Brian Flores – December 13, 2021
Monday, December 13, 2021
Head Coach Brian Flores
(I wanted to ask with RB Myles Gaskin and RB Salvon Ahmed ending up on the COVID-19 list last week, can you shed some light on the timeline of the return of those tests? Obviously, you guys had your last walkthrough last Wednesday. And is there any concern that this might not be an isolated case?) – “Yeah, so those guys tested positive last week. As far as timeline, exact days, whenever they ended up on the (transaction) wire, I would say that’s the day. I don’t have that exactly in front of me. What was the other part of that question?”
(Is there any concern that those aren’t isolated situations?) – “Per protocol, we test once a week. The guys tested today. We just follow the protocols as we normally do. But there’s no feeling that this is that type of situation. But again, I also don’t have a crystal ball here and with everyone coming off of the bye week and kind of getting away, part of our discussion was being safe and understanding that there is still a pandemic out here. We’ll follow the protocols and practice the guys who are here.”
(There was a report that RB Lamar Miller was going to be brought in for a workout. Was that connected to the guys being on the COVID list or was that already intended?) – “It was certainly connected to the guys being on the COVID list. I think when guys go down, there’s no [inaudible]. Just getting a workout and seeing where he and some other players were physically. If we have to make a move, we’re ready to do that.”
(A few of us last Wednesday saw C/G Michael Deiter in what appeared to be a walking boot. Did he have a setback at all? Will he play this week? Also, it would not be a Monday if I didn’t ask you about WR Will Fuller and whether he was going to practice this week?) – “Deiter, he’ll be out at practice today. We have a walkthrough today and I expect him to practice this week. Will Fuller, I do not expect him to be here this week.”
(On that note with WR Will Fuller, is there something more at play than just the multiple bone fractures of a finger here?) – “He’s not going to be at practice this week. We’ll take it day-to-day, week-to-week. We’re not going to get into any specifics about his situation but he won’t be here this week.”
(I wanted to ask you a question about your views on free agency being used to supplement rosters. Obviously you guys have done it a number of ways the past three years. What do you view free agency’s purpose is and benefit for?)- “It’s, as you said, a way to, one of a variety of ways to fill and build a roster. There’s different types of free agents. Exclusive rights free agent, restricted free agents, unrestricted free agents. Obviously via trade, via waiver wire. There’s a number of ways to try to build a roster and free agency is just one of them. What was the rest of that question?”
(You guys have done, like last offseason, you guys undid a lot of deals. This offseason, there were a lot of lower end deals and trades and things like that. How much do you think it has benefited or hurt your roster, your team, as it presently stands?) – “Honestly, my focus right now is on today’s practice and not what happened last year, last week. If we go through every free agent deal from last year – we have the guys we have, we’re working with them and that’s kind of what my focus is.”
(Housekeeping to wrap that up there, two other guys – RB Phillip Lindsay and RB Malcolm Brown. Do you believe either one of those guys or both of those guys can practice this week?) – “Hopeful that Malcolm can return to practice. I think he’s got a couple more workouts and hopefully we can see him this week and then the same with Phillip.”
(Unrelated question, we’re going to talk to DE Emmanuel Ogbah later today. I wanted to ask you how would you describe his contributions to the team?) – “I think he’s played well. I think his leadership, his work ethic and his professionalism are something that we like our young players to watch and emulate. He’s a true professional and I think he brings a lot to our team.”
(In just watching some of the games around the league yesterday and really all season long, it really seems like no lead – two scores, three scores – is safe in today’s NFL. But over your win streak, you’ve managed to not just hang on to games but also sustained two-score leads in I think four of those five. What do you think is the key to closing out those games and not letting teams hang around and come back late like that?) – “Good execution. I think at the end of the day, that’s what it boils down to really in all three phases. I think you’ve got to play well at the end. That goes without saying. I think that’s when you get your opponent’s best shot, you give them your best shot and you’ve got to execute.”
(I just wanted to ask, with you guys having the walkthrough on Monday, it’s a little wrinkle in the schedule because you guys are coming back from a bye. How important is this first walkthrough to touch up on some things that guys may be rusty on and set the tone for the rest of the week?) – “I think anytime you have a few days off and you’re out of the routine, you’ve got to get them back into the routine. I think today’s kind of walkthrough, jog-through, get out there, get a sweat, get back in the huddle, get the correct terminology, verbiage. It’s been a while since we’ve been in a huddle, a few days. Get out, get a sweat, run around, run a route, get to the top of a route for the receiver, or the top of the route for a DB, or put hands on somebody, or put hands on a sled. I think knocking a little bit of the rust off is what we’re trying to get accomplished today. We’ll get started on the Jets and some of the install and what we want to do there on early downs, and take it from there. Get off to a good start this week. That’s really the goal.”
(RB Phillip Lindsay missed the last game with an ankle injury. I know the bye week has probably benefited him a lot. How much is this week a good time for him to get healthy considering what you got going on in the backfield?) – “I think having the extra week to get healthy is helpful for him. Another week of terminology, verbiage and things of that nature. I think it’s always good.”
(During the winning streak, you guys haven’t trailed once by more than three points. How important has that been in helping you play the style of offense you guys want to play?) – “The goal is always to play from ahead. I think that’s what we try to do really all year. The focus isn’t on the last five weeks, it’s on today. That’s where I’m at. It’s on the Jets. I think they played us well the last time we played them. I think they’ve got some talented players. They play hard and they gave us some issues the last time out. That’s where my focus is, and trying to help our team, put our guys in the best position to have success next week, next Sunday.”
(With how you guys have been playing, did the bye week come at a bad time for you guys? How much are you guys looking forward to getting back to work, and the business at hand, especially the way you guys have bene playing as of late?) – “We took the bye week to recharge the battery. I think guys were excited to be back in here today. I definitely felt that in our meetings this morning. The schedule is the schedule and whatever it is, it is. I don’t put too much – ‘I wish it was here or I wish it was there.’ It was where it was. We kind of use the bye week to heal up, to do some self-evaluation and we treated this one no differently. It’s a little later in the year, but I think we come out of it trying to recharge the battery and we’re anxious to get back out there.”
(As a coach, how was it for you knowing that you guys were in your groove? You don’t really have to rest the mental aspect of it. Maybe your voice from yelling at guys and whatnot, but just for you in particular?) – “To me, the bye week was at [inaudible] – no issues there. Just come back to work today, practice and try to go execute next week.”
(We can look at the stats and say that WR Jaylen Waddle is having a very solid season, especially for a rookie. But for what we don’t see, the way he practices, his attentiveness in meetings, what he asks, how he understands, how he processes information. How would you assess his learning curve in that area and how he’s handled all of that as a rookie?) – “I think he’s done a good job. I think he’s taken in all of the information, I think he’s learned multiple positions, I think he’s been out there at practice pretty much every day. I think he’s gotten better every day. I think he continues to get better and I think he wants to get better. I’ve been pleased with his development over the course of the season and hopefully that continues.”
