The Dolphins Way

Flo may be the only successful coach coming from Belichick’s coaching tree. He may be the only one who truly understood the formula for turning a lost franchise into a long lasting powerhouse contender (aka the Patriots Way). Here are some few things I think he did right.

1. It takes no talent: this was his philosophy last year with a nearly empty roster. Basically, it requires no talent to do the fundamentals correctly. And it’s the little things, if done right, that can turn the game around. Last year we were the sixth least penalized team. And this year - fourth. This is reminiscent of Shula who abhors penalties. Both Flo and Shula understood mastering fundamentals is what separates a game winning play from a game crushing loss. On offense, the priority is ball security. On defense, it’s being aggressive ball hawks. And we haven’t seen a lot of bone-headed plays this year. Even spotty Fitz improved in his last 2 games.

2. Next man up: Van Ginkel, Needham, Ahmed, Seiler, Laird, Grugier-Hill, Shaheen, Hollins and a few other depth players and practice squads materials. How did they just burst into the scene? Sure Grier deserves credit for bringing them in, but coaches positioned them to excel.

Look at Patriots like Welker, Hogan, Amendola, Woodhead - these were cast offs and UFAs who made their marks with the Pats. They didn’t make the cut with the first teams that signed them and they didn’t make much of an impact after they left New England (except Welker). So how did Belichick make them shine? Whatever secret sauce Belichick injected into those players, I see Flo doing the same here.

3. Culture: Flo is often and well credited for changing the culture. And we hear each week from players: they’re hungry! I haven’t seen this spark and swagger in a long time. Gase and Philbin didn’t allow it. In press interviews, I keep hearing players talk about how they’re still “work in progress.” Can you imagine how explosive this team will be when they’re running on all 8 cylinders?

Moreover, this team plays for Flo. They’ve bought into his system and philosophy. Team chemistry and dynamics flow through him. Even when he made the surprising switch to Tua, players were shocked but supportive. No team turmoil. I can’t imagine locker room support for this under Gase.

In short: Flo may be the only Belichick disciple who understood the winning formula. And with Grier making sure we have healthy draft picks and salary cap position each year, we may be witnessing the building blocks of a dynasty in the making.