On Wednesday, January 10th, the Miami Dolphins fired head coach Brian Flores after having multiple disgruntled relationships with players/staff (Tua Tagovailoa, Chris Grier) throughout the building. The Miami Dolphins as of right now, will look to press the reset button on the coaching staff, shifting their main focus to developing their young quarterback in Tua Tagovailoa.
Doug Pederson
Style: Offensive minded, RPO offense
Some may think, why the hell should the Dolphins sign Doug Pederson? Well, he does have a pretty tight history with the Miami Dolphins. Pederson served as Dan Marino’s backup from 1992 to 1995, and still to this day, they are pretty close friends. During his tenure in Miami, Pederson helped Don Shula (RIP) win his 325th game as an NFL head coach.
As an NFL head coach, Pederson has been in the league for quite a while now and has been pretty successful. Pederson’s NFL career started off in the Andy Reid coaching tree, which is one that consists of Eric Bieniemy, Sean McDermott, Ron Rivera, John Harbaugh, and Matt Nagy (these are the biggest names). In five seasons with the Eagles, Pederson managed to total up a 42-37-1 record, racking up two NFC East titles, three seasons above .500, and ended the Eagles long super bowl drought, taking down Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots 41-33.
Pederson is one of the very few head coaches out on the market that have a good amount of head coaching experience. Between Pederson’s relationship/history with the Dolphins, and his NFL resume as an NFL head coach, hiring Pederson would make a lot of sense for Miami and their future going forward.
Accolades: 42-37-1 regular season record, 4-2 in playoffs, x1 Super Bowl Champion as a coach, 10 year career as an NFL quarterback
Jim Caldwell
Style: Offensive minded
Jim Caldwell is one of the very few head coaches out there that has had lots of NFL experience with success in the NFL. After the retirement of Colts legend and HC Tony Dungy following the ‘08/’09 season, Caldwell was given his first head coaching gig in the NFL. Caldwell led the Colts to Super Bowl XLIV with a 14-2 record. Unfortunately, they were taken down by Sean Payton and his New Orleans Saints. The following season, Caldwell led his Colts to an 10-6 record with a AFC South title the very next year. He was then fired following the 2011 season in favor of Chuck Pagano after Peyton Manning suffered from a season-ending neck injury. The Colts finished 2-14 that season.
Caldwell was then hired to become the Baltimore Ravens new offensive play caller, which resulted in a Super Bowl XLVII victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
Following the 2013 season, Caldwell was given another opportunity to become an NFL head coach from the Detroit Lions. In his first season with Detroit, they managed to go 11-5. Years after that, Detroit went 7-9, 9-7, and 9-7 again before being released from the team. Caldwell racked up a record of 36-28 with two playoff appearances in four seasons.
The last time we saw Caldwell was in Miami for a very short time as the assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach in Brian Flores’ first season. I say a very short time because Caldwell left the team in the month of June due to medical issues.
Jim Caldwell is like an older and more experienced Brian Flores, but better with relationships. He’s one who provides a great amount of leadership, one who’ll take punches in the face for his players, and is one who’ll bring a calming and soothing presence to any organization he goes to. More importantly, Caldwell is responsible for the developments of many successful NFL quarterbacks which include Peyton Manning, Joe Flacco, and Matthew Stafford (Probably one of the best quarterback gurus in the league). Miami needs to bring in all the help they can get for their franchise quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa. They need to give him a fair shot, make him feel good. Build a great offensive minded staff around him and give him some talent. More importantly, Caldwell is known for treating players with respect, which is something Miami has had troubles with for the past three years (Brian Flores). Prove the haters wrong Miami!
"Yeah, I loved playing for him, I still remember when he was coming in for his visit. I got a chance to sit down and talk with him. And he blew me away. I wasn't expecting that. Just his presence. Unique. He's a great person, and that came through when he talked and in how he treated people."
-Matthew Stafford
"Caldwell treated us with respect. To be honest, Caldwell had more rules (than Matt Patricia). But, Caldwell did it in more of a professional way. We always had a big issue with our shirts tucked in during practice. He (Caldwell) didn't cuss you out about it. He would politely ask to have our shirts tucked in, give you one warning and then you get fined. It wasn't that big of a deal."
-Darius Slay
Accolades: 62-50-4 regular season record, 2-4 playoff record, 2x Super Bowl Champion (0 as a head coach), 3x Super Bowl Appearances (once as a head coach).
Jim Harbaugh
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This one is a bit shaky, mainly because Jim Harbaugh may wanna stay at Michigan rather than going back to the NFL. Despite Dolphins Owner, Stephen Ross’ statement “I will not be the one to take Jim Harbaugh away from Michigan”, if Harbaugh declares he’s leaving, Stephen Ross will give him a blank check and bring him to South Beach. Ross is a Michigan Alumni, and he’s had interest in Harbaugh taking over the team in the past. If Miami wants him, they’ll certainly get him. Stephen Ross is known for getting what he wants, he’s a baller. Harbaugh would bring a good amount of interest to South Beach (Like Flo) In free agency and possibly towards the coaching staff which would be huge for the Dolphins and their young players.
In his four seasons as an NFL head coach, Harbaugh never finished a season under .500. Harbaugh finished 13-3 in his first season (2011), 11-4-1 in 2012, 12-4 in 2013, and 8-8 in 2014. At the college level, Harbaugh in total has totaled a 119-51 record (coached at San Diego, Stanford, Michigan). Harbaugh is a great talent evaluator who can build successful football teams, just look at Michigan. Harbaugh led that team to a 12-2 record, which has only happened two or three times in program history! This signing would echo throughout the league for weeks and bring heavy interest from players and coaches who need a new home.
Accolades: 44-19-1 in the regular season, 5-3 in playoffs, 119-51 college record, 1 Super Bowl Appearance, 1x NFC Conference Championship.
Brian Daboll
Style: Offensive minded, RPO offense
Brian Daboll was Tua’s OC at the University of Alabama his freshman year, which resulted in a National Championship after replacing Jalen Hurts in the first half. This is why Daboll should be Miami’s number one priority. If they want Tua to succeed, they need to bring in the best possible options to help him develop into a successful NFL quarterback.
Brian Daboll has no head coaching experience in the NFL, but what he has done with the Bills offense in recent years is pretty impressive. Since joining the Bills in 2018, he has helped lead the team to a total record of 40-25 and a AFC Championship appearance. The Bills offense for the last two years has ranked in the top five in total yards (#2 in 2020, #5 in 2021) and points (#2 in 2020, #3 in 2021). The Bills rushing numbers have also drastically improved from 2020 to 2021 in the yards, attempts, and touchdown categories (2020: #17 in attempts, #20 in yards, #15 in touchdowns. 2021: #13 in attempts, #6 in yards, #7 in touchdowns), which is one of Miami’s biggest issues. Daboll is more of a pass-first guy rather than a “grind the clock out” kind of guy. The Bills passing offense has also ranked in the top ten for the past two seasons, which is mainly because of the commitment and development of Josh Allen. The tag team of Brian Daboll and Ken Dorsey (who he could lure into Miami as an OC if Daboll signed, was a former QB of the Miami Hurricanes) transformed Josh Allen from a mediocre selection to one of the best QBs in the NFL. Miami needs to find a candidate whose focus is on building the offense and drastically improving Tua Tagovailoa, and I believe that Brian Daboll would be the guy to do it.
The two biggest reasons for this signing would be for the development of Tua Tagovailoa and he was the OC of the Buffalo Bills. Daboll would be very familiar of what the Bills do defensively and potentially offensively, their strengths, weaknesses, etc. Brian Flores was the DC of the New England Patriots before signing with the Dolphins to become their new head coach. Flores was 4-2 overall vs Bill Belichick and his former team, mainly because he is very familiar with what they do. Signing Daboll would put Miami at a big advantage and would be the next big step to taking over the AFC East.
*Brian Daboll was the OC of the Miami Dolphins back in 2011 under former head coach Chuck Pagano. Daboll was released after 13 games.
Accolades: 2017 National Champion (Alabama’s OC), 5x Super Bowl Champion (Positional/Assistant Coach)
My favorite candidates in order:
Brian Daboll
Jim Caldwell
Jim Harbaugh
Doug Pederson
OVERALL: Miami needs to find a guy who will put their focus on the offense to more importantly help with the development of Tua Tagovailoa, while maintaining the defense’s high level of play. This is a different type of NFL now, you need to score points to win games, which is something Miami has lacked for some time now. I believe that one of these four guys can create a massive impact on the development of Tua Tagovailoa and their offense. More importantly, stay consistent throughout the season, make the post-season, and treating their players the right way.
Brain an J I'm Harbaugh will be a perfect team