Mailbag: Making sense of the Dolphins’ decision to fire Brian Flores and what’s next
For the third time since 2016, the Dolphins are searching for a new head coach to lead their franchise. Monday’s surprising dismissal of Brian Flores, who had a 24-25 record in three seasons, ended another fruitless era of Dolphins football in which a new hire was unable to bring the team back to the playoff success of the franchise’s past.
In this week’s mailbag, I take a look at what’s next for the franchise’s coaching search and what directions the Dolphins might go. And a reminder that if you have questions you would like me to answer in future mailbags, you can ask me on Twitter or email me.
Here we go:
Do you know of any potential interview requests Miami will do? - @backtuaback
According to multiple reports, the Dolphins have already requested permission to interview Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll and San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel. Whether those requests materialize into formal interviews remains to be seen — both assistants are currently preparing for playoff games — but we will have any updates on the coaching search as they arise.
Do you think they’re going to limit the HC search to people with prior HC experience, or is that a baseless rumor? - @David_Johnson41
When owner Stephen Ross spoke to reporters Monday, he said he didn’t have a preference for the team’s next head coach. However, his comments lead me to believe that he might favor a veteran coach who has experience running a team. While Ross cited communication and collaboration as key factors in his decision to fire Flores, he also alluded that general manager Chris Grier has built a roster full of young talent and suggested that Flores came up short in maximizing the talent. It’s interesting that the first two reports of interview requests are assistants who would be first-time head coaches, but it’s still early in the process and many more names will come out in the days to come.
What is the timing for the for the new HC hiring. Also, have we heard of any changes to the player personnel or scouting departments? - @elijts
Ross didn’t set a timetable, but it’s not like the team is catching up from behind in its search. The NFL allowed teams with head coaching vacancies to begin interviewing candidates during the final two weeks of the regular season, but only the Jacksonville Jaguars and Las Vegas Raiders had openings at that time. When Adam Gase was fired shortly after the 2018 season ended, Flores was one of the first candidates interviewed and the Dolphins had an offer for him within two weeks. Given the upcoming Senior Bowl and the important offseason ahead, I’m sure Ross and Grier want to identify their guy, get him and his staff acquainted and get right to work as soon as possible. But it’s an important hire and they shouldn’t rush to make a pick.
As far as changes to the player personnel or scouting department, there have been no announcements and Grier has yet to speak to reporters since the season ended. Again, Ross’ comments suggest he has been satisfied with Grier’s job of evaluating and bringing in talent to Miami. That doesn’t mean that there couldn’t be some shifting within the departments but I wouldn’t expect to see any major overhaul, granted that Grier stays as GM.
Who do you think are the best candidates for head coach, offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator? - @CGtimes3
I’ll stick to head coach here because each candidate will likely come with their own ideas for coordinators. When listening to Ross speak about the state of the team, I keep going back to his belief that this is a roster that, while not perfect, has young talent that is ready to win. After a series of first-time head coaching hires, I think it’s best for the franchise to get a name who has experience as a head coach and success putting together a staff on both sides of the ball. And the name that I keep coming back to is Doug Pederson. He has won a Super Bowl, has overseen successful offenses in Philadelphia and has brought the best of out multiple quarterbacks, such as Carson Wentz and Nick Foles. I do have questions about how his time in Philadelphia ended, with reports stating that there was a rift between him and owner Jeffrey Lurie over the vision of the coaching staff and his relationship with Wentz. However, if the Dolphins are actively searching for a coach who has done the job before, I don’t think you’ll find many better candidates than him.
