Dan Fouts: 'The Dolphins Historically Play Patriots Well In Miami'
(CBS Miami)- Miami Dolphins first-year head coach Brian Flores' first game didn't exactly go as planned.
The team was routed 59-10 by the Baltimore Ravens, and they were shut out in three of the game's four quarters. Following the loss, reports surfaced that multiple players on the team contacted their agents, asking to get them out of South Beach. Making matters worse, the Dolphins now have the division-rival New England Patriots coming to town for Week 2.
Flores is, of course, familiar with the Patriots, having served in a variety of coaching and scouting roles with the team, beginning in 2004 and running up through last season. Having been in the Patriots organization may offer some familiarity for what the team does on the field, but it also offers a good motivating factor for Flores to use in the preparation for this week's game.
"The Dolphins historically play the Patriots very tough early in the year in Miami," said NFL on CBS analyst Dan Fouts, who will be on the call for this weekend's game, alongside Ian Eagle and Evan Washburn. "I would think that if I was Flores, that I would remind whoever is left on the team from those days that it can be done, it has been done, and we have done it."
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In fact, going back to the 2013 season, the Patriots have lost five of the last six meetings between the two teams in Miami. Granted, as Fouts alluded to, not many players on this roster are left over from those previous Dolphins teams. But it's at least a possible way to instill belief following the team's rough home opener.
After a disastrous Week 1, the Dolphins have opened as 19-point underdogs, according to the folks in Vegas. The action will play out on the field this Sunday, September 16th on CBS, with kickoff slated for 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time.