Brian Flores – August 29, 2021 (Postgame)
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Sunday, August 29, 2021
Postgame – Cincinnati
Head Coach Brian Flores
(Opening Statement) – “First I’d like to send thoughts, prayers and condolences to the soldiers who died in Afghanistan. We have a lot of freedoms and liberties in this country and we have those because of their sacrifices and I just want to send thoughts, prayers and condolences to the families and loved ones of those soldiers. It’s a sad day. It’s been a sad few days, I should say.”
(We’ll get to the game of course but yesterday a report named the Dolphins the front-runner in trade talks for QB Deshaun Watson. Your reaction and are you and General Manager Chris Grier still pursuing Watson?) – “Reports (and) speculation are not things we really get into. Look, I understand the question; but as I’ve said in the past, any conversations we have or don’t have with other clubs are going to be internal. I’ve been pretty steadfast about that – with our players, with other clubs – and that will remain the case.”
(Can you address your confidence in QB Tua Tagovailoa and did you have to address it with him? Did you have any talks with him?) – “I’m very confident in Tua. He’s done a lot of good things this spring, this offseason, this training camp. He played well last week. Again, my conversations with the players are going to always remain between me and that player. I talk to a lot of players every day. Obviously I spend a lot of time with the quarterbacks. But yeah, those conversations will remain between myself and that player.”
(You have three preseason games done. You’ve got two more weeks before the season opener. Are you optimistic with where you’re at right now? Do you like where you’re at right now from what you’ve done up until this point?) – “There are a lot of things that I like. I think we’ve got a good group that works hard. They have good camaraderie. They have fun playing together. Hopefully people who watch us can see that. They’ve really worked hard. I think we’re moving in the right direction but there’s still a lot of work to be done. I’ve always felt like preseason, training camp, preseason games, you’re still kind of forming your team; and I would say that’s the case for us right now. What role certain guys are going to play, I think that will be determined over – some of it’s been determined over training camp but more of it we’ll see over these next two weeks of practice and obviously when we get into regular-season games. But I like where we’re at. I like the guys we have. I know they’re tough, they’re smart, they’re competitive and they work. I think when you work and you get a lot of guys going in the right direction, in the same direction, there’s potential for a lot of improvement.”
(Can you talk about this game a little bit? QB Reid Sinnett comes in and plays the whole game and throws for 343 yards and a couple of touchdowns. He looked pretty sharp out there.) – “Yeah, I was excited for Reid. Another young player who was on our practice squad last year. He’s really made a lot of improvements and got an opportunity today and took advantage of that opportunity. I thought he played well, led, made some big throws, took some hits. Every play wasn’t perfect. He had an interception early but battled back. He really led that group. There were a lot of guys who played a lot of football today and really played a full game and had to battle through. Reid was one of them but he was also a guy who was very supportive and bringing guys along throughout the game. He battled until the bitter end and made a play at the end. I was excited for him.”
(You only dressed 45 guys. There are limited roster spots available. Were there some guys out there today who may have earned a job?) – “Certainly. There were certainly some guys out there who – I’ll have to review the film but from what I observed throughout today’s game, there are some guys who are close that played well. There’s some hard decisions we’re going to have to make coming up in these next couple of days. Myself, our staff, Chris (Grier) and his staff, we’ll talk about it. We’ll talk through a myriad of things and reasons to keep guys or to not keep guys. And at the same time, we’re looking at various players who might be available on other teams. There’s a lot that goes on these next couple of days and we’ll certainly be busy.”
(We saw WR Kirk Merritt make plays, WR Khalil McClain and WR Malcolm Perry. Does a game like today kind of encapsulate how difficult it is to make those decisions, especially in the wide receiver room?) – “Yeah, like you said all of those guys went out there today and played well. They got open, caught the ball, made big plays, tough catches in critical situations. Kirk had one at the end of the game to pull us within one score. Malcolm made plays the entire day. Khalil makes a (catch) on a back-shoulder throw, which we’ve been working on that. It was good to see that in a game. So yeah, there are a lot of competitive players in that room and really throughout the team. Yeah, there will be some tough decisions we’ll have to make.”
(There were a couple of nice moments from RB Gerrid Doaks, who of course played his college ball here in Cincinnati. What have you seen from him this preseason?) – “Tough, smart, loves to play, competitive, team-first. Really all of the attributes we’re looking for in a Miami Dolphin. Smart kid. I thought he played well. I thought he ran it well. I thought he did a nice job in protection. I’m pleased with where he is.”
(The team announced yesterday that it acquired OL Greg Mancz in a trade with the Ravens. Obviously he wasn’t able to play today but what do you see and how does he play into the offensive line?) – “We’re excited to get Greg. We’ve watched a lot of tape on him. He has a lot of film from this year and previous years. He has versatility to play center or guard. Tough. Competitive. From what I’ve heard from people I have good connections with, there’s some leadership there with him as well. We’re excited to have him.”
(What does that mean for C Matt Skura? What have you seen from him this camp?) – “I think Matt has played well. Matt’s another guy who is an experienced player and has played a lot. We’re going to have tough decisions to make in that room. I mentioned it earlier but that’s across the board. Matt’s a good player. He’s shown leadership. So yeah, some tough decisions we have to make.”
(Regardless of any talks with other teams, a portion of this fan base would like to hear the team say they are not interested in Deshaun Watson. Would you say that – feel comfortable saying that?) – “I would say that I’m interested in the players that are on our team. That’s what I am interested in. I’m interested in Reid Sinnett, who went out there and played his butt off tonight. I’m interested in Gerrid Doaks, who we talked about a second ago. I’m interested in the guys that didn’t play today that were focused on our recovery and being fresh for next week. That’s what I would say. I’m interested in the players on the Miami Dolphins.”
