NFL Rumors: Why Dolphins fired Chad O'Shea one year after Patriots departure

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Amid the inevitable Black Monday firings, one under-the-radar transaction stood out: The Miami Dolphins fired offensive coordinator Chad O'Shea after just one season.

O'Shea seemed like a logical fit on head coach Brian Flores' staff, considering he spent the previous 11 years with Flores as the Patriots' wide receivers coach.

So, why did Flores ditch O'Shea after just 16 games, especially with Miami's offense averaging 28.6 points over its final five contests?

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In a column Monday, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer reported that O'Shea's history with Flores in New England actually played a role in his departure.

I’m told that part of (the decision to fire O'Shea) was Brian Flores’s desire to move away from his Patriot roots on that side of the ball.

Flores hired a handful of former Patriots assistants to his Dolphins staff, including tight ends coach George Godsey and assistant quarterbacks coach Jerry Schuplinski.

But as Breer explained, Miami's young offense doesn't necessarily want to emulate the advanced system that Josh McDaniels and Tom Brady operate in New England.

My theory is that since Miami’s going to be really young the next couple years, running a scheme with the complexity of New England’s might be tough on the players developmentally. Which is why it wouldn’t surprise me if we see some more college ideas infused into what Miami is doing.

Breer's theory jibes with the news that Miami reportedly is hiring Chan Gailey to replace O'Shea as offensive coordinator.

Gailey has worked with Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick on two other occasions (with the Buffalo Bills from 2010 to 2012 and New York Jets from 2015 to 2016) and also has extensive college coaching experience, most recently serving as Georgia Tech's head coach from 2002 to 2007.

So, while O'Shea's system may have helped Miami upset his former team in Week 17, the Dolphins apparently don't want to become New England South on offense with a vastly different roster construction than the Patriots.

That means O'Shea is out of a job after one season ... but we can think of one team that may want him back.

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