By Andres Cruz

Season after season for almost two decades, Dolphins fans have started every football season with optimism towards the growth and game play of the Dolphins–only to be met with continuous disappointment. For the last three consecutive seasons, Miami has been under the leadership of now former head coach Adam Gase. To say the least, Adam Gase’s reign as head coach in Miami had been one full of faults and mishaps that ultimately destined the Dolphins for defeat.

However, this past Monday a new ray of hope has dawned on the Dolphins organization with the hiring of new head coach Brian Flores. Although not a household name, Flores for sure is a very experienced and well respected coach within the NFL who brings with him a promising possibility for greater change to Miami Football.

It’s not only his humbled persona and cut-throat work ethic that makes him stand out among other head coaches in the league, but also his unique backstory.

The son of Honduran immigrants, Flores grew up poor in the impoverished neighborhood of Brownsville, Brooklyn, New York. “This game is the one thing that leveled the playing field for me”, Flores said when explaining how football opened up doors of opportunity for him to make it out of poverty and advance in life. Eventually, his hard work and determination on the field gave him the chance to play football for Boston College as a linebacker.

He played for the BC Eagles all four years of college, but during his senior year, he obtained an injury that extinguished any chance he had of ever playing pro ball. The following year in 2004, He joined the New England Patriots as a scouting assistant.

His love for the game drove him to move up the ladder in the organization coaching every aspect of the team from offense, special teams, safeties, and his last position with New England as defensive coordinator after Matt Patricia’s departure after last season.

“I moved up the ranks and fell in love with coaching”, he said about his experiences within the Patriots franchise.

During his first press conference as Miami’s head coach on Monday, Flores expressed his gratitude for the position and how he feels this is the perfect fit for him.

“We’re going to do everything possible to win games and to build the culture and build a winner here”, he said.

As confident as he might be in his ability to create positive change in Miami, he also knows it’ll be a challenge, and not an easy one. “There’s definitely bumps in the road”, said Flores. “There’ll be some pain, we know that.”

Coach Flores’ impressive track record, including leading a defense that prevented the number two offense in the NFL from scoring a touchdown during the Superbowl on Sunday, has for sure left a newfound sense of optimism within fans and his fellow Dolphins employees as well.

“Two things that stand out immediately when you meet Brian are his football intelligence and leadership skills,” said Dolphins general manager Chris Grier.

With the Dolphins being a team that hasn’t won a playoff game in eighteen years, it’s more than understandable for fans to not get their hopes up and meet the new head coach with some cynicism. However, Coach Flores’ humble background  and proven results on the field make him stand out in a positive light compared to Miami head coaches in the past. As rocky as the road forward may be, there’s no doubt that Brian Flores is the best bet for the team.