Tua Tagovailoa, Brian Flores, 1972 Dolphins worlds collide on Sunday Night Football

MIAMI GARDENS — By the end of last season, Brian Flores no longer believed in Tua Tagovailoa. And the Dolphins no longer believed in Flores.

Their worlds collide again in front of a national television audience on "Sunday Night Football" from Hard Rock Stadium.

"I think it’ll be cool being able to go up against the guys that he’s coaching on that side," Tagovailoa said this week.

Flores is not the Steelers' head coach or even defensive coordinator. He was added to the staff by Mike Tomlin as senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach.

Tomlin says familiarity can be overblown, but he also cited Flores' knowledge of Dolphins personnel, which includes Tua, as a "useful resource."

Yeah, not so much, the Dolphins seemed to feel this week.

Tua's concussion: Scarier even for us, than Tua

Trade Mike Gesicki?: Here's what Mike thinks

Tua praises 'Cool' Mike McDaniel: Brian Flores? Not so much

First of all, Tagovailoa is in an entirely new offense, a highly productive one that creates big plays and excitement.

"I would say one of the biggest things is that the game’s not over when we’re playing offensively," Tua said this week when asked about growth and development.

Tua has confidence. It's a confidence reinstalled by Mike McDaniel, the first-year head coach who is perpetually supportive and positive.

Brian Flores' abrasive style failed

Flores was all about tough love and didn't have time or interest in discussing feelings. Flores' abrasiveness played a key role in his loss of the Dolphins' job.

When Miami hired Flores, the front office believed his leadership style would lead to organizational greatness. It did result in discipline, organization and structure.

And an overall record of 24-25 with no playoff bids in three seasons.

Folks also walked on eggshells. And when Flores was let go, Miami cited a failure to communicate and collaborate as effectively as it would have liked.

When the Dolphins drafted Tagovailoa, and, yes, Flores was the head coach, they did so because they saw the potential for greatness.

There are things about Flores that some players, especially on defense, did admire. He was tough. He was consistent. He had a knack for pregame and in-game defensive adjustments.

"One thing I’ll say about coach Flo was he always honest," Miami linebacker Jerome Baker said this week. "That was the one thing that never changed. He didn’t care if he hurt your feelings. He didn’t care if it got under your skin a little bit. You knew the guy just wanted to be honest and he was going to tell you the truth and he wanted the best out of you."

Baker may very well shake hands or even embrace Flores before or after the game.

It's logical to suggest many players will not go out of their way to do so, including Tua.

That was a combination that just wasn't going to work. Tagovailoa did not believe in Flores' harsh personality and merciless approach. Flores thought Tagovailoa could put in more time and also questioned his arm talent and upside.

Tua Tagovailoa among NFL's top QBs

But, as McDaniel noted this week, Tua has evolved since last season.

Don't believe McDaniel?

Well, Tua is first overall in the NFL's passer rating formula.

Tua is first overall in ESPN's Total Quarterback Rating (QBR).

If Homes & Gardens Network and The Weather Channel had quarterback ratings, he'd lead them, too.

"This is Mike (McDaniel)’s offense and this isn’t the same offense that I’ve been running while (Flores) has been here the past two years," Tua fairly noted this week.

Miami's offensive plan was a mess last season and Flores' idea to go with co-coordinators as well as another coach to signal in the plays was predictably a colossal failure.

While the Dolphins' offense is much better this season — and yes, Flores did not have access to the talents of Tyreek Hill, Terron Armstead and Connor Williams — penalties must be reduced.

Nobody in their right mind enjoyed running to Flores' "TNT (Takes No Talent)" wall in 2019. That's a wall players would have to run to after committing a penalty.

But it is true Miami was one of the lowest-penalized teams in the league under Flores. And, in a very small sample size, Miami is currently one of the most penalized.

"He was just super disciplined," tight end Mike Gesicki said of Flores this week, not necessarily drawing any sort of negative comparison to the current staff.

Like we said, Miami hired Flores with the hope he'd restore greatness to a storied organization.

Same goes for the drafting of Tua and the hiring of McDaniel.

And so it's kind of cool that the living members of the 1972 undefeated Miami Dolphins Super Bowl champions will be present and honored on this night at Hard Rock Stadium.

"You’re talking about a record that in a team sport, that is the strongest compliment or feat that a team has ever really done, in my opinion, in sports," McDaniel said this week.

At this point, Dolphins fans would sign up for even just the organization's first playoff win in 20-plus years.

An ESPN reporter asked Flores this week whether he considers Sunday night a "revenge game."

"No," Flores said.

Flores' presence could be awkward

Well, it should be mentioned that Flores is suing the Dolphins, other NFL teams, and the NFL, alleging racial discrimination. Flores also alleged the Dolphins wanted him to tank a season.

And Flores' allegations that Miami's ownership tampered with Tom Brady actually led to the stripping of its 2023 first-round draft pick.

It's a weird coincidence that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross comes off his league-mandated suspension this week. It seems certain that Ross and Flores won't be shaking hands or hugging it out.

Those things will have nothing to do with the result Sunday night.

Perhaps Flores' familiarity with Tua and other Dolphins' strengths and weaknesses will.

But this is a different team than the one Flores separated from in January.

And Tua, yes, he's a different quarterback, too.

"It's on bro," McDaniel said to Tua during a video call from the plane, as he traveled to Miami after he was hired.

Yeah, it is.

Joe Schad is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins host Brian Flores and the Steelers