An 0-2 start for the Miami Dolphins in Year 2 of their rebuild isn’t exactly what anyone expected out of this team. After the Dolphins charged through the finish line of the 2019 season with 5 wins in their final 9 games, an improved roster was expected to bore quicker fruits for the Dolphins than this — we’re nearly out of September and Miami has yet to log a win. And their last chance will come tonight against the Jaguars; an 0-3 start is very much on the table for Miami and the team would be locked out of a September win for the second consecutive season under the watch of Brian Flores.
But there’s nothing to panic about, at least not yet. Because amid all of the craziness of this summer and the uncertainty about a football season and the amended training camp schedule, rebuilds sometimes just take time. Worst to first transformations happen, but sometimes the rebuilding process takes multiple years of laying the foundation. Take, for example, the San Francisco 49ers.
Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh took over the 49ers in 1979 after a 2-14 season. In San Francisco’s previous 5 years before Walsh arrived, the 49ers had just one winning season. Sound familiar? But Walsh’s first season in San Francisco was a disaster. The team was 2-14 once again and then the following year 6-10. From there, Walsh’s 49ers teams would win three Super Bowls in eight seasons and never won less than 10 games in a season if you omit the strike-shortened 1982 season.
Walsh’s rebuild of the 49ers organization can serve as a reminder that these things can require patience and if the process is good, results will follow. The Dolphins saw great process from Brian Flores in the first year of the regime — and the team rebuilding efforts were also good process this offseason. The team spent at high-value positions and drafted with volume in the early rounds, ensuring the team had more opportunities to hit in the proverbial football lottery.
Perhaps you’re uncomfortable comparing Brian Flores to Bill Walsh. That’s fine. Kyle Shanahan’s first two years in San Francisco featured a 10-22 record before winning 13 games in Year 3 (plus a Super Bowl appearance). Jimmy Johnson’s first two years in Dallas with the Cowboys featured an 8-24 record before winning 11 games in Year 3 and a Super Bowl in Year 4. Pete Carroll’s first two seasons in Seattle? 14-18 before logging 11 wins in Year 3 and a Super Bowl in Year 4.
There are plenty of examples of struggles coming before successes — but if you’ve got the right person atop the organization leading the charge, the process will lead to the results. That’s what the Dolphins are banking on with Brian Flores. We should bear that in mind as the Dolphins continue to look to find their footing early on.