5 Takeaways Following Brian Flores’ Opening Press Conference
Josh Frey
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Brian Flores had his introductory press conference on Wednesday afternoon as he was welcomed into the Minnesota Vikings organization as the defensive coordinator. Overall, it was a very impressive presser, and it should have Vikings fans excited for the 2023 season. Here are some initial thoughts following Flores’ opening press conference. You can watch the full conference linked below as well:
Flores and O’Connell Have Terrific Chemistry
Right off the bat, it really seems like Flores and head coach Kevin O’Connell have a great chemistry together. Before they got into the meat of the presser, you can see the two cracking jokes with each other at the top.
I will always be of the mindset that it’s easiest to find success when coaches and players can have fun and just be themselves around each other, and it appears that this is a core tenet with this duo. We saw glimpses of a much more fun-loving team in 2022, and that should continue in 2023.
Minnesota Was Flores’ Family’s Top Choice
Flores was one of the top candidates for both defensive coordinator and head coaching jobs over the past few weeks, but at the end of the day, he landed in Minnesota. A factor in that decision seems to be that this is where his family wanted to be. Flores commented that “there was a lot of Griddying going on in my house” when he accepted the job.
The fact that Minnesota appears to be the place where Flores truly wanted to be should inspire confidence that he’ll pour his heart and soul into this team.
“Control or Growth”
This quote from Flores stuck out to me in particular. “There are times for control, and there are times for growth, but you can’t have both.” His decision to come to Minnesota was a “gut feeling” that this would be a “great opportunity for growth.” This sticks out because it appears that Flores isn’t going to be a coordinator that is “stuck in his ways”, and instead, if there is a problem with the scheme that needs fixing, he will be willing to grow and fix it.
Keep in mind, this is coming from a coach that spent three seasons as the head man of the Miami Dolphins from 2019-2021, and those teams wildly outperformed what was expected from them. To see Flores remain rooted in this belief that he still has room to grow is extremely impressive and speaks to the type of character he is bringing to the Vikings organization.
Perhaps We Shouldn’t Expect a Defensive “Overhaul”
A major topic of discussion heading into this offseason is what the personnel will look like in 2023, and how different it will be compared to 2022. Well, it may be time to pump the brakes on that notion because there were a few instances in this presser where Flores talked about the pieces already being in place.
One such quote was, “the seeds are here from a culture standpoint, from a camaraderie standpoint.” That doesn’t mean there won’t be new additions to the defense or players that leave, but this is something to keep in mind as free agency and the draft approach this spring.
Aggressiveness Was a Major Emphasis
Vikings fans will love to hear Flores talk about how aggressive he plans to be with Minnesota’s defense. The topic came up multiple times throughout the presser, and Flores mentioned that he is “aggressive by nature.” He also made the point that he and O’Connell have that in common as well.
After a year where Ed Donatell rarely sent more than four defenders at the line of scrimmage, it seems safe to bet that Flores will be blitzing much more often. A point that consistently came up when talking about him possibly getting the DC job in Minnesota was the fact that the Dolphins ranked 2nd in blitz percentage during both 2020 and 2021.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. He also earned minors in History, Human Biology, and Journalism. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys marathon training, playing video games, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. For more of his opinions, check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.