DORAL, Fla. – A day after celebrating a season-closing win over the rival New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins fans are now wondering who their next coach will be after the surprising firing of Brian Flores on Monday.
“I’m just really surprised, shocked. I think he deserved more time, I think it’s a knee-jerk reaction,” said fan Stephen Paris.
Paris has been a season-ticket holder for the past 10 years and believed that Flores had a bright future with the current group of young players, including quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and star rookie receiver Jaylen Waddle.
“It kind of sickens me a little bit, because I just think he needed more time,” Paris said. “This is a new group, they just started forming that combination between Tua and Waddle. I think it showed promise.”
The Dolphins missed the playoffs in each of Flores’ three seasons as coach but finished with a winning record in each of the past two. This year, they won eight of their last nine games after a 1-7 start.
“You can’t just build that camaraderie, you can’t just build that loyalty, what the players had with that coach,” Paris said. “You can’t just build that instantly, so I’m not sure what they’re going to do.”
In the history of the @MiamiDolphins , there have been some historically dumb and bad moves. The firing of Brian Flores is perhaps the single worst decision this organization has ever made. This is not only a desperate move, it’s a pathetic one. Shame on on everyone involved .
— Josh Gad (@joshgad) January 10, 2022
Other fans, like Larry Blasco, say the firing shouldn’t be such a shocker with the team falling short of the postseason. The Dolphins haven’t won a playoff game since December 2000.
“We did something great, but we didn’t make the playoffs,” Blasco said. “And in sports, if you’re not making money or not showing progress or doing something great then, it’s not really our call.”
Fans also wonder what Flores’ firing means for the future of Tagovailoa. Ross said direction on the quarterback position would be up to a new coach.
“With Flores, I think [Tagovailoa] would’ve been our quarterback of the future,” Paris said. “Now I just don’t know what’s going to happen.”