Brian Flores should be in consideration for COTY. Yes I just said that. Now he may not have the wins or the stats on his side but hear me out. The Miami Dolphins are the youngest team in the NFL and in my opinion, they have the worst overall roster in the league. 40 percent of the team consists of undrafted free agents.
However, Brian Flores will not be COTY. The team is just not good enough and the NFL will want to pick a big name coach with a better record. Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores won’t win Coach of the Year in his first year with the team, but he deserves praise for what he has been able to do with such a mediocre roster. Right before the season, the Fins completely stripped their roster. They traded away Leremy Tunsil and Kenny Stills for draft picks. Right after the season started, Minkah Fitzpatrick requested a trade and was traded to the Steelers for more draft picks.
As expected, the Dolphins looked to be one of the worst teams ever assembled at the start of the season. They started off their season by losing 59-10 to the Ravens, 43-0 to the Patriots, and 31-6 to the Cowboys. They were on pace to have a worse point differential than the 1976 Tampa Buccaneers, 2008 Detroit Lions, and 2017 Cleveland Browns combined. None of those teams won a game in their respective seasons.
The Dolphins are only 3-9, but they’ve steadily improved throughout the season. They’ve won three out of their last five games and have been able to have small stretches of effective defensive play without their best player, cornerback Xavien Howard who is on injured reserve with a knee injury. Obviously, the Dolphins don’t have the personnel to fully execute Flores’ aggressive, man coverage scheme. Still, the fact their secondary of NFL castoffs hasn’t been a complete disaster recently should be viewed as a positive for a coach that specializes in defense.
Its not just Flores but his entire coaching staff. Adam Gase and his coaching staff couldn’t get anything out of Devante Parker, Mike Gesecki, and their overpaid veterans. And now we are here, one year later and Devante Parker, Mike Gesecki, and others are playing amazing. Brian Flores and his coaching staff are getting the best out of every player on this roster.
It’s too soon to declare Flores will definitely lead the Dolphins to becoming perennial playoff contenders at this point, but he’s proved himself to at least be a competent coach that’s outperformed the hand he was dealt.
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