franchise needs to stop selling this same old, tired “love football” narrative I’ve heard from Jeff Ireland, Dennis Hickey, Mike Tannenbaum and Chris Grier, and find players who are impactful.

The Dolphins need difference-makers such as Mike Pouncey, Xavien Howard, Jarvis Landry, Laremy Tunsil, Andrew Van Ginkel, Christian Wilkins, Robert Hunt, Jaelan Phillips, De’Von Achane and Patrick Paul, who are among the few standouts Miami’s drafted the past decade-plus.

I get the point of this vague, “love football” cliche. But it’s not specific enough.

Find characters that aren’t crazy, and have some mental toughness.

Find athletes who are locked into their careers, and won’t be distracted by these South Florida streets.

Find players who are playing football for more than the money and fame the sport provides.

And most importantly, find athletes who rise to the occasion when the lights get bright, which are the moment where the Dolphins franchise has usually fallen flat.

There’s no guarantee a lover of football makes those plays. But finding playmakers might give the Dolphins a chance in this new era.

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