Brian Flores – October 14, 2020 (Conference Call)
Download PDF version
Wednesday, October 14, 2020
Head Coach Brian Flores Conference Call with N.Y. Jets Media
(A couple of things: One, why do you think that guys kind of rally around QB Ryan Fitzpatrick? And then on a completely different note, what do you learn from your first year from a leadership standpoint? Coming in as an assistant and then trying to command an entire room, what did you learn from last year that you’ve used in your second season?) – “I’ll start with ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick). I just got asked this question by one of our local writers and I think a lot of why they rally around him is because of the relationships he builds off the field. So in the locker room – when I say off the field, to me you see his infectious energy on the field on game day, but he creates and he builds relationships in practice, in meetings, in walkthroughs really in the locker room. That’s why he has such rapport with his teammates. We have a lot of guys like that but honestly, a lot of our guys work hard to build relationships and try to create bonds throughout the team offensively, defensively and in the kicking game; but I think it’s really important at the quarterback position and honestly, Tua (Tagovailoa) has a lot of those same qualities. He’s learning from a good guy. I think that’s a lot of the reason why those guys rally around him. As far as your second question, I learned a lot from Year 1. Look, I’m a guy who is always trying to learn and always trying to get better. So just from a leadership standpoint, I just think it’s important to be authentic and to be honest. I don’t have all of the answers. I tell the players that; but I’m constantly working to find the right answers. I think it’s about being genuine and being authentic. I think at the end of the day, I’ll have peace with my actions and the things I say, regardless of how things go. I think, to me, leadership is about service and how I serve the players and how I serve the coaching staff. Those are things that I’m constantly trying to think about as I’m going through the day. It’s not always about yelling and screaming. Obviously I’m demanding also. I think players will tell you that. But I think this role is about service. How do I get other people to play, coach and operate at their optimum level? That’s constantly on my mind. I don’t know if that answers your question, but that’s my answer.”
(We watched QB Ryan Fitzpatrick for a couple of years here in New York, and saw what he can do for a team. What has he done for your team in his last year or year plus?) – “I think he brings a veteran leadership experience. I think he has a joy – he just brings a joy for playing the game that is infectious. I say it all of the time, it’s almost like he brings a Pop Warner attitude where he just wants to play and there’s not like a – I don’t want to call it business but he has fun playing the game. I think that’s infectious and other guys see that. He brings energy, he brings juice and guys feed off of it. That’s been good. He’s also been productive. At the end of the day, it’s a production business. I think we all know that. If you can have energy and juice and be productive, (and if) guys feed off of it and hopefully they’re productive because of that same energy, and that’s a good thing. This league is about consistency and that’s something we’ve harped on with really all of our players. It’s one thing to do it one time. Whether or not you can do it over and over and over again is the mark of whether or not you’re good, for lack of a better term.”
(I’m just curious, at the very beginning of last year, obviously it was your first year and the numbers were staggering as you guys were trying to get started over there. How difficult was that to stay the course and what were some of the most important things you did to continue to believe in your system and your philosophy, and sticking with it?) – “I think any time you deal with adversity – and this was my message to the players – it either breaks you or makes you stronger. For me and our staff and the players – for me personally, I think any time you deal with some type of adverse situation, how you come out of that says a lot about who you are, your character and whether or not you can withstand a troubling time. Looking and thinking back on it, it was definitely a tough time; but I think we learned a lot from it. I know I learned a lot about myself. We learned a lot about ourselves. The people who were here learned about dealing with adversity. Hopefully it’s made us better. But last year was last year. We’ve had our own adversity this year and it’s no different, to be honest with you. Every year is a little bit different. I know that we can withstand it. I can withstand it. We as an organization can withstand any adversity and I think we’ll come out of it for the better.”
(I’m sure you’ve talked about this ad nauseam with your local guys, but what went into the decision of luring Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey out of retirement and how has it been working with him over the past couple of months?) – “When Chan was in New York and I was up in New England, he gave us some problems. He’s given a lot of people a lot of problems over the course of his career. I’ve always had great respect for him as a coordinator. As a head coach, as a coach, we were looking for someone who was a very good teacher. Someone who obviously had leadership ability. I couldn’t think of anybody – or I was excited to have the opportunity of working with Chan. I think it’s been good thus far. We’re always trying to improve and get better. This week is going to be – every week is a tough test in the National Football League and this week is no different. I’m excited about working with Chan and continuing to work with him, and pick his brain about offensive football and talk situations. It’s been good.”
(If you could pluck out one or two of your most important philosophies on building a team, just some of the things that you stick to – as you referenced a minute ago – through the adversity and as you move forward here. What are some of those things, the principles, that are most important?) – “I think we’re still in the process of building. I think it’s about – I think with anything, it’s about people. It’s about having the right people, having the right cohesive group. It’s about communication. I think it’s about having good people who are team-first, selfless and want to do things for the greater good – I guess that’s the best way to put it – which, in this arena is for the team and what we can do to help the team win games. Those are the types of people we’re looking for. People who are tough, who are smart, who are competitive, put the team first and people who love to do what they’re doing. People who love to coach, love to play, love to scout, love to do equipment, do nutrition – people who love what they’re doing. I think you need as many of those people as possible and I don’t think it’s just the football because there’s a lot that goes into it, a lot of people who are involved in helping this team improve, get better and build. That includes the grounds crew, the strength and conditioning staff, the PR department. It’s everybody. Everyone has a role and everyone’s role is important. I think when you have a – the thought process is that everybody understands that and there’s a respect that’s built and there’s a camaraderie that’s built, and hopefully that team type of atmosphere, you see that on the field. Hopefully.”
