Dolphins Head coach Brian Flores 'wouldn't disrespect the game' by tanking

[HOUSE]

Maybe the Dolphins know things no one else does. Or maybe the term tanking just rubs first-year coach Brian Flores the wrong way.

The Miami coach, offering what has become the company line despite parting ways with most of its veteran talent this offseason, reiterated Sunday that the team isn't actively looking to lose in 2019.

"This game means a lot to me," he said, per Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald. "I wouldn't disrespect the game with that. Again, no, we're not. We're going to try to win every game. I think that's disrespectful to even to say that. ... It's disheartening to hear people talk about it, to even say that. For a guy who respects the game as much as the game has done for me, when people say that, it's extremely sad."

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001046023/article/brian-flores-wouldnt-disrespect-the-game-by-tanking

Edited September 2, 2019 by HOUSE

[Boca BIlls]

Shut the ***** up and be truthful for once. It's Ike they think the fans are stupid... 

 

I personally would love for them to be just good enough. That way they need to trade the world just to move up.

[HOUSE]

Geograph

[BobChalmers]

“I wouldn’t disrespect the game with that. Again, no, we’re not. We’re going to try to win every game. "

 

In fairness - there's a difference between tanking the off-season, and tanking the regular season.

 

Flores appears to be taking a narrow definition that only refers to how hard they will try to win (with the roster they have) during the season.

 

It's the reporter's fault for not grasping that and following up.

 

Btw - I think this was absolutely the right move for the Fish - they've had a good look at Rosen, and it was probably obvious to them he's not the answer at QB - so they need to get their franchise QB thought the draft - either next year or 2021.  This sets them up very well to try for that.

 

Miami got a lot of good value - Houston is going to regret this trade - horribly if Watson gets hurt (yet again).  Not having a GM to balance the Head Coach is bad.

Edited September 2, 2019 by BobChalmers

[Cripple Creek]

Many, many, many here were calling it a tank the last time the Bills made the playoffs.  

[aristocrat]

That team is going 0-16

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

GM Grier:  “Here, Coach Flores, here’s the roster from the movie ‘Second String’.  You might not be tanking, but...”

*

EDIT:  Couldn’t the Dolphins just fire Flores, and hire Wrecks and Rob to do the ‘voodoo that they do so well’?

Edited September 2, 2019 by Ridgewaycynic2013

[Steptide]

4 minutes ago, aristocrat said:

That team is going 0-16

I actually think they'll pull out a few games with Fitz, but I don't see them winning more than 2 or 3 games at most. Then again, the jets were supposed to be the worst team in the NFL a few years ago and they won 6 games, so who knows 

[CLTbills]

54 minutes ago, Boca BIlls said:

Shut the ***** up and be truthful for once. It's Ike they think the fans are stupid... 

 

I personally would love for them to be just good enough. That way they need to trade the world just to move up.

In all fairness, people said the same about Beane, McDermott, and the Bills two years ago. Beane had a similar reaction... and McDermott took the Bills to the playoffs for the first time in 17 years ?‍♂️

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

1 minute ago, CLTbills said:

In all fairness, people said the same about Beane, McDermott, and the Bills two years ago.

Some still do!  ?

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

56 minutes ago, HOUSE said:

 

Geograph

.....it will just come "natural" for them...........

 

 

[Billzgobowlin]

Just remember two years ago everyone accused the Bills of tanking and we were just getting rid of people that didn't fit a plan.  I personally would have never drafted Tunsil and Alonso wanted out.

[ThurmasThoman]

The entire sporting world thinks Miami is tanking because they're running out a first year NFL coach and giving him a team led by Ryan Fitzpatrick and very limited talent at the skill positions.

 

In Buffalo, that was our situation for 3 straight seasons, in which we finished 4-12, 6-10, and 6-10. Then, we splurged on a .500 college coach from Syracuse, and drafted EJ Manuel as the savior.

 

Oh, and this was all taking place after a decade+ of failing to qualify for the playoffs.

 

And the best part is, fans had the nerve to get mad at people like Jerry Sullivan for not writing positive articles about the team, and being optimistic.

 

I'm thankful for the situation we have now, but you're going to have to excuse the national media if they're slow to warm to Buffalo. We have a very proven track record of being a joke of an organization.

[Billzgobowlin]

2 minutes ago, JohnnyGold said:

The entire sporting world thinks Miami is tanking because they're running out a first year NFL coach and giving him a team led by Ryan Fitzpatrick and very limited talent at the skill positions.

 

In Buffalo, that was our situation for 3 straight seasons, in which we finished 4-12, 6-10, and 6-10. Then, we splurged on a .500 college coach from Syracuse, and drafted EJ Manuel as the savior.

 

Oh, and this was all taking place after a decade+ of failing to qualify for the playoffs.

 

And the best part is, fans had the nerve to get mad at people like Jerry Sullivan for not writing positive articles about the team, and being optimistic.

 

I'm thankful for the situation we have now, but you're going to have to excuse the national media if they're slow to warm to Buffalo. We have a very proven track record of being a joke of an organization.

I feel like they warmed up to Cleveland very fast even if they trade for jokes like Beckham and have a head hunter like Landry and a domestic abuser like Kareem Hunt.  

[dollars 2 donuts]

Why would you have to tank when you just plain stink?

[HOUSE]

The Beard will screw up the tank, he went to Harvard you know...

[RobbRiddicksTDLeap]

33 minutes ago, Billzgobowlin said:

I feel like they warmed up to Cleveland very fast even if they trade for jokes like Beckham and have a head hunter like Landry and a domestic abuser like Kareem Hunt.  

 

Cleveland made all the right media moves. Big splash Heisman QB, upcoming young inventive HC, big name players on defense. 

 

But...

 

They’re still the Browns. They still play in Factory if Sadness, and there are far to many egos on that team for them to make a real run. 

 

Ill take McBeane’s approach any day of the week over what the media thinks. 

[JPP]

Best Non Tanking job i've seen...lol....actually got to give them some credit...they did quite the fleece job to the dumb texans no doubt.....

Edited September 2, 2019 by JPP

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

38 minutes ago, JohnnyGold said:

And the best part is, fans had the nerve to get mad at people like Jerry Sullivan for not writing positive articles about the team, and being optimistic.

Not debating any of your valid points, but should WNY consider trading Sullivan to a media outlet in Dade County?

[TigerJ]

I can accept that Flores is going to do his best to win every game.  The problem from Miami fans is that when it comes to personnel decisions, Miami's management is doing their best to try and lose every game.  So, they are tanking despite the best efforts of Flores and the scrubs who are left on the Dolphins.

[RobbRiddicksTDLeap]

I’m still shocked at what they pulled on the Texans. 

 

Kenny Stills is not good. He’s a decent enough player, but he’s not a game breaker. And Tunsil hasn’t done a thing yet in the league. He’s big and strong and has good technique, but he’s not 2 1sts good and $50 million in guaranteed money good. 

 

Soon enough, the NFL will look more like the NBA. 

[mjpbills]

Kiko to New Orleans.

 

[ThurmasThoman]

17 minutes ago, RobbRiddicksTDLeap said:

 

Cleveland made all the right media moves. Big splash Heisman QB, upcoming young inventive HC, big name players on defense. 

 

But...

 

They’re still the Browns. They still play in Factory if Sadness, and there are far to many egos on that team for them to make a real run. 

 

Ill take McBeane’s approach any day of the week over what the media thinks. 

Agreed.

We were getting the same press when Rex came to town.

"Is this thing on? Cause it's gonna be."

Destroyed the Colts in the opener--it felt like the hype was justified.

It obviously came crashing down shortly thereafter.

I expect similar results in Cleveland. I would be very surprised if they finished above .500.

My gut feeling on that is a lesson I have learned (well, I have to relearn it every year) with the Patriots, as I am in the New England area myself: just because I know the name of a football player, it does not mean that they are good. And conversely, just because a unit can be made up of guys who look like they have been working at Target for the past year (and they very well may have been), does not mean that with good coaching and a good system, they can't be stars. 

It is not just New England that operates this way--Pit does as well, they just happen to be little brothers to the juggernaut that is New England.

But just look at James Conner: last season the talk was all about LeVeon Bell, no one was paying Conner any mind, he was an afterthought, someone who could never replace Bell's production. Now, he's one of the studs of the league at RB, and the media talks about him like it's a given that he's a star. 

I'm obviously not making any earth shattering points here, and like my father, I'm taking 1000 words to say what could be said in 100, but my only belabored point is this:

I wouldn't be surprised if Miami finishes with more wins than Cleveland this year.

But the addendum to that is, my surprise and 5 nickels will get you a quarter, so I also wouldn't be surprised if Cleveland won the Super Bowl this year.

Happy Labor Day all.

[mannc]

Shut up, Brian.  No one ever accused YOU of tanking.  To paraphrase the late, great Jerry Krause, “Coaches don’t tank football seasons.  Organizations do.”

 

 

 

4 minutes ago, JohnnyGold said:

 

I wouldn't be surprised if Miami finishes with more wins than Cleveland this year.

 

Wanna bet?

Edited September 2, 2019 by mannc

[Rocket94]

1 hour ago, dollars 2 donuts said:

Why would you have to tank when you just plain stink?

Thats exactly it! Why these thinly veiled attempts to please everybody's sensibility. Just admit that your team is a mess and you are selling out. Tell you what, if calling it tanking makes you uncomfortable, then you are free to call it something else.

Edited September 2, 2019 by Rocket94

[BITE ME]

1 hour ago, Cripple Creek said:

Many, many, many here were calling it a tank the last time the Bills made the playoffs.  

 

The Bills were rebuilding, not tanking. Their defense was actually very good that year.  The Dolphins are tanking. They are trading away All-Pros and have no talent anywhere. They are essentially the Cleveland Browns. It worked for the Browns.  Maybe it will work for them.  Guessing they go 2-14. Maybe 1-15.

Edited September 2, 2019 by FUTURIST

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

Flores already “disrespected” the game by agreeing to coach the Dolphins.  ?

[Royale with Cheese]

In a gun battle, the guy with the knife wants to win the fight....but probably won’t since he’s ill equipped.

[Cripple Creek]

16 minutes ago, FUTURIST said:

 

The Bills were rebuilding, not tanking. 

Beauty is in the eye...

[Gugny]

1 hour ago, Cripple Creek said:

Many, many, many here were calling it a tank the last time the Bills made the playoffs.  

 

This is a great point.  

 

Tanking, to me, means the team is trying to lose.

 

I think what Miami is doing here and what Buffalo did two years ago was more of a preparation for the future ... a "PROCESS," if you will.

 

But the mindset wasn't, "okay, let's lose a shitload of games so we can get a top 3 pick," IMO.  I think it was, "let's see who we've got who can stick around as we build this team back up; let's play to win and hope for the best; but losing is not the end of the world - as long as we get something out of it."

 

I do think the Bills' season in 2017 was a fluke.  I also believe that the Dolphins will comfortably be in the double-digits for losses.  But I do not think Buffalo tanked; and since I was one of the people who DID accuse Buffalo of tanking, I am not going to jump to that conclusion with Miami.

 

[1ManRaid]

He's "not tanking" in the same sense that retreating is really just "tactically advancing in the opposite direction".

[BobChalmers]

2 hours ago, JohnnyGold said:

And the best part is, fans had the nerve to get mad at people like Jerry Sullivan for not writing positive articles about the team, and being optimistic.

 

Jerry Sullivan is a TROLL - worse than most of the trolls here.

 

He wrote negative articles constantly that often flew in the face of any logic.  He did this to drum up hits on his incendiary headlines.  He even admitted himself once he didn't necessarily believe his own crap.

 

The BEST PART is - some people don't get that he was TROLLING YOU

[BarleyNY]

1 hour ago, Gugny said:

 

This is a great point.  

 

Tanking, to me, means the team is trying to lose.

 

I think what Miami is doing here and what Buffalo did two years ago was more of a preparation for the future ... a "PROCESS," if you will.

 

But the mindset wasn't, "okay, let's lose a shitload of games so we can get a top 3 pick," IMO.  I think it was, "let's see who we've got who can stick around as we build this team back up; let's play to win and hope for the best; but losing is not the end of the world - as long as we get something out of it."

 

I do think the Bills' season in 2017 was a fluke.  I also believe that the Dolphins will comfortably be in the double-digits for losses.  But I do not think Buffalo tanked; and since I was one of the people who DID accuse Buffalo of tanking, I am not going to jump to that conclusion with Miami.

 

 

I did not ever think that Buffalo tried to tank.  Their problem was sticking with Tyrod and trying to win as much as they could while rebuilding.  Then they were in the hunt for the playoffs (which they made) and made some moves like acquiring Kelvin Benjamin to try to help them get there.  Their purge was more about ridding the team of players that didn’t fit their systems than anything else.  Obviously they also purged a lot of contracts eating up cap space.  That wasn’t a tank.

 

Cleveland tanked.  Miami is tanking.  Both of those teams tore their rosters down to the studs, acquired as much future draft capital as they could and went from there.  And now that I think about it, Indy did a mini tank job for a season to get Luck by starting a garbage QB all season long.  

[ALLEN1QB]

TANK YOU

[Gugny]

1 hour ago, Royale with Cheese said:

In a gun battle, the guy with the knife wants to win the fight....but probably won’t since he’s ill equipped.

 

All the guy with the knife needs is a friend like Andy Dalton.

[DaBillsFanSince1973]

1 minute ago, Gugny said:

All the guy with the knife needs is a friend like Andy Dalton.

I see what you did there.

[Reed83HOF]

1 hour ago, Royale with Cheese said:

In a gun battle, the guy with the knife wants to win the fight....but probably won’t since he’s ill equipped.

 

[Ga boy]

1 hour ago, JohnnyGold said:

Agreed.

We were getting the same press when Rex came to town.

"Is this thing on? Cause it's gonna be."

Destroyed the Colts in the opener--it felt like the hype was justified.

It obviously came crashing down shortly thereafter.

I expect similar results in Cleveland. I would be very surprised if they finished above .500.

My gut feeling on that is a lesson I have learned (well, I have to relearn it every year) with the Patriots, as I am in the New England area myself: just because I know the name of a football player, it does not mean that they are good. And conversely, just because a unit can be made up of guys who look like they have been working at Target for the past year (and they very well may have been), does not mean that with good coaching and a good system, they can't be stars. 

It is not just New England that operates this way--Pit does as well, they just happen to be little brothers to the juggernaut that is New England.

But just look at James Conner: last season the talk was all about LeVeon Bell, no one was paying Conner any mind, he was an afterthought, someone who could never replace Bell's production. Now, he's one of the studs of the league at RB, and the media talks about him like it's a given that he's a star. 

I'm obviously not making any earth shattering points here, and like my father, I'm taking 1000 words to say what could be said in 100, but my only belabored point is this:

I wouldn't be surprised if Miami finishes with more wins than Cleveland this year.

But the addendum to that is, my surprise and 5 nickels will get you a quarter, so I also wouldn't be surprised if Cleveland won the Super Bowl this year.

Happy Labor Day all.

With Pitt and NE, the QB makes the cogs turn.  Bills are solid contenders if we had either of those QBs. There are about 5 other NFL QBs that would make our Bills legit (Mahomes, Rodgers, Stafford, Ryan, Brees).  Hopefully, JA becomes a QB mentioned with the best.  This Sunday at 4:30, we'll know a lot more.  Go Bills!!

[Beast]

The Bills went 9-7 a couple years back after selling off some pieces.

 

You just never know.

 

 

[BillsVet]

37 minutes ago, BobChalmers said:

Jerry Sullivan is a TROLL - worse than most of the trolls here.

 

He wrote negative articles constantly that often flew in the face of any logic.  He did this to drum up hits on his incendiary headlines.  He even admitted himself once he didn't necessarily believe his own crap.

 

The BEST PART is - some people don't get that he was TROLLING YOU

 

How do you a troll an organization that goes 3-13, 8-8, 6-10, 9-7, 5-11, 7-9, 7-9, 7-9, 6-10, 4-12, 6-10, 6-10, 6-10, 9-7, 8-8, 7-9, 9-7, 6-10 from 2001-2018?  They barely won 41% of their games during those years.

 

I guess Jerry shoulda had more unicorns, fairys, and leprechauns for everyone to feel happy during that stretch.