The relationship between players and coaches is vital in football, and no player-coach pair seems to have as close a bond as Brian Flores and Andrew Van Ginkel.
Their story belongs in a Hallmark made-for-TV movie. The main characters meet and split up. Then, they find their way back to one another after realizing they are the perfect person for them. The characters experience highs and lows throughout the film, but they bring the best out of one another.
The New England Patriots hired Flores as a scouting assistant in 2004. He spent 16 years in various roles in the Patriots organization. He was an assistant offensive and special teams coach, a special teams coach, a defensive assistant coach, a safeties coach, and a linebackers coach.
After winning a Super Bowl with New England in 2019, the Miami Dolphins hired Flores as their head coach. In his first draft as a head coach, Miami selected Wisconsin linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel in the fifth round, 151st overall. The bond between the new head coach and the new NFL linebacker grew stronger for the next three seasons.
In these three seasons with Flores and the Dolphins, Van Ginkel had played in 39 games, starting in 26. He had 10.5 sacks, 134 tackles (20 of which were for a loss), four forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries, one of which he returned for a touchdown.
Miami started 1-7 in 2021 but finished 9-8 under Flores, barely missing the playoffs. However, Flores sued the Dolphins after the season, accusing owner Stephen Ross of paying him to tank. Flores ended his coaching career with a 24-25 record. Van Ginkel remained in Miami while Flores pursued opportunities elsewhere.
In February 2022, Flores filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against the NFL. The lawsuit claimed that the New York Giants, Denver Broncos, and Houston Texans gave him interviews to satisfy the league’s Rooney Rules while they already knew who they would hire. For example, the Giants allegedly knew they were going with Brian Daboll four days before their interview with Flores. Meanwhile, Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway, a consultant of the Broncos at that time, allegedly was hungover during their interview.
In 2022, Flores worked as the defensive assistant and linebackers coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers under Mike Tomlin. A year later, Kevin O’Connell hired Flores as his defensive coordinator. After Ed Donatell’s shell defense fell apart late in the season, O’Connell hired Flores to run a more aggressive defense.
After the Dolphins fired Flores, Van Ginkel played under Mike McDaniel in Miami. However, his playing time and production decreased in his first two seasons under his new head coach. Although he played in all 34 games, he started only 16. He ended up with just 6.5 sacks, 116 tackles (11 of which were for a loss), one fumble recovery, and two interceptions, one of which he ran back for a touchdown.
Flores needed to add talent to Minnesota’s defense to deploy a more sophisticated system, and the Vikings had cap space after Kirk Cousins signed with the Atlanta Falcons. Flores knew Van Ginkel was a fit for his disguise-heavy defense because of his ability to blitz and drop back into coverage. Minnesota signed Van Ginkel, Jonathan Greenard, and Blake Cashman, and they significantly impacted the defense this year.
In the words of Peaches & Herb, Flores and Van Ginkel were “reunited, and it feels so good.”
They further cemented their bond after Van Ginkel stood up for Flores after Tua Tagovailoa told Dan LeBatard on his podcast that Flores was a “terrible person.”
Later in the season, Flores returned the favor by wearing a Van Ginkel shirt in December. In doing so, he helped market Van Ginkel’s recovery efforts in his hometown of Rock Valley, Ia., in the summer of 2024.
In his first regular-season game back with Flores, Van Ginkel intercepted Daniel Jones and ran it back for a touchdown in the Meadowlands.
This season, Van Ginkel started 17 games for the first time. He led the league with two pick-sixes and got career marks in tackles for loss (18), total tackles (79), interceptions (two), touchdowns (two), and interception yards (73). In late December, Van Ginkel walked away with Defensive Player of the Week honors after tallying five tackles and two sacks against the Seattle Seahawks. He also earned a Pro Bowl nod and second-team All-Pro.
The story of Flores and Van Ginkel has all the makings of your classic Hallmark movie. The only correct way for this movie to end is for them to hoist the Lombardi Trophy together — hopefully in purple and gold.