Brian Flores built his teams to fight. So is Dolphins' Jeff Hafley

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MIAMI GARDENS ― After it was over, after the Miami Dolphins had lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in a game that was closer for longer than most experts predicted, everyone spoke about the fight.

The Dolphins are very young and very raw and very undermanned in the areas of roster depth and talent.

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But they competed hard until the last snap of that game.

"The way they fought," Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley said of what he liked after star running back De'Von Achane went down.

"We fought to the end," said physical linebacker Jordyn Brooks, a captain.

"We fought tough and we played our hearts out the whole game," veteran defensive tackle Zach Sieler said.

Sieler and offensive tackle Austin Jackson are the two Dolphins who know about Miami's next fight.

They're the only current Dolphins who played under Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, when he was the Dolphins' head coach from 2019-2021.

Miami's next opponent? Flores and Minnesota at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 4.

This should be a heavyweight slugfest.

Miami Dolphins to face former head coach Brian Flores

The Dolphins said Flores was fired because he failed to collaborate effectively with colleagues. Separately, Flores sued the NFL and several teams, including the Dolphins, in 2022, alleging racism in league hiring practices.

The case is unresolved. But you can bet Flores is going to throw the kitchen sink at the Dolphins' young offense in a Week 4 contest in Minneapolis. Mercy is not one of Flores' strengths.

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At times, without question, executives, coaches, players and media found Flores difficult to work with.

Without question, Flores is also a hell of a defensive coach.

At the moment, the Vikings defensive rankings are: scoring defense 2nd; total defense 12th; third-down defense 1st; sacks 1st; takeaways 6th.

Flores knows how to exploit opponent weaknesses, including inexperience.

He's going to go after youngsters like Kadyn Proctor, Jonah Savaiinaea, Chris Bell, Will Kaczmarek, DJ Herman and, yes, Malik Willis, who still has only nine career NFL starts.

Flores is going to blitz. He's going to bring pressure from everywhere and anywhere.

The Vikings have blitzed on an insane 66.4 percent of opponent dropbacks, with Tampa Bay's 39.6 percent the closest blitz rate in the NFL.

Flores is going to try to have Willis hit and knocked down as much as possible. This is a coach who recently blitzed Caleb Williams of the Bears 27 times in a game. Yes, 27 times.

It will surely be a no-holds barred Vikings attack.

It's a coincidence, but first-year Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley and Flores have Boston College roots.

Hafley was the head coach there. Flores played there.

Like Flores wanted, Hafley now wants desperately to instill a Dolphins culture of toughness, physicality and accountability.

These guys want their players to be aggressive. And early signs for Hafley is the team is headed back in that direction.

Related from SChad: Miami Dolphins’ Jeff Hafley wants team traits Brian Flores once wanted

Under former coach Mike McDaniel, speed and quick play and deception was the name of the game.

It was all about Tua Tagovailoa delivering quick passes to speedsters Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and De'Von Achane.

Well, Tagovailoa and Hill have been released, Waddle has been traded and Achane is on injured reserve.

Will the Dolphins turn now to an attempt to play "downhill" "bully-ball" behind giant offensive linemen like Patrick Paul and Kadyn Proctor? Will the offensive identity Hafley likely craves - run often and pound the rock with physicality - actually come to fruition before the completion of his first season?

Earlier this year, Dolphins offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik said: "We want to play with high effort. We are going to play physical and we are going to make sure that at the end of every game, we're held to a high standard in that regard. So like the scheme is the scheme, there's going to be some different stuff, but the style of play to me is always going to be the starting point."

Without De'Von Achane, does Dolphins' identity change?

Style of play. Identity. Without Achane, where does Miami go from here?

"I'm not going to get in the schemes," Hafley said, when asked just that. "I think any time you lose one of the best players in this league, you're going to have to change a little bit."

Facing Flores is an immense challenge. He is a skilled schemer and play-caller.

Flores even has former Dolphins edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel on his side. The Dolphins did not move to bring Van Ginkel back in free agency and he's been a pass-rush terror in the Twin Cities.

Miami will be an underdog. Again.

Miami has the inferior talent. Again.

But what Hafley and these Dolphins want badly to show, in Week 4 at Minnesota, and in every game this season, is that they are up for the fight. And they will get right up when knocked down.

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Joe Schad is a journalist covering the Miami Dolphins and the NFL at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at [email protected] and follow him on Threads and Instagramand X at @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe's free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter. Help support our work by subscribing today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Brian Flores built his teams to fight. So is Dolphins' Jeff Hafley

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