Flores’ focus: Beating Bengals, not draft order
Allow Brian Flores to channel his inner Herm Edwards and remind the Miami Dolphins fan base the same thing the former NFL head coach famously stated after a game to remind skeptics the goal should always be to “play to win the game.”
The Dolphins are favored to do just that for the first time this season when the Cincinnati Bengals (1-13) come to town this Sunday, and Flores, the team’s first-year head coach, has no intentions of instructing his coaches or players to take their foot off the gas, no matter the draft consequences.
“I don’t know whose narrative that is,” Flores said Monday when asked about the possible draft-day ramifications that accompany a victory on Sunday. “Like I’ve said all year, we’re trying to win every game. That’s my thought process.”
However, it is likely doubtful that general manager Chris Grier, who was named the top executive in the organization when Mike Tannenbaum was fired as the team’s vice president of football operations following the 2018 season, shares the same thought process.
Grier’s job is to keep the organization focused on the bigger picture, and there could be circumstances associated with pulling off a win on Sunday against a Bengals team that has scored less points than the Dolphins this season.
If the Dolphins beat the Bengals they will be eliminated from securing the No. 1 overall pick, which will likely be used on LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, or Ohio State pass rusher Chase Young, who are viewed as the transformative players in the 2020 NFL draft.
If the Dolphins finished this season 4-12 they would likely secure the fifth pick, which would keep Miami in range to select Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa, if the injured quarterback declares for the draft.
However, if the Dolphins beat the Bengals and then upset the New England Patriots on the road on Dec. 29, the Dolphins could slide as low as ninth.
When it comes to the trade-value chart, which NFL teams typically use as a guideline to execute draft trades, the difference between pick No. 3 and No. 5 is 500 points, which is the equivalent to the 40th pick in the draft. A slide from pick No. 3 to No. 9 is the equivalent of 800 points, or the 21st pick in the draft.
Losing to the Bengals keeps the first overall pick in play for Miami, but the Bengals would have to beat the Cleveland Browns at home in their Dec. 29 season finale for a three-win Dolphins team to land the No. 1 pick.
Considering Cincinnati has been as putrid as Miami this season, it’s hard to imagine a Zac Taylor coached team instantly getting hot with a potential franchise quarterback, one who happens to be from the state of Ohio and grew up a Bengals fan like Burrow, on the line.
“Every week is hard in this league. The Bengals have played well the last few weeks,” Flores said of a Cincinnati squad New England just defeated, 34-13. “It will be a tough game, just like every game is in this league.
“We’re going to play a tough competitive team, and we’re going to have to play well just like every other week if we want to win.”
A loss this Sunday would also improve Miami’s chances of moving up to pick No. 2 in the draft, which would be essential if Young were the ideal target.
The Giants, who visit the Washington Redskins this Sunday, possess the second overall pick despite just beating Miami, 36-20. One of those teams gets to four wins this Sunday unless a tie comes into play.
The Dolphins, Giants and Redskins share the same record heading into this Sunday’s games, but the Giants possess the No. 2 pick because of their inferior strength of schedule, which is the first tiebreaker component when it comes to draft picks.
“Chase Young is a transformational pass rusher, and we may have hurt ourselves by moving back a few spots in the draft. So, it’s these really mixed feelings,” Tannenbaum said. “Later that night you have to step back and say, `Hey, we’re trying to build something special for the next 10 years and we may have lost out on a really good player that’s hard to find.’ ”