I mentioned winter is coming; however, the NFL and Miami Dolphins fans were still not prepared.
The Miami Dolphins have fired head coach Brian Flores after three seasons. He finished with a 24-25 record. Dolphins went 24-18 after starting 0-7 in 2019.
Flores went 4-2 against his former boss, Bill Belichick — the best mark of any coach against Belichick while at the helm in New England.
The Dolphins finished the regular season 9-8 but failed to make the playoffs for the second straight year.
The Dolphins make me cry, Miami Dolphins sweep New England Patriots but missing the playoffs
In a statement provided to ESPN, Flores thanked the Dolphins for the opportunity to be the team’s head coach and said, “it was an honor to represent the franchise and lead this group of men.”
“I am grateful most of all for the players, coaches, and support staff who gave everything they had on a daily basis to help us win games. They deserve the credit for any success on the field, and it was the honor of a lifetime for me to go to work with them every day. I have always believed that leadership is really about service, and I did my best to serve the players, the staff, and the organization every day. I believe in this team and will always value the relationships my family and I made here,” he said.
But his decision to fire Flores had as much to do with the culture off the field as it did with the team’s performance on it. During Flores ‘ three seasons, Miami struggled to display any form of continuity, employing four offensive coordinators, two defensive coordinators and four offensive line coaches, among other personnel changes.
The Miami Herald reported on detailed reactions from sources behind the scenes that involved a power trip that may have pushed Flores out the door.
Flores was already running the Dolphins building, but he wanted even more control. He wanted the authority over general manager Chris Grier to have the final say on the contracts, draft and free agency. He wanted more power in everything, the final say on virtually everything. He wanted more people to report to him.
Expect Flores to fill a coaching vacancy in the off-season.
The list of things to improve in the offseason for the Dolphins has grown. A new head coach, an offensive coordinator, improving the running game, and questions about their starting quarterback.
