Brian Flores – May 29, 2019
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Wednesday, May 29, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(Would you mind if you could talk a little bit about the edge rushers, LB Andrew Van Ginkel, what skills you’ve seen from him that you saw at Wisconsin? A couple of others guys at that position or not at that position, specifically edge rusher-type like LB Tyrone Holmes. Thoughts on a couple of those guys if you could beginning with Van Ginkel.) – “I’ll start with Charles Harris. I think he’s really doing a good job for us in the classroom, on the field. He’s smart. He’s hard-working. He’s got a lot of ability. We’re pleased with where he’s at. I look forward to working with him some more. You mentioned Van Ginkel. He’s young. Those guys, it’s funny, they’ve only been here under three weeks, so they all have a long way to go. Andrew for sure, he’s done a good job. He’s done a nice job. He’s got good speed, he’s instinctive and he’s got a play-making knack that he showed in college that we liked. Hopefully that translates.”
(Sticking with defense, what went into the DT Adolphus Washington signing?) – “We saw a young man who’s got some versatility, got some pass-rush ability, does some good things in the run game. He’s had a little bit of production in the league. We felt like he would be a good addition to our team.”
(What’s the biggest thing when you watch LB Adolphus Washington’s tape that stood out to you?) – “There’s a lot of things. He’s got good length, he’s got some athletic ability, he’s got decent strength. I thought there were some things to develop, things to, I thought there was some potential there to help us.”
(The starting cornerback job opposite CB Xavien Howard, is it safe to say CB Eric Rowe is in the lead right now at this early stage and what do you want to see as far as those guys?) – “I just want to see all of them compete. That’s really what I’m looking for. Eric, Jomal (Wiltz), Nik Needham, the whole group. I think they’re all doing that. I think they’re all working hard. I think they’re all learning the defense and working on their techniques, their fundamentals. It’s still very early. There’s still a lot of time for that competition to develop. We’ll see how it shakes out come training camp.”
(Do you anticipate – I know it’s early – CB Xavien Howard moving like he did sometimes last year with the top receiver and if so, how does that impact the other quarterback?) – “I think it’ll be game-plan based. If we want to put him on a specific matchup, we can do that. That’ll be really the same for everyone on defense. It’ll be game planned to put them in the best position to do the things they do well.”
(And the other guy, if he has to move sides, how does that affect his job if CB Xavien Howard is shadowing?) – “It’s what he’s got to do. If that’s the game plan and we’re putting Xavien on a specific player, then whoever the other corner is, we’ll get him there.”
(Do you find that the undrafted rookies that have made your teams over the years share common threads whether it’s the hunger factor or whatever it is? Do you see a common thread in the guys that have been successful as undrafted rookies?) – “I think the thread for players who make it in this league are tough, they’re dependable, they’re consistent. I think they’ve all got a chip on their shoulder whether they’re undrafted, drafted, Canadian League or AAF. To me, that’s the thing that they all have. They all have toughness, competitiveness. That’s what it takes to be successful in this league.”
(Could you discuss your value of the fullback? You guys drafted a fullback. I’m just curious, do you see that as, can you just discuss the value of what you see?) – “I think it adds a competitiveness, a grit, a toughness, to the team. We want to run the football. I think having a lead blocker clear the way helps that. I value that position. I think it brings a toughness, a grit that I think I like in my team.”
(Is that because the way the league is going the other way, there’s a counterpunch to that or do you think you always valued that?) – “Quite honestly, I played linebacker and I’ve had to deal with fullbacks. It’s not always the easiest thing to do. Wherever the league goes is where it goes; but personally, having dealt with a lead blocker, it’s not an easy thing to deal with.”
(We by now know you value very much competition. You’ve placed a high premium of players competing throughout the spring. You have a player who we believe can return next week after not being here in S Reshad Jones. He’s been a starter here for seven, eight years, whatever it’s been. Is he going to be a starter when he comes back or is he going to have to work up the depth chart to get that starting job back?) – “I think everyone’s got to work to start in this league and on this team. I think there’s no doubt about that. I would say there’s no sacred cows, not in this game. I think you have to earn what you get. That’s the case for everyone on the team. I think I’ve said that over and over again.”
(With QB Ryan Fitzpatrick and QB Josh Rosen, you’ve got two guys at very different points in their career. They seem to be very different quarterbacks. What do they have in common? Where do you see similarities with them as quarterbacks?) – “I think they’re both smart. I think they both have leadership ability. I think they both build relationships with their teammates, which I think is very important at that position. I think they’re both good players. I’m happy to work with both guys. I look forward to working with them as we move on.”
(Do they both have chips on their shoulder?) – “I believe so. I do. I think they both love to play the game. I think they both love to compete. I think they both want to win. I think they want to help this team win. I think they both have chips.”
(How can CB Bobby McCain help you guys?) – “Like everyone else on our defense, I think he does a good job of communicating. These are the things that’ll help us. If you do a good job communicating, you tackle well, we defend the deep part of the field, we set the edge. I think Bobby can do a lot of things from a communication standpoint, from a tackling standpoint, from a play-making standpoint. He’s been very good so far.”
(Before last year, CB Bobby McCain was mostly slotted into the slot and then he played some boundary, a lot of boundary, last year. Do you see that versatility where he can move around or is he, to you, a nickel slot corner?) – “I think he’s smart enough definitely to move around. He can play corner, he can play safety, he can play nickel, he can play a variety of positions. He’s a smart player and a guy who’s made a lot of plays in this league. We’re looking forward to working with him.”
(What have you noticed about QB Josh Rosen throughout OTAs?) – “Again, this is under three weeks. He’s smart. He’s got a big arm. He’s talented. He’s got some leadership ability. But he’s got a lot to learn. There’s no doubt about that. This offense, it’s not an easy one to learn. There’s something new every day. He’s improving, he’s getting better every day. I like that. I think that’s the case with a lot of the guys we have on this team. That progress is what we’re looking for on a day-to-day basis and I’m seeing that not only from Josh, but from a majority of the group.”
(Do you plan to have a depth chart of starters when you break for summer after next week?) – “No, I don’t. I think it’s way too early to pencil in anyone. You get into training camp and you kind of have an idea, a thought process of what it may look like, but to pencil guys in, I think it’s … Anything can happen. You guys have followed enough of this to know that things happen quickly in this league. You can pencil them in, but you have to be ready to adapt anyways. You might as well live in a fluid world. It’s a fluid business. It’s a fluid game. You’ve got to be able to make adjustments in-game and it’s no different for us as an organization and a team. We’ll be flexible, for sure.”
(When you chart out your offseason, are you on-track where you thought you would be at this point in the offseason?) – “I think we’re moving in the right direction. I think it’s important that we finish strong. I think we’ve got two weeks left. I talked to the team about this yesterday when we came in: we’ve got two weeks left and we need to finish strong. It’s like anything, you can play well for three quarters and if you don’t play well in the fourth quarter, a lot of times it doesn’t work out. That’s the challenge to the group these next couple of weeks is to finish strong. To answer your question, yes. But you can play well up to a point and then it doesn’t work out, so you need to finish strong.”
(What have you learned about this group so far through this process?) – “They’re tough. They give great effort. This is a smart group. This is a mentally-tough group. We’ll see once the pads come on how physically tough we are. But I imagine we’ll be that, too. I think they don’t back down from challenges. I try to challenge this group on a daily basis and they respond. It’s not perfect every day. Again, it’s an imperfect game, but they work hard, that’s for sure.”
(How has the transition been for you from leading one group to leading the entire room?) – “It’s been good. I enjoy what I’m doing. I love coaching. I’m passionate about it. It’s just a bigger group I get to impact or try to impact. Messaging is important. Challenging them is important to me and being demanding is important. I think that’s how you bring out the best in people. I love being in front of a big group. It gives me an opportunity to impact more people.”
(You mentioned DE Charles Harris before. Is he closer to being a veteran football player or a football player dealing with first-round disappointment? Has he shaken his past? Is he moving on?) – “I think he’s working hard. I think he’s doing everything we ask. I think this is a smart guy. I can’t say enough good things about him. He’s the kind of guy we want in the building. Honestly, I don’t care about his past. I care about right now. That’s where I’m at.”
(Is DE Charles Harris going to be full go for July with the wrist? He’s had a glove on his hand when we’ve been out there.) – “The injury report, you guys know when that comes out. (laughter)”
(We’ve seen elements of your culture whether it’s the time or the wall. How much of your culture do you feel like you’ve established at this point in the offseason?) – “I think it’s ongoing. I think of something new every morning, quite honestly. But I can’t give it all to them every day, so I try to give it to them in bits. We’re trying to build a culture that’s about improvement, it’s about hard work, it’s about competition, but it’s also about honesty, it’s also about humility. I think those are core values of mine that when you’re not doing those things, that’s when I get a little bit upset I would say. Specifically from an honesty standpoint, from a respect standpoint, from a humility standpoint, I think those are important values you have to have. That’s part of my role as a leader of this team.”
