FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. _ One NFL coach started the 2019 season 0-7, won five of the last nine to end his first year, and is off to a 2-3 start through five games in 2020.
The other started 1-7, won six of the last eight games to end his first season with his new franchise, and is off to a 0-5 start this season.
The math says they both have the same record, 7-14, in that span.
But Brian Flores and the Miami Dolphins could not be drifting into a direction further away from the abyss New York Jets coach Adam Gase finds himself in before both teams play on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium.
The Dolphins just experienced their most well-rounded performance of the Flores era in a wire-to-wire victory last week against the San Francisco 49ers.
A win on Sunday would take Miami to .500 for the first time under Flores, the coach the Dolphins hired after parting with Gase at the end of the 2019 season when Miami signaled it was proceeding toward a full-scale rebuilding process.
"Everybody is trusting Coach Flo. ... We believe in what he's coaching us each and every day, and the message he's getting across," Dolphins tight end Mike Gesicki said.
"You've got to buy into the head coaching. I think that's what everybody in this locker room has done. We've just got to continue to stack good days and continue to get better."
The Jets, on the other hand, are reeling, with Gase _ the Dolphins coach from 2016-18 _ in danger of being fired after a poor start and failing to show any true progression from last season's 7-9 campaign.
Starting quarterback Sam Darnold suffered a sprained shoulder that will cause him to miss his second game this season on Sunday, after he missed three games due to mononucleosis early last season. Former Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco, who is 6-0 against Miami while with Baltimore, will start.
Most recently, the Jets abruptly released standout but misused running back Le'Veon Bell this week. The Dolphins courted Bell before he signed with the Kansas City Chiefs late Thursday. Bell, the ex-Steelers star running back, had signed a four-year, $52.5 million deal with the Jets last year.
"It's obviously not the way we've pictured things going," Gase said of his Jets run after leading the Dolphins to a 23-25 record and a playoff berth in three seasons.
The Dolphins are starting to see their picture come into focus as Flores and general manager Chris Grier have re-constructed the roster with youthful talent in free agency and during the last two NFL drafts, with rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa as Miami's prime addition.
The victories did not come early or often for Flores and the Dolphins. But the team seems to be turning a corner based on 16-year veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick's play, a revamped defense starting to gel as the season progresses, and young players beginning to find their footing in the NFL.
Learning how to win is an area of growth where the Dolphins need to continue evolving as Flores constantly works to inspire his players and coaches to perform at their optimum level for the betterment of the franchise.
"I'm a guy who is always trying to learn and always trying to get better. So just from a leadership standpoint, I just think it's important to be authentic and to be honest," said Flores of his coaching approach.
"I don't have all of the answers. I tell the players that. But I'm constantly working to find the right answers. I think it's about being genuine and being authentic. I think at the end of the day, I'll have peace with my actions and the things I say, regardless of how things go."
While the Dolphins are striving for .500 this week, Gase and the Jets are simply looking for their first win of the season.
Gase has turned around a poor start before, during his first season in Miami, when he helped the team rebound from a 1-4 start to reach an AFC wild card game in 2016. It marked just the second time since 2001 the Dolphins had reached the playoffs.
The Jets may not have what it takes to make such a run this season, but Gase is hopeful he can turn his second season in New York around.
"I think it's interesting because that 2016 year, starting 1-4, finding a way to win one and short-term focus about getting better every day and really not look too far ahead," Gase said. "That was a good reason why we were able to turn things around was guys weren't looking two, three four weeks ahead of time. They were focused on the task at hand.
"That's something that just applies to what we're going through right now (in New York). It's not easy. That's what the NFL is. It's a day in, day out test of can you handle adversity, and how you stick together and how you prepare for the next game."
The one-day-at-a-time approach has been the foundation of Flores' tenure, with many Dolphins players often repeating the mindset their coach has imparted to them.
"I'll be honest: We're just trying to take it one day at a time right now. "I'm not looking too forward into 2020. I'm not looking too forward into 2021," Dolphins safety Bobby McCain said.
"We're really focused on the Jets and try to keep those long-term thoughts and where we think we're supposed to be, where we think we're supposed to be to a minimum. We're just focused on trying to get one win this week."
