Brian Flores – September 2, 2019
Download PDF version
Monday, September 2, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(What went into the decision to move on from LS John Denney?) – “Organizationally, we just felt like – look, John has done a tremendous job for this organization for a long time. I think it’s something like 224 games or something like that he’s played in a row. From a leadership standpoint, from a coming in and working every day standpoint, no one has done more than he has, so I’m very appreciative of the time I spent with him. At the end of the day, we felt like this was a move we needed to make. Again, I’m appreciative of the time I spent with him.”
(Did you know there was going to be this much change and talent leaving the roster when you took the job?) – “I think when you start something new, you never really know until you get into it. I didn’t walk into it saying, ‘Hey, we’re going to do exactly this.’ You get in, spend time with the team, make assessments and evaluations, and you do what you feel is best at the end of the day, and that’s kind of the process we’ve taken organizationally.”
(Can you talk about the challenge of getting 10 new players up to speed for the opener on Sunday?) – “It’s a challenge, but it’s something that we’ve talked about as a staff, and we have a plan in place to get those guys up to speed offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. That starts today. We’re off and running with that.”
(What have you or will you – I don’t know when the full team meeting is – what have you or will you tell the players about all that’s gone on in the last 48 hours?) – “Yeah, I’ve addressed that with the team. Again, like I’ve said many times, my conversations with the team stay between myself and the team; but yeah, I’ve addressed them (about) all of the transactions in the last 48 hours.”
(There’s a lot of frustrated, angry, upset fans out there that are curious as to what the future holds for this team. What will you say to the fans that wonder what’s going on?) – “I’d say we’re going to come out, practice, prepare, work and do everything we can to win this game on Sunday against Baltimore. That’s where my attention is. That’s where my effort, my energy – that’s where it’s going to be. It’s on Baltimore, and I think the more people who take that approach, the better off we’ll all be this weekend.
(What does the organization view as T Julien Davenport’s strengths?) – “He’s big, he’s athletic, he’s got good length. He’s a good, young tackle. We’re excited to have him.”
(Has the personnel standpoint of this job surprised you in any way? You knew being a head coach was different than being a coordinator, but shaping this roster and being in on trades – has any of that surprised you, or is it about as you expected?) – “I mean, I spent four years in personnel, so I kind of know what that part is like. I spent that time with guys like – well, I spent some in personnel, so I had a pretty good understanding of this process, the (waiver) claims, the 53-man (roster), the cuts, the claim process. I know what that’s about, so ‘surprised?’ No, that’s not the word. I would say that for every team in this league, you try to get better. You try to make the team better, and that’s kind of what we felt like we were doing int his situation.”
(How do you put together an offensive line with, what, six days to go?) – “We’ve got what we have, and we’re going to add (Julien) Davenport to that, and we also added two new guards. We’ll spend the next six days working those guys in different spots, position to position and trying to put the best group out there we can. It’ll be a challenge, but it’s something that we as a coaching staff, we have to meet that challenge. That’s what we have to do.”
(Has DT Vincent Taylor been cut?) – “Yeah, Vincent Taylor was cut this morning.”
(In the context of this past weekend, you still have some veterans on your roster. Do you expect them in the market to be traded, or are you guys done trading?) – “Right now, the focus is on Baltimore. That’s where our effort and energy need to be. It can’t be on anything else. Again, this is a good team. They’re tough, they’re disciplined. They’ve got playmakers offensively, defensively, in the kicking game. We need to point our attention to this team. That’s been the message. Anything outside of that is just going to detract from what we’re trying to do on Sunday afternoon. That’s kind of where we’re at.”
(Will LB Raekwon McMillan practice today, and what’s his status?) – “Raekwon is doing everything he can to get better. We’re close. We’re getting close with him. I think you’ll see a little bit of him today, but we’re getting close.”
(Two kids from Miami from college down here that were picked up – Trent Harris, what did you see last year when he was on the practice squad in New England? And Gerald Willis to the practice squad. What drew you guys to them?) – “Those are two young guys who are talented. I felt like we needed some help on the edge and inside, so they’re two young guys. We felt like they have a ceiling they can reach and they have not yet reached their ceiling, so there is some potential with both players and that is the case with every person we traded for or claimed. We’re excited about that group.”
(When LB Kiko Alonso expressed his frustration and eventually his desire to get out, what was your reaction?) – “Again, we can sit here and talk about those things and put our energy on what happened yesterday and two days ago and two weeks ago and I don’t think that is going to help us against Baltimore. I really don’t. That’s just kind of my approach and my thought process. So, what happened in that situation or in another situation is just not going to help us, so my focus is on Baltimore.”
(There was a hurricane concern for a while – did it ever reach your desk as far as things might change?) – “Oh yeah, absolutely. There is a plan in place and we are still watching the hurricane. Obviously it hit the Bahamas pretty hard. We are still in the – I don’t want to say the cone because that is the word everyone is using right now, but it is close. It’s something that we are aware of and we’ve got a plan in place if we have to make a move and hopefully we don’t and we can stay on our normal schedule.”
(Did you have a conversation with your team about all the changes that have happened and what it means for them this season?) – “Yeah, absolutely. I address the team every day. I don’t stay away from the things that are happening within the team and I don’t stay away from those things, so I try to address them. My message to them was the same thing I said to you guys: The more time we spend and the more energy we give to everything else that is going on, the less we are giving to our preparation for Baltimore. This is a good team – this is a tough, physical, well-coached team and if we don’t put all our efforts into the preparation for this game, we are doing ourselves a disservice. That was how I addressed the team.”
