The long-planned rebuild of the Miami Dolphins seems to have failed after seven losses in a row. Will the next rebuild now follow without head coach Brian Flores and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa?

Miami / Munich – It wasn’t that long ago that the Miami Dolphins seemed to be one of the NFL’s up-and-coming teams. 

After narrowly missing the playoffs last season with ten wins, this year’s opening win against the New England Patriots raised hopes for a successful season. What followed, however, was the biggest possible crash.

The following seven games were all lost.

Head coach Brian Flores must fear for his job, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for the loss of his role as starting quarterback.

And some Miami fans may already be wondering if there could be a repeat of the 2007 season, when the Dolphins managed just one win. 

It took Flores a while to come to terms with his team’s 11-26 defeat on Sunday. If he usually goes before the press shortly after the end of the game, this time he took more than an hour. “I just sat there,” he admitted. “This is a tough defeat. Unfortunately, there have been quite a few defeats already.”

The Head Coach revealed that he had discussed the matter with team owner Stephen Ross and General Manager Chris Grier immediately after the game. He would not reveal anything about the contents of the conversation.

Was he concerned that he might be sacked? “No,” he replied, “I’m just worried about the players. I’m worried about how to make the players better. “

Criticism from Dolphins icons

But one thing is clear: Things are getting restless around Miami.

The Dolphins completed a rebuild in recent years that earned them a combined five first-round picks in 2020 and 2021. This was supposed to be the turnaround to a successful future. That very plan is now in danger of failing completely.

Former Dolphins player and Hall of Famer Larry Csonka has taken to Twitter to call for another “total rebuild”, writing, “Sad times for Dolphins fans, hoping for better days. But it’s obvious you need to get back to basics and go to the drawing board. “

Sad times for MiamiDolphins fans. Hoping for better days ahead. But it seems obvious it’s time to get back to basics and revisit the drawing board. MIAvsBUF totalrebuild

– Larry Csonka (@Larry_Csonka39) October 31, 2021

Hall of Fame defensive end Jason Taylor, another Dolphins icon, also publicly criticized the playcalling.

Now, the ex-pros do not have any decision-making power within the franchise. However, it is also clear that they are not alone in their opinion.

Third weakest offence, worst defence

The numbers speak for themselves: the offense averages only 301.9 yards per game. This is the third weakest value in the NFL. The same applies to the running game, which only manages 78.6 yards per game.

The defence is even weaker: an average of 406.9 yards allowed is the weakest value in the league. The pass rush is not working either. Twelve sacks are the fourth lowest in the league.

This is especially bitter considering Flores should be a defensive specialist due to his past with the New England Patriots (linebackers coach, juice coach, etc.). 

Still, the Dolphins don’t want to let it get them down. “Of course it’s disappointing,” said offensive tackle Christian Wilkins. “But I refuse to pull my head down because of it. I’m sure some people expect us to. But we’re not going to do that. “

Deshaun Watson to succeed Tua Tagovailoa?

At the same time, the question arises as to how this unsuccessful season can possibly be salvaged.

One name that is often mentioned is that of Deshaun Watson. A trade would have to take place by the deadline tomorrow, 2 November.

However, the legal situation surrounding the currently inactive Houston Texans quarterback is likely to make that difficult. Watson continues to face 22 civil sexual harassment lawsuits. An NFL suspension could also follow.

So continue to rely on Tagovailoa after all?

After all, the No. 5 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft has shown decent upside, completing a decent 65.6 percent of his passes this season. In addition, he threw only ten interceptions in his 15 NFL appearances. In eight games he did not throw into the opponent’s hands.

The ability to act as a leader and lead his team to victory in difficult situations, which is so important for a quarterback, is not yet apparent.

But perhaps that would be too much to ask of a team in a downward trend.