Brian Flores Experience: T.n.t. Wall, One-line Mantras And More In Miami | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Brian Flores Experience: T.n.t. Wall, One-line Mantras And More In Miami

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A football sloppily tumbled to the ground on this mid-May Miami Dolphins practice. Quarterback Josh Rosen scrambled to recover the ball behind undrafted rookie center Ryan Anderson's feet. An assistant coach yelled and sent both players jogging to the T.N.T. wall.

It was the third under-center exchange that Rosen and Anderson had botched in their first six attempts. Even during the first organized team activity open to the media, the blunders were hard to ignore.

https://www.espn.com/blog/afceast/p...t-n-t-wall-one-line-mantras-and-more-in-miami
 
"It's my personal mantra, and I feel like I have a lot of respect for time. I really do. It's precious. We shouldn't take it for granted."

Music to my ears.

I have a great deal of respect for each second of the day.

When I first heard about the TNT wall I thought it was a goofy gimmick. Now? I'd like to hang a smaller version of that in my sons room.

And to think, coaching and scouting are also his strengths.
 
""I tell my players this -- I can go out there and get conditioned if I just go out there and run every day. I'm not going to do that, not like they do; but I could do that. Any of us in here can do that. That really takes no talent; it just takes hard work, effort," Flores said. "Everybody talks about, 'This guy is talented; that guy is talented.' The talent on the team and a lot of things in this game come down to focus, execution, not making a bad penalty. Really, that's not a talent issue. It's a focus issue; it's a mindset issue. I try to, and us as a staff, we try to make an emphasis of those specific things. Things that take no talent, I think those are the details that help you win games."


^^^Great Stuff right there that emphasizes that, Yes! Some teams are more talented than others. But for the most part(outside of some key positions like QB), the overall talent is pretty close. We as Dolphins fans know this well It's usually the lack of execution, the untimely penalties, the bone headed plays, the mental laps etc that more times than not separate winning and losing games.
 
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""I tell my players this -- I can go out there and get conditioned if I just go out there and run every day. I'm not going to do that, not like they do; but I could do that. Any of us in here can do that. That really takes no talent; it just takes hard work, effort," Flores said. "Everybody talks about, 'This guy is talented; that guy is talented.' The talent on the team and a lot of things in this game come down to focus, execution, not making a bad penalty. Really, that's not a talent issue. It's a focus issue; it's a mindset issue. I try to, and us as a staff, we try to make an emphasis of those specific things. Things that take no talent, I think those are the details that help you win games."


^^^Great Stuff right there that emphasizes that yes some teams are more talented than others. But for the most part(outside of some key positions like QB) the overall talent is pretty close. We as Dolphins fans know it's the stupid lack of execution, the untimely penalties, the bone headed plays, the mental laps etc that more times than not separate winning and losing games.

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Exciting article to read, as fans this is how we want to win, as a team with these values.

I think it’s an important approach to have sustainability and long term dynasty goals.


“I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is the moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle, victorious.”

“Morally, the life of the organization must be of exemplary nature. This is one phase where the organization must not have criticism.”

“I’ve never known a man worth his salt who, in the long run, deep down in his heart, didn’t appreciate the grind, the discipline.”

“There is something good in men that really yearn for discipline.”

Lombardi

Flores has a very strong belief in his core values not just as a football coach, but as a human being, he believes a man should carry himself with these morals and values in the prefrontal cortex or their brain..

Maybe just maybe we have a man of such conviction about these morals and values that he could be the next..
 
This is an excellent article and it highlights Flores' excellent approach to the leadership of men. People are in the NFL because they have talent. Success depends on every person working their hardest to prepare physically, mentally, and educationally to execute the team's plan without hesitation or error. I like that he starts meetings early … make sure the mindset of preparedness takes hold early and often.

As a huge Don Shula fan, I'm keenly aware of the need for discipline and preparedness. Flores' approach resonates with me. Here are a few of the tidbits most on this board do not know about Don Shula and the basis of the winningest coach in NFL history. Today players dread two-a-days and the most recent CBA either limited or eliminated it entirely. But, Don Shula would have five-a-day sessions, getting his team--all of his team not just the starters--all the reps they could physically handle, and the players called him all kinds of bad names for it. But, they were better prepared than their opponents, possessed better stamina than their enemies, and made far fewer mistakes than the other team, because they had practiced more, given more, and prepared more.

Shula did not tolerate mental errors, and his teams ran like Swiss watches, in perfect synchronicity. Almost every year they were the least penalized team in the NFL … because he did not tolerate mental errors. His teams performed like well-oiled machines, and the only modern day team that comes even remotely close to this efficiency is the New England Patriots … but they practice less than half the amount of time Shula required of his players. Today's teams are limited by a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that prevents practicing for very long each day …. and limits the number of padded practices to something like only 18 per season.

Today's NFL is like a summer camp compared to those old NFL days, when Shula did not even allow water on the sidelines for practices. But at the end of games and the end of seasons, the Dolphins were very strong. Being better prepared physically and mentally, they achieved consistent success. They developed a winner mentality and a killer instinct. Every time they took the field they KNEW they were better prepared than the equally talented athletes across the line of scrimmage from them … and they were confident that they were going to win because of it.

I have my reservations about Flores & Co., but his approach to prioritizing hard work, and all of the devices highlighted in this article that support it, are exceedingly important if the Dolphins are going to succeed long-term. I'm not expecting immediate success, and I'm a fan who will remain loyal despite the tough times ahead. But if Flores is successful in instilling this work ethic into our players, we will be successful. After all, that's at the basis of most successful NFL teams, including one near and dear to our hearts, Don Shula's Miami Dolphins.

Let's make that first step back towards greatness. It's time to move the Dolphins back to their rightful place atop the AFC East and eventually the NFL.
 
Having focus and being mentally prepared with talent will give you a long career. Example, Larry Fitzgerald. Even in the twilight of his career, when the talent alone can't carry him anymore, his work ethic and game knowledge keeps him firmly planted as a good WR.
 
Having focus and being mentally prepared with talent will give you a long career. Example, Larry Fitzgerald. Even in the twilight of his career, when the talent alone can't carry him anymore, his work ethic and game knowledge keeps him firmly planted as a good WR.

Rarely will talent alone do it (Randy Moss). Never will commitment/work ethic alone do it. Together, an average player can save a long career as a starter
 
Having watched the excellence of the Don Shula era it was tough for me to buy into guys like Joe Philbin and Adam Gase. Digital, do you remember the 12 minute run the team had to do at the end of every practice? The players bitched and moaned but in 1972 they pull off a season the the franchise can be forever proud of. Zero losses, all season, and rolled right through the Super Bowl. Honestly, there hasn't been a lot to be proud of lately. I believe you can't win until you align FO, HC and QB. You have to be strong in all 3 areas to move forward in the NFL. We're getting closer. I feel great about the FO and the HC and I feel like we have a good shot at having our franchise QB in the fold.
 
Having watched the excellence of the Don Shula era it was tough for me to buy into guys like Joe Philbin and Adam Gase. Digital, do you remember the 12 minute run the team had to do at the end of every practice? The players bitched and moaned but in 1972 they pull off a season the the franchise can be forever proud of. Zero losses, all season, and rolled right through the Super Bowl. Honestly, there hasn't been a lot to be proud of lately. I believe you can't win until you align FO, HC and QB. You have to be strong in all 3 areas to move forward in the NFL. We're getting closer. I feel great about the FO and the HC and I feel like we have a good shot at having our franchise QB in the fold.
The gassers they called 'em. Didn't recall that they were at the end of practice, but I do recall the players moaning about all the running! And catching every technique mistake they ever made because Shula had eyes in the back of his head and saw everything two fields away! No slacking!
 
The gassers were what they ran sideline to sideline pretty much every day in practice. The 12 minute run, I believe happened during training camp. And like Kiick once said about the 12 minute run, "if I'd wanted to run cross country, I'd have gone out in High School."
 
The 12 minute run was early in the morning on the first day of training camp. It wasn't every day. The players were openly hostile to that tactic. Many of them publicly criticized it, saying it was stupid and had no value. Some players eventually started faking their way out of it, or basically not trying. I remember Mark Duper never took it seriously. Once that happened the remainder of the roster grew more resentful especially when players like Marino were allowed to skip it year after year or basically not try at all.

By the early '90s there was far more criticism than awe. I remember the Herald running an article with rookies and young veterans ridiculing the drill. The theme of the article was that this would have never happened 20 years earlier when players were too scared to say anything. The conclusion was that the world and league were changing but Shula had not.

Give me talent and smarts. You can have all the work ethic and meetings that start early. I've basically never met anyone with great talent level who felt the need to start early. They have confidence that their superior instincts and decision making will carry the day, while the late blooming stiffs have to get going at 5 AM.

During the '70s we had mega talented guys like Griese and Warfield who also happened to be ultra smart and resourceful. Joe Thomas was a genius in talent acquisition.

The problem with the Dolphins over the past 20ish years has been too many mediocre minds in high positions, making a string of mediocre decisions in keeping with their overall caliber. Once a genius breaks through the ranks then he is sharp enough to identify and surround himself with people who are similarly a cut above the norm. The league is so incredibly balanced and designed to remain that way that it is difficult to break sharply in either direction. Every offseason is flooded with tales of improved everything, and condemnation of everything prior. Meanwhile it is great favoritism that one Crowd coach and Crowd regime has stepped in to replace the prior Crowd coach and Crowd regime. I fully expect it will play out that way again. But obviously I'll root for some hint of Cream among Brian Flores and Co,, while Adam Gase is now ridiculed as Crap just like Bill Lazor a few years ago.

Once the dust settles and we're still Crowd, the coaches from a few years earlier restore to their rightful level of Crowd. Adam Gase will look better once Brian Flores doesn't do much of anything, and his quirks come to the surface. Right now we aren't aware of Flores quirks, like Sparano cheering field goals or Philbin picking up gum wrappers or Gase sitting unconcerned on the bench while the defense is on the field.
 
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