Brian Flores – October 6, 2021
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Wednesday, October 6, 2021
Head Coach Brian Flores
(Just to go over the couple roster moves yesterday. C Austin Reiter – his signing – was it done more as depth or would you like competition with OL Greg Mancz until C/G Michael Deiter comes back? And then with WR Jakeem Grant, was there a thinking that you’d like to be able to get WR Jaylen Waddle opportunities in the return game? Did that contribute to the Jakeem move?) – “The Jakeem (Grant) move, we felt like we’ve had some depth at the receiver room. We wanted to get some other guys going as receivers and in the return game. So that kind of went into that decision, for sure. As far as (Austin) Reiter, more depth with Deiter going down and we had to bring Cam Tom up from the practice squad last week, so we’re just looking for depth at that position. But anyone who steps into the building is given an opportunity to compete so we’ll see what this looks like in practice today and this week and we’re excited to see what that looks like and give him a chance to compete.”
(How do you feel about WR Jaylen Waddle as a returner?) – “I’m confident in (Jaylen) Waddle as a returner. Obviously he’s had a lot of success in college. He hasn’t really gotten back there much this year. He had the one opportunity and it didn’t go so well. But looking forward to getting him back out there, getting more returns and hopefully getting him going in that aspect of the game.”
(Where is WR Jaylen Waddle in regard to ball security in the return game, being short-handed, that sort of thing?) – “Ball security is something we talk about all the time. He knows that – whether that’s offensively, in the kicking game, backs, receivers, quarterback, tight ends. Obviously when you have turnovers in the game, that doesn’t work in our favor if we turn it over and it does work in our favor if we turn them over. I think Waddle has done a good job in practice. I think we have confidence that he’ll be able to protect the football in the return game and offensively, but it’s something you’ve got to work on really daily and be conscious of all the time and that’s anyone who has the ball in their hands – quarterback, long snapper, whoever.”
(We heard Co-Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends George Godsey say yesterday that we all know that WR DeVante Parker needs to be a bigger part of the gameplan. Is his relationship – DeVante’s relationship with QB Jacoby Brissett at a point where he can be a larger part of the gameplan earlier on in games?) – “I think they’ve got a good relationship and I think that’s building really every day. And I think that’s the case with Jacoby (Brissett) and DeVante (Parker) and Jacoby and all the receivers, tight ends, backs, o-line, etc. I think that’s something you just continually build. You build it through practice. You build it through meetings and walkthrough and Jacoby does a good job of just trying to communicate with the receivers. ‘Hey, we want you here. Where do you want the ball? Inside, outside, high, low?’ Depending on situation. And that’s with all of them to include DeVante. I think they’re starting to build a little bit more of a rapport. That showed up late in the last couple games. Hopefully we can get to some of that a little bit earlier and yeah, that’s something we’ll definitely work on in practice today and something we’ve talked about.”
(For guys who don’t necessarily create a ton of separation like WR DeVante Parker, does it just boil down to trust between receiver and quarterback that he’s going to make a play on those 50/50 high balls?) – “Yeah. I think when you’re talking separation I think some people, they separate a little bit differently. Some with speed and quickness, some are just bigger and have more of a catch radius and that’s how they separate. I think DeVante (Parker) probably falls into that mold, I should say. I think part of that is just you think a guy’s open or he looks like he’s open or looks like he’s not open, but if you give him a chance, (there’s a) good chance he’ll come down with the ball.”
(In terms of getting more – you mentioned maybe getting more receivers passes – is WR Preston Williams in your thinking that way? Has that been kind of a difficult call not really having a spot always on the active roster for him because of special teams and other factors you have to consider?) – “Yeah, I think you’re in the right direction there. I think Preston (Williams) is somebody we’ve talked about really every week. We like a lot of things he’s doing in practice. So yeah, we want to get some other guys some opportunities and hopefully we’re able to do that. But again, we’ve got to do a nice job in practice. We’ve got plenty we’ve got to work on. Plenty to work on really across the board. Players, coaches – we’re all trying to get better, trying to do better, trying to improve and that starts in practice. But as far as getting some other guys involved, that definitely was part of the conversation in the receiver room, him specifically.”
(Are you hopeful to get DT Raekwon Davis back? Will he be out there today?) – “Yes, Raekwon (Davis) will be out there today. We’re just going to see what this looks like. We’re not necessarily going to make a move on the roster just yet, but he’s definitely moving in the right direction and he’ll be out there today. So yeah, he’s doing a lot of good things and he’ll be out there today.”
(What will DT Raekwon Davis’ return mean to this run defense?) – “I think it would mean a lot. I think when healthy – I think he was doing a lot of good things at the end of training camp, start of the beginning of the season. But you know, he’s big, he’s strong. He’s hard to move inside so we’re hopeful that he has a couple good days of practice and we can get him out there. I’m kind of – I don’t like to count my chickens. (laughter) I don’t like to jinx myself either so we’ll see how this goes in the next couple days of practice.”
(You mentioned earlier this week that you like the offensive system and the gameplan. I guess you were asked about changes. Obviously there hasn’t been a lot of success so I’m curious what you do like about the system and the gameplans.) – “I mean I like the communication. I like the collaboration. We need to do a better job really across the board. This is everybody. The players have to do a better job of executing. We have to do a better job of putting them in positions to execute. I would say we’ve missed some opportunities of guys being open, guys making cuts. I would say we’ve got to do a better job of putting them in positions to have more opportunities as a staff. We’ve had a lot of conversations. I think the only thing we can do is go out there, practice, continue to prepare the way we’re preparing. I think just from a preparation standpoint – and look, this is just my opinion as a guy who is in here every day – I think our coaches and our players work hard. They compete. They try to do everything the right way. I think my belief is when you continue to string good days together or string that type of preparation together, normally things work out. That’s kind of my belief. That’s how I’m wired. There’s always some little things we can change and do better, and things you learn from as you go. Especially when you’re dealing with 53 players plus practice squad, there’s always some little subtle things you can change and get better at. We’re finding those things out and making those corrections. I’m hopeful we’ll see more of the results that we’re looking for.”
(How does QB tom Brady in a Bucs uniform look compared to the Tom you first went against in practice on the Patriots fields?) – “Look, this is a great player. He was a great player when I last saw him in person when we were on the same team and he’s a great player. Smart. Great command of the offense. Accurate. Can find the space in the pocket. I think he’s playing great football right now. I think that team is playing great football, really offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. They’re well coached. They’ve got a lot of great players. Skill players, defensive players, pass rushers. And they’ve done a great job. That’s why they’re the defending Super Bowl champs. But yeah, I mean I have a lot of respect and admiration for Tom. We were on the same team for 15 years. I learned a lot from him, for sure. It’ll be great to see him, great to compete against him. A lot of respect and admiration.”
(The obvious follow up is what’s one thing you learned from QB Tom Brady?) – “Preparation. I think that’s one thing that I know how he prepares. I know that he’s looking for every advantage. Honestly, Bruce Arians is the same way. (Todd) Bowles is the same way. Byron Leftwich is the same way. They do a great job there. I would say that would be it – preparation.”
(How hard is it to confuse QB Tom Brady and get him off his game?) – “There’s no confusing. He’s seen everything. I could sit here and say, ‘yeah, you can do this, that and the other,’ but there’s no confusing the guy. It’s about trying to execute. They’ve got good players. Look, every defense has somewhere in the defense where there’s some kind of weakness. In Cover 2, it’s this. In Cover 1, it’s this. In Cover 3, it’s this. In Cover 4, it’s this. When you bring five, it’s this. You bring six and it’s this. Look, after 20-plus years of playing in this league, he’s seen pretty much everything. So no, there’s no confusing him. We’ve got to do a good job really across the board. We’ve got to play – the entire team has to play well offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. That’s what we’re going to have to do to have success against this team.”
(Do you marvel that QB Tom Brady’s been able to do it for this long after just working with him for so long? Are you just like how is he 44 or 45 years old or whatever he is now, that he’s still going?) – “I’m not surprised. When you’ve been around the guy and you see the way he works and you see the way he prepares and see the way he takes care of himself, see the passion he has for the game – you’re not surprised.”
(You want your team to prepare the same way every week, to the upmost obviously. There shouldn’t be variables to that. But human condition being what it is, when you’re playing against the Super Bowl champions and against QB Tom Brady, do you find that there is typically an additional laser-like level of something extra when you’re playing against that guy?) – “I mean yeah, you want to prepare the same way with that laser focus every week. That’s what you want. You speak of human condition and that’s something I think about a lot as well. Yeah, I imagine 53 guys under 25 years old, there’s a little bit more excitement playing against a team like that. I shouldn’t say there’s a little bit more excitement. That’s probably the wrong thing to say. We’re excited to play every week. But when you play against arguably the best player of all-time and they’ve got a bunch of great players, you have to up your level of preparation and up your level of intensity and execution. I hate that it’s like that, honestly, because I feel like I have – as a coaching staff, every week is like this. But yeah, in my opinion, yeah there’s probably a heightened level of ‘we better get this right or he’s going to find the open receiver, the matchup, etc.’”
(I know you were focused on your own team last week and focused on your own team this week of course. Was Sunday night difficult for you to take in at all, just knowing that it had to be very unusual for QB Tom Brady, it had to be unusual for Head Coach Bill Belichick. It was just an awkward night on a lot of levels. Was it difficult for you to look into that as a fan and not feel tugged in either direction?) – “No, I didn’t feel tugged. To me, it was a good football game. If you know both guys, you know they are both competitive, they both want to win, it’s important to both of them to win, to play well, to execute. They play good football. I think that’s what you saw. At the end of the day, yeah there are emotions and there are personal relationships. But me just watching the game, when you step on the field, it’s team against team and it’s about execution, it’s about playing smart and disciplined and tough and the physicality of the game, which it was definitely a physical game. Those are the things I took from it. I kind of leave the other stuff out of it once you’re in the game.”
(Is there anything you can take from last year? Last year you started 1-3 too, and you were able to get five straight wins. Is there anything you can take from that turnaround as you try to guide the team?) – “Last year was last year. This year is this year. Different team. A whole different set of circumstances from last year to this year. I just try to live in the moment and just try to improve, get better and do everything I can do personally to help this team improve and get the results we’re looking for. That’s what I’m trying to do here.”
(Your opponent this week allows a league-best 2.7 yard per rush. Some of their opponents don’t even try to run the ball on them sometimes. I guess my question is a philosophical one in regards to what’s the value of continuing to run the football if you’re not having success in terms of yards gained?) – “It’s a good run defense. I understand why some teams don’t do it. If you want to run through a brick wall, feel free. I don’t know how that will feel. (laughter) When you watch them and you’ve got Vita Vea in there and you’ve got (Ndomukong) Suh in there and you’ve got Devin White and (Lavonte) David and (Jason) Pierre-Paul, it’s not easy. You want to be balanced, but you want to be smart too. It’s hard. I think everyone has seen that. The players they’ve got up there, it’s hard to run it in there.”
(In years past, DE Cam Wake used to always say, if there was a key to QB Tom Brady, it was to make him uncomfortable in the pocket. Not divulging anything, but do you see any weaknesses that your defense could put on him in some aspect?) – “I think we’ve got to have good communication. Let’s just start with that. Because if you blow an assignment or have a mental error, he’s going to find it and take advantage of it. So let’s just start right there. We’ve got to tackle well. They’ve got good skill players who break tackles. Those create big plays that way, explosive plays that way. They hit a hitch route, make somebody miss and what’s five yards goes for 25 yards. Tackling, communications, setting the edge in the run game, trying to limit the big plays as best you can. I know there is a lot there, but I think that’s where you start. It’s one thing to say, ‘get him off the spot.’ Yeah, I think you want to do that. But when the ball is out in a second and a half, you can’t get to the spot. There are a lot of things you’ve got to do defensively. They do a lot of things well offensively. We’ve got to play well as a team. I’d say if there’s one thing, we’ve got to do a good job on third down. Getting them to third down and then executing in that situation.”
