Brian Flores – May 14, 2019
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Tuesday, May 14, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(Are you expecting S Reshad Jones today?) – “Reshad won’t be here. We’ve had a few conversations but I’m going to keep those conversations between he and I. Obviously this is all voluntary so (I have) no issues. We’re kind of worried about the guys that are here. We’re going to coach those guys and that’s really where we’re at there.”
(Do you expect S Reshad Jones at the mandatory minicamp in June?) – “Yeah, I expect him at the mandatory minicamp. Yes.”
(To what degree, if at all, do you expect QB Ryan Fitzpatrick to possibly serve as a mentor for QB Josh Rosen?) – “I expect Ryan to compete for the starting position. I expect him to lead from the quarterback room but really the entire offense. Obviously he has a wealth of knowledge and a lot of experience. Again, there is competition but at the same time, we’re trying to build a team. We’re all trying to help each other become the best versions of ourselves on the field. I expect him to be the leader that he is, which he’s done a good job of that so far.”
(Is WR Albert Wilson out there practicing or is he cleared to practice?) – “Albert is working. He’s been very diligent. He’s working hard to get back. He won’t be out there today but he’s definitely doing a good job as far as a rehab standpoint.”
(WR Jakeem Grant?) – “Jakeem, he’s working. He’s doing well. He’s been out there a little bit. We’ll see. We’ll see what that looks like today. But all of those guys who are dealing with stuff, everybody is really working to get out on the field as soon as they can.”
(What will you be looking for from the quarterbacks?) – “We’re looking for leadership. We’re looking for accuracy. We’re looking for an understanding of what we’re trying to do offensively from a protection standpoint, from an alignment standpoint. We’re looking for guys who can consistently move the ball down the field.”
(I know you’re going to play defensive backs in different roles. As the roster is constructed now, it would seem as though there would be a greater need for S Minkah Fitzpatrick at cornerback than safety. Would you agree with that?) – “I think you kind of answered it yourself. We’re going to play guys in a lot of different roles. Minkah is obviously a very versatile player; but we have a lot of versatile players in the back end. We’ll move guys around and kind of try to get the best four or five guys on the field that we can.”
(The group of cornerbacks that you have at this point opposite CB Xavien Howard, you have a lot of young, intriguing guys. CB Eric Rowe obviously and others. Do you like what you have as far as other cornerbacks beyond CB Xavien Howard on the roster. What skills do you see there?) – “Yeah, we like what we have; but it’s so early. It’s OTA No. 2. There is a lot of time here for guys to improve, get better (and) learn the system. We’ve yet to play a game. We’ve yet to put on pads. We’re so early in the process that to kind of make an evaluation, you’re just kind of speaking into the air. We’re not there yet to make true evaluations.”
(To be clear and follow up, Fitzpatrick will get some reps at cornerback? Is that accurate?) – “I thought you were talking about Ryan Fitzpatrick. I was like, ‘No. Ryan Fitzpatrick will not get any reps at cornerback.’ (laughter) Minkah, again, we’re going to move guys around. We’re going to move guys around. It may look like he’s playing cornerback, he’s playing safety, he could be playing linebacker. It depends. I’ll know what he’s doing. You guys probably won’t. (laughter)”
(I want to ask you about CB Eric Rowe. What was it that you saw from him in New England that said he would be a good fit here, bringing him along in your system?) – “Eric is smart. He’s tough. He plays, he has a lot of athletic ability. He’s tall, long, (has) good speed (and) tackles (well). There are a lot of things we like about him. Again, he’s another guy who is working really hard and is doing everything he can to improve on a day-to-day basis from a fundamentals and technique standpoint. I think we’ve just got to continue to do that. We’ll see the chips, wherever they fall, that’s where they fall.”
(What went into signing RB Mark Walton and what gives you confidence that the issues the last few months won’t be an issue going forward?) – “Well, you know, (General Manager) Chris (Grier), (Vice President of Football Administration) Brandon (Shore) and myself, we brought him in for a tryout. We thought he did well in the tryout. We had multiple conversations with him and we felt comfortable signing him to the team. We felt like he could help us.”
(You and much of your coaching staff have links to New England. Is what we’re going to see out there today basically a New England-like offense and a New England-like defense? Are you running that system?) – “I mean obviously you’re right (in) a lot of the staff has roots in New England. I would say there’s going to be, from a format standpoint, maybe a little bit of that. But each team is different. We don’t have the players – we have different types of players, I would say. To go out there and, let’s call it copy and paste, that may not fit. It may fit; it may not. We’re going to do what we feel is best for the team – offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. If some of those things align with some things we did in New England, then so be it; but that’s not necessarily the case.”
(Did you guys change the language, the so-called verbiage of the thing? Or is it the same?) – “Yeah, we changed the language. (laughter)”
(You had to think about it there.) – “No, we changed the language. I didn’t really have to think about it. It was whether or not I wanted to give that to you. (laughter)”
(What’s been your take on RB Kalen Ballage since you arrived here?) – “I’ve been very impressed with him. He’s smart, he’s talented; but he has a humility and a work ethic that I really like. He’s doing everything he can to really try to improve on a day-to-day basis and you see the improvement. You’ve seen it from when we started on April 1st through yesterday’s practice, and he’s continued to improve every day. I’m looking forward to working with him. (He’s a) good, young player.”
(I know it’s just one day but QB Josh Rosen, what did you and your staff notice about how the ball comes out of his hands yesterday?) – “I mean obviously he’s a talented play. (He has a) big arm; but like everyone else, he’s got a long way to go (with the) fundamentals, technique (and the) playbook. It’s so early. We’re not going to cut the roster today. It’s so early. There’s an evaluation process here that’s ongoing and until we get into the nitty gritty of OTAs to veteran minicamp to training camp to preseason games – everyone kind of knows the schedule here – we’re not cutting rosters today.”
(Do you anticipate doing a week-by-week or month-by-month evaluation of the quarterbacks, so to speak?) – “(It’s) day-to-day. Everybody is getting evaluated in this building every day, period. That’s just what it is.”
(Is there a point where you’ll have a leader in the clubhouse so to speak, at least internally?) – “If I had a crystal ball and I could predict the future, I wish I could tell you that; but we don’t. I think from a leadership standpoint, somebody is going to have to stand out to be the leader of the clubhouse, but I don’t know. I can’t tell you who that’s going to be.”
(I have a general question about leadership. The quarterback always needs to be a leader. Among other positions, are there certain guys – veterans or if they’ve been to a Pro Bowl – that you think must be leaders or do you kind of leave it up to the players to decide whoever makes the plays or whoever they choose to follow, that’s the leader?) – “That’s a good question. I think, to me – and this is my general opinion on leadership – if you work hard and put the team first, you’re a leader. Now, some people may think you have to be a ‘rah-rah’ emotional, get everybody hyped up (guy) to be a leader, and that’s just simply not the case. If you work hard and put the team first, you’re a leader. I want to have 53 leaders on our team. I want 90 on our team right now. That’s something that you can develop. That’s something that you can talk about. If you work hard and you put the team first, you’re showing leadership. Pro Bowls, I mean you can be a Pro Bowler and be lazy. That happens. If that’s the case, you’re not really a leader. You’re just an elite talent. Hopefully that answers your question.”
(Is not showing up to OTAs and the offseason conditioning leadership?) – “I would say look, everything is a case-by-case situation. It really is. Again, it’s voluntary. We’ve got players all over the league who have shown a lot of leadership over a long period of time who haven’t shown up to the voluntary camps. No, I wouldn’t say that. I would say every situation is a little bit different. Yeah, I would say every situation is different.”
