Brian Flores – December 26, 2019
Download PDF version
Thursday, December 26, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(In the season finale here two years ago when the Dolphins were out of playoff contention, Adam Gase started QB Jay Cutler, played him one series then had QB David Fales play the rest of the game. Could you see a scenario where you want to get QB Josh Rosen some work behind QB Ryan Fitzpatrick on Sunday or do you just want to stick with one guy?) – “Two years ago, what happened? I’m sorry. (laughter)”
(Adam Gase started Jay Cutler, played him a series and then David Fales played the rest of the game.) – “Oh, okay. Yeah, I don’t see a situation like that. We’re going to play the guys who we feel give us the best chance to win, like we’ve said all year. I know that was two years ago, but no. We’re just going to stick to what we’ve been doing all season.”
(Do you and General Manager Chris Grier talk about any guys you want to look at this Sunday from a personnel standpoint that maybe you’ve seen some but maybe want to see more? I don’t know if you can share that, but is that a discussion that you’ve had?) – “Yeah, it’s something we talk about daily. We’ve seen a lot of guys this season obviously; so yeah, those conversations are ongoing and a lot of it’s based on who played well last week (and) who didn’t play last week that we want to take a look at. Injuries play a role in that. Those conversations are ongoing between myself, our coaching staff and Chris is involved in those obviously. At the end of the day, we’re going to play the guys we feel give us the best chance to succeed.”
(You didn’t see a whole lot of RB Myles Gaskin in game action, but what was your takeaway from what you saw?) – “Not a whole lot of game action like you said, but we saw plenty in practice (and in the) preseason. This is a kid who’s really improved over the course of the season from a preparation standpoint, from a process standpoint, and he’s gotten a lot better from where he was in rookie minicamp to where he was last week. He’s made a lot of progress. Unfortunately he got the injury last week, but he’s a guy who will bounce back and get himself healthy as quickly as possible and hopefully build on some of the improvements he’s made over the course of the season.”
(How about RB De’Lance Turner? Again, brief appearances from scrimmage but your thoughts on what you’ve seen from him?) – “Another young guy who’s gotten some opportunities in the kicking game. He got to carry the ball a couple times last week. Again, he’s made a lot of improvement over the course of the season in the time that he’s been here, and he’s made some plays in the kicking game, blocking, tackling. I think there’s been some growth, some improvement, and hopefully that continues this weekend.”
(What did the club see in RB Samaje Perine who you guys added to the roster?) – “A guy who’s had some success in this league. (He’s a) good runner, plays in the kicking game and obviously having only two backs, we felt like we needed to add one, and it was an opportunity for us to add someone with some experience. He’s had some production in this league.”
(You’ve got a few obsessions. One I’ve identified is the kicking game. You are absolutely obsessed with the kicking game. Where did that come from?) – “It was the only way I got on the field early in my college career, so I guess it would start right there. I remember getting thrown into the game in high school on kickoff. Somebody – they broke a long run and (Head Coach) Dino (Mangiero) stuck me in there and said, ‘go make a tackle.’ It’s something that, it’s a phase of the game that I love. My time as an assistant under Scott O’Brien was invaluable to me. I think those six phases – field goal, field goal block, punt, punt return, kickoff, kickoff return – there’s plays to be made in all of those phases. We’re going up against an opponent who – they do a really good job in the kicking game. They try to apply pressure in all of those phases. It’s definitely a place where I feel like we can make a lot of improvement and if we play well in that phase, I think it’s a real advantage.”
(Is that where a guy first gains your attention? Is the kicking game where a young player can…?) – “Yeah. If you want to impress me, you do it in the kicking game. It’s something I’ve said since Day 1 here to anyone who sits in those meeting rooms. Quarterbacks who can hold, running backs who can cover kicks, receivers who can block in the return game, defensive players who can block on punt and then run down and make a tackle, guys who from a ball security standpoint can return kickoff and punt returns. All of it is very valuable. I think people take it for granted at times until it doesn’t work out in a game. It’s very important to me. I think it’s a phase in the game that we’ll continue to harp on and try to play well in that. We’ve got a great challenge this week. I would say this is one of the best kicking game units in the league. They’re well-coached. They’re tough. They’re physically. Schematically they do a lot of different things. They pose some issues. They try to apply pressure really in all phases, so it’ll be a big test.”
(On a personal level, what’s it going to be like returning to Gillette Stadium, a place you know very well. Have you ever been in the visitors’ locker room? Are you going to have to mentally say ‘I have to turn left, instead of turning right?’) – “I know my way around that place. I’ll be all right. I’ll figure it out. It’s a road game in a tough environment, against a good football team. It will be a great challenge for us. As far as the history, my personal history there, that’s one of those things that right now, I’m the head coach of the Miami Dolphins. That’s where my focus is going to be Sunday at one o’clock. Yes, there are a lot of relationships and friendships I have there. Again, those go far beyond football. I’ll be ready to compete on Sunday at one o’clock.”
(What does it say about a teammate like DT Christian Wilkins that he wants to run on the field and celebrate with teammates after a touchdown or even K Jason Sanders when he kicks a field goal?) – “It just says he’s a team guy, which we knew that when we drafted him. He selfless, he understands the different roles and how important each guy’s role is. He’s selfless. He’s a team guy, and I think we have a lot of guys like that on this team who really appreciate the hard work that everybody in that locker room puts into each week, into each practice, into each meeting, and I think he should celebrate it. I tell those guys that all the time, ‘we work hard.’ When we make a good play we should celebrate it. Nothing crazy, but as long as we don’t get a penalty I’m good. We should celebrate good plays.”
(You tell us a lot that tough, smart, physical is what you want from your players. I was curious that if there is a situation where a player is talented enough, but may not have one of those qualities. Would you still take on that player or if they don’t have those four, they’re out for you?) – “Talented but not tough?”
(One of those four. They’re talented but not tough, or talented and not physical, talented but not smart or talented and not disciplined. If they don’t have one of four, are they out for you?) – “It’s case by case. I think it’s really case by case. To me, a talented football player that is not tough – that’s almost an oxymoron to me. It’s case by case. That’s a tough question. A longer answer for me would probably be if you have a couple of for instances for me. I think it’s a longer conversation, but I do think it’s case by case. I’m looking for those qualities in every one of my players. Not everyone has each one, I realize that. Each player is their own individual person and has different qualities and probably are stronger in one area than in others. I understand that. In some instances, some guys are tougher, some guys are smarter, some guys are more physical etc., etc. But yeah, it’s case by case, and I’m not writing anybody off for being deficient in any one area. I need my guys to be tough though.”
(This is a year that you probably never experienced, and this is for us as well. But I’m sure there will be moments, stories from the season that you will look back on and smile about. Is there one or two moments during the season, maybe during a game or at practice that you’ll kind of cherish?) – “I’ll reflect on the season after the season. Right now we’ve got a major challenge ahead of us. It’s a very well-coached, tough, physical team in New England, really in all three phases – offense, defense and special teams. That’s where most of my – really all of my attention – is right now. I could sit and try to think about one, but then my mind goes to the four blocked punts they’ve got on the season, or (Julian) Edelman on third down or the variety of games they run on the front. Even when I try to go there, something else pops into my mind, which has something to do with a situation where they are doing something to pose problems for us. Maybe that’s a next week question. I’m sorry.”
(Did CB Tae Hayes show you something Sunday which intrigued you guys to want to see more? Do you feel good about – you’ve developed young corners. You, Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham, Defensive Pass Game Coordinator/Cornerbacks Josh Boyer, do you feel like you have some young guys that can be developed moving forward and might turn into something long-term?) – “I think Tae jumped right in and played a significant amount of snaps last week. He made a few plays and was competitive on most of the coverage. I thought he tackled well. It’s a good start. I think we need to build on that in practice, meetings and walkthroughs and hopefully duplicate that type of performance again. That will be hard against a good receiving corps and obviously a great quarterback. It’s not an easy thing, but he’s off to a good start. As far as the corner position, I think Patrick and Josh do a great job as far as developing young players. It takes time, but every play, every game is an experience for those guys. I think those guys do a good job.”
