Brian Flores – November 9, 2021
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Tuesday, November 9, 2021
Head Coach Brian Flores
(Is QB Tua Tagovailoa able yet to make all the throws to play on Thursday?) – “He threw yesterday. Looked good. He’s making some progress. Still somewhat limited. We’re just going to take it day-to-day and see how he looks today, tomorrow and probably take it right up to the day of the game.”
(You mentioned that he looked good. Did you see any progress from when you worked him out last week?) – “Yes. He’s definitely making progress. Look, he’s got a fracture in the finger and there’s definitely discomfort. It’s getting better. The swelling is down. It’s getting better and progress from last week but there’s still some limitations for sure.”
(You mentioned choosing QB Jacoby Brissett because he gave you the best chance to win. How do you weigh how much a percentage of QB Tua Tagovailoa is versus a fully healthy Jacoby when you make that call? It seems like he won’t be 100 percent regardless for Thursday.) – “I think there’s a lot of things that go into that decision. Obviously, the health of the player No. 1 and whether or not Tua, in this instance, no different than last week, can do all the things we need him to do to have success in the game. Again, then there’s the short week and knowing there’s discomfort. There’s a lot that goes into it. We’ll always do what we feel is best for the team.”
(If he plays, would he wear anything on the finger? Is there anything you can put on it to help him?) – “Help the fracture? I guess as far as splints and tape and things like that, that’s not really my wheelhouse. I know our training staff, our medical staff, they will do and have done everything to help him get back as quickly as possible. Tua is doing everything to get back as quickly as possible also. There’s still time here. We’re 48 hours from the game, so there’s still time. I would say look if the game was tonight, it’d be Jacoby (Brissett). That’s kind of where we’re at.”
(Is the right way to look at it that you make the final decision after the consultation with the trainers and QB Tua Tagovailoa? Is that fair?) – “It’s a medical decision. It’s a team decision. Obviously I have a lot of say in that. I always try to keep the team first. The health of the player obviously is at the forefront but also want to put the team in the best position.”
(Speaking of finger injuries, with WR Will Fuller, are you concerned that his finger injury has taken him so long to recover from? I understand he needs his fingers to make catches and catch a football, but could you shed some detail on why it has taken him since Week 4 to return from this one?) – “It was a significant injury. He’s made a lot of progress. We actually got some favorable news in the last couple days. I’m hopeful that we can get him back out there quickly but look, he’s been in, he’s been working. It was a pretty significant injury. That’s why it’s taken so long. He’s doing everything he can. That’s trending in the right direction.”
(Given the fact that you said QB Tua Tagovailoa’s status will likely be a game-time decision, would you expect to elevate QB Jake Dolegala from the practice squad or if Tua can’t start, will he just serve in an emergency role again?) – “I would say if he can’t start, he would be in the same role he was in last week.”
(What are the top mental challenges for trying to get ready for a game in three days? Obviously the schedule differs greatly of course but guys talk about a 24-hour rule and DT Christian Wilkins famously says it every week and then he said that doesn’t even apply this week because you have to turn it around so quickly. What do you tell guys about how to handle the daunting part of getting ready for a game in 72 hours?) – “I think I can speak for myself personally. You turn the page on the last game. There’s already been some preparation on Baltimore, understanding that it would be a quick turnaround. Then for the players, you’ve just got to speed up your weekly routine as far as their roster, who their players are, who their coaches are, what they do on early down, what they do on third down, what they do in the red zone. You’ve just got to speed up that entire process. We as coaches, we want to give them all the information, give them the install. Obviously it can’t be as expansive as it is when you have more time. In a lot of instances, you have to rely on a lot of the things you’ve already put in. Core plays offensively, core defenses, core things in the kicking game. More than anything, it’s trying to get them mentally prepared and physically prepared because we just got done playing a game. Those are kind of the points that I try to hit on. They’ve got to get themselves physically prepared to go in four days – two days now. As far as getting mentally prepared and the preparation against a team like this, they do a lot in all three phases and they do a good job in all three phases. Just having a good understanding of how they want to play, their style and how we are going to need to play to combat that.”
(At the risk of answering my own question, I know it’s a different year, different team, different circumstances. But obviously the last time you saw these guys it was not a pleasant experience for you in any way. For the guys who went through that, should that matter? You should never need more reason to want to win a game or to play well, but for the people who went through Week 1 against Baltimore, should that be a motivating factor at all?) – “No, it’s really not something that – I mean you look back, you go and watch that film and see some of the things they were doing then. Some are similar to what they are doing now and some things aren’t. But you try to learn from that experience. We didn’t play well that day. The goal is to always get better and improve and try to get better and play better Thursday night. But there is always motivation in this league.”
(On a short week, have you and Offensive Line Coach Lemuel Jeanpierre decided to stick with the quintet of linemen and give them another shot Thursday to get their act together or might we see changes?) – “Definitely a lot of conversation there. We had a walkthrough yesterday. We’ll have a walkthrough today. Tomorrow we’ll have a little bit more pace. We’ve had some conversations about moving some guys around. No final decisions yet, but definitely some conversations being had.”
(I know fractures can be kind of fluky in QB Tua Tagovailoa’s case, but at what point do you have to factor availability into your determination of a player?) – “Obviously availability is very important. There are a lot of factors that play into that. You mentioned it, some of them are fluky. That’s not the only factor. It’s the person, the player, the talent. I think Tua is competitive. He’s smart. He wants to be out there. I think he’s getting better. I think we all know that in order to continue to get better, you’ve got to be out there and get the experience. I think he’ll get that. I think this is another bump in the road for him. He’ll get through it and he’ll be fine.”
(I’m thinking about pressures allowed, particularly at the offensive tackle position. There has been three or more players that have been tried. What, if anything, do you think has been the common denominator, or reason or reasons, that have led to too many pressures?) – “There is so much that goes into that. Obviously in some instances, and it’s been the case for us, is just not playing well enough – technique, communication, or things of that nature. There are other instances where we could help the situation by getting rid of the ball, stepping up into the pocket. It’s a team effort, it’s a team situation. We’ve got to do a better job. We’ve got to do a better job of not allowing as many pressures, getting the ball out. There is running the football better so that we don’t have to pass it as many times and put ourselves in those situations where it’s pass, pass, pass, and they know it and they get off. There is a lot that goes into it. I think there are some things we can do on early downs that can help the obvious pass situations.”
(We talked a little bit about development and particularly the offensive line. How do you balance wanting young guys to play through some of their struggles versus needing better production to have success now?) – “It’s a fine line. It’s a very fine line. Young guys need reps to get better, but we also want to win and have success. Those guys need to step up and play better. We need to do a better job of coaching them and putting them in better positions to have success and that starts with me. I’ll be the first one to say that. What I’ll say about these guys is it’s important to them, and they are working hard to get it right.”
(There is only one QB Lamar Jackson. How difficult is it to simulate him in practice? How does that change your practice routine or how impossible is it against him?) – “Impossible is probably a better term. He’s one of the best players in the league and he’s gotten a lot better, I would say, over the course of his career. He’s dynamic, explosive. There are a lot of words like that you can use to describe Lamar. I have a lot of respect for his game and the way he’s grown. Obviously we’re competing against him on Thursday, but as a coach, watching guys develop and grow is a good thing to see. They’ve done a good job of getting him coached up. He’s done a nice job and he’s a very good player in this league.”
(Piggy-backing off of the question about the 2019 game, you often talk about learning through adversity. What, if anything, were you able to take away from that game?) – “It feels like a while ago. I came out of that feeling like we have a long way to go, and we’ve got to try to get better and improve and get better. That was the goal that day. That’s always the goal. That’s really it. We weren’t good enough that day and we had a long way to go and we’ve got to get better. That’s really what I took from it.”
