The Dolphins announced yesterday that offensive line coach Pat Flaherty had been fired after just a few months on the job. This move may seem shocking, considering the team was only four practices into their 2019 training camp camp. The pads have only been on for two of those practices — so what could make a team fire a position coach this early?
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, “Flaherty struggled to implement the new system, and it’s been an issue since the spring.”
So far, the offensive line has struggled in camp and has looked unprepared. The most damning issue may have come down to the embarrassing short yardage periods on Saturday and Sunday — the Dolphins defensive line did whatever they wanted with Flaherty’s group. The fact that Rapoport mentions that this has “been an issue since spring” shows that head coach Brian Flores was not liking what he saw during organized team activities (OTAs) from his line, either.
Flores’ T.N.T. (Takes No Talent) wall lays everything out that he could possibly want out of his players. The mental mistakes have to be limited if they want to build a winner. When an individual player makes a mistake, it’s off to the wall. But when the issues arise by same group over and over again, it falls back on the coaching.
This firing is a testament to Flores’ commitment to his players and their development. This move shows that he wants to teach them and develop them — and unlike Adam Gase he’s not above owning a mistake and making a change that is for the benefit of his players. So while the change on the offensive line is troublesome, Flores has made the move now for a reason — it provides his team and his players the best chance to get the execution down once the games count.
