How Patriots’ Nate Ebner Fueled Brian Flores’ Rise As NFL Coach

Brian Flores wouldn’t be where he is without Nate Ebner’s motivational tactics.

The Miami Dolphins head coach revealed to reporters last week how the New England Patriots safety inspired him to climb the NFL coaching ladder. Flores was a Patriots position coach in 2013 or 2014 when Ebner questioned him about his future during a routine team meeting.

“I was in a meeting once and Nate Ebner was the player,” Flores said, per The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin. “He asked me, ‘Hey, coach’ — and I was a position coach (at the time) — ‘Hey, Coach, when you’re calling plays one day, are you going to call this or that?’ I said, ‘Nah, that’s not in the cards for me.’ …  And he says to me, ‘I hope my goals for you aren’t bigger than your goals for yourself.’ That was one thing that, as a memory, was something that I’ve thought about and I took that. That night, I thought to myself, ‘You know what? He’s right.’ I kind of took a whole new outlook on things from there.”

Flores continued to rise up Bill Belichick’s coaching staff after Ebner’s pep talk. Flores called the Patriots’ defensive plays in 2018 as linebackers coach/de facto defensive coordinator and helped the team win Super Bowl LIII.

He left New England following the Super Bowl to take charge of the Dolphins. His first steps as a head coach have been difficult, as the Dolphins suffered heavy defeats against the Baltimore Ravens and Patriots in Weeks 1 and 2.

Although time ultimately will tell how Flores fares as an NFL head coach, it’s worth noting how a few choice words can make the biggest of impacts on someone.