Brian Flores – June 4, 2019
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Tuesday, June 4, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(Is S Reshad Jones going to be here today?) – “Reshad is here, yes. He’s here.”
(Do you expect S Reshad Jones to practice?) – “Yeah, I expect he’ll practice.”
(Was it good to see S Reshad Jones?) – “Yeah, it was great to see him. We talked briefly. He and I had a good conversation. It looks like he’s in shape, ready to work and I look forward to working with him today.”
(How comfortable are you with where S Reshad Jones is in his offseason program?) – “He looks like he’s in really good shape. We’ll see. He’s going to get out there and practice today and I’m looking forward to seeing him and getting him involved and getting going with the communication and the terminology and getting into some competitive periods. It’ll be good.”
(You’ve been telling us there’s no sacred cow and that everybody has to earn their spot. Have you told S Reshad Jones that and is he okay with that?) – “That wasn’t part of the conversation. The conversation was about coming in, learning the playbook, having good communication (and) working on your fundamentals and technique. Really, (it’s) the conversation that I have with every player that I come across. That’s not really a talking point when I’m one-on-one with a player. But yeah, I’m looking forward to working with him. Like I said, he looks like he’s in really good shape. He was excited. He was eager to get into meetings and to practice. I’m looking forward to working with him.”
(What do you see as S Reshad Jones’ potential role on this team?) – “That could go a few different ways. This is a guy who has a lot of experience. (He’s) someone who can play a few different roles. He can play a lot of roles for us, quite honestly. But that’s up to him, like it is for every other player. For each player – and I tell them all this – what your role on this team will be is up to you. That’s the case for Reshad. That’s the case for really every other player on this team. It’s about how you practice, about how you prepare, about how you perform in practice and in games when we get to that. That’s a longwinded answer but hopefully that answered your question.”
(How important is it for you to see S Reshad Jones work with S T.J. McDonald in terms of the chemistry that they can have or develop or how they are utilized?) – “I think the chemistry between the safeties is very important. I think the chemistry between the safeties, the linebackers, the corners, the d-line, I think all of it is important. Getting into a practice setting where you can work on that communication, with various calls to various formations to various personnel groups offensively, there’s 100 things that can happen on a play. The communication, from that standpoint, is something you have to build over time and we’ve been doing that over the last – really since April 1st – and he, along with everyone else, that’s part of the process. Just building that communication, we’re not going to conquer the world in one day. I’ll tell you that right now. It takes some time. We’re working towards that on a daily basis.”
(How does this affect, in any way, what you’ve been doing with CB Bobby McCain thus far?) – “I think we’re, like we do with all of the DBs, we’re going to work guys at different positions. I would say it doesn’t affect it at all. Bobby is going to work. Minkah (Fitzpatrick) is going to work. T.J. (McDonald) is going to work. Reshad (Jones) is going to work. Maurice (Smith) is going to work. We’re going to work all of the offensive linemen. We’re going to work all of the receivers. Again, we have a lot of plays in practice, so it’s scripted out and we structure it so that everyone gets work. Some get more than others. That’s just kind of how it shakes out. Again, the goal is to create an environment where there’s competition but we’re also learning, we’re growing, we’re communicating, we’re working our fundamentals and techniques, and we’re trying to get 11 guys on the same page to have a good, solid play over and over and over and over again to try to string good plays together.”
(Have you spoken with S Reshad Jones about what happened last year when he did not re-enter a game after he was part of a secondary rotation?) – “My conversations with Reshad, you guys have heard me, I’m focused on today. I’m not focused on last year or yesterday or any of that. My focus and my conversations with Reshad are about the playbook, communication, fundamentals (and) technique. Last year is last year. So no, I haven’t had a conversation with him on that.”
(Was that the first time you had met with S Reshad Jones since taking the job?) – “No.”
(What do you hope to accomplish over the next three days?) – “Well, I mentioned this: I want to finish strong. That’s definitely at the top of my list. I think we’ve made a lot of improvements since we got started on April 1st. I think this group is working hard. I think it’s important that we finish strong. We talk about continuing to build on the fundamentals, continuing to build on our techniques. There are things that we don’t even, it’s really muscle memory. That’s really what we’re trying to create here from a fundamentals and technique standpoint. So that’s a daily thing. We try to talk to them about it, coach them, educate them on those things so that when we get into the exotics and when we get into the meat of the third-down, red-area, 2-minute situations, when we get into that, you need good fundamentals to be good on those situations as well. When we get into that stuff, which we’ll get into some of that today, and there’s noise involved and then you’ve got a really good player in front of you, you just have to be able to fall back on your techniques, your fundamentals and it has to be something that’s seamless. It’s something that you don’t think about. That’s what really, when I talk about finishing strong, that’s where I’m at. It’s in those little details of the things that nobody is going to write about or that nobody is going to talk about on ESPN. It’s those little things, that’s where my focus is. I try to steer their focus in that direction too.”
(How has DT Christian Wilkins looked through nine OTAs and do you have a feeling at that position that you have with DT Davon] Godchaux and DT Vincent Taylor, two young guys who obviously had flashes?) – “Christian is a rookie. He’s got a lot to learn, a long way to go; but he works hard at it every day. He brings a lot of energy, I like what I’ve seen, but at that position you’ve seen nothing until you put pads on. We’re not winning any awards right now. We’ve got a long way to go with him and with the rest of the group as well.”
(What do you want to see out of QB Josh Rosen and QB Ryan Fitzpatrick before you guys break?) – “I want to see improvement on the weeks. Each guy’s been building. From when they got here, I’ve seen steady improvement each day, each week. I want to see that continue from a leadership standpoint first and foremost, getting us lined up. If somebody doesn’t know where to go, that guy needs to get him lined up. That’s the role of the quarterback. I want to see fire. I want to see energy. If it’s in and out of the huddle, I want to see a crisp operation that starts at the quarterback position. We need to continue to do that. It’s been solid. It can always be better and we’re going to continue to harp on those guys. Every good play starts with the quarterback. We stress ball security, ball handling. Again, I’m into the details. I’m into the fundamentals. If you keep asking, you’re going to get roughly the same answer. (laughter)”
(Regarding RB Kenyan Drake and his versatility, what have you been able to determine about that out here and what were the keys to defending him last year?) – “I’m not going to give you the keys to defending him. (laughter) I’m going to tell you that right now. You’re not going to hear that from me. You want me to just hand it over? I’m not going to give you that. (laughter) Well he’s athletic, he’s explosive, he’s fast. He’s a good route runner. He does a lot of good things. How do you defend him? We’ll let the opponent figure that out. (laughter) It’s hard to defend him from where we sit here today. We don’t know where he’s going to be lined (up). I think (Offensive Coordinator) Chad (O’Shea) has done a good job – Chad, (Assistant Quarterbacks Coach) Jerry (Schuplinski), (Assistant Head Coach/Quarterbacks) Jim (Caldwell), (Running Backs Coach) Eric (Studesville), they all do a really good job of coming up with ways to put our players in the best positions to do what they do well but also put the defense in some tough positions. That’s game planning, that’s coaching. We have a lot of really good coaches on this staff and they really work hard. We talk about competition on the field, (but) there is competition from the coaching perspective as well, and I like that. That’s something that we talk about on a day-to-day basis. We’re not trying to trick anybody, but we are trying to, there’s a little bit of gamesmanship that goes on there from a coaching standpoint that I like. I think we need to create that kind of environment, and I think we’re doing that and I think our coaching staff has done a good job from that standpoint.”
(I wanted to ask you about WR Albert Wilson. I know you haven’t been able to see him very much this offseason, but what is your vision for him from the skillsets that you know that he has?) – “That’s hard to say. Again as somebody who is in the moment, right now the thing for Albert is to do everything that he can do possible to get himself back on the field as soon as he can, which he is doing. This guy is working extremely hard and we know he’s talented. Right now, it’s about getting back on the field, it’s about rehab, it’s about nutrition, it’s about weights. It’s about everything that will help him get back onto the field and then we’ll take it from there. Do I have a lot of thoughts and ideas based on what I’ve seen? Yes. I think we all do. I think you guys do as well. You know what the guy is capable of. But until he’s out there, it’s thoughts.”
(One off the field question, how did you enjoy your first fishing experience?) – “It was fun. I had a great time at Fins Weekend. I think a couple of you guys were there. It’s for a great cause. I’m all about education. I said this the other day, I was humbled to be there. I’m very fortunate to be a part of this organization where they spend so much time in the community. From a fishing standpoint, I’m no fisherman. I’m not a golfer. I chose fishing and I wasn’t very good there. I reeled one in. I had a little help. Let’s be honest, I had a lot of help actually. (laughter) It was fun. I think what the weekend is about is it’s about giving back. And we’re golfing to give back, we’re golfing for education, we’re fishing for education. I think that is something that I was happy to be a part of.”
(Will you fish again?) – “Will I fish again? Quite honestly, it’s not a no; but it’s a no. (laughter) I’d rather watch film. I’d rather watch film, I’d rather draw up a couple of plays offensively, defensively or in the kicking game.”
(I wanted to ask you about DT Vincent Taylor in terms of what you’ve seen from him. I know there are no pads so it’s kind of hard to evaluate trench play, but what are the skillsets he brings that can help this defense?) – “You see some athleticism. You see some strength. He’s got good size. He does a good job of staying on his feet. Again, at that position, you said it. At that position, it’s hard to evaluate without putting pads on from a run-read standpoint, going from a run, play-action transition to a pass rush. These are things that are, until we get the pads on, there is no way to really evaluate it. He’s getting in better condition. I think from an understanding protection standpoint and how to beat a protection, I think he’s starting to understand that. I think a lot of our guys are starting to understand that. They are all working and it’s something that I think he’s doing a good job and I think if he continues on this doing what he’s doing, I think he’ll be okay.”
(Are you looking forward to your Super Bowl ring ceremony?) – “Yes. Yeah, I am. I think I’ve build a lot of really good relationships up there in New England and my wife is definitely happy to go up there. We actually had our 10-year anniversary last week, so I want to give a shout out to her. Make sure we write that down guys. (laughter) I’m excited to go. But don’t worry, we’ll be working here Thursday as well. Trust me on that one. If you guys know anything about me, we’ll work on Thursday, I’ll head up to Boston, celebrate that and then I’ll be back on Friday. But yeah, it will be good to see some old friends. I’m looking forward to it.”
