Brian Flores Responds to Tua’s Criticism
In 2023, the Minnesota Vikings hired former head coach of the Miami Dolphins, Brian Flores. He is about to enter his second year as the defensive coordinator in Kevin O’Connell’s staff after an up-and-down season in which his unit had stretches of excellence sandwiched between a slow start and a terrible ending.
Brian Flores Responds to Tua’s Criticism
His tenure with the Dolphins can also be described as up and down. He took over a team with a roster closer to UFL competition than actual Super Bowl contention, but his group still won five games, earning the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft.
With Justin Herbert and Tua Tagovailoa on the board, the Dolphins decided to acquire the latter.
Tua played for two years under Flores with limited success. Flores was fired after the conclusion of the 2021 season, and the Dolphins hired Mike McDaniel. To support the rookie head coach, they also acquired help on the offensive line and superstar receiver Tyreek Hill. Tagovailoa’s numbers exploded and he has since earned a $212 million contract.
On Monday, a video from an interview on The Dan Le Batard Show emerged. Tua was asked about the differences between McDaniel and Flores, and he vented about his ex-coach, climaxing in the comment that Flores would be a “terrible person.”
One day later, the coordinator stepped in front of a microphone and addressed the situation, stressing that he wishes nothing but the best for Tua’s future.
“I just want to say I’m genuinely happy for the success that Tua’s had and I really wish him nothing but the best,” Flores said. “Player relationships are very important to me. That’s kind of the foundation of coaching. I was impacted as a young guy by my high school coach, my college coach. I got into coaching because I want to make that same kind of impact, pour into young people.”
Tua’s two seasons under Flores resulted in 27 passing touchdowns and 15 interceptions in 23 games (21 starts). The duo was quite successful from a team’s perspective, winning 13 of those 21 contests. It should be noted, though, that veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick saved a few of those games in 2020, and it might not be too far-fetched to mention that he was the better player in 2020.
Still, reportedly, Flores was fired partly because of the bad relationship between him and his player.
He didn’t push back or deny any of Tua’s claims but emphasized his intention to learn from mistakes and grow as a person: “Part of coaching is correcting,” he said. “I’m always going to correct. I’m always going to have a high standard. I’ve done a lot of reflecting on the situation, (and) communication. I think there’s things that I could do better, for sure, and I’ve grown in that way. I’ve tried to apply the things I could do better and the things I’ve learned over the last two, three years.”
Flores added: “I would say over the long haul, I’ve had a lot of great relationships over my 21-year career in the league. … But I’m also always looking to get better and evolve.”
That was proven right before the presser started when his two players, Harrison Phillips and Josh Metellus, joined him on the podium to show their support. His players literally had his back.
The coach later said that gesture meant a lot and thanked the Vikings and people outside of the organization for their support.
“I’ve gotten a lot of support from a lot of people in this building and other buildings as well,” Flores said. “I was flooded with text messages yesterday. So that’s nice. But at the same time, this is a team sport. I don’t ever want it to be about anything that’s specific to me.”
Asked whether Tua’s comment “terrible person” hurt him, he stated: “Look, I’m human, so that hit me in a way that I wouldn’t say was positive for me. But at the same time, I’ve gotta use that and say, hey, how can I grow from that? How can I be better? And that’s really where I’m at from that standpoint. Do I feel like that’s me? No. How can I grow from that situation and create a world where that’s not the case that anyone says that about Brian Flores?”
The entire situation is bizarre. Flores’ football product in Miami was respectable, with back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in two decades despite taking over a horrendous team.
But it also shows the importance of relationships. A first-time head coach might not have handled the situation right, which might disqualify him from ever getting another shot. Hopefully, however, the NFL hands him the same second chance players receive when they get into off-field trouble.
Flores is currently preparing his defense for year two in his system. The Vikings added some firepower to his unit by swapping the entire pass-rush group, and most recently, the acquisition of Stephon Gilmore made waves.
The 43-year-old is surely looking forward to seeing his defense in the headlines rather than his name.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt