It’s been a bit more than 24 hours since Brian Flores was canned in Miami, and we keep learning more about the divorce between the Dolphins and their former head coach. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald has a number of nuggets about Flores’ firing. While the whole article is worth reading, we compiled some of the notable notes below.
[RELATED: Dolphins Fire HC Brian Flores]
For starters, Flores wanted full control over the organization, including roster decisions (over general manager Chris Grier). The head coach “wanted more power in everything” and “wanted more people to report to him,” and he wanted this decision-making distinction officially “formalized.” According to Jackson, Flores already had a great deal of control, and there wasn’t a single player on the roster who Flores didn’t sign off on. Still, tension remained between Flores and Grier.
Flores’ power grab went beyond the normal duties of a HC. According to Jackson, Flores requested the firing of the team’s top football media relations person. While he received push back from top executives (including president Tom Garfinkel), the employee was ultimately dismissed. Flores also chewed out an agent who posted a positive offseason update about an injured player.
Further, Flores planned on making more changes to his staff, especially with his offensive coaches. The Dolphins were operating with two offensive coordinators by the time the season came to an end, and Flores was planning on firing at least one of the two.
To top it all off, Flores apparently had issues communicating with some of his players, with some of the younger members of the team claiming that their HC “doesn’t understand dealing with men.” Meanwhile, veterans like Jason McCourty wouldn’t be treated with the “same heavy hand” as his younger teammates. There was also tension with QB Tua Tagovailoa, with the two having a heated exchange during their game against the Titans this season.
The plot thickens
Cool name lol
FaKe NeWs
So what I’m hearing is, the Dolphins hired Brian Flores specifically because of his association to Belichick, and three years later, they’re surprised that Flores wants to take control of the squad just like his mentor?
When he wins a bunch of super bowls, then he can act like Bill
Nobody in Miami is winning much without a QB.
Zucca That’s what almost every coach who comes out of NE doesn’t understand. They try to emulate Bill, when they haven’t earned the respect from players to run things exactly as Bill does, nor proven themselves enough to convince players to buy in.
Bill has always been that way even before he was a Super Bowl winner. Nothing wrong with the way Flo coached. Tough love for younger players and respect for the veterans. I hope Flo comes back and kicks the crap out of the Drama Dolphins.. Organization is a complete joke.
Yeah I agree with you I like Flores too think he is a good coach.
You are hard on young players and show respect to veterans… whoever was complaining about that needs to grow up and learn respect is earned and not just given.
I’ll be at your job tomorrow, buckle up.
It seems like there was a touch of shock and question when a coach was fired. In response there is suddenly a steady stream of leaked stories by an organization to save face. Seems like a desperate move to save face on some unintended blow back.
It was a terrible firing all leaks by the organization makes you correct in your assessment I would wager
Yep and they keep quoting one player lol… Great source…
Maybe it was someone Flores was mean to on the drama filled Dolphins.
Don’t know what exactly happened in that locker room but dealing with younger men compared to older adults is completely different. Think about when you were 22,23,24 yrs old. On top these guys are making ridiculous amounts of money and that affects people.
This seems similar to the Texans, but they kept the Coach and made him GM.
As Bill Parcells once said if they want you to cook the dinner they ought let you shop for the groceries. Miami totally lost their mind firing Flores.
I suspect most people would rush to order take-out rather than have Parcells cooking in their kitchen. The mental image of him in an apron and chefs hat is rather amusing.
The NFL is fully committed to being a bloated bureaucracy at both the coaching and executive levels so it’s actually pointless to attempt a power grab.
As a Patriots fan, Brian is a good guy and coach. But, truly happy to see Miami make that stupid decision.
If the details of this article are true, his “I am King” and “everyone will do what I tell them to do” act isn’t going to work with many teams…..there is a difference between the man (he’s a good guy) and a HC….”I want ultimate power over everything both on the field and in the office”.
Of course, if the article has truly detailed his demands.
This story changes the narrative a bit, but he was clearly in a better bargaining position than another former Pats’ assistant who apparently put out a list of demands for him to continue coaching the Giants…
Better than Chris Grier making decisions!!!!
He will be. A HC this new year. If McDaniels doesn’t do to Houston, he could be a good fit there. I’m assuming Culley is 1 and done. Trade Watson, get some picks, who knows…..,,,
Not unless the Texans will allow him “full control” over the team both on the field and off….doubt any owner from the GM up would be enthusiastic about his demands for ultimate control….of course if the article has detailed his power requests.
Interesting coach. He wants the Belichek treatment, but probably doesn’t have the number of years as a coach to warrant it. The only problem I had with him was the conservative treatment of Tua. But maybe that’s why he wanted to replace the offensive coaches.
I think anyone who hires him will get a good coach, but it’s hard to imagine a GM hiring him to be the coach, while knowing that he wants to be the GM.
Barry Jackson is a pretty good reporter and his information is accurate. A couple of the top beat reporters were saying the same things about Flores a few weeks ago and that he would be fired.
This is not about x’s and o’s or winning and losing; but is all about his lack of team building skills (consistency, teamwork, communication, leadership, etc), which the fans would never see.
Think of all the coaching turnover and FA player turnover over his short tenure to get a sense of the upheaval going on (think Tasmanian Devil).
I’ve worked for these fiery dictatorial managers before and it’s exhausting and morale crushing.
The Phins are taking a lot of heat for this move, but it was the right call.
He said she said and so far you’re only getting the she said. I’m guessing he won’t speak openly until he lands his next gig.
The smartest thing the Dolphins could do right now is plead stupidity and try and bring Flores back with a generous guaranteed raise of a contract with guaranteed years. There is no one out there that is a step up unless Sean Payton, Belichick or Reid are wanting to come coach Miami. Was the owner drunk?
Soo a guy with a losing record after 3 years, a guy that tried to get his qb suspend, the same guy that wants more power then the owner and gm…deserves to keep his job? Better read all the reports before making a stupid comment. This has all been happening since begining of the season. Any real football fan should not be surprised by this firing.
TUA is not that good. Face it, he is a back-up QB in the NFL. Hurt feelings all the way around, I know… But Grier should hit the door as well… How many years now with a lottery of draft picks and still one of the worst lines in the NFL…
So the team showed promise in 2021. The HC wanted more say to build on that success. Now in 2022 we get to see who was steering the ship? The HC or the front office? They fired a guy on a 8 game winning streak, swept the Patriots and that wasn’t enough growth for ownership? For Miami standards thats a huge season full of hope. BUT……this is Miami so no shock here! Stay tuned
Maybe there’s a Dolphins insider anonymously rubbing shoulders with everyone in this comment thread, but I’d be willing to hazard a guess that no one who has commented here knows anything other than what’s been reported in the press. Which, sort of means, I guess, that none of us know why they fired Flores. A company has an owner – he’s the big boss. Everyone below the owner works at his sufferance. The Head Coach is a high level position within a football organization, but he reports to other members of the owner’s organization – different organizations, different power structures. Your ultimate boss decides how much power and authority you have. If you can’t accept the strictures of your position, and you demand more powers, your owner may give you the opportunity to make a case to expand your powers. This works the same way in the corporate world at large. Convince your boss that you deserve more power – show him (her) that giving you more power (and taking it away from someone the owner originally gave it to), or make the case that giving you more power will improve the operation of the enterprise, you might get it. It helps your case if you have been consistently delivering superior results. Showing “promise” is not necessarily the same thing as actually producing. If you’re not an organizational team player, and you refuse to play by the owner’s rules, because you know that he’s just a stubborn old fool, or because you know what’s best for the team – well, that typically gets you a push out the door. It looks like that’s what happened here. This happens every day in the corporate world – when you start thinking you know more than your boss, you find yourself looking for a new job. They call it a disagreement in philosophy, and off you both go, looking for a better match. I get that some of you think that Flores had proven himself worthy of his boss’ turning over the show to him – apparently, Stephen Ross – the only guy whose opinion really matters – disagrees with you. When you have your own team, you’ll decide how comfortable you feel with your employees telling you how the company should be run. I have zero idea what really went on, but if the HC was fired for telling the owner a better way to structure his operation, he certainly wasn’t the first coach fired for reasons much like this one.
There are some very significant differences between corporations like Apple, Amazon, Microsoft and NFL franchises that you overlooked. Stephen Ross does not have to answer to shareholders for starters. That is probably a good thing because his incompetence would have resulted in him being terminated from the organization long ago.