MIAMI _ He's 38 years old and a first-time NFL coach and as the Miami Dolphins prepare to begin their 2019 NFL season, Brian Flores is already showing his inexperience.
We saw that inexperience a couple of weeks ago when he decided to challenge one of his players by, of all things, playing music.
No seriously, music.
It wasn't so much that Flores played eight consecutive Jay-Z songs in a row at practice one day after receiver Kenny Stills criticized the mogul's agreement with the NFL _ although that was strange for a coach who says he values focus on football.
it was that Flores played the songs during the open portion of a practice. And that allowed reporters to witness the challenge firsthand. And that created stories about Stills and the Dolphins that had practically nothing to do with winning and losing football games.
Even Stills was amused by the tactic. The previous week he talked about getting death threats. And music was supposed to test him?
"It's just music," Stills said, shaking his head.
C'mon, coach.
Throughout the preseason, the most interesting thing about the Dolphins _ other than following the Stills activism saga and all that included _ was how the Dolphins picked a starting quarterback.
And early on Flores made the point the Dolphins are under no grand pressure to play Josh Rosen. Which totally boggles the mind.
Miami traded a second- and fifth-round pick for Rosen in April. The Dolphins need to figure out if Rosen is a not just a "flier," as they dub him, but also a lander. And there are only 16 games to get that done _ 16 opportunities to evaluate Rosen in real games before Miami must decide if he's their guy or not.
And Rosen is not the starter?
In a season in which getting a read on him is about the only significant question the Dolphins must answer?
Anyway, the whole handling of Rosen has been weird. Flores argued weeks ago Rosen didn't need to get first-team snaps for coaches to decide if he was capable of winning the job. He argued Rosen didn't need to see starting-caliber opponents to give coaches a good evaluation before making their decision.
Then, two days later, he put Rosen in with the first-team offense. And he talked about how Rosen benefited from practicng with the starters and seeing Todd Bowles' first-team defense in the dual practices with Tampa Bay. And he started Rosen in that preseason game.
So did Flores have a sudden change of philosophy, like, in the middle of a quarterback competition?
C'mon, coach.
And now we come to how the Dolphins are handling the entire 2019 season.
Look, you know they're tanking. I know they're tanking. The Dolphins know they're tanking.
No, the players aren't giving up. No, coaches are blowing off practice. But the roster has been decimated of talent in such a way that success will be difficult. The Dolphins have weakened themselves on purpose.
And that is certainly tanking.
Miami just traded away arguably their two most accomplished and durable offensive players in exchange for 2020 and 2021 draft picks. And however wonderful you feel about those future picks, you must know it means the Dolphins are not as good today as they were before the trade.
This trade ensures short-term pain in exchange for possible long-term gain.
The entire Earth is aware of this
But Brian Flores doesn't see it that way. In fact, he's gotten somewhat indignant at the mere mention of the topic the last two times it's come up _ once at the NFL annual meeting in March and once on Sunday.
"This game means a lot to me," Flores said Sunday. "I wouldn't disrespect the game with that. Again, no we're not (tanking). We're going to try to win every game. I think that's disrespectful to even say that.
"These guys have worked extremely hard. They've done that all summer, they do it all spring, and they'll continue to do so. It's disheartening to hear people talk about it, to even say that.
"For a guy who respects the game and for as much as the game has done for me, when people say that � you shouldn't say it."
So it's disrespectful to say it. But it's not disrespectful to actually do it?
C'mon coach.
Stop insulting people's intelligence.
The idea that Miami traded Tunsil, likely replacing him this season with newly acquired Julien Davenport, who allowed 12 sacks last season in Houston, is worsening the team's chances of winning in '19. On purpose.
And that's tanking.
The wide receiver room didn't get stronger by trading Stills. It got weaker.
And that's tanking.
Trading Kiko Alonso, who has started 46 games, made 350 tackles, delivered six interceptions and forced six fumbles the past three seasons in Miami, to New Orleans for a special teamer who has 14 combined tackles the past two seasons is not making the Dolphins a better team this year.
Or any year, actually.
And yet the Dolphins paid $1 million of Alonso's salary to send him off.
So, please, don't show me a random rock and tell me it's a diamond.
Now, it can be argued Flores has to say and do these things. He has to challenge players in front of reporters. He has to confuse everyone with the handling of the QB competition. He has to deny the truth about tanking for league or locker room consumption.
Bunk.
The players in Miami's locker room see what has transpired since March. So does the NFL. They've seen QB competition fits and starts. They listened when Flores had to clarify to them what he was thinking about Stills. And those guys working "extremely hard" see the team sending talent hurtling out of their locker room.
C'mon, coach. No one is fooled.
One last thing on the tanking: Flores should avoid the topic altogether in the future.
If he is asked, instead of acting as if he's been somehow aggrieved and insisting the Dolphins aren't tanking, which they are, Flores should say the Dolphins are making moves the organization believes will ultimately be for its good. And however folks on the outside want to portray that process, that's their concern and not his.
C'mon, coach. It's not that difficult.
