FRISCO – Pro Tip: Beware the sports media outlet that touts anything and anybody as “perfect.” Given that there is no such thing as a “perfect” owner, GM, coach, player, trade or move – not even Babe Ruth, Lawrence Taylor or LeBron James are “perfect” – such a story is a suggestion that the outlet has no idea what it’s talking about.
And in the specific case of successful but controversial NFL coach Brian Flores?
No. “Successful.” But “controversial.” And therefore, among many other reasons, not “perfect.”
The NFL Coaching Carousel is about to spin, including with the Dallas Cowboys, where Mike McCarthy’s future here has yet to be decided.
McCarthy won a Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers in 2010. Before this awful “Blow It Up” season, he’s overseen three straight 12-5 seasons capped with playoff apperances.
Is that enough for McCarthy and owner Jerry Jones to forge a contract extension for the presently lame-duck head coach? We are only few days from finding out. …
At which time, agents and media will engage in the activity of pushing “hot names” on the public.
“Hot” can be real. But “perfect” cannot.
Which brings us to our friends at Bleacher Report, who have christened Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores as that “perfect” fit to replace McCarthy as the Cowboys head coach.
Do the Cowboys need leadership, toughness and – to use our man Michael Irvin’s word, “discipline”? No doubt. That’s why we’ve made sure to address ideas about candidates who fit that mold, including Bill Belichick, Mike Vrabel and even another controversial figure in Jon Gruden. (Seriously. Very controversial. See below.)
But Flores’ tough-guy act didn’t play well as a head coach in Miami, where Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has called Flores a “terrible person.”
And when he got fired in Miami, Flores filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against individual teams and the NFL itself.
That is now a class action lawsuit, so while he is employed by the playoff-bound Vikings, one might think his climb in the NFL might be complicated. … with Jones having reacted to the 2022 suit by saying regarding the league’s hiring practices of minorities, “We can do better.”
One thought: Would the NFL increase its chances of winning in the lawsuit simply by offering Flores another head coaching job?
Agasin … complicated and controversial. And nothing “perfect” about any of it.
