Brian Flores – September 13, 2019
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Friday, September 13, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(Anything going on?) – “I just got done with practice.”
(Your starting right tackle is injured?) – “Yeah.”
(Is T Julién Devenport going on IR?) – “That’s something we’ll have discussion about as a – between myself, (General Manager) Chris (Grier) and (Vice President of Football Administration) Brandon (Shore). There’s a lot of different ways we can handle this. We’ll talk about it as a group and make that decision when we feel like the time is right.”
(Is T J’Marcus Webb next guy up?) – “Yup. J’Marcus will be the next guy up. He has practiced well this week, so we think – any time (with) injuries, they occur. They happen in games, they happen in practice. When they happen, the next guy just has to step up. I feel confident that he’ll do a good job.”
(How do you feel about S Minkah Fitzpatrick requesting a trade and will he be out there on the field in his normal position in the starting lineup Sunday?) – “Yeah. Minkah is a big part of the game plan right now. He’s done a really good job all week. This is a tough kid, a hardworking kid. He loves football. I expect him to play well Sunday. I’m excited to see what he does Sunday.”
(Are you offended that S Minkah Fitzpatrick requested a trade? Does that irritate you in any way?) – “No. My focus right now is on Minkah going out there and this team going out there and giving their best performance on Sunday. That’s kind of where I’m at. That’s kind of my thought process.”
(Is the team trying to trade S Minkah Fitzpatrick? Would you go through with his trade request?) – “I would say those conversations or any conversations that we have as an organization between Chris (Grier), myself, ownership – those conversations are confidential. My thoughts right now are Minkah is playing on Sunday and he’s got a big role in the game. It’s a big game for us. We’re motivated to play Sunday. That’s where my focus is.”
(Don’t you think it’s unusual to have a player that doesn’t want to be here in the locker room, in the lineup? If so, why or why not?) – “I don’t think it’s unusual. I think Minkah (Fitzpatrick) is a good player. I think we’ve talked about his role all week. I think he’s going to be a big part of the game plan. I think he’s going to go out there and play well, to be honest with you. I’ve coached for a while. I’ve gone through this a little bit before. A guy who comes to mind is Patrick Chung. He was in New England with me. He left, went to Philly. (He) didn’t like the way things were going there in New England, left and went to Philly, came back and that whole thing turned around. This is not my first go-around with a situation like this. That turned out well for Patrick. He and I have an incredible relationship. Things change, quickly. We know that to be the case in this league. We’ll just see how this thing shakes out. Right now, my focus is on Sunday. If we all put our focus more on that and less on some of the other things that are going on, I think we’ll all be better for it. I’ve gone through a similar situation.”
(Do you think you can repair the situation?) – “I think, again – repair – that word, I don’t know if that’s the word I would use. I don’t feel like anything’s broken. I think we’re looking forward to Minkah (Fitzpatrick) playing on Sunday and looking forward to this team playing on Sunday. That’s kind of where I’m at. Again, I’ve had this kind of similar situation and others in the past, so I think we’ll be able to move past it and move through it. I think as an organization, we’ll be fine.”
(Do you think S Minkah Fitzpatrick will be here the rest of the season?) – “I’m worried about Sunday. That’s where I’m at. I’m worrying about our preparation – our preparation and our motivation for Sunday. Anything past that, (it is) not on my radar.”
(From the outside, we see how S Patrick Chung was used with the Patriots – a lot of different roles. What changed him to where he said, ‘Okay, I like this role’ or accepting that?) – “That was – I don’t know how (long), five, six years ago – it’s in the past. That situation was that situation. Again, placing any effort or energy towards things that have happened in the past – right now, the focus is on really facing Patrick Chung now and facing that entire team – offense, defense, special teams and coaching staff. That’s really where our efforts and our focus should be.
(This isn’t S Minkah Fitzpatrick-specific but everybody – isn’t it incumbent on a coaching to use a player where he is most comfortable, so that he is most confident and most able to succeed?) – “I think – that’s an interesting question. I think in a team sport, you do what’s best for the team. That’s kind of where I’m at on that, as far as that’s concerned. Yes, would you like to – I think the goal for every coach is to put a player in where you see is his best position. I think that’s where we have all of our players, and we’ll continue to make those decisions – the decisions we feel are the best decisions for this team.”
(Have any of your other players requested trades or asked for trades? Are you aware?) – “No.”
(Do you anticipate S Minkah Fitzpatrick’s role changing to acquiesce more to what he may want?) – “I think everybody on this team is going to have a role, and that role is going to fit whatever we feel is best for the team. I think they all understand that, and I think that’s the way it should be.”
(Is this a situation – I’m talking about S Minkah Fitzpatrick – that you would talk to the team about as a team, or are you just kind of staying focused on New England and let that play out?) – “The focus is on New England and this game this week.”
