Dolphins' Latest Coaching Move Shows Shift Away From Patriots' Philosophy

The decision to part ways with a former Patriots staffer shows how Brian Flores can't fully invest in what he learned in New England if he wants to succeed in Miami.

On Monday, it was announced that the Miami Dolphins parted ways with offensive coordinator Chad O'Shea. It was a bit of a surprise, as Miami's offense had a bit of a resurgence in the second half of the season once quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick became the full-time starter. The unit also had a game for the ages in Week 17, as they picked apart New England's defense in the regular season finale to come out with the team's fifth win of the season.  

But lo and behold, the "what have you done for me lately?" mantra didn't matter to head coach Brian Flores, which is why O'Shea is now unemployed. 

But why did Flores cut ties with a staffer that he brought with him from New England? According to one Dolphins reporter, Miami wants to shift away from the Patriots' philosophy on offense. 

"A word that players often used to describe the Dolphins' offense this season was 'complex.' With a lot of young players and a young quarterback likely coming in, the Dolphins seem to be switching from a Patriots-style offense and toward a spread scheme that Gailey prefers to run‬," ESPN's Cameron Wolfe wrote Tuesday morning. "O'Shea had spent the previous 10 years as the Patriots' receivers coach."

Miami is in the middle of a rebuild, which is why they have gathered draft capital for the 2020 draft. Bringing in young offensive skill players and having them try to learn a complex offensive system like the Patriots will be troublesome, and ultimately, a long process, which will prolong the Dolphins' rebuild. 

This idea can be seen this season in New England. Players like Jakobi Meyers and N'Keal Harry, both who are rookies, have struggled to grasp the Patriots' offensive playbook, which is why Meyers has struggled to earn playing time and Harry didn't come on and produce consistently up until three weeks ago. It's in part the same reason why veterans like Mohamed Sanu, who were acquired mid-season, have continued to struggle within the offense. The different option routes based on what the defense presents in front of them makes New England's playbook one of the most, if not the most difficult scheme to understand in the NFL. 

Flores knows when he brings in a rookie QB next season and some other young offensive talent, they will be better off learning and playing within a spread offense, which is why Miami has pulled Chan Gailey out of retirement to run their offense in 2020. This is a smart head coaching decision by the first-year head coach. Planning for the future is what he needs to do, and this is one of many moves Flores had already made to do just that. He's continuing to make smart decisions, which is bad news for the Patriots.