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This weekend, Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores once again made it clear he is unbothered by anyone's feelings. Even more so, he reminded everyone why he should be the frontrunner for NFL Coach of the Year.
In the Dolphins' miraculous 26-25 win over the Raiders on Saturday, for the second time this season, Flores told rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa his football services would no longer be needed because veteran backup Ryan Fitzpatrick would be driving the rest of the way.
Unlike in the team's loss to Denver earlier in the season, this time it paid off. Fitzpatrick pulled off a miracle and the Dolphins' playoff hopes remain alive.
The last four minutes of #MIAvsLV were CRAZY ???? pic.twitter.com/9ctMqAO19h
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) December 27, 2020
At 10-5, the 2020 Dolphins are already a roaring success compared to Flores' first year in Miami. Just last season, the Dolphins were the laughingstock of the league, a team that started 0-7 before finishing strong at 5-11. Just a year later, Brian Flores has turned Miami into a contender with the type of roster and draft picks that set themselves up to be in a fight for the Super Bowl every season.
The turnaround has many coming to one conclusion: Brian Flores is the NFL Coach of The Year. Nobody has done more with less in a shorter span of time.
Case Closed ????
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) December 27, 2020
“This is my Coach of the Year.” - @TedyBruschi on the @MiamiDolphins Brian Flores
More on Flores handling of the QB situation pic.twitter.com/QPMtqCTdvt
You don't see most NFL teams shuffle the quarterback position the way you've seen Miami do so at times this season because most NFL teams don't have a head coach like Brian Flores.
— Kyle Crabbs (@GrindingTheTape) December 27, 2020
Last night proved Flores the right man for 2020's Coach of the Year. https://t.co/XZYfXkHfaj
Brian Flores is the Coach of the Year. https://t.co/dpMFbSUKDV
— Nate Lowery (@natelowery_) December 27, 2020
They're coming to that conclusion because of his handling of the quarterback situation and his ability to make decisions without considering what narrative it may set — and that's certainly part of it. But what has Dolphins fans so excited about the job Flores has done in Miami is how his teams consistently make no excuses and fight to the bitter end.
Brian Flores makes chicken salad out of chicken shit on a weekly basis. It doesn't matter if the Dolphins are missing their top four playmaking weapons on offense or three defensive linemen, you can bet a Brian Flores-coached football team will show up and be in the game until the end.
Tua Tagovailoa is the future of the Miami Dolphins quarterback position, but Brian Flores decided on Saturday that Tua wasn't performing up to his standards.
That's what makes Brian Flores the coach of the year in the NFL — his standards and his ability to ensure there's an entire roster full of players waiting to be called on to live up to them.
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