Brian Flores – November 25, 2020 (Conference Call)
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Wednesday, November 25, 2020
Head Coach Brian Flores Conference Call with N.Y. Jets Media
(Obviously both of these teams have young quarterbacks. Not specific to the Dolphins or the Jets but just generally speaking, what do you think is a fair amount of time to evaluate a young quarterback? It seems like 10-15 years ago, teams were more patient than perhaps they are now. What do you think is fair before determining, ‘hey, maybe this guy can be the answer for us?’) – “So you’re talking about (Sam) Darnold, not (Joe) Flacco. (laughter)”
(Yeah, I think QB Joe Flacco isn’t as young as he used to be.) – “Gotcha. (laughter) I think every situation is different. I think it’s case by case. I think we live in a world where everybody wants it right now. I would say, you’re right. Fifteen to twenty years ago, people were a lot more patient. I think that’s societal, I would say – the instant gratification. This is something everyone is looking for. We believe in developing players and helping them improve on a daily basis. But at the same time, this is a production league. There’s a balance there. There really is. I think every player is a little bit different and I think every person from a development (and) maturity standpoint, we’re all a little bit different. I think it’s no different for a football player except for the world is watching them and they’re looking for instant success. I think I would say the best players – really every player goes through some challenges early in their career and if they can improve and get better from it and continue to get opportunities, I think they’ll eventually have success.”
(So you don’t believe there’s any kind of point of no return? That there’s a sentiment that if a guy doesn’t develop after X amount of games or X amount of starts, it’s not going to happen for him?) – “It’s hard to say. Again, it’s case by case. Obviously you want success early. You want to see improvement. You want to see development. I think seeing improvement and seeing development doesn’t always necessarily turn into wins and things of that nature; but I think that’s in the eyes of the evaluator and the people making the decisions. Again, it’s case by case. I don’t think it’s a ‘hey, it’s got to be done by this amount of time or else it’s no good.’ Again, it’s a team game. So what else is going on within the team? Is Player X playing well enough to win but we’re not getting enough from the team standpoint? I think those are all kind of questions you’ve got to ask as evaluators and decision makers and make your decision from there.”
(Can I ask you specifically about QB Sam Darnold? Obviously you’re not seeing him every day, but just your assessment. You didn’t see him this year but just your assessment, preparing for him for a couple of games last year and potentially this week?) – “I think he’s a talented quarterback. I think he’s got a big arm. I think he’s mobile. I think he’s talented. I think he’s developing. I think he’s better than he was last year and two years ago. I think injuries have hurt him a little bit. But that happens at every position. What I see is a talented young guy. There’s a lot more to the quarterback position. I’m sure the people within that organization know about his leadership and his intelligence and things of that nature. Those are things I don’t know. Those intangibles are important for every player and especially the quarterback. I don’t necessarily know what’s going on there from that standpoint. But everything I read, everything I’ve heard, says that those are aligned the right way as well. And he’s got a guy like (Joe) Flacco who is an older guy, a veteran guy, someone who has won a lot of games that can help him.”
(On a non-quarterback related question, did you guys do a lot of work on WR Denzel Mims in the run-up to the draft? And regardless of whether you did or not, what do you see in the few games that he has played this year?) – “I see speed. I see talent. I see hands. I see play-making ability. I see a good player. Yeah, I see a good player.”
(Just generally speaking, when you’re playing divisional games, is it an advantage to the team that won the first game or an advantage to the team that’s looking for revenge typically in the second game?) – “I think it’s the advantage to the team who executes better. That’s kind of my thought really on a week-to-week basis. I think a division game, I think they know us, we know them. I think the Jets have played some good, competitive football over the last few weeks and could easily have come out of a couple of those games with wins. I think they’ve got young guys who are playing hard and playing tough. You mentioned (Denzel) Mims. Getting (Breshad) Perriman back helps and (Jamison) Crowder is a good player and (Chris) Herndon made a catch last week and (Joe) Flacco is playing well. (Mekhi) Becton came back. He’s tough to handle over there. Defensively, they’re playing some young guys but they play hard. They’re well coached and I expect a very, very competitive game. That’s what I expect. Neville Hewitt makes every tackle. This guy is all over the field. I’ve been impressed with him. Harvey Langi, I’ve been impressed with him. Ashtyn Davis is a good, young safety. I like some of the things they’re doing from what I see, just from my evaluation standpoint. I expect a very, very competitive game against a divisional opponent on the road.”
(I know you expressed your confidence in QB Tua Tagovailoa and said that with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, you felt more comfortable in the 2-minute. Is that just a feel thing? I’m sure you’re aware many, many years ago, QB Kurt Warner was the de facto 2-minute quarterback for Arizona when QB Matt Leinart was a rookie. Is that something that is a consideration or was that just kind of an in-the-moment gut feel for you to make that switch at that point last week?) – “I’ve got a lot of confidence in Tua. A couple of weeks ago, we were down in Arizona and he took it down the field and scored. It’s a gut. It’s a feel. Yeah, it was a gut thing in that particular moment. We just felt like ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) gave us the best chance in that particular game. But Tua is the starter. Again, he’s young and he’s developing and he’s done some good things – I would say a lot of good things. Hopefully he continues to develop. This week is going to be a tough challenge against Gregg (Williams) and the multiple looks that he gives quarterbacks and really offenses in general. They’ve done a good job. They’ve done a good job stopping the run, they’ve done a good job in the red zone. I think this will be challenge and again, I expect a tough, competitive, physical game against these guys, like it always is.”
