The Miami Dolphins search for a new offensive coordinator came to its conclusion on Tuesday when the team announced they didn’t just hire one offensive coordinator; in fact, they hired two and will have co-offensive coordinators for the upcoming 2021 season. Head coach Brian Flores keeps things in-house by promoting tight-ends coach/quarterbacks coach George Godsey and running backs coach Eric Studsville to co-offensive coordinators.

When the news broke, some Dolphins Fans voiced their displeasure as they were hoping for a splash hire of a big name from outside the organization to revamp the offense totally. If you are a regular listener to the DolphinsTalk.com Daily Podcast, I have told you since the day Chan Gailey stepped down (or was shoved out the door) that odds are the Dolphins were going to keep things pretty much status-quo and promote from within. And in the end, that is exactly what they did, and I believe it is the correct way to go.

Yes, it is unconventional to have co-offensive coordinators in the NFL, but this is a practice that is somewhat commonplace at some colleges these days. Many schools have co-offensive and/or co-defensive coordinators, so I am not worried about the logistics of how this will work as we have seen it work in the NCAA. Usually, how it works is both men work together to gameplan throughout the week, but on game day, one person is the dedicated play-caller (I would have to think that is Godsey in this instance, but time will tell.)

The bigger story here is the Dolphins are not throwing out everything they built in the 2020 season with this offense and will have some continuity heading into 2021. And that is very important, especially with a young quarterback who Miami has invested so much in. (and yes for the sake of this article let’s go under the premise that Tua will be the Dolphins quarterback in 2021 although I do think the Watson rumors are very real)

Brian Flores as a rookie head coach hired Chad O’Shea as his offensive coordinator, and after one season, Flores fired O’Shea as the offense wasn’t the style or getting the results he had hoped for. Brian Flores failed with his first offensive coordinator hire. Last offseason Flores talked Chan Gailey out of retirement to come back and run the offense he wanted to have run and the Dolphins won 10 games.

Let’s pause to think about that for a minute when looking back at the 2020 Miami Dolphins. With injuries galore and opt-out’s at the WR position, no consistency at the running back position and numerous players in and out of the lineup at that position, rotating quarterbacks week to week much of the season, and with 3 rookie offensive linemen, this Miami Dolphins offense was good enough in 10 of the 16 games to have the Dolphins come out with a victory. That isn’t a style of offense or an offense; in general, you just kick to the curb and throw away. That is an offense you build off of.

Does the offense need to improve? Of course it does!

Does the offense need more playmakers? Of course it does!

But all in all, this offense survived in 2020 and wasn’t as bad as some fans make it out to be, and for the sake of your young quarterback and because the results were there, you don’t blow that up and start fresh. Whether Chan Gailey retired on his own or was pushed out the door, the foundation he laid in 2020 with this Miami Dolphins offense will be here in 2021, and the new co-offensive coordinators will now have to grow it and hopefully, improve it. That is the challenge and task George Godsey and Eric Studesville now face.

The Dolphins struggles on offense in 2020, in my opinion, really come down to a couple of things. For one, they lacked healthy, capable wide receivers the final month of the season. Second, the running backs who were productive were often injured, and the running backs who came into the year with high hopes couldn’t produce and were never productive. Third, the Dolphins were playing a rookie quarterback who made rookie mistakes and at times was in way over his head and struggled. And the alternative to that was an over-the-hill veteran who tends to turn the ball over at the worst possible time and failed to convert on 3rd down or in the red zone consistently.

I know it’s easy to sit back and bash the offensive coordinator for not having the offense put up more points but think about everything I just listed and think about how that handcuffs an offensive coordinator. We expect the Dolphins to improve in the area of running back and wide receiver this offseason. We hope the rookie quarterback stops making rookie mistakes. With the same offensive style in place, but just with improved talent alone, this offense is bound to get better. Yes, Gailey is gone, but his philosophy isn’t, and I believe that is a good thing.

Now, for those fans who are critical of this hire, I hear you, and you have every right to be critical. You can make the case that Brian Flores has been the Dolphins head coach for two seasons, and after both seasons, he has had to replace his offensive coordinator. That isn’t a good thing. Is Brian Flores a great defensive mind who struggles with putting together an offensive staff? A fair question to ask and fair criticism. A head coach going on his 3rd (or is it his 4th) offensive coordinator heading into year 3 that isn’t normal. You don’t see that in NFL circles. That is out of the ordinary, so I understand if a group of fans want to question that.

Let me tell you why you shouldn’t stress over this because Brian Flores will ultimately have to answer for this move. The NFL is a results-oriented business, and the Dolphins just won 10 games in 2020 with a lackluster (to say it nicely) offense. If they go out and buy a free agent center, or running back, or wide receiver, or some combination of those positions and use multiple early-round draft picks on offensive players, and they win less than 10 games in 2021, guess who is on the hot seat? Guess who has run out of “fire the coordinator” excuse and pin it on them? That’s right, Brian Flores.

Guess who also knows that? BRIAN FLORES!

I cannot and will not sit here and tell you that Eric Studesville and George Godsey will be good offensive coordinators for the Dolphins in 2021. I have no earthly idea, as does anyone else. Godsey has some experience calling plays for an NFL team, and Studesville has none. One of both of these guys could fall flat on their face, or one or both could be the second coming of Bill Walsh. We will find out in time, but it is unfair to pan this hire because it is unconventional. And it is also unfair to pan this hire because these guys worked under Chan Gailey.

If Brian Flores met with a handful of coaches when he was interviewing for the Dolphins open offensive coordinator position and he ultimately decided that the combo of Studesville/Godsey was the best way to go, then I will give Brian Flores the benefit of the doubt here on this hire. The man is coming off a 10 win season and he deserves that.

Because this is going to go one of two ways. This is going to work masterfully, and it will start a new-trend in NFL circles, and you will see numerous teams in 2022 begin to hire co-offensive coordinators. Or, the opposite, and this will blow up, fail, and Brian Flores will have some explaining to do.

If this blows up and the Dolphins offense struggles in 2021, then Coach Flores comfortable situation as the Dolphins head coach will become very uncomfortable. Let’s hope it doesn’t get to that, though, and the Dolphins are about to start a new groundbreaking trend. Which if I had to bet $1, that is what I would bet it on. I think the Dolphins made the correct call with this move on Tuesday. Sometimes continuity is boring, but boring can be good. And I think that is the case here with the Dolphins offensive coordinator situation.