Looking back Schuplinski’s career, it is no wonder the Dolphins wanted to keep him around. Besides the fact that Flores has experience working with him while he was the de facto defensive coordinator for the Patriots, he has also done a tremendous job with the quarterbacks he’s mentored.
Schuplinski had spent the prior five seasons with the Patriots, with the last three as assistant QB coach. During his time with the team, Schuplinski was the one who primarily worked with the rookies when they arrived in the organization. He is credited for helping develop quarterbacks like Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett, both of which are starting QBs with other organizations. Both QBs had nothing but positive things to say about working with Schuplinski.
“I can’t even tell you how many conversations I had with Jerry just man-to-man, him helping me out and getting me acclimated to the NFL life,” Garoppolo said “I really thank him for that. I probably wouldn’t be where I am at without him.”
One of Schuplinski’s biggest strengths is being able to connect with his players. It is an ability that Brissett talked about on numerous occasions.
“He was a great mentor for me,” Brissett added. “That was on and off the field. He was someone I always leaned on and just talked about anything. We would talk about life, family — things away from football that made our relationship so special.”
Schuplinski’s capacity for caring is not lost on his players. He has been able to bring that to Miami this past season with hope of working with even more young, talented players.