Brian Flores – October 21, 2020
Download PDF version
Wednesday, October 21, 2020
Head Coach Brian Flores
(We, along with most everybody else in the Western civilization, have reported you guys have made a quarterback change, that QB Tua Tagovailoa will start Week 8. Is that accurate and if so, why are you making the move now?) – “Yes, that’s accurate. We feel like that’s the best thing for the team.”
(How did you reach this decision?) – “Practice. We talked about it as a staff, with (General Manager) Chris (Grier), the personnel department. We just felt like it was the best move for the team right now. That’s how we’re going to move forward.”
(Two weeks ago, you talked about the concern about QB Tua Tagovailoa’s injury history and also you mentioned that he wasn’t ready to start for the team. What changed between then and now?) – “It’s like any other situation. Sometimes a guy is a week out, two weeks out, three weeks out, four weeks out. I think we talk about kind of situations like this on a weekly basis. He’s day-to-day, he’s going to back in a couple weeks; and this is no different than that. We feel like through practice and meetings and walkthroughs, that he’s ready. And that’s how we’re going to go moving forward.”
(We know that you initially had a Week 11 bye that was kind of moved up to Week 7 because of the schedule. Did that have any impact on this decision – the fact that it is your bye and maybe it was moved around a little bit?) – “I don’t think it hurts, but we just feel like this was the best move for our team right now. Look, ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) has done a great job. He’s been productive. His leadership has been great. It’s not an easy decision for me or for us as an organization, but we felt like for the team now and moving forward, this is the move we needed to make.”
(When it comes to the decision – I know that you feel that – I think three of your questions to begin this morning, and I know it was only it was only five snaps, but did seeing QB Tua Tagovailoa out there this past Sunday and that roll out, did that play a factor in seeing how comfortable he was up there in the decision?) – “That’s just part of the evaluation. This has been ongoing since we got here in training camp and it’s no different than any other player. Every meeting, walkthrough, lifting session – it’s all part of the evaluation. Again, we just feel like this is the best move for us going forward.”
(How different will the offense be with QB Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback?) – “That’s hard to say. I think every week is a little bit different based on the opponent – what they do well, where their weaknesses are, where their strengths are – so I think the offense is different every week. The defense is different every week, so it’s kind of hard to say. But ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) did a lot for us offensively as far as communication, getting guys lined up. Tua’s going to have to do a good job of that as well and we going to need everyone to step up.”
(I suppose it’s going to be high, but I just want to hear it. What’s your confidence level that QB Tua Tagovailoa is going to be successful, that he’s going to play well and why?) – “I’m confident in all our players, to include Tua. I think he’s practiced well. He works hard in meetings and walkthroughs and he’s got a good rapport with his teammates. Every week we go out to win, so yeah, I’m confident that if we prepare the right way, if he prepares the way he’s been preparing, I’m confident we’ll go out there and have good results. But it’s not a one-man game. I think that’s the one thing that – it’s football, so you need 11 guys on each play to go out there and play together and play as a team. I’m confident that we’ll be able to do that – go out and play as a team and play with great energy and hopefully good execution. One thing on this situation that’s unfortunate is that I didn’t get a chance to address the team before this was out. The media – it’s not the way I or we want to do business. Unfortunately that’s kind of the way of the world right now. That’s unfortunate. I’m not happy about that at all. I’ll address that to the team and really apologize to them that they had to find out through social media. I don’t think that’s fair to them.”
(With this decision looming and you had two blowout wins, was there a consideration of playing QB Tua Tagavailoa more, or do you wish you played him more? Or is that irrelevant in the past two games?) – “We played him against the Jets, so he got in there; but no, I think with what we’ve seen in practice, and what we’ve seen in meetings and walkthrough, the situation is where it is. He’s only had the few snaps in the Jet game. We’re going to move forward with that in mind. We can’t go back and put him back in. We’re just going to move forward and practice and prepare with him as the starter, and hopefully get good execution not only from him, but from the entire team offensively, defensively, and in the kicking game. Again, it’s a team game. This isn’t just a one man show. We’re going to need everybody – players, coaches, trainers, everybody to have success on the field.”
(I’ll ask the one non QB Tua Tagavailoa question on this entire call. There was a report on the NFL website that you guys tried to sign DT Damon Harrison. Is that true? Do you feel like you need veteran defensive tackle help with DT Davon Godchaux out, or do you feel like it’s enough with DT Zach Sieler, DT Raekwon Davis, DT Christian Wilkins obviously and end and tackle. I also want to make sure Raekwon’s shoulder will not keep him out long-term.) – “Honestly, that’s more of a question for Chris (Grier). Again, he handles all of the phone calls and things of that nature. I’ve worked in personnel. There are calls every day about different players and potential this, potential this and potential that. I would say maybe one percent of that actually happens based on the volume of calls versus the actual transactions, or trade, or signing that happens – maybe two percent. A lot of that goes on, but really it’s more of a question for Chris. As far as our d-tackle depth, I think between Raekwon, Sieler, Christian, we had Benito (Jones up) last week. As far as Raekwon, he’s rehabbing his injury and I know he’s working to get back as soon as he can. They’re playing ok. There is always room for improvement; but yeah, I’m happy with those guys.”
(I know you’ve talked about this a ton but what role has QB Ryan Fitzpatrick played in just getting QB Tua Tagovailoa ready for this decision, and how important will his guidance and leadership continue to be as Tua develops and learns?) – “Look, ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) has been great. He’s been great really for the last two years, or year and a half. I don’t know if there’s anybody who has been more instrumental in trying to instill a culture and embody a lot of the things we’re looking for from a toughness, competitiveness, team first (standpoint). He’s made an impact on Tua, but also a lot of players on this team, so I have a great respect for him. That made this decision very tough. But at the end of the day, as a team, we felt like the best thing to do for our team, now and moving forward, was to go with Tua. But I think ‘Fitz’ and the way he handles himself and his impact on the team, I think it will still be there. He’s been a tremendous asset and leader on this team.”
(We’re not able to watch practice once the season starts. Can you fill us in, in terms of what you’ve seen, in the areas of accuracy, consistency and decision making? And how much improvement there has been for QB Tua Tagavailoa from the first week to now?) – “I think we’ve seen a lot of improvement form Tua and really from all of our rookies, I would say, and a lot of our non-rookies, second-year players, third-year players, etc. I think Tua specifically, I think he’s gotten more comfortable. But yes, accuracy, decision making, all of those things have been good in practice; but again, practice is very different than games. We’re going to do everything we can from a meeting, a walkthrough, a practice standpoint to get him ready to play in a game. Obviously we’re comfortable and confident that he’ll be able to be competitive in those games when the time comes. There is a lot that leads up to that. And also, I should say again, it’s not just one person. We’re going to need contributions from really everyone – o-line, running backs, tight ends, receivers, defense, special teams. It’s a team game. It’s never on one person. We’ve got to coach it well. I think if we do that, we’ll at least put ourselves in the best position to try to have some success.”
