Brian Flores – July 30, 2019
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Tuesday, July 30, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(I think any reasonable person would say there are a few guys on your team who should play every down – CB Xavien Howard, T Laremy Tunsil, a few. Would you consider S Minkah Fitzpatrick part of that group? Should he play every down this season?) – “That’s up to Minkah. I think if he shows us that he can play on every down, play in different spots, tackle, play the deep part of the field (and) cover, the guy is deserving of playing every snap. That’s up to him and that’s the case for the other guys you mentioned – Laremy, ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) and really anyone on this team. It’s up to them and they have to show that in practice and in games, meetings and walkthroughs. It’s all a part of it.”
(Why the change?) – “We felt like we needed to make that move. I felt that way. I think I’m always going to do what’s in the best interest of the Miami Dolphins and I thought that was the case with this move. As a team, we need to move forward. It was a tough decision – it was. I think the easy decision would have been to do nothing and hopefully it gets better and hope that it got better. But I just felt like it was the move for us to make and build moving forward.”
(What was it that you weren’t seeing in Week 1 of training camp that you hope to see from this point forward?) – “I think there are a lot of factors here – from a communication standpoint, from a fit standpoint. I just felt like for us as a team, we needed to make the move. I thought it was the best decision for this team and this organization. There was no one specific incident. I have a lot of respect for Pat Flaherty. He’s obviously coached in this league a long time. But at the end of the day, I felt like ‘Guge’ (Offensive Line Coach Dave DeGuglielmo) would be a better fit. He’s somebody that I had targeted as an o-line coach if I ever had an opportunity. He wasn’t available when this process started and then he became available, we brought him in and I just felt like for me and this team and our staff and that offensive line group that this was the right move to make.”
(You’ve now lost two of your top assistants in three weeks. Are you concerned about the continuity of this coaching staff and will you be ready for Week 1 with the changes made?) – “I’m not (concerned). I think we’ve got a very good staff. I think the players respond to the coaches on this staff. I think (Offensive Line Coach) Dave (DeGuglielmo) is going to do a great job. I think (Offensive Coordinator) Chad (O’Shea) and the rest of the offensive staff is up for the challenge. Honestly, I don’t think we’re going to miss a beat, to be honest.”
(What did you tell the players about the decision?) – “I told them that every decision I make is going to be in the best interest of this team right now and moving forward. Some of those are tough decisions and that’s the truth. I’m as authentic as I can be. Nothing is more important to me than this team, this organization and part of that is making the hard decisions. And this was a hard one – it was. That wasn’t an easy conversation but I think – I went with my gut on this one. I’m always going to do that. If I don’t do that then I’m not being true to myself and I’m not being authentic with how I feel about this team and this organization and where I want it to go, so I’m always going to go with my gut.”
(What do you need to see better from your offensive line going forward?) – “We need a tough, smart, disciplined offensive line that communicates well and understands where guys need help and understands what we’re trying to do in the run game, the pass game, the play-action game and the screen game. I just think we need a continuity in that room and all five are involved. It’s really a unit. It’s not a one-on-one deal across the board, it’s a unit. That unit is so important and so vital to the success of this team, and we need to get that right.”
(Where do things stand with the quarterback competition?) – “Yesterday was obviously a day off and as a coaching staff, we really evaluated the entire roster. I would say from a quarterback standpoint, it’s pretty clear to me that Ryan Fitzpatrick is leading the way. I think he’s done that in a lot of areas from leadership to production on the field, in the meeting rooms, in the walkthroughs. I think this is an ongoing competition but right now, I’d say he’s leading the way.”
(What is the potential of this offensive line with the pieces that you have?) – “I think we can be a good offensive line. I do. I think we’ve got good players across the offensive line. We’ve got to put the right unit out there and if they work together and they spend time on their fundamentals and technique and communicate the way an o-line needs to communicate, I think we have a lot of potential.”
(DT Durval Queiroz Neto, can you talk about what you’ve seen from him so far in limited reps and also what you expect in preseason games? Will he make an appearance?) – “This is a hardworking young man. I think when he got here in the offseason, all of this was brand new to him. From conditioning, from a technique standpoint, from a fundamental standpoint, from just an overall learning of football, he’s come a long way I would say in these four or five months. I like the kid a lot. He’s strong. He’s as strong as anyone we have on the team. There’s definitely an opportunity for him to develop and he’s taken advantage of that. He’s getting limited reps. He’s still learning the game, I would say. I like what I’ve seen from him and hopefully we get him into preseason games and see what he can do.”
(I know TE Dwayne Allen isn’t here yet but what do you see at the tight end battle right now?) – “Well, Dwayne is working to get back as quickly as possible. The rest of that group, I think it’s a pretty good competition. Durham (Smythe), Nick O’Leary, Mike (Gesicki), Clive (Walford), these guys are really working hard. Even (Chris) Myarick, the rookie, has gone in there and done some good things. I think that group, from a blocking standpoint, I’ve been pleased with that. In the pass game, I’ve been pleased with that group as well. That competition is ongoing and I think it’s a good one. I think we’ve got some good players there. Again, it’s early; but we need to continue to build on the start that we’ve had.”
(So you made this change because you saw Offensive Line Coach Dave DeGuglielmo as a better fit? Is that accurate?) – “I saw him as a better fit within the coaching staff. I also saw him as a better fit with the overall group and team. Again, like I said earlier, Pat Flaherty is a very good coach. That goes without saying. In this instance, I just felt like this was the best move for this team. I went with my gut, to be honest. I think ‘Guge’ (Dave DeGuglielmo) is a very good coach. Obviously he was in Indianapolis last year and did a great job with that group. He’s been in Miami before and done a good job. This is a well-respected guy taking over for the o-line and I think he’ll do a great job.”
(Philosophically and technique-wise, what, if anything, will change going from Pat Flaherty to Offensive Line Coach Dave DeGuglielmo?) – “Look, we want a tough, smart, physical offensive line. Philosophically, that’s what we’re looking for. We can get into techniques if you want, but it boils down to hand placement, footwork, getting your hands inside and protecting inside-out. All of those things are just the basic, basic fundamentals of o-line play. That’s what I’m looking for. Communicating that, along with communication along the offensive line, combination blocks in the run game, passing off twists in the pass game, all of those things go into it. Then the overall communication along the offensive line, that’s what we’re looking for. We’re really looking for that at all positions – offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. There’s a few different things at play there but tough, smart, disciplined and fundamentally sound – that’s what I’m looking for out of the o-line group.”
(When did you make the decision?) – “Yesterday. I think it had been something that had been on my mind for some time before that. Again, it wasn’t an easy decision. It’s not an easy thing to do. But I also feel like – like I said earlier, the easy thing to do was to just hope that it gets better. And more times than not – in my experience – is they don’t get better. Then who loses out is those guys out on the field. It’s my responsibility to make sure that doesn’t happen or to put this team in the best possible situation they can be in. If I don’t do that, then I’m not doing my job and I didn’t come here to do that.”
(Did you getting a late start here because of the Super Bowl have any impact on hiring Pat Flaherty and then making this decision?) – “It’s hard to put a staff together. I think we put together a very good staff. That process, there’s a lot going on. There’s a lot going on in that process; but I’m not here to make excuses. It is what it is. I think for me personally, I have to move forward. This team has to move forward. We have to do what we feel is best and I think that’s the case in this situation. I’m not here to make excuses.”
(With the quarterback situation, what have you seen from QB Ryan Fitzpatrick that makes him better than QB Josh Rosen at this point?) – “He’s been more productive. I think at the end of the day, that’s what it comes down to. I think he runs the offense very efficiently. He has a great rapport with the entire team. He has some leadership – not some, a lot of leadership ability. We need that to continue. We need him to grow in that role. We need all of the quarterbacks to grow and improve and get better. Like I said, it’s still a competition. Every day is a competition. I think they all know that. But as we stand today, I think Ryan has done a really good job and hopefully he continues to improve and is consistent. That will help this team, for sure.”
