Despite alternating between quarterbacks and narrowly missing out on the playoffs, the Dolphins turned their 2020 season into something special.
It began last year when new head coach Brian Flores began to make changes to the team and its attitude. A year later, fans in South Beach and across the NFL are starting to take notice, a year later than they should have though.
The Brooklyn born and raised coach started his rise on the gridiron at Poly Prep High School in Brooklyn, NY. He then took his talents to Boston College as a linebacker for the Eagles from 1999 through 2003. While he didn’t live out the dream of playing on the NFL gridiron, he pursued a career in coaching. Starting as a Patriots’ scouting assistant in 2004, he rose up the ranks with the team through positions on both sides of the ball, eventually becoming the team’s defensive coordinator in 2018, albeit without the position’s official title. After winning Super Bowl LIII in 2019 with New England, Flores was hired as the first Black head coach in Dolphins history, and alongside Chris Grier, the team’s first Black GM, Miami began its transformation in attitude, philosophy and performance.
It wasn’t an immediate change, as the team floundered to an 0-7 start. But it felt different like the team was going in a different direction and changing their losing ways. The climax of their 5-11 season came in the last game of the season in Foxboro, where his team fought against the Patriots all day, scoring the game-winning TD with 24 seconds left to beat New England 27 – 24. An emotional Flores pumped his fist in the air as he headed on the field to shake the hand of his former boss, and the hopes of Dolphin Nation began to simmer.
At that moment, you should have paid heed. And while most missed it, some noted it like ESPN’s Dominique Foxworth’s sarcastic, yet somewhat prophetic, take on Brian Flores n a 2019 “Get Up” segment entitled “Said No One Ever” where he stated that Brian Flores should be considered for Coach of the Year. While that was definitely something that no one said ever last year, it’s something that many are openly discussing this season. By transforming the culture in two seasons, Flores separated himself from other Bill Belichick disciples who lived in coaching mediocrity like Bill O’Brien or Matt Patricia.
He quickly changed the roster and acquired draft picks, the biggest coming in September of 2019 when the team acquired a slew of picks including two first-round picks in 2020 and one first-rounder in 2021. Those moves, and the team’s finish this past season, now has Miami owning the 3rd and 18th picks in the 2021 NFL Draft. This gives them a number of options at key positions that they need help in. Could they take Alabama wide receiver and Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith, or LSU receiver Ja’Marr Chase to pair with DeVante Parker? Do they give Tua more protection by drafting Penei Sewell from Oregon? Or do they shock everyone and draft BYU quarterback Zach Wilson?
The fact is that they have options, and with the year they just had, a few key players could lift them into the playoffs next season.
The Dolphins finished this season at 10-6, taking second place in the AFC East. It was a promising season, one which featured a five-game winning streak and legitimate playoff hopes until their loss to the Bills in the final game of the season. And while they were not considered serious Super Bowl contenders, they were acknowledged as legitimate playoff contenders, a signal that Flores pushed the right buttons. They played hard and fought until the clock hit all zeroes.
“That’s one of the things about this team. This is a hard league to play in and you’ve got to bring it each and every day,” said running back Salvon Ahmed. “That’s what our team is built on, hard work. Our coaches hold us to that standard every day.”
It’s a standard that Flores has instilled in his players and one that manifests itself on the field every Sunday.
So while Miami won’t be heading to Tampa in February, with a few key acquisitions Flores just might have them headed to Arizona in 2023.
