Miami Dolphins’ owner Ross discusses Flores dismissal, Watson possibility, Tua, more
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Miami Dolphins fire head coach Brian Flores
Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross fired head coach Brian Flores Monday following his third season with the organization. Read all of the news from the move that stunned many around the NFL.
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Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross on Monday did not rule out another pursuit of Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson and suggested that he fired Brian Flores because of his failure to collaborate effectively with others.
“I’ve been looking at this over three years now and watching the organization grow,” Ross said when asked to explain Flores’ dismissal after three seasons as coach.
“And I think an organization can only function if it’s collaborative and works well together and I don’t think we were working well as an organization that it would take to win consistently at the NFL level.”
Meanwhile, the Dolphins’ future at quarterback remains uncertain.
Asked if he plans to pursue Watson in a trade, Ross said: “I have no plans. It will be up to the head coach in terms of what he does with the quarterback. Tua, I have a lot of confidence in Tua. It is really going to be dependent on who the next head coach is and the direction that he wants to take at that position.”
Watson, the Pro Bowl quarterback who is expected to be traded by the Houston Texans in the coming months, has told associates he wants to be traded to Miami.
But NFL Network said one of the main reasons that Watson wanted to come to the Dolphins was to play for Flores. So Watson’s interest in the Dolphins is now in question. Watson has a no-trade clause and thus has significant input in where he ends up.
The Dolphins explored trading for Watson before October’s NFL trade deadline but ultimately decided against it in large part because he hadn’t settled lawsuits with 22 massage therapists who filed lawsuits against Watson, alleging sexual misconduct. A Texas grand jury has been convened to determine if there are grounds for criminal charges.
NFL Network reported that several teams offered three first-round picks and two-third picks for Watson before the trade deadline, but Watson’s legal issues scuttled those discussions. As was the case with Ross on Monday, general manager Chris Grier also did not rule out making another attempt to trade for Watson when he met with reporters after the trade deadline.
Ross declined to answer whether he has spoken with Watson (he received permission just before October’s trade deadline) and said of Tagovailoa:
“I have a lot of confidence in Tua and I think the next head coach will work with him, or whoever else, but I have a lot of confidence in him,” Ross said. “I have watched him grow. I think he’s a fine young man and he is right now the quarterback and that will be dependent upon the new head coach but I have a lot of confidence in Tua.”
Ross said Tagovailoa and the team’s quarterback situation was not a factor in Flores’ dismissal.
Tagovailoa finished his second season with 16 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 90.1 passer rating, slightly above his 87.1 rating as a rookie.
As for the coaching opening, Ross said he has no preferred candidate but suggested it won’t be Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh.
“I have no coach in mind at this point,” Ross said. “We’re going to do a thorough review and interview process. Jim Harbaugh, I love Jim Harbaugh. He had the opportunity once before to come to the Miami Dolphins. But he’s at the University of Michigan as everybody really knows.
“That is the school that I graduated from and I’m very involved in it, and I’m not going to be the person that takes Jim Harbaugh from the University of Michigan. I hope he stays there. He is a great coach.”
Ross didn’t rule out hiring a head coach with no head coaching experience. None of his previous three hires - Joe Philbin, Adam Gase nor Flores - had head coaching experience.
“We’re going to look for the best man,” Ross said. “Certainly having the experience always helps. I’m sure, if we believe we found somebody that is exceptional that’s been a coordinator or some other position in football, I certainly would look at that very seriously. Our mind is open. We’re looking for someone that could work together in taking this roster and taking it to its next level.”
Ross did not say that Grier is definitely being retained, but a source said Ross intends to keep him.
Ross addressed other issues Monday:
▪ On how he would assess Grier’s work as GM: “I think if you look at our roster, I think we have a very fine, excellent roster of young players. This was all done in the last three years. We had an old, aging roster before that was leading us nowhere but to mediocrity and I think that if you look at our roster today, you see our salary cap and the players we have, I think we are well suited for the future.”
▪ According to multiple reports, friction between Grier and Flores, and communication issues with Flores, were a driving factor in Flores’ dismissal.
Asked if this decision had as much to do with collaboration and communication off the field as on-field performance, Ross said: “I think if you look at it, it’s really communication and collaboration. I don’t think there is any organization in this country that unless you have excellent communication and collaborative efforts within the whole organization, that you can really win and sustain yourself in the long term.”
▪ Asked what this roster can accomplish as currently constructed, Ross said: “It’s the roster, it’s the way the organization functions and communicates together. I think that really is very important in building a winning football team and sustaining that over the long-term.”
▪ He called Flores “a very good man. I’m sure we’ll see him again as an NFL coach.”
▪ Asked if there were any player complaints about Flores, Ross said: “I’m not going to comment on that. Different people rub people different ways. I have to look at it in totality and everybody has their own opinions. But that was not the reason” for Flores’ dismissal.
▪ Ross, on his role in the Dolphins’ failures in finding a GM/coach tandem that he believes can work: “I’ll take all responsibility. I am the owner of the team and if it’s not working, it’s really up to me. That is why we are making a change.”
This story was originally published January 10, 2022 at 10:44 AM.
