Flores reportedly completed a deal to become the Dolphins' next coach earlier this monthGETTY IMAGES
Should the Dolphins hire Patriots assistant coach Brian Flores as their new coach after Super Bowl LIII, as expected, the team will finally have a "clear chain of command," according to a source cited by Adam Beasley of the MIAMI HERALD. Flores "will report" to Dolphins GM & Exec VP/Football Operations Chris Grier, who will in turn report to Owner Stephen Ross. That power structure is the "way some Ross confidants have suggested he run his team for years, but Ross never could bring himself to do it." Former Dolphins coaches Joe Philbin and Adam Gase "both answered only to the owner, inevitably creating conflict and even dysfunction at time." This will be a "more buttoned-up organization." Beasley: "Just ask Dolphins players. Even they have heard little from the team about its direction since the season ended three and a half weeks ago." It is a "strange time for the Dolphins, as the man they want to someday lead them to the Super Bowl prepares for the championship game -- as the de facto defensive coordinator" of the Patriots (MIAMI HERALD, 1/24). Boston-based WCVB-ABC's Mike Lynch reported Flores "completed his deal to become the head coach" of the Dolphins "during the first week in January." An official announcement will come "after the Super Bowl" (TWITTER.com, 1/23).
STILL ROOM FOR GROWTH: The AP's Steve Reed noted while the NFL league office "continues to receive high grades for its racial hiring practices, a diversity report shows there are still major strides needed at the team level." The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport in its annual racial and gender report card gave the NFL as a whole an A- for its racial hiring -- the "ninth straight year it has received a grade or A- or better." The league "received a C for gender hiring, giving it an overall grade of a B in racial and gender hiring practices." While the study's author Richard Lapchick said that the league's grade for racial hiring "was 'impressive,' he cautioned that the league's 32 teams simply need to do a better job of hiring people of color" (AP, 1/23). USA TODAY's Jarrett Bell notes the report, based on '18 data, is "already outdated given that it doesn’t account for the current hiring cycle." The "regression in the ranks" for minority coaches and GMs this offseason is "clearly a bad look for the NFL" (USA TODAY, 1/24).
LAYING THE GROUNDWORK: In DC, Mark Maske reports the Fritz Pollard Alliance "plans to ask the league to add two positions per team to help increase the number of minorities in the coaching pipeline." Fritz Pollard Alliance Chair John Wooten said that the organization "will request that the NFL commit to having each team add two minority coaches in low-level, quality-control positions." Wooten said that the step "would give opportunities for minority coaches to get into the pipeline, gain experience and earn promotions toward becoming position coaches, offensive and defensive coordinators and, eventually, head coaches." The new positions "would include one for each side of the ball, offense and defense." Wooten said, “I truly believe if the league is committed to diversity and inclusion, this is the way to go.” Maske notes it is "not clear if the NFL will comply with the request" (WASHINGTON POST, 1/24).
