"There is a really negative vibe down there right now" - Brian Flores reportedly losing Miami Dolphins locker room

After a surprising 10-6 season in 2020, head coach Brian Flores and the Miami Dolphins are expected to take another step. They will contend for a playoff spot or give the top division team, the Buffalo Bills, a run for their money.

After Week 7, the Dolphins are 1-6 behind a pair of losses to two beatable teams - the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Atlanta Falcons. The team has lost six straight games after upsetting division rival New England Patriots in the season opener.

The loss to the 0-6 Jaguars fueled the organization’s existing doubts about Brian Flores’s direction with the team. Sunday’s loss to the Falcons only solidified these thoughts with no optimism in sight for the Dolphins.

The team has a lot of issues, but the most obvious one involves quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. The second-year QB dealt with inconsistent playing time last year. This year coming off of an early injury, he is dealing with swirling trade rumors to Houston for QB Deshaun Watson.

Miami Dolphins quaterback Tua Tagovailoa

Reports indicate that team players are not happy with how coach Flores handles Tagovailoa’s development by not showing confidence or trust in the young player.

The common theme going around the locker room seems to be that players simply do not trust the coach. If the reports are true, the atmosphere around the Dolphins’ players and Brian Flores is more closed off than open.

“Tank for Tua” was a popular sentiment heading into the 2019 season. The Miami Dolphins got their QB after going 5-11 and selecting Tagovailoa number 5 overall. He was the number one overall prospect until he suffered a serious hip injury while playing for Alabama.

Similar to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Dolphins and Brian Flores employed a “process” to rebuild a franchise from the ground up. This was meant to be ideally around a cornerstone player. By all accounts, Tua Tagovailoa was to be that player. Although he is 7-6 in career starts, his career still only spans 13 games. Many felt that it was too soon to declare whether Tagovailoa was a bust or not.

Despite Tagovailoa’s uneven play thus far in his career, the rest of the team has their own issues. The Dolphins’ defense took a step back this season, giving up almost 30 points per game.

Other issues plague the team, such as injuries to the wide receiver corps. Another issue is Brian Flores's inconsistent usage of running back Myles Gaskin. Some players also questioned the teams’ decision to take a bye week after their international game in London against the Jaguars.

Heading into the second half of the season, Brian Flores’s tenure as head coach of the Miami Dolphins is no doubt in the hot seat. Whether he can turn the season around will depend on the team playing better defense. They need to get their WRs healthy and be on the same page as Tagovailoa. Moreover, Flores needs to gain the trust of his players.

Brian Flores is another Bill Belichick disciple looking to establish his own success. Hence, critics will question a lot of his methods (and by extension, Belichick’s methods) if he does not deliver in Miami.