Brian Flores – November 18, 2020 (Conference Call)
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Wednesday, November 18, 2020
Head Coach Brian Flores Conference Call with Denver Media
(Where have you seen QB Tua Tagovailoa make the biggest strides from start one to last week?) – “I think he’s just doing a good job of communication, getting guys in and out of the huddle. I think once you get some game reps under you, you have a little bit more confidence. You understand the speed of the game. I think that’s something that every rookie, no matter the position, has to get acclimated to – how big, how fast, how strong the players in this league are, how smart they are, the different disguises that they give you. Obviously we’ll be dealing with that this week for sure with (Broncos Head Coach) Vic (Fangio) and the Denver Broncos defense. Look, he’s still young. He’s still got a long way to go like a lot of our young players. He’s working at it. Hopefully he continues to improve and get better.”
(The interview with the Broncos a couple of years back, what was that experience like for you and in prepping for that interview, what were your impressions of the Broncos team and organization?) – “Yeah, that interview was – I remember it vividly. Obviously (President of Football Operations/General Manager) John Elway was there, (President and CEO) Joe Ellis, (Chief Communications Officer) Patrick Smyth, (Vice President of Football Operations and Compliance) Mark Thewes and my good buddy (Vice President of Player Personnel) Matt Russell, who I know from our days in New England in the personnel department. It was just great for me to – just from doing my own background work – learn more about the Denver Broncos and their history and the Bowlen family and the great history that they have there as an organization. I was excited to interview with them. I thought it went well. It was just great to meet obviously the executives there and spend some time with them. I think Vic’s a great coach. They’ve got the right coach and the right people in place. It’s a talented team, that’s for sure. It was a good experience for me personally.”
(Your special teams unit has really helped you guys flip games this year, particularly during this winning streak. What’s gone into that? Obviously WR Jakeem Grant is a big difference-maker but what really has gone into, over the course of the time you’ve been the coach, building a unit that you know can be one that really gives you guys a leg up in games a lot of times?) – “Well I got my start in coaching in the kicking game. I was a special teams assistant for three years in New England under two very good – two of the best, honestly – in Scott O’Brien and Brad Seely. It’s an important phase to me. We place a lot of emphasis on that phase as well as offense and defense. We’ve got good players and they’ve been able to execute, and it’s important. It’s important to them – as important as any offensive or defensive snap. We try to place an emphasis in every phase and that’s no different.”
(What are your thoughts on the Broncos’ secondary, particularly their starters in CB A.J. Bouye and CB Bryce Callahan at the corners and then S Kareem Jackson and S Justin Simmons at the safeties?) – “Well, we’ll start with Justin Simmons, the Boston College grad. (laughter) I think he’s a very, very good player. I remember interviewing him when I was in New England coming out. He’s smart, obviously talented. He’s really played well over the first five years of his career. You see him growing and getting better, really on a weekly basis, quarterbacking the defense and making plays in the deep part of the field, tackling, blitzing. He’s a very good player. Kareem Jackson, I think he’s another guy who is a physical player, fast. The same thing with Callahan. He made a bunch of plays last week. And Bouye obviously has been a very good corner, a very productive corner, in this league for a long time. So it’s a good secondary, to include (Essang) Bassey, who jumps in there in the nickel position. So it’s a very good secondary. They’re well coached. They do a good job with disguising. Look, this is a good defense, I would say. I think they’re No. 2 in red zone defense. I think they’re up there as far as third-down defense. They get pressure on the quarterback. So you do the math. If you stop people on third down and keep them out of the end zone and pressure the quarterback, you’re doing pretty well. It’ll be a tough test for us.”
(Considering how S Justin Simmons has played this year and last year, would you put him in the elite NFL safety category?) – “I don’t like to put labels on guys. To me, he’s a guy who has improved. He’s gotten better every year play-to-play, whether it’s (the middle) part of the field or down in the box or in coverage. He’s been productive. He’s a very good player. I know him well. I’m not sure he needs the label of ‘elite.’ I think he just wants to go out there and make plays for his team. He’s a team guy. He’s a typical B.C. (Boston College) player. (laughter)”
(I would imagine as you guys were evaluating QB Tua Tagovailoa and you saw a good deal of WR Jerry Jeudy film, I was just wondering what stood out to you about him and what you’ve seen from him so far this season that makes him difficult to cover?) – “Yeah, he’s going to be a good player. He already is a good player. He does a great job with his releases, which as a young player, that’s one of the things that I would say oftentimes shows up last. He’s already very good from that standpoint. He’s very good at the top of the route. He’s got good hands. He can make contested catches. He’s good in the middle of the field. He’s good in the deep part of the field. I mean he’s a very good player. He’s going to be a very good player. He’s a tough cover. It’s not – there’s a lot of good youngster players there from (Tim) Patrick to (KJ) Hamler to DaeSean (Hamilton) to (Noah) Fant, (Nick Vannett). They have good backs. The o-line plays well together. This is going to be a tough test for us.”
(Are you preparing to face QB Drew Lock or QB Brett Rypien and how do you handle the uncertainty that the Broncos have at quarterback right now?) – “Obviously there’s a lot of film on both guys, so we’ve got to prepare for both. They’re both good player. Rypien went in there and got them a victory in the Jets game. He played well. Obviously Drew Lock has played well also and is talented and can make every throw. There’s plenty of guys to throw it to. It’s going to be a tough test with whichever quarterback we’re playing against. We’re going to have to prepare the right way and do a good job with our communication and tackle well and set the edge and just play good team football.”
(You guys obviously have a winning streak coming into this week. Do you like the mindset of your team? Are they focused on the next task instead of maybe getting excited about what’s in front of them?) – “I think it’s important, and we’ve talked about it, we just try to take things one day at a time and not worry about what’s in the future or what’s happened in the past. That’s a hard thing to do with young players. But I think just the way they responded in practice and how our meetings are set and the attention to detail in those settings, hopefully we’re not looking past – I don’t think so. This is a very good team, like I’ve said. This is a very good defense. We talked about the players on the defense. This is a very good offense. It’s just a one game focus. It’s hard to play in Denver. This is a good team.”
(Obviously Quarterbacks Coach Mike Shula is on the Denver staff. In your position as the Dolphins’ coach, how much is Don Shula’s legacy still felt as part of the organization in your job?) – “It’s a big part of our organization. He’s the all-time winningest coach in history and one of the greatest coaches of all time. His pictures are all over our building. The legacy he’s left is still a part of this team. Obviously with him passing this year, he’s on our minds. We want to try to play some of that same tough, physical, smart football that the teams he coached played. I don’t think Mike would want it any different.”
(I’m just wondering what sort of impact has Running Backs Coach Eric Studesville had for you? What sort of resource has he been? Obviously he spent a good deal of time here in Denver.) – “Yeah, Eric’s phenomenal. I think he’s a phenomenal coach. He’s a phenomenal teacher, communicator. He’s someone I’ve leaned on in different situations over the last 18 months since I’ve been here. Obviously he was here before I was here and we kept him on the staff. Just as far as the lay of the land here in Miami, he’s been someone that I’ve been able to lean on. I think he’s a great coach. I think he’s got a coordinator and head-coaching future. I think the players gravitate to him. They listen. He’s a very, very good coach.”
