The Different Ways That Flores Factors in Dolphins Coaching Search
Based on Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross' press conference to announce the firing of head coach Brian Flores, he emphasized the themes of collaboration and communication as an organizational goal.
So in that sense the Dolphins logically have been looking for a coach who they feel can do a better in that department.
It's one way Flores will impact the search for his replacement, but there's another, more direct way he could impact the search.
Put simply, it may be that Flores could be the ticket to the Dolphins landing their candidate of choice, if that candidate happens to be Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll.
Daboll makes sense as a candidate for the Dolphins for a few reasons, including his working with Tua Tagovailoa at Alabama in 2017, but one possible complication, one thing that could stand in the way of Miami landing him if they want him is the New York Giants.
And there's where Flores comes in.
The Giants also are said to be very interested in Daboll becoming their new head coach, but owner John Mara reportedly made it a point to contact Flores before Joe Schoen was hired as GM to let him know the team would want to interview him.
Daboll completed a second interview with the Giants earlier this week, while Flores is expected to interview in person Thursday, this after defensive coordinator Patrick Graham also had an interview.
Schoen and Daboll worked together the past four years with the Buffalo Bills, which is but one reason — his work with Josh Allen clearly is another — Daboll might be as strong a candidate for the Giants as he is for the Dolphins.
So it's certainly not impossible that both the Giants and the Dolphins would make Daboll an offer, at which time he'd have to choose his best option. We laid out the advantages of each situation for Daboll, but as much as could speculate only he knows which team he'd want to coach in this scenario.
But then maybe the Giants decide Flores is their guy if he blows away Mara, Schoen and other Giants officials during his interview and offer him the job instead of Daboll.
That, of course, would clear the way for Daboll to join the Dolphins, assuming he's indeed their top choice and he'd want the job.
Aside from Flores, the Giants also are believed to have an interest in Dallas defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who had been tagged as the leading candidate to replace Vic Fangio in Denver before the job went to Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.
Daboll is one of the seven candidates who has been identified as having interviewed for the Dolphins job, along with Quinn, Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and Rams assistant head coach/RB coach Thomas Brown.
The Dolphins have kept their coaching search under wraps, refusing unlike most teams to announce completed coaching interviews, but Daboll and Joseph are the two names who have been mentioned most prominently as being leading candidates.
But it's possible — maybe even likely — the Dolphins have interviewed other candidates.
