Brian Flores – September 29, 2021
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Wednesday, September 29, 2021
Head Coach Brian Flores
(With regards to two guards who were here earlier this year – Ereck Flowers and Jermaine Eluemunor – both have played well this year and neither has given up a sack. I’ve never asked this but I’m sort of puzzled – what was the incentive in moving from Flowers and paying him $6 million even though the cap savings wasn’t very big and with Jermaine as well, what was the thinking in moving on from both of those when perhaps they could have helped?) – “I’m really more worried about the guys on our team and the Indianapolis Colts, so that’s kind of where my thought process is – not really any other players on any other team. I’m worried about the guys on our team, getting us better and helping us and helping our guys improve. I’m worried about our team, not so much those players. That’s really my answer to that. I haven’t really given that much thought – really any thought – and I’m kind of worried about our guys.”
(Has the evaluation, do you think, been good enough on the offensive line? Not in terms of coaching, but in terms of evaluating players you bring in and the ones you keep? Or looking back, do you think things should have been done differently in some regards?) – “I’m not one to look back. I’m more in the moment, in the present, and focus on the guys on our team – our coaches, the people in our building – and what’s in front of me. Not necessarily what’s gone on in the past. I think that’s the way I’ve handled really everything – football, life – and that’s how I will continue to do it.”
(Yesterday in an interview, Trent Dilfer, who has worked with QB Tua Tagovailoa, stated that Quarterbacks Coach Charlie Frye is the Dolphins play-caller. So the question is, how Charlie been selecting the plays?) – “I mean we’ve talked about this. Charlie talks to the quarterback. We’ve talked about why he’s the one who gives him Play 13, Play 33. We’ve had that discussion. It’s a collaborative effort offensively. George (Godsey) and Eric (Studesville) are the co-offensive coordinators. They have a process that we feel very comfortable with. Charlie is part of that process, as we’ve talked about in the past. We’ll continue to go that way.”
(Is there any change this week to the offensive play-calling operation?) – “No.”
(On Saturday, they’re going to honor Coach Shula and finally do a celebration of his life. I know it has nothing to do with the game but, when you work here, how much – he’s everywhere. Pictures are everywhere, a statue and everything. Is he always just kind of in mind on some level, when you work for this team? Isn’t he always in the psyche somewhere?) – “Yeah, I mean he’s one of the greatest coaches of all-time. I think he’s made an incredible impact on a lot of players. A lot of players, a lot of coaches and this league. It’s obviously a rich history here with the Dolphins. We have a great alumni base or alumni group that’s around the facility and at games. I think that’s a great thing, from Nat Moore to Dan (Marino) to (Bob) Baumhower. We’ve got a lot of great players who are around and I think it’s great. I think Coach Shula, I think it’s great that we get to honor him. I know we tried to do this last year but with COVID, it wasn’t to the level that it should be and that it will be this weekend. I’m glad the fans get to be at the game and honor him then, and I know we’re doing something Saturday night. It’s obviously a very rich history. He’s a great coach. It was an honor and privilege for me to get to speak to him and get some insight from him about coaching and about helping guys become the best version of themselves from a preparation standpoint, and then take the things that they learned from football on the field and use it outside of football when they’re done, to help them attain success in other areas, which has certainly been the case with a lot of players he’s had.”
(What more can you tell us about any advice Don Shula might have shared with you or more about that wisdom of just how to help players develop as players and men?) – “I think it was always – some of his conversations or our conversations were about being demanding of the players. It’s something that they need – that discipline, toughness and hard work and guys who are competitive and guys who love to play. Those are the guys you want to have on your team. If you have enough of those types of guys – you don’t really worry about anybody else. You just worry about the guys on your team. If you have enough of those types of guys and they all kind of band together and work together, you’ll get the results you want. It doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a lot of time and preparation. Those are kind of the conversations we had.”
(When you play a team this early in the year that’s winless, in your history does that team with an 0-3 record play with a certain aspect of desperation knowing that their season is salvageable but they can’t afford many more losses? And would you put yourselves at 1-2 in that category too?) – “This is a good team. I would say it’s a very good team. I know they’ve played some tough opponents. They’ve been in every game. They’ve got good players, they’ve got good coaches. They’re skilled. Every game is a meaningful game in this league. They’re looking for a win and we’re looking for a win. I think that’s what the preparation is about this week, really in all three phases. Today is a big day for us from a preparation standpoint, getting to know this team and then trying to execute in practice the way we want to execute in the game. All of them are important. I think it’s important to them, it’s important to us and I know they’ve got a good team. I know it will be a tough 60-minute ball game.”
(Considering Indianapolis has pretty intimate knowledge of QB Jacoby Brissett, what can you as a staff do to help mitigate that effect on Sunday?) – “That’s a great vocabulary. (laughter) I had to kind of go through that. (laughter) Obviously yeah, they’ve got a history with Jacoby. They know him. He’s got knowledge of some of their players as well. At the end of the day, there are some things that they could take from that, but it comes down to execution. It’s a team game. It’s not Jacoby against one other person or that one player against Jacoby. It’s a team game. It takes 11 guys offensively, 11 guys defensively, 11 guys in whatever kicking game or phase or unit we’re dealing with to gel, get on the same page, have good communication and execute as 11 guys turned into one team on a given play. There are some things that may help that unit, but those get integrated over the course of the week. I’m sure they’re having conversations about Jacoby and Jacoby is having conversations with our team about some of the things that they do well and some things that we probably want to stay away from. I know the knowledge and the history that they have with him and he has with them will have some bearing, but I think at the end of the day, it’s about the 11 guys on the field.”
(How do you assess where WR Jaylen Waddle is at through his first few games?) – “I think he’s – look, he’s a young player. Every time he goes out there and sees a new defense, a different style of corner that plays maybe some off-technique or maybe some press, we get into stacks and bunches and see how teams play them. Sometimes they zone it, sometimes they man it, sometimes they do something 4-on-3 or 3-on-2, so I think it’s a learning experience for him every week. I think he’s – he works, he’s got the right routine, he’s doing a lot of the right things, he’s asking the right questions. I think over time, if he continues to do what he’s been doing, he’ll be just fine. I think that’s the case not only for Jaylen but for a lot of our rookies and young players. I think developing in this league – every game, every practice is an experience. I think everyone is a little bit different – the amount of reps, a timetable – but I think our guys are working in the right direction.”
(A phrase that keeps coming up in relation to the offense is taking what the defense gives us. Given that though, the Raiders the other day had 10 plays of 23 yards or more. I’m sure that’s not what you intended to “give them.” So with that going on, what do you do offensively to create more of those kind of big plays and at what point is it a matter of not just taking what they give you but imposing your will and taking what you need?) – “I think the first thing that comes to mind for me is execution. I think if you execute, then offensively – really across the board, your operation, in and out of the huddle, fundamentals, technique, throwing, catching – you’ll move the ball. I think in some instances, you’ve got to make plays against what’s going to be good defense. Making throws into tight windows, giving receivers a chance to make some plays or breaking a tackle in the run game if we’re one-on-one, I think that’s how you create bigger plays. We need to do a better job of that. We need to put them in – as coaches, we need to put them in better positions to take those shots. We’ve talked about it but you also don’t want to force things and create negative plays the other way. There’s a balance there as far as being aggressive and being smart. We’ve got to find that balance.”
(Everyone wants more explosive plays on gameday. What can you emphasize in the week of practice?) – “I think everybody wants to see more explosive plays. I’m that way as well. But I want us to play smart, tough and disciplined and give ourselves a chance to win at the end. At the end of the day, that’s what we’re looking for. Every game is a little bit different. They just are. There is no one formula for having the results you want. But explosive plays definitely help. Every team wins a little bit differently and every game is a little bit different. Sometimes you need more explosive plays, sometimes you need more explosive plays in the kicking game, sometimes you need a better running attack, better run defense. I mean every game is a little different. We need to execute in all phases, in all areas, better.”
(How do you balance what you’re talking about there, you wanting an offense and a team that can win in different ways, versus the concept of identity? They seem to conflict, the notion that we want to win in different ways versus this is who we are, this is what we do best. How do you juxtapose those?) – “I don’t think they conflict. I really don’t. I don’t think they conflict at all. I think we want to be a balanced team. We want to be able to be productive offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. I think those are three different areas. I don’t think your identity can be just one thing, otherwise you don’t have a – I think every team wants to be good in all areas. I think that’s what we want to be. I think that’s the identity, in a perfect world, we can have success in a variety of ways. We don’t work on everything so we can be good at one thing and have that one thing be our identity and not be good at anything else. I don’t think anybody is trying to do that. We may have a difference in opinion as far as that’s concerned, as far as identity of a team. I think every team wants to be good in all areas. I think some people’s identity is probably more of what the masses think than the actual team.”
(Last year, the defense gave up the lowest percentage of third-down conversions. Right now the defense is allowing the highest rate of third down conversions. When you look at the film, what hasn’t been working. Or what’s stood out to you that’s been allowing the defense to not get off the field?) – “I’ve taken a hard look at this myself and at the end of the day, our opponents are making more plays than we are. It’s just as simple as that. Good throws, good catches, contested catches. The rush is probably a half second late, so we need a half second more coverage. The difference between winning and losing those plays, it’s small. The margin for error is small on those, and right now we’re not – as far as the contested plays, the contested catches, getting the ball out, getting the extra half-second or quarter of a second to get to the quarterback, we’re not getting there. We’ve got to do a better job and that starts with me. I’ve got to do a better job of getting our guys in position to make those plays, to keep leverage, to get the ball off of them. I would say some credit to our opponents. As a coach, when you sit there, I think sometimes it’s a good throw and a good catch, and that’s happened a few times already this season. But we’ve got to do a better job. We’ve got to do a better job defensively getting us off the field and putting our offense back on the field.”
