The campaign to choose the lucky ones from among the six vacant coaching positions is raging. And Ryan Fitzpatrick (ex-QB) chose to take shots at his former coach Brian Flores. In his podcast, the former quarterback looked back on their shared period in Miami, between 2019 and 2020.
“The first year, Miami got rid of all their good players. We jokingly called it the year 'Tank for Tua'. Halfway through the year there was a change in the way he worked. We hadn't won a game yet. Brian Flores was likeable, we identified with him, he asked a lot of his players but at the same time he got the best out of them. And I really appreciated him for that. But over time he became unrecognizable. »
Fitzpatrick added that he lost many good relationships with the coaches who worked under him and his leadership turned into a dictatorship.
“In interviews he will be nice. But when we ask him for a reference from someone who coached under him to get their opinion, he won't be able to give anyone. He burned a lot of bridges. He isolated himself from the entire staff rather than having the humility to ask questions and collaborate. In the end, he became a dictator. He lost a lot of relationships he built in the NFL. His ego became so big that there was no room for anyone. »
But Fitzpatrick specifies that it was only with his staff. Otherwise, he was greatly appreciated within the franchise.
Brian Flores improved on the Vikings?
The former quarterback, however, wanted to end on a more positive note. Flores learned a lot from his first experience and according to Fitzpatrick, he deserves a second chance.
“I honestly think he learned a lot. He just has to be himself because he's a really great person when he does that. You shouldn't try to be someone else or try to imitate Bill Belichick. This will be super interesting to follow in any case. »
Brian Flores finished with a record of 24 wins and 25 losses in three seasons with the Dolphins. Since then, he has coached as a defensive assistant and linebackers coach with the Steelers before taking over the defensive coordinator position with the Vikings. While he is open to all proposals for a head coach, this media outing from his former player should not add fuel to his mill, quite the contrary.
