Brian Flores – September 30, 2020
Download PDF version
Wednesday, September 30, 2020
Head Coach Brian Flores
(What’s the biggest challenge? We know about the scrambling quarterbacks but QB Russell Wilson is one of those guys where it’s not necessarily about the scramble but the buying time, extending plays. What’s the biggest challenge when you have a quarterback like that who extends plays?) – “I mean there’s a lot of challenges with a quarterback who can extend plays – the coverage, the rush. You’ve got some guys who extend plays and they’re looking to scramble. There are some guys who extend plays who are looking to throw. With Russell Wilson, it can either or. He’s very good at both. You couple that with they’ve got good receivers, they’ve got good backs, they’ve got a good o-line. Those receivers, I would say on scramble situations, they know where they want to go. Once they see him scramble, they’ve kind of lived it for a number of years. There’s some rapport that’s been built. I know we want to say it’s just Russell, but they kind of work all together in concert, trying to create big plays or create positive plays when he does extend plays. It’s not like guys just stand around. They all work together and they do a good job of that. We need a good rush. We need to try to limit those opportunities where he does extend plays; but when he does get out – which he will, he’s a good player – we’ve got to do a good job on the back end of trying to plaster receivers when they try to uncover. It definitely will be a tough test.”
(I wanted to ask you about Seattle’s vertical passing game. It seems like the bulk of their big plays have come on deep throws to WR DK Metcalf. You guys in Week 2 had some problems with some deep routes. Why do you feel like you’re in a better position now than you were then? And just your thoughts on the talent…) – “I think to your point, they’ve got a lot of vertical threats. Obviously the quarterback can get them the ball down the field. When you’re defending the run game, you’re defending the screen game, you’re defending the short passing game – the big plays, they’re definitely looking for them. Metcalf is obviously a big-play guy. Tyler Lockett is obviously a big-play guy. They’ve got multiple weapons. We have to do a good job of defending the deep part of the field also; but also defending the intermediate part of the field and the run game and the screen game. It’s a big challenge. Obviously those big plays are the ones – you need to limit those. If you don’t, they just lead to scoring drives or scores on the play. That’s something that we obviously know and understand that. We’ve got to try to limit as many of those big plays as we can.”
(Once again the team is doing well in the area of fewest penalties. I’m wondering if you could kind of dig in on that topic. I was thinking about technique, self-discipline and understanding rules and trends in the game. If you could bite on that in a little bit and explain some of the things that go into the fewest penalties.) – “Well, I think our coaches do a good job of talking through what a penalty is and how to avoid them. (Offensive Coordinator) Chan (Gailey), (Defensive Coordinator) Josh (Boyer), (Special Teams Coordinator) Danny (Crossman) in the kicking game, I think those guys do a good job of coaching our players from that standpoint – how to play with good fundamentals, or try to play with good fundamentals and good technique, good communication and penalty-free. We understand that penalties can only hurt us. We try to – as a team – limit those penalties when they happen. We understand it’s not like we have none. They happen. But we try to, as best we can, use the techniques, understand what’s going to get called, how it’s going to get called, and then try to play in a way that we can be competitive and give us an opportunity to play well but not commit penalties. We try to stress that; but we stress a lot of things. We tell these guys a lot – offensively, defensively and in the kicking game – whether it’s communication, whether it’s tackling, whether it’s a fundamental. I think they do a good job or we’re getting better at taking everything we tell them and trying to apply it in practice and then in the game. Our players work hard at it. Our coaches work hard at it from a penalty standpoint. Hopefully you didn’t just jinx us. (laughter)”
(Just because it’s Seattle, has the Malcolm Butler play come up any time, within your thoughts? And if the Seahawks get to the 1-yard line, are they going to run it or are they going to pass it?) – “Actually, no. I’m really focused on our team, our team this year and their team this year. There’s plenty to think about there. Offensively, defensively and in the kicking game, this is a good football team – a very good football team. They’re 3-0 for a reason. They play well in all phases. They play for 60 minutes. We’re going to need a 60-minute, well-played, high-execution game to pull out a victory against a very well coached and very talented team. No, that stuff is in the past. That’s where they are. They can’t help us now. My energy is on our team right now, this week and really today. Our meetings, our walkthrough, our practice, I’m trying to bring energy to that and prepare ourselves to put ourselves in a situation where we can hopefully play well on Sunday. They can do anything on the 1-yard line. They’ve got a lot of options. Russ(ell Wilson) can run. He can run it, they can run it with someone else – (Chris) Carson, (Carlos) Hyde – they can throw it to (Tyler) Lockett or (DK) Metcalf. They’ve got a lot of options.”
(I wanted to ask you about the secondary, not just in terms of who is going to be able to play and who is not on Sunday; but just the general idea that you haven’t been able to field what I would presume is your ideal secondary for very long this year. And going against the vertical passing game that we’ve talked about, what’s your level of concern right now?) – “We’re getting guys ready. We’re getting everyone ready. I think our guys are in today and they’ve been working to prepare against a really good opponent. They are working together, the group of guys that we have – corners, safeties, nickels. They are working together, trying to get a good grasp of what they do offensively, who their key players are and how they are getting them the ball. The guys who are out there are going to do everything they can to try to play a competitive ball game and try to limit what these guys do offensively, which they do a lot and they’ve got good players. It will be a tough challenge. I think they know and understand that. Specific to who is in and who is not, and injuries, we have the guys we have. It may not be what we had in Week 1, but it’s that way for every team. Everyone is dealing with something, and I think we are confident in the guys we’re going to play on Sunday. If we prepare the correct way and compete, we’ll give ourselves a chance; but we’ll have to play well against a very, very good team.”
(I guess what every coach is dreading this year is happening in Nashville right now. The commissioner has asked teams to look at what they are doing to limit contact, especially when traveling, and in position groups and tryouts. I’m wondering what your reaction is to the news from the Titans, and do you foresee any changes with your procedures?) – “It’s a reminder that we can’t let our guard down. We can’t get complacent. I know (Titans Head Coach) Mike (Vrabel) well. I’m sure he wasn’t, and they’re not (complacent). We know how quickly the virus can spread, I think everyone knows and understands that. We have to be vigilant in enforcing the masks and the protocols. We just have to be diligent in following the protocols. That’s the reminder that we talked about this morning as a team. When you have three, four, five, six weeks where things are going good, human nature takes over, and you let your guard down a little bit. We can’t do that. It’s just a reminder that we’ve got to continue to be diligent. I’ll do a better job at that. I think every coach around the league is probably having the exact same conversation. I think it’s probably the case in all 31 other meetings this morning. It’s unfortunate, and you don’t want to see that with any team. I know how hard the guys work and how much they put into this. You don’t want to see that from any team. It’s a situation that we all have to learn from.”
(I want to know do you study officials No. 1, and kind of come up with what they call and things of that nature? The second part is about if guys practice well, they get a role. What during the week are you looking for? Is it just on-field stuff or is it classroom stuff? What exactly is it that gives that magic recipe for a guy to be elevated and get reps like DT Zach Sieler?) – “To answer your first question, yes we study officials. I study everything or I try to, at least – whether it’s officials, whether it’s situations – anything that I think will help us win a ball game. I think our coaching staff and I, we try to study. Any way we can get an advantage, we try to take advantage of it. So yes, we study officials. I think every team does that. To your second question, I thinks it’s a combination of performance on the field in practice – whether it’s individuals to any kind of group work, 7-on-7 or 9-on-7 to the team periods. The performance in those areas of practice, if we feel like they are performing well and they have a good understanding of what we are trying to do this particular week, I think that may lend – every week is a little bit different as far as who we may be trying to attack or what we’re trying to do game plan wise. That’s offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. Some matchups are better than others. I can’t say there is one specific thing that will elevate someone. If we like a matchup or we feel like someone can handle the position that it’s going to entail them doing two, three, four or five different things versus one thing, that can elevate someone in a particular game plan. I don’t know if that totally answers your question, but I think there is a little bit more to it than one or two things that elevate a guy. There’s matchup, there’s game plan, there are a few different factors that goes into that. But yes, if you perform well in practice and we feel confident that you’re going to execute the game plan, then it’s very likely you will end up in the game.”
(Closing Statement) – “I’ve got one thing from an injury – not injury standpoint. So Tua (Tagovailoa) will be out today. He will be on the injury report with an illness. This is not COVID related. This is not a false positive. We’ve been through the protocols. We test every day. We’re confident saying it’s not COVID related. He won’t be on the COVID IR (list); but I just wanted to let you guys know so you weren’t blindsided at practice. Tua won’t be at practice today. Illness. Won’t be on the COVID IR, not COVID related.”
