The Big Lead

Tua Tagovailoa Reveals Just How Much of a 'Terrible Person' Former Dolphins Coach Brian Flores Was

By Joe Lago

Sep 12, 2021; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores talks with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) during a timeout during the second half of a game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 12, 2021; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores talks with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) during a timeout during the second half of a game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports / Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
facebooktwitter

The difference between Brian Flores and Mike McDaniel as Miami Dolphins head coach is clear in their win-loss records. Flores went 24-25 in three seasons with no playoff appearances. McDaniel has gone 20-14 in two years with back-to-back postseason runs, both wild-card losses.

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa passionately believes the disparity between Flores and McDaniel goes beyond wins and losses.

The 2020 No. 5 overall pick has flourished under McDaniel, whose quick-strike offensive attack has capitalized on Tagovailoa's passing accuracy. The first-time head coach's ever-present positivity has also boosted the QB's confidence.

That wasn't the case under Flores, according to Tagovailoa.

In an interview on "The Dan Le Batard Show," Tagovailoa described the relentless doom and gloom he experienced in his two seasons under Flores.

"To put it simplest terms, if you woke up every morning and I told you, 'You suck at what you do, that you don't belong doing what you do, that you shouldn't be here, that this guy should be here, that you haven't earned this right,'" Tagovailoa recalled, "and then you have somebody else come in and tell you, 'Dude, you are the best fit for this. Like, you're accurate. You're the best whatever, you're this, you're that. Like, how would it make you feel listening to one or the other?"

"Regardless of what it is, the good or the bad, and you hear it more and more, you start to actually believe that," he added. "I don't care who you are. You could be the President of the United States. If you have a terrible person that's telling you things that you don't want to hear or that you probably shouldn't be hearing, you're going to start to believe that about yourself.

"And that's what ended up happening to me. It's basically been two years of training to get out of (that negativity). Not just me but a couple of the guys as well who've been here since my rookie year."

Flores was fired by the Dolphins after going 9-8 in 2021. Unable to land another NFL head coach position, he sued the NFL and its 32 teams alleging discriminatory hiring practices against him and other Black coaches. Flores is currently the Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator after spending two years with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach.

In Flores' final year in Miami, Tagovailoa missed four games due to injury but threw for 2,653 yards and 16 touchdowns with 10 interceptions and a 90.1 passer rating. He immediately became a different QB under McDaniel.

In 2022, Tagovailoa led the AFC with a 105.5 passer rating and threw for 3,548 yards and 25 TDs and just eight interceptions, but a Week 16 concussion kept him out of the playoffs. Last season, he earned his first Pro Bowl nod after passing for an NFL-best 4,624 yards.