Brian Flores – August 6, 2021
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Friday, August 6, 2021
Head Coach Brian Flores
(Had two unrelated questions, but the first is really quick. Without giving a reason how many assistant coaches do you expect not to be here today? And then also what appealed to you about QB Reid Sinnett as your third quarterback to keep around and develop him? What specific skills do you all like in him?) – “The first question – one. Reid (Sinnett) – I think he’s smart. I think he’s done a good job learning the offense. I think he’s taken command of his group when he’s in there. I think he’s made some nice throws and I think he’s working hard and improving on a daily basis.”
(For years, players who are unhappy with their contract and perhaps demanding or requesting a trade would hold out where they stay away from the team. Times have changed. Now players hold in. CB Xavien Howard is unhappy but present. How do you view the hold out versus the hold in?) – “I guess I would say I think Xavien (Howard) has done a nice job. He’s dealing with an ankle. I think he’s been very supportive of his teammates. I think he’s been attentive in meetings. I think you see him on the field coaching guys up – the young guys. I think he’s dealing with an injury like we have several other players dealing with injuries and I think he’s working on a daily basis to get back. Obviously he’s an important part of this team and he’s taking things day to day and when he gets back, we’ll get him in there and get him working with his teammates. I think he’s doing a nice job considering his situation.”
(So will CB Xavien Howard be out there today and do you expect him to travel with the team to Chicago?) – “Yeah, we’ve got our walkthrough today. I expect ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) to be out there. Again he’s dealing with something, let’s call it day to day; but it’s walkthrough today so I expect him to be out there. And yeah, look, we’re taking things one day at a time, so as far as who’s traveling to Chicago and things like that; yeah, we expect to bring him to Chicago but there’s a lot going on here as far as COVID and injuries and things of that nature. I wish I had a crystal ball and could tell you exactly who’s going when and who’s going to be here, but I don’t. We’ll take things one day at a time, but assuming all things are – guys are healthy and guys are available – yeah, he’ll be there.”
(Could you see any scenario where you and GM Chris Grier acquiesce to CB Xavien Howard trade request or do you want him on this team, period, he will be on this team, period?) – “We don’t want to trade ‘X’ (Xavien Howard). You can write that down. He’s a very good player. He’s a big part of the team. We don’t want to trade him.”
(Have you and CB Xavien Howard – I know you decline to discuss details of conversations, but can you share if it’s true – have you and “X” had any productive or positive conversations over the last week either in your office or on the field?) – “Yeah, I talk to ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) pretty much every day. I think every conversation is productive. We’ve gotten into specifics of X’s and O’s, contract, things of that nature. I think they’ve been productive. Like I said last week, I think we’re moving in the right direction and we’ll just continue to keep talking to him and his representation. Again, I think we think these – we want these things to happen quickly. We want them to happen right now. But some things take time and we’ll work through it and hopefully come to the best resolution for all sides.”
(You said you don’t want to trade CB Xavien Howard, but given the caliber of player he is, have other teams called to ask if you’re willing to trade him?) – “We keep all that internal. Calls we make, calls teams make to us; it’s kind of common courtesy just to keep those things in-house, internal, confidential. Not talk about what other people are asking for from our end or what we’re talking to other people about. And that’s kind of how we want to operate. Again, I think it’s just common courtesy.”
(Last one on CB Xavien Howard. I’m curious if you can share anything about what message, if any, you have delivered to the group about the “X” situation? They know what’s going on. They’re not oblivious. So have you addressed it with the group?) – “I think you hear these guys talk; they’re very supportive of ‘X.’ He’s a very good teammate. There’s relationships that have been built over the last – since I’ve been here and longer in some instances. He’s supportive of his teammates. He does a good job in meetings. He’s helped these young guys. He’s supportive of everyone – offense, defense, special teams. He answers the questions of the young rookies and young players. Yeah, I think everyone understands the situation, but things have gone fairly smoothly from our standpoint.”
(I had one more question on CB Xavien Howard. Of course, as you pointed out during June, it’s an unusual thing for a guy to ask for changes to his contract two years after signing a long-term extension. That said, have you and GM Chris Grier while sitting in a room – while not prying – have you and Chris sitting in a room said to yourself, “Let’s just do a little something, a nice gesture for him just to make the player happy since he was really good last year and just to put this behind us. Let’s do a little something contractually for him?”) – “’Not prying?’ (laughter) I’ll say this: last week I stood up here – and I’ve said it again – talks are progressing. I’m not going to get into the details of those conversations, but talks are progressing. You take from that what you want. Again, these things – they take time. But as long as the lines of communication are open, as long as everyone is willing to compromise; then we can get something done.”
(CB Noah Igbinoghene, for a long time you and the coaches have described him as a – and I hope this isn’t a trigger word or a negative connotation – a “developmental prayer” – I hope that word didn’t set you off…) – “No. We’re all developing. None of us are (perfect).”
(What are the things that CB Noah Igbinoghene does need to start to form pretty quickly in his game?) – “I think we’re all developing. I think when you’re a rookie, a first-, second-year player, third-year player, 10th-year player; there’s always something you can improve and get better at. I think that’s the case with Noah (Igbinoghene). I think he’s working hard. I think he’s doing all the right things in the meetings and the walkthroughs and we just need to continue to work on the techniques, the fundamentals, believe in the techniques and the fundamentals, apply those techniques and fundamentals in practice and I think over time he’ll have success and he’ll get better and we’re just trying to make incremental improvements on a daily basis. I think that’s the case for all of us – players, coaches, support staff, everyone in our building. And Noah is no different. He’s got more of obviously a spotlight on him than some other people, but he’s working hard and if he keeps working the way he’s working, he’ll make improvement.”
(How close are WR Will Fuller, LB Jaelan Phillips and LB Andrew Van Ginkel to being able to do individual or team drills again?) – “Day to day. Every day they’re getting better – or I should say every day they’re working to improve and get better. I would say they’re all getting better. I know you guys want me to say it’s day to day or week to week, but I just take things one day at a time so everything is day to day to me. I know you asked that last week. Those guys are working to get better on a daily basis and that’s all we can really ask of them. Get up, get your treatment, get more treatment, get in the hot tub, get in the cold tub, work out, work on your conditioning, do a good job in the meetings and they’ll get out there as soon as they can. They want to be out there.”
(I know you guys are cross-training people on the offensive line at this point; but at what point do you worry about chemistry development. And also I would like an update on G Solomon Kindley, who was working with the third team the last time we watched practice. Where is he in his progression in terms of what you need to see from him?) – “I think there’s a lot of competition in that room. I think you’ve seen guys work with the ones, with the twos, with the threes. Solomon is a guy whose worked with the ones, with the twos, with the threes. But again, like I’ve said numerous times, it doesn’t really matter what group you’re with. From alignment, assignment, responsibility, technique and fundamentals, are you doing the right things? That’s for each player. That’s really what we’re looking for and that’s what is being evaluated, so it doesn’t matter what group you’re in. Are you taking care of business with the reps that you have? As far as the team chemistry or chemistry along the offensive line, I think it’s very important and a very valid question. It’s something that we don’t take for granted at all. At some point we’ll kind of narrow this thing down to let’s call it five, six, seven guys because you’ve got to have at least seven to eight guys at the game. Whatever five of that group, that group has to have the chemistry you need to be an effective offensive line. So there will always be some moving parts. I think we’d all like to say it’s just five guys so let them play and let them work. But again – and I think (you guys) asked this the other day – we’ve got to get some other guys in there too so that chemistry with the sixth lineman and the seventh lineman, there’s not a big drop-off because inevitably that’s going to happen. So if you want to see all five every day for days and weeks in a row, I’m sorry that’s just not going to happen (laughter). I just don’t think that’s the best thing for the group overall. But yeah, we’re going to narrow this down to let’s call it seven or eight guys at some point.”
(Do you have a good feel for six, seven or eight?) – “Early on, yes. There’s some guys that are ahead of others up to this point. But we’ve still got – the practices against Chicago will tell us a lot. The preseason games will tell us a lot. (I heard) we’re keeping score on this but it’s still early. It’s still very early. The Chicago practices will go a long way. The preseason games will go a long way. I don’t think we’re going to make a full-on evaluation or declaration of who is who until we get through that. It’s still early. It’s still early. It’s still early. It’s still early. (laughter)”
(Speaking of developing players, where is G Durval Queiroz Neto in his development?) – “I think he’s doing a nice job. He’s having a nice camp. I think this is Year 3 for him. His first year he was a d-lineman. We moved him to offensive line after training camp, so let’s call it roughly two years training on the offensive line. I think he’s made steady improvements. I would say look, this guy is big, strong, athletic, fast. I think it’s kind of the football acumen, techniques and fundamentals – things of that nature – that I would say he’s made significant improvement over the last two years. He’s gone in and done a nice job. His mental errors are down. His technique is better. We’ll just continue to see if he continues on the trajectory that he’s on and try to build on it on a daily basis. I think he’s off to a good start but once you start getting into days seven, eight nine and 10, practices against Chicago, playing a game, we’ll really get a good feel for what this is.”
(What about the running backs and RB Myles Gaskin, how has he looked to you? We didn’t see RB Malcolm Brown last practice and RB Salvon Ahmed, how is he coming along after he was in the red jersey?) – “Salvon was a little banged up. He was in a little bit but we expect him – again, he’s day to day. We expect him back at some point here in the near future. You mentioned Malcolm? He missed practice? I thought he was out there and it was modified, but ok. Maybe I’m confused on my days – I could be, it’s training camp. But let’s call him day to day also. I think Myles is doing a nice job. He’s working hard and doing a good job in the run game, protections, catching the ball out of the backfield. I think leadership – he’s continuing to evolve as a leader as well on the team.”
(S Jevon Holland pulled off his first interception of training camp the last practice we watched, which was Wednesday. Where is he in his development? I know you guys were working DB Jason McCourty at cornerback. Is he ready for the heavy responsibility of that free safety spot?) – “I would say he’s doing a lot of good things. He’s smart, he’s tough, it’s important to him. We’re asking a lot of him – multiple positions. I think he’s doing a nice job. But it’s not necessarily the interception – and that’s a good play, one that everybody sees – but it’s getting guys lined up, getting himself lined up, being in the right position, being in good position to make a last line of defense tackle, communication with the corners, with the linebackers, down and distance situation. There’s a lot that goes into that position. I think he’s taken on that responsibility and been very – let’s call it forthright and trying to do a good job as far as taking on that leadership or signal-caller spot, which is hard for a rookie. I would say to step in there and tell somebody else what to do – that’s what the position calls for. He’s growing. He’s getting better. There’s still a long way to go. Again, I think the next few practices – for us these next three days and then Chicago and then the preseason game – we’ll just try to make steady improvements.”
