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- Mar 19, 2019
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By any honest accounting, the Dolphins have probably overachieved this year.
But a 4-11 record and his own background in New England gives coach Brian Flores the awareness to know that it’s not enough, and that his old boss, the football Scrooge himself, won’t have any changes of heart by the time Sunday’s season finale rolls around.
“Look, I was with Bill for 15 years. I know him very well. He knows me very well. At the end of the day, I have a lot of respect for him. I learned a lot from him,” Flores said, via Nick Goss of NBCSportsBoston.com. “I’m fortunate to have worked with that organization for a long time. But I know this about him: He’s going to try to beat the heck out of us. And he knows this about me: We’re going to do the same. That’s why I was in the [Patriots] building. I’m competitive by nature. I think that’s something I tried to impart on the players that I was around. So, I know they’re competitive. I love those guys, they love me, and I know that. So, from [Devin] McCourty, to [Patrick] Chung, to [Kyle] Van Noy, to [Elandon] Roberts to [Dont’a] Hightower — I built relationships with these guys that go far beyond football. I know that.
“But on Sunday, we’re going to be competing against each other and nobody’s going to care about any of that stuff. I think that’s the same with Bill, and that coaching staff and all the guys there — Josh McDaniels, Joe Judge. The friendships go far beyond football. I know that, and I think Bill knows that. But at 1 o’clock on Sunday, they’re going to be on the other side, and we’re competing, and we’ll be friends after those three to four hours.”
The Patriots still have playoff seeding to play for. The Dolphins only draft position. But as Flores tries to get his team to the level of his old one, those lessons learned should have value.