Brian Flores – November 24, 2021
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Wednesday, November 24, 2021
Head Coach Brian Flores
(WR Will Fuller, WR DeVante Parker, RB Malcolm Brown, G/T Michael Deiter – any of those four that you think will be out there today?) – “Deiter will return to practice today. The rest of that group, they will not be out there. All getting closer, just not quite there yet.”
(S Will Parks, what’s the thinking behind adding him? What skills do you like?) – “He’s obviously had some experience in this league – free safety, strong safety, kicking game. An opportunity to add him to the roster and take a look at him. We’ve got some guys banged up. That played a role in it as well. I’ve watched him over the years and had an opportunity to have him join our team and we’ll see what it looks like.”
(When you watch QB Cam Newton, do you feel like there is any rust or anything from his time off or has he picked up where he left off?) – “I think he’s picked up where – he’s the same player he’s been. Dynamic obviously as a runner, but also as a thrower. I think that gets pushed to the side. He can throw the football. He’s had a lot of production with throwing the football in this league. They’ve got good receivers, a good o-line, a good scheme, good backs obviously. He’s a very good player in this league and can still make a lot of plays. This will definitely be a big challenge for us.”
(It probably helps that you faced him last year. Did you have any idea that you would face him in different circumstances?) – “Yeah, we’ve got history with him like we’ve got history with a number of players that we play against, but the same problems are there – as a runner, throwing the football. This is definitely going to be a game about communication and playing disciplined football. But it’s not just Cam. (Christian) McCaffrey is a great player. (DJ) Moore. Robby Anderson takes the top off the field. Ian Thomas is a very good blocking tight end. (Tommy) Tremble is a good young tight end as well. They’ve got a good o-line. It’s not just one player that’s their offense. It’s their offense, their defense and their special teams and we have to play a good complementary game in all phases, which starts in practice.”
(What have you noticed about the Panthers’ pass rush?) – “It’s very good. I think defensively they are fast. (Brian) Burns, (Haason) Reddick, Shaq Thompson, Derrick Brown – they’ve got players everywhere. It’s a very good defense. They are well coached. (Matt) Rhule, (Phil) Snow, Joe Brady – they’ve got a good coaching staff. Chase (Blackburn). It’s a good group, a good staff, they’re well coached and they’ve got a lot of good players.”
(LB Brennan Scarlett and CB Jamal Perry, are those season-ending deals?) – “Yeah, unfortunately with Jamal, that is going to be season-ending. You hate when that happens. He’s been a significant contributor to this team for three years. He’s been on the active, this year he was on the practice squad, he was back active this past weekend and unfortunately that will be season-ending. Brennan will be at least three weeks and we’ll take it from there. I don’t want to put a timeline on that one.”
(Anything you’re particularly thankful for this holiday season?) – “I think we all have a lot to be thankful for. I’m thankful for my wife, my kids and my family. I’ll take this time to say that, how thankful I am for my wife and really all of the football wives. Throughout the league, whether it’s high school, college, pros, those women in our lives allow us to come in early, stay late and do what we love to do. My wife in particular has done a great job raising our kids and taking care of our household, so I’m very thankful for her. I’m also thankful for all of the other wives who allow their husbands to come hang out with me and coach some ball and they take care of things. I’m very thankful for them. I’m thankful to be a part of this organization. I’m thankful for our support staff. I think we have a great staff from the medical, to nutrition, to equipment, to you name it – IT, video. I think there are a lot of great people here. I’m thankful to work with all of them. And I’m thankful for the Dolphins fans and the community here and the support of our team.”
(It’s your third Thanksgiving week as a head coach. How unique is this week as far as the players deserve friends and family and that outside thing, but also keeping the team on track with very little margin for error? How do you balance that? Have you got that down to a science?) – “No. I don’t think anything is down to a science in this league. It’s the same for everyone else. I think that’s it. We’re all kind of dealing with the same schedule, besides the teams actually playing on Thanksgiving. But we know there is going to be family in town. We know there is going to be added distractions, so what I try to do is just get our guys, when they’re here, let’s focus in. I understand that parents are here, brothers are here, family members are in town. They want to spend time with them, as they should. This is people who are important to our players and those people are important to them, and I want them to spend that time. I think that has a lot to do with – those relationships outside of the building are a part of the reason why we get production on the field. It’s a whole different thought process but I want them to spend that time with them. But at the same time, when we’re in here and we’re putting time to focus on the Carolina Panthers, let’s devote time to do that and get prepared well so we can have the results we’re looking for.”
(Question on DT Zach Sieler. What are some of thew things that you think make him effective against the run?) – “I think he’s tough. He’s strong at the point of attack. He plays with very good fundamentals and technique. Hand placement, footwork, locking guys out, it gives him an opportunity to see where the ball-carriers are and does a good job of releasing and making plays. He works hard at that, really on a daily basis. He’s the first guy out there hitting the sleds and he’s improved really every day since he’s been here. There’s a desire there as well. I don’t think you can really quantify that and I would say that’s probably the No. 1 thing that he has that allows him to make some of the plays you are talking about.”
(When things aren’t going well for a team, there is that … to put the nose to the proverbial grindstone and all those cliches. When things are going well, how do you keep that same edge? How do you not get lost in 3-0 the last three games and get away from the things that help you be 3-0 in those three games?) – “I like to take the same approach, really every day, which is we are just trying to get better and improve. I think that’s the most important thing. Try to let the results take care of themselves as long as the preparation is where you want it to be, the execution in practice, that we are doing everything we can possibly do to get the results we want. That’s kind of the mindset we are looking for. I don’t really get into losing streak, winning streak, momentum and not having momentum. I try to stay the same either way and that’s the message I give to the players. There’s always emotion involved with winning and losing. You try to build on the winning and you try to learn from the mistakes and adversity of not having success. In both instances, there’s an opportunity to motivate.”
(Is there something you really liked or maybe that’s different, other than execution and those things, about the way your defense has played these three games? They’ve given up some yards. It hasn’t been all three-and-outs, but you’re not giving up points. In the ultimate moments, they found a way to get off the field. Is that simply execution or is there something that’s really stood out in that unit?) – “Execution is definitely a part of it. I think communication is a part of it. I think putting in extra time and meeting together more is a part of it. I think practice, practice execution becomes game reality. That’s a big part of it as well.”
(What can you tell us about your Thanksgiving tomorrow? Are you going to be spending it at home? Are you going to be eating, cooking? You’re a Latino, what kind of special food? I expect you like some flavor.) – “Yeah, I like flavor for sure. (laughter) I’ll be home, probably a little later than my wife wants me to be but I’ll be home. We’ll have the normal – turkey, ham, greens, macaroni and cheese, yams. My wife makes a lot of desserts so maybe we’ll have some guys come by for some dessert. They probably won’t come by though. (laughter) The offer is there for the players.”
(If you like mac and cheese, there’s a lot of blasphemy going around about this dish on the internet right now.) – “Yeah, I’m not really on the internet so I don’t know. (Laughter) I like mac and cheese.”
(It’s average. Like a throwaway of a dish. Patriots OLB Matt Judon said yesterday, ‘Take mac and cheese off of the menu. Take it off the menu, it’s a terrible side. No one should be eating mac and cheese.’) – “Who said that?”
(Matt Judon.) – “Hmm well, everyone’s got their own opinion. (laughter)”
(Do you have a controversial food take that could make some news?) – “Controversial food?”
(Food take, yeah.) – “Um, for Thanksgiving or just in general?”
(Let’s go Thanksgiving.) – “No. I think it’s all good.”
(What about in general?) – “(laughter)”
(I think you have one open spot on the 53-man roster, is this going to be a tough call for you and General Manager Chris Grier? Are you looking potentially for another edge guy like a LB Vince Biegel to replace what LB Brennan Scarlett gave you? What’s the thought process this week with you and Chris on that?) – “Yeah, we are going to sign Biegel today.”
(So LB Vince Biegel will be on the 53-man roster?) – “Yes.”
(I know LB Vince Biegel’s injury, especially the one last year, is sometimes tough to come back from. Does it look to you like he’s regained physically what he showed in 2019?) – “Yes. I think he’s moving around well. I think he’s brought a lot of juice, energy to practice. We brought him up a couple times and we’ll sign him to the active (roster) today.”
(Talking about family as we have been this morning, I’ve wondered in the role that you’re in, obviously you spend a ton of time in this building. How do you balance that? I know being a father is very important to you. How do you balance those two?) – “I think when I’m home, I try to be present with my kids. When I’m there, I try to throw the football around, play baseball, run around with them as best I can. I think that’s the most important thing. I don’t want to go home and watch more film. I don’t do that. All coaches kind of deal with that same wanting to spend time with their family, knowing it’s important – very important – but also doing what we love, coaching and spending time with our other kids which are the players in the locker room. It’s not easy but I try my best to FaceTime as much as I can and make the parent-teacher conferences even if it’s over Zoom. It’s not perfect but I work hard at it. You always want to spend more time and we get that done in the offseason.”
(I can’t imagine what the teachers think when the Dolphins’ head coach pops up.) – “I’m just a dad in those instances. That’s what I am. When I go home, I try to just be a dad. I’m just a dad. The head coaching thing doesn’t really matter in those moments. My daughter sure doesn’t care. (laughter) It’s just, ‘go get me this,’ and alright I’m going to get it. That’s kind of how that works. I’m just a dad.”
(I’m genuinely curious, do you watch football on Thanksgiving Day like the rest of us?) – “Yeah, I pop it on. I like to watch end of half situations, end of game situations, red flags, timeouts. That interests me.”
