A system for optimizing network traffic is described. The system includes a packet engine configured to acquire data regarding a flow of a plurality of data packets over a link and to determine transport communication protocol (TCP) characteristics for the flow, and a TCP flavor selector configured to dynamically select a TCP flavor based on the TCP characteristics, where the TCP flavor can be used to modify the flow of data packets over the link. The TCP characteristics dynamically change with time. The TCP flavor selector is further configured to modify the flow using the TCP flavor.