The Contrast Between Brian Flores and Matt Patricia Since Leaving New England

The New England Patriots are the joint most successful team in NFL history.

They are level with the Pittsburgh Steelers on 6 Super Bowl triumphs.

Part of their coaching success involved both the Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores and Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia who both were a part of the Bill Belichick coaching staff.

Joining And Leaving The Patriots

Both joined New England in 2004, with Brian Flores leaving the Patriots in the 2019 Offseason to become Dolphins head coach and Matt Patricia leaving in the 2018 Offseason to become the Detroit Lions head coach.

Both enjoyed similar success in New England but it has been a massive contrast in how they have performed in head coaching roles.

Matt Patricia has had just two full seasons in Detroit but is already under pressure with some expecting him not to last the full 2020 season.

Brian Flores has only had one full season in Miami with a worse roster than the Lions but yet appears to have won over plenty of Dolphins fans and looks like he could have a brilliant head coaching career after a good rookie season.

There appears to be a huge difference in the two relatively short careers of both head coaches and it appears to be their man-management skills and relationships with players.

Brian Flores, 38, has been noted to be a brilliant teacher. His ability to command respect has been noticed by plenty and a few Patriots players have come out with praise for Flores.

“His best attributes are his smarts, mettle and ability to encourage people to strive and achieve a common goal. He is a better man than he is a coach”.

Issues In Detroit

Meanwhile, Matt Patrica appears to be going down the Adam Gase route with his ability to fall out with his players easily. This was seen with the trade of cornerback Darius Slay to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Slay has come out since the trade and has publicly criticised Matt Patricia. Whilst speaking with the Detroit Free Press, he was quoted to have “lost all respect” for Matt Patricia.

Slay referred to the fact that Patricia was not an “elite” cornerback despite Slay earning a pro bowl selection in the previous season.

Slay was also said to have been called out by Patricia in front of the Lions players.

We have certainly not heard this with Brian Flores.

It seems that perhaps Patricia is trying too hard to be like Belichik whereas Flores appears to just being himself.

Whereas Matt Patricia is being criticised by players he has coached, Brian Flores continues to gain praise.

Kyle Van Noy reunited with Brian Flores when he signed for Miami during the 2020 free agency period.

Van Noy came out and praised Flores. The new Miami Dolphins linebacker said it was an easy decision to join and that he “respects Flores for what he is about off and on the field”.

Van Noy also referred to the grit and competitiveness of Flores in reasons why he wanted to join the Dolphins. This is in addition to the energy that Van Noy said that Flores brings, something Van Noy feels is “what you want from a coach”.

We have not seen Brian Flores receive public criticism and equally we have not seen this level of praise shown by Kyle Van Noy in any current or former Detroit Lions players when referring to Matt Patricia.

Brian Flores appears to be building something in Miami and has brought plenty of players in during the off season to help the Dolphins build off the 5-11 record they finished the 2019 season with.

Miami finished the season with a 5-4 record down the stretch. Miami will be excited after the breakout year of Devante Parker as well as the exciting bridge quarterback and future quarterback combo of Ryan Fitzpatrick and Tua Tagovailoa.

Brian Flores has something to work with in South Beach whereas Matt Patricia appears on his last chance which could affect his future head coach prospects.

In conclusion, Brian Flores and Matt Patricia may have spent over a decade each alongside the best coach and dynasty of all time but their head coaching careers have turned out to be very very different to each other.

For more like this, you can visit our opinion section or our analysis section. Also, follow us on Facebook and Twitter for news, views, competitions, and much more.