It’s finally official for Flores
‘Whirlwind:’ New coach takes helm after his defense delivers Patriots championship
DAVIE — The Brian Flores era has begun in Miami.
One day after leading a New England Patriots defense that held Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay and one of the most potent offenses in the NFL to just a field goal in the Super Bowl, Flores jumped on a plane with his family and traveled to South Florida to be introduced as the new Miami Dolphins head coach on Monday.
“It’s been a whirlwind 24 hours,” Flores said with a smile, as his wife Jenny and children Miles, Maxwell and Liliana looked on during his introductory press conference.
Flores — the 37-year-old, firsttime head coach — and the Dolphins officially agreed to terms on a deal Monday morning, shortly after the Patriots beat the Rams, 13-3, in Super Bowl LIII on Sunday night in Atlanta.
Flores was the first of six candidates to interview for the Dolphins job with team owner Steve Ross and general manager Chris Grier on Jan. 4. He became known as Miami’s top candidate on Jan. 11.
The Dolphins have been consistently mediocre with a 199-201 record since 1994, missing the playoffs 15 times in the past 17 seasons.
Ross and Grier hope Flores, who won four Super Bowls and has coached in seven championship games with the Patriots, can lead the Dolphins through a rebuilding process and recreate New England’s winning ways in Miami.
“Every week, we’re going to go out there with the idea we’re going to win a game,” Flores said when asked directly about the team’s perceived plans of tanking this coming season to improve the roster for sustained success, as Ross and Grier have implied.
“There’s going to be pain in that, too. There are going to be bumps in the road … there will be some pain, we know that.” Brian Flores, new Miami Dolphins head coach
“There’s going to be pain in that, too. There are going to be bumps in the road … there will be some pain, we know that.”
Flores, wearing a black suit with a striped teal tie, spoke for nearly 20 minutes on a variety of topics including his team-first philosophy, his time under Patriots coach Bill Belichick, his Honduran family’s upbringing in Brooklyn, and his rise through the coaching ranks.
Flores knew he wanted to become a head coach after helping the Patriots win Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014, but did not expect to be one as soon as he did.
This season was the first Flores, New England’s linebackers coach the past three years, filled the role of Patriots’ defensive playcaller, despite not having the official title of defensive coordinator.
Flores had been with the Patriots since 2004, where he began as a scout for four years, before he joined the coaching staff in various roles the past 11 years.
“I was not in a rush to be a head coach,” he said. “I had a great job in New England.”
But Flores’ leadership qualities and plans for short-term and long-term success piqued the interest of Ross and Grier and they hired him as the new Dolphins coach.
And the Dolphins’ plans for the same potential success aligned with Flores’ vision for his first head coaching job.
“What we were looking for was a leader,” Ross said, “and that was probably the most important aspect of what we were looking for as opposed to what we’ve seen a lot of the other teams looking for offensiveminded coaches because of the success of Sean McVay and other great offensive minds.”
Flores, who is of Honduran descent, will be the first Hispanic coach and the second black coach (interim Todd Bowles) in Dolphins history.
Flores will also be the second Hispanic coach in the league (joining Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera, who is Puerto Rican) and the third black coach in the NFL (along with Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin and Los Angeles Chargers coach Anthony Lynn).
With Flores and Grier, the Dolphins will be the only NFL team to have a black coach and black general manager.
“When you call people around the league, and people he’s worked with, and players, they all said [he] has leadership, is a leader of men, the presence he has, how he carries himself, and how players connect with him and want to play for him,” Grier said of Flores.
The Dolphins have not won the AFC East since the 2008 season, and have not won a playoff game since 2000. They have not won a Super Bowl since winning back-to-back titles in 1972 and 1973.
They may not be close to accomplishing those lofty goals just yet, but they hope Flores and his winning pedigree can lead the Dolphins in a winning direction.
“We’re going to do everything possible to win games, build a culture, and build a winner here,” Flores said.