Brian Flores – December 11, 2019
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Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(I think after the moves yesterday with CB Ryan Lewis and CB Ken Webster, I think you’re down to four corners who have played in NFL games with CB Nik Needham, CB Eric Rowe, CB Jomal Wiltz and CB Marcus Sherels. Do you think you have enough at that position this week and might we see Rowe switch back to corner this week?) – “Yeah, we’ll have enough. We brought in Linden Stephens and Nate Brooks, and obviously we have Eric who has played corner in the past. We’ll have 11 out there, that’s for sure.”
(You’ve had a lot of lineup changes, whether it’s guys being inactive or demoted. When you tell these guys that, do they take it and understand or is there some back and forth and guys say ‘Why is this happening?’) – “I think it’s case by case. Every situation is a little different. We’ve got a team of competitive guys in there so when we tell a guy he’s going to be down, yeah there’s some disappointment, which I expect that. That’s a good thing. It’s never an easy thing to hear that when you practice hard and you prepare and you’re ready to go; but look, we’ve got to put seven guys down each week and that’s just part of playing in the National Football League. Those are tough decisions for us as a staff – myself, (General Manager) Chris (Grier), our coaching staff. We talk about it really on a daily basis: what’s the best group of players we can put out there offensively, defensively and in the kicking game? It all counts. If you don’t have a role in the kicking game and you don’t have a big enough role offensively or defensively, then it’s hard to have guys at the game – or that particular player at the game – I would say. If you’re a major contributor and you make plays every week, you’re going to be out there. It’s case by case and week by week. We spend a lot of time on it but every week we’re trying to put the best group out there to help us win the game.”
(Measuring the best group out there to help you win the game versus continuity, how tough of a distinction is that?) – “I mean all of those things play into it. That’s a great question. Continuity, that obviously helps as far as putting the best group out there. So they go kind of – I don’t want to say hand in hand but again, each week is a little bit different. It’s really dependent on your opponent, the different groups from week to week that we’re going to put out there, injuries play a part in this, the amount of communication we may have in the game plan may play a part in it. The definition of continuity – your definition and my definition, our coaches’ definition, people’s definition, players – of continuity, they could be very different. Continuity from a communication standpoint, continuity from just an overall speed and athleticism standpoint – let’s say for instance it’s a third down situation and we need to get speed on the field. Your definition of continuity from that standpoint and my definition of continuity from that standpoint may be a little bit different. It’s speed, communication, tackling – we could go on and on for hours talking about different groupings, different sets of people, different sets of communicators offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. So continuity, it’s a term a lot of people use in this game but the different groupings – nickel to dime to 11 personnel to 12 personnel to goal line groupings to kickoff return to hands team to injuries and then you have to get a backup in there – you have to be able to adjust in this league, I would say.”
(Have you found that this system or this process is keeping players motivated in a positive way or does it maybe put them on edge in a negative way?) – “I think competition is always – I think it is very positive. I think we’ve got a group of guys in there who understand that every day counts – every practice, every meeting, every walkthrough. There’s competition in every area of the building, specifically with the players but coaches, personnel, which lunch is better Tuesday or Wednesday. It’s kind of how we want the building. It’s a good thing. I think we’re trying to build a group of competitive guys who understand that they’ve got to work and there’s a process and if they continue with that and they work hard and they prepare the right way, then good things will happen for them.”
(It seems like there is more specialization where you may have a player that only plays 30 or 40 percent of the snaps and you want that because that’s his role. Have you seen the way you coach differ based on maybe a speedy running back you have to match him up with a linebacker that specializes in that skillset?) – “I think every team is dealing with that. There’s different strengths and weaknesses to every team, players that cause specific issues where if you leave a certain group or a certain player out there, you’re basically asking for trouble, and you want to kind of keep yourself out of those situations – let’s call it defensively or in the kicking game. Offensively, you want to try to create those situations. Again, we go back to continuity and we could keep the same guys out there on every snap but then you may not have the best matchup. Yeah, there is some specialization obviously in this league. In some instances, you can just leave a group out there and the flip side of that is the players should and in a lot of cases, really know, where the weaknesses are and they defend them. They understand them and they defend them. I think the smart, good players in this league understand that. Not every situation is going to be perfect. We can’t get the best matchup every time. They go no huddle, they get a guy in there and you have a bad matchup and you’ve got to hold on for a play, for a snap. That’s where you get your help because there’s 10 other guys on the field to help you. If I’m matched up on a speedy running back and hopefully my post-safety sees it and just leans over there a little bit. That’s just one instance but it shows up really on a play-to-play basis.”
(Do you find yourself drafting or bringing in players that may have a specific role in mind, like that’s the only thing you want them to do?) – “We’re going to bring in good players and we’ll figure it out. I would say we find the strengths and weaknesses in each player; but if it’s speed, if it’s strength, if it’s run-stuffing ability, if it’s pass-rush ability, if it’s blocking – if we get an opportunity to get a good player, then that’s my vision and I know it’s the same vision (General Manager) Chris (Grier) has, is getting as many good players as possible.”
(I wanted to ask you about CB Aqib Talib. Any conversations – I know you probably want to keep private – but I was just curious if you’ve gotten any sense about if he wants to and thinks he can continue to play next year and if this might be a possible place for him?) – “Again, like you said it: those conversations are between myself and Aqib. There have been some conversations, but I’m going to keep them between us. I think that’s just common courtesy of a conversation I have with somebody that’s a private conversation. I’m not going to talk about it with anyone.”
(Is CB Aqib Talib a player that you might want to have around here for a few years?) – “Aqib has been a great player in this league for a long time. He’s played a lot of good football, so he’s definitely a guy who would be in the conversation; but again, those are between myself, (Vice President of Football Administration) Brandon (Shore), (General Manager) Chris (Grier), our coaching staff. Those will always stay internal.”
(I know obviously your main focus has to be wins and losses over individual achievements, but K Jason Sanders was not named Special Teams Player of the Week for the AFC. What do you think about that? Do you find that odd?) – “I didn’t know that. It’s not – again, my focus is on the Giants right now. They’ve got plenty of guys to worry about offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. I think Jason had a great week last week, and sometimes – I don’t know who won it, but I’m sure that player had a great week and was deserving as well. I don’t know exactly who that was or what that player did, but he must’ve done something because Jason had a good week, as well. But whoever it was, I’m sure is very deserving. Jason’s done a good job. I’m sure he’s not up in arms over it. He’s locked in on our next opponent, which again, the Giants are a good opponent. This is a talented bunch. They play hard, and they’ve got from (Saquon) Barkley to (Darius) Slayton to Golden Tate, they’ve got Eli (Manning) in there. He played well the other day. (Dexter) Lawrence – they’ve got guys everywhere. They do a good job and we’ve got a tough test ahead of us. I think the individual awards, when they’re deserving, it’s great. It’s a great accomplishment. I know Jason’s gotten a couple of those this year, but I think we’re focused on the Giants.”
(Have you had any contact with the league this week about the DPI and were you satisfied with the answer you got?) – “No, I have not had any contact with the league. I have not had any contact with the league. I’ve moved on. We can sit and talk about last week; but that’s again, I just spent two seconds talking about that, five seconds now, 10 seconds now and less time on the Giants.”
(Do you enter this week knowing who your starting guards will be? Do you want to see how they practice this week?) – “Yeah, we know who they’re going to be; but we’ll see how it goes in practice. If they play well, they’ll be out there. If they don’t, we’ll re-assess and make the best decision for the team.”
(Can you say if it’s the same as Sunday with C/G Evan Boehm and C/G Keaton Sutherland or do you not want to say yet?) – “I could say it, but I’m not going to. (laughter)”
(How is defending Giants QB Eli Manning different than defending Giants QB Daniel Jones?) – “Eli has had a lot of success in this league. He gets the ball out quickly. He still throws a very good ball. He is still very accurate. I would say he’s got very good command of their offense. He can get them in and out of good plays. He knows where to go with the football, he knows where his playmakers are. He knows – he’s got a few of them: (Darius) Slayton, (Saquan) Barkley, I think Evan Engram is going to be back this week, so that’s another problem. He’ll find a way to get them the football, and (Daniel) Jones did the same thing. That’s another good young quarterback who’s made some progress over the course of the year. I know he’s dealing with an ankle (injury). We may get him, we may not. I don’t know, we’ll see. We’ll be prepared for both of them.”
(You made a comment on Monday that I thought was interesting and I wanted to ask if you could expand upon it. It was when you said, ‘I’m all about serving those players.’ I thought that was an interesting comment. Can you tell me more about that?) – “I think that’s what coaching is: it’s about service. I want to help those guys become better football players, better citizens to the world. I feel like I have to try to be an example of that, and our coaching staff has to try to do the same thing. That’s what this is. That’s what coaching is, in my opinion. We’re teachers, educators and we’re here to serve the players. Now, that doesn’t mean it’s all rosy. We’ve got to be demanding, and it’s good for them I think. I think that hopefully helps them become better versions of themselves off the field. Maybe I’m on a soapbox, but that’s just my thought process.”
(I saw you met with a lot of fans before the game in New York. I don’t know if it was the New York City Dolfan Club, but why was that important to you? Why did you do that?) – “We think we’ve got a lot of Dolphin fans, and to say hello, to shake hands, to sign a hat or shoe. I think that’s a nice gesture. To go up to that environment and support our team, that’s incredible. I just wanted to show my appreciation.”
(Was that your idea or were you guided?) – “Yeah. It was a pretty genuine gesture. I’m not being told to do that.”
