The New York Giants are sitting at 0-2 early in the 2024 season, coming off the heels of becoming the first team in NFL history to score three touchdowns, allow zero touchdowns and lose in regulation. Even in a rebuilding season, the pressure is beginning to mount in New York.
Brian Daboll is in his third year as head coach, and apparently already feeling the heat. Several Giants players are reportedly beginning to lose trust in Daboll and feel he could lose the locker room if the team digs a deeper hole.
“I’ve spoken to guys over the past few days,” ESPN Giants reporter Jordan Raanan said on the Breaking Big Blue podcast this week, via The Giants Wire. “And some of them — not all of them — have said it’s starting to get shaky in there. The confidence in Brian Daboll is hanging by a thread.
“Their trust in him is waning.”
There is certainly pressure on Daboll to win entering this season. Even though Daboll is the only head coach to take the Giants to the playoffs since 2017 and the only head coach to win a playoff game for the franchise since winning Super Bowl XLVI in the 2011 season, the recent history isn’t in his favor. The Giants are 6-13 since the start of the 2023 season, after going 9-7-1 in Daboll’s first year.
Sunday’s loss to the Washington Commanders was a bad look for Daboll given New York’s kicker situation. New York chose to not dress backup kicker Jude McAtamney, despite starter Graham Gano landing on the injury report with a groin injury. Gano injured his hamstring on the opening kickoff while attempting to tackle Austin Ekeler on the return, leaving the Giants without a kicker the rest of the day. Punter Jamie Gillan attempt an extra point, but missed the first try. The Giants attempted to go for two the rest of the way.
A McAtamney activation would have likely given the Giants a victory.
On top of the mistrust in Daboll, wide receiver Jalin Hyatt has denied asking for a trade after being drafted by the team just a year ago.
“I didn’t say that,” Hyatt said, via a transcript provided by the team. “I don’t know where that came from, but that’s false. I love being here. [General Manager] Joe [Schoen], Dabs [Daboll], I got so much respect for trading up for me and getting me. So, whatever that rumor was, it’s not true at all.”
Hyatt was frustrated over the reports of him demanding for a trade or even the thought of his name being mentioned in a trade report.
“I was surprised. It came out of nowhere about trades,” Hyatt said. “We didn’t discuss any of that or I didn’t have any communication about that with Dabs or Joe or any of that. So, I really don’t know where that came from.
“I feel like it’s a fake story. I feel like it’s somebody’s out to get me or something. I didn’t say anything about not wanting to be here. Like I said, I love it here. And we’re doing the right things, right steps to get to where we want to get to as a team. And that’s my focus.”
Hyatt has played just 22% of the offensive snaps and has only one target through two games. Understandable if Hyatt was frustrated with his role.
“I’m a competitor. I want to be out there. I want to play,” Hyatt said. “And the coaching staff knows that, too. But it’s the NFL and whenever my chance is or whenever my opportunities are, that’s when I’m going to take advantage. So that’s my focus.
“That’s why I’m still shocked and surprised about the rumors that I’m hearing. It’s Week 2, we’re still early in this season. And as far as disappointing or mad, it’s none of that. I’m a competitor at the end of the day. And I want to be out there. I’m going to take advantage of my chances when they come. But as far as trades and all that, that’s all false.”
The Giants play the Cleveland Browns on Sunday before hosting the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday. If the Giants are 0-4, they may be forced to answer questions about Daboll’s future.
The players’ reactions over the next week could tell the whole story.
Soft-tissue injuries are often prevalent early in the NFL season because there is less contact during training camp and preseason playing time for key contributors is limited. The league lost a few stars in recent weeks and now teams are tasked with filling that lost production.
Here is the most pressing need for every team ahead of Week 3:
AFC North Bengals: Running back Following the trade of running back Joe Mixon, the Bengals signed Zack Moss from Indianapolis. They need him to have a big season as the go-to option or second-year runner Chase Brown will be forced into action. According to TruMedia, the team’s rushers average 2.34 yards post-contact, which is the seventh-lowest rate in the league.
Cornerback was the other consideration just because they need the current group to play at a higher level. They did a good job muddying the waters against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs last week.
Wide receiver is a developing situation as Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase continue to be monitored.
Browns: Linebacker Cleveland’s starting offensive tackles were once again inactive last week. The expectation is that they will be back shortly, but that obviously shoots to the top of the list of needs if Jedrick Wills, Jack Conklin are once again unavailable. The Browns have the highest pressure rate allowed (44.7%) this season, according to TruMedia.
Cleveland has a case for having the league’s best roster. The Browns do not have any needs that would submarine the team’s efforts beyond maybe the quarterback position. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah has All-Pro potential but the rest of that unit is up for grabs. Veteran Jordan Hicks has earned the start next to Owusu-Koramoah.
The pass catchers need to be better as well. The Browns led the league in drops last year with 39 and already have eight through two games in 2024.
Ravens: Wide receiver Coming into Week 1, the concern was regarding the offensive line, who welcomed two new starters with Andrew Vorhees and Daniel Faalele. Utilityman Patrick Mekari is in the starting lineup as well. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley has battled injuries in recent years. There is a lot of unknown in that unit.
However, the offense has been very limited. The unit showed a lot of creativity working horizontally, but the lack of a downfield threat could prove to be challenging over the course of the season.
Former defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald is now the coach in Seattle. Baltimore is applying pressure on 28.4% of opponent’s drop-back attempts, which is the fifth-worst rate in the league, according to TruMedia.
Steelers: Wide receiver With Diontae Johnson gone, Pittsburgh has little outside of George Pickens. The hope is that Calvin Austin III takes on a bigger role and rookie Roman Wilson’s acclimation to the NFL is fast and smooth. The offense has 77 carries and 30 receptions through two games.
The Steelers are allowing pressure on 37.5% of drop backs, which is the eighth-highest rate in the league, according to TruMedia.
AFC South Colts: Cornerback The most-pressing need is cornerback. The situation was exacerbated when second-year starter JuJu Brents found his way onto injured reserve Sep. 10. Of the five cornerbacks on the Colts roster, three were undrafted free agents and none were drafted earlier than the fifth round.
The run defense has been worse than anticipated. They are allowing 1.65 yards before contact and 3.45 yards after contact, according to TruMedia; both figures are eighth-worst in the league. In recent days, the team added DeForest Buckner to injured reserve.
Jaguars: Cornerback Cornerback is also an issue elsewhere in the division. Darious Williams was a casualty of the franchise’s search for salary cap health. He was replaced by 30-year-old Ronald Darby. Although Tyson Campbell impressed a year ago, he is now on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.
Jacksonville’s offensive line needs to be more consistent. The Jaguars are allowing pressure on 40% of dropbacks, which is the seventh-worst rate in the league, according to TruMedia. They rank below average in yards before contact on the ground but Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby combine for the league’s third-best yards after contact (4.15).
Texans: Defensive tackle Defensive tackles Sheldon Rankins, Maliek Collins and Teair Tart are gone from last year’s roster. They signed veterans Folorunso Fatukasi and Mario Edwards, but that remains a position to monitor. Depth could not handle any injuries to that unit.
Titans: Edge rusher The new-look Tennessee defense leaves a lot to be desired in Brian Callahan’s first season as coach. A lot has been put on the plate of Harold Landry III and Arden Key. The unit needs to find a more consistent way to generate pressure having finished in the bottom five in team pressure rate a year ago, per TruMedia. Depth is even more concerning. The operation is currently second-worst in the NFL (21.2%).
Tennessee has used its first-round pick on offensive lineman in each of the past two years. The Titans hired one of the best offensive line coaches in the NFL and signed free agent center Lloyd Cushenberry. Despite that investment, pressure has still been getting home through two games.
AFC East Bills: Linebacker Buffalo lost a lot of leadership from its defense this offseason and circumstances were exacerbated in training camp when linebacker Matt Milano was potentially lost for the year. Reserve Tyrel Dodson departed for Seattle in free agency so it leaves Dorian Williams and Terrel Bernard to shoulder the load.
The interior offensive and defensive lines were also a consideration, but the team has performed well early in the season.
Dolphins: Defensive tackle Several seasoned pieces from last year’s team are now gone. Tua Tagovailoa was placed on injured reserve this week and the offensive operation was turned over to Skylar Thompson and Tyler Huntley. There are concerns about that position in the short term, but there is not exactly a bevy of options awaiting them in free agency.
They signed multiple veteran defensive linemen to pair with Zach Sieler in an effort to rebuild a defensive line that lost Christian Wilkins this offseason. Benito Jones and Calais Campbell are the two that made it through the offseason. Campbell turned 38 not long ago. Miami has one of the lowest yards-before-contact rates in the league, but one of the worst yards after contact, according to TruMedia.
Cornerback and wide receiver depth is also a concern at the present time.
Jets: Safety Although it is entirely possible, if not probable, that the other shoe will drop at linebacker this season with a 32-year-old C.J. Mosley, safety is the easier choice. The defense has been susceptible to big plays in the pass game through three games. Cornerback depth beyond Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed is a bit precarious.
There is also the lingering question about Haason Reddick’s future with the organization. Fortunately, former first-round pick Will McDonald IV has exploded with five sacks. Jermaine Johnson II was added to injured reserve so that does not help the pass-rush situation.
Patriots: Offensive tackle The choice between wide receiver and offensive tackle was a knock-down-drag-out fight. Both are critical needs, but it all starts upfront with the offensive line. If that is not solidified, then the rest hardly matters. Wide receiver also has a few young players, such as Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker who should at least be entertaining.
Mike Onwenu started at right tackle, which is a role he has adequately filled in the past, and former sixth-round pick Vederian Lowe is starting at left tackle. The Patriots have allowed the third-highest pressure rate in the NFL this season (44.3%), according to TruMedia.
AFC West Broncos: Offensive line The offensive line is a concern. Lloyd Cushenberry departed in free agency. Denver’s interior offensive line consists of Ben Powers, Luke Wattenberg and Quinn Meinerz. Right tackle Mike McGlinchey is now on injured reserve. While in New Orleans, Sean Payton consistently invested premium draft assets into the offensive line year over year but it is not exactly a strength for his Broncos team that is ushering in a new era at quarterback. According to TruMedia, they have the second-highest rate of pressure allowed through two games.
Patrick Surtain II is one of the best cornerbacks in the league, but the rest of the unit does not exactly inspire confidence. Riley Moss and Ja’Quan McMillian are the other two starters. Linebacker is another area of weakness.
Chargers: Defensive tackle Coach Jim Harbaugh wants to build a tough, physical football team and that means being stubborn in the trenches, first and foremost, which led to the selection of Joe Alt at No. 5 overall. They have been running the ball efficiently and effectively. The wide receivers have performed above expectation.
The Chargers are 2-0 through two weeks but there is a lot to learn about this team as they have faced the Raiders and Panthers. Cornerback and defensive tackle are critical areas of weakness.
Chiefs: Running back Running back Isiah Pacheco was added to injured reserve this week. The team added Kareem Hunt to the practice squad and will likely lean on rookie Carson Steele and Samaje Perine in the interim.
Kansas City is allowing 1.63 yards before contact, which is the ninth-highest rate in the league, according to TruMedia. The level of pressure has not been overwhelming either.
Cornerback was a primary need after moving L’Jarius Sneed this offseason. It looks as though they will be able to cobble a secondary together with Trent McDuffie, Chamarri Conner and others.
Raiders: Cornerback The outlook at quarterback is not exciting, but little can be done about that at this stage of the NFL calendar. Cornerback is a bigger issue. Jack Jones was a good find for them on the waiver wire, but the team lost Amik Robertson in free agency. Nate Hobbs is a solid veteran. There is a lot unknown about Jakorian Bennett or Decamerion Richardson — both of whom were drafted in the fourth round each of the past two years — as they are next on the depth chart.
Linebacker and defensive tackle are a few secondary needs. Las Vegas is allowing 163.5 rushing yards per game, which is the fourth-most. The unit ranks in the bottom five of yards before contact and yards after contact, according to TruMedia.
NFC North Bears: Interior offensive line There are a few positions that could warrant consideration as the biggest need but none are completely destitute either. Defensive tackle, edge rusher and the interior offensive line are the biggest needs on Chicago’s roster. There is hope at edge rusher with DeMarcus Walker, Austin Booker, Darrell Taylor or Dominique Robinson potentially stepping up opposite Montez Sweat. The bigger issues are the interiors. Caleb Williams has had 2.42 seconds, on average, to throw, according to TruMedia, which is the sixth-lowest rate in the league.
Lions: Edge rusher There is not a position on Detroit’s roster that requires dire attention. Even at a position like edge rusher, the franchise has options opposite Aidan Hutchinson. It is strictly a matter of whether or not they can stay healthy. The Lions have heavily invested in Marcus Davenport and Josh Paschal so the ideal outcome is that either or both rise to the occasion in 2024.
General manager Brad Holmes did an outstanding job turning cornerback into a position of strength this offseason by trading for Carlton Davis, drafting Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw Jr.. Those additions give the defense more freedom.
Packers: Linebacker Youthful is an accurate description of the Packers roster as it is currently constructed. There is a path forward for essentially every position but they are overly reliant on those young players developing rapidly. Three safeties were drafted to play alongside free agent signee Xavier McKinney.
Linebacker has some question marks with De’Vondre Campbell absent but rookies have a chance to fill the void. Edgerrin Cooper was my top-rated linebacker prospect and he graded really well in a small sample size. Ty’Ron Hopper was a third-round pick in his own right, but Isaiah McDuffie started. Quay Walker, a 2022 first-round pick, is suddenly the elder statesman in that room. Green Bay is allowing 3.93 yards after contact, according to TruMedia, which is the third-worst rate in the league.
Two running backs, AJ Dillon and MarShawn Lloyd, are on injured reserve, so there is a lot of pressure on Josh Jacobs to stay healthy and produce.
Vikings: Interior offensive line Minnesota is allowing pressure on 36.8% of drop backs, which is a bottom-10 rate in the NFL, according to TruMedia. Starting offensive guard Dalton Risner has been on injured reserve since August.
It was my assumption that some aspect of the defense would be high on the list of needs but the numbers have not reflected it thus far. Harrison Phillips and Jerry Tillery have been at the heart of a few defenses that were unable to stop the run.
NFC South Buccaneers: Linebacker Linebacker is a problem area. The Buccaneers are allowing 3.30 yards per rush after contact, which is bottom 10 in the NFL, according to TruMedia.
They have done an adequate job addressing the interior offensive line with the signing of Sua Opeta, last year’s second-round selection of Cody Mauch and this year’s selection of Graham Barton. The offense has looked incredibly explosive through two games.
Falcons: Wide receiver An injury to Rondale Moore really put the team’s wide receiver depth into perspective. Ray-Ray McCloud III is the third receiver with sixth-round pick Casey Washington and KhaDarel Hodge being the only other two wide receivers on the roster. The group looked more alive against the Eagles than they had the prior week against Pittsburgh.
Panthers: Edge rusher Carolina diverted the majority of its resources to the offensive side of the ball in support of former No. 1 overall selection Bryce Young. The defense was adversely affected and the front line is essentially composed of hired mercenaries rather than homegrown talent. Pass rusher Brian Burns was traded away at a discount and the burden falls on Jadeveon Clowney. They have applied a pass rush on 18.8% of opponent’s drop backs through two games, according to TruMedia, which is the worst rate in the league. For perspective, the top of the league (Denver) sits at 48.1%.
Cornerback, other than Jaycee Horn, is a potential weakness. In general, there is not a lot for this franchise to hang its hat on right now.
Saints: Wide receiver There is not a lot of criticism to lob in the direction of the Saints right now. They are taking care of business on both sides of the ball. Needs will develop over the course of the season, but that has not been the case thus far. Looking at the roster, depth at wide receiver is a spot where they can ill afford to sustain a key injury.
NFC East Commanders: Offensive tackle After taking LSU’s Jayden Daniels as the quarterback of the future, the Commanders also need a left tackle of the future after releasing Charles Leno. Cornelius Lucas and Andrew Wylie saw most of the action as the starting offensive tackles. Each player ranks among the 30 highest beaten rates, according to TruMedia, which essentially illustrates how often the opposition wins the rep.
Edge rusher would be the other area at which they should throw future assets after sacrificing Chase Young and Montez Sweat in the rebuild.
Cowboys: Cornerback The depth that Dallas worked so hard to develop a year ago was quickly tested. DaRon Bland suffered an injury that will result in him missing at least the first quarter of the season and Stephon Gilmore signed with the Vikings in free agency. Trevon Diggs missed essentially all of the 2023 season due to a torn ACL. Fifth-round pick Caelen Carson, C.J. Goodwin and Andrew Booth are the other three players on the roster. The good news is that the pass rush is so good that coverage does not have to hold up nearly as long.
Eagles: Interior offensive line The loss of center Jason Kelce to retirement has taken a harsh toll on the Philadelphia offensive line. They had the sixth-highest pressure rate allowed, according to TruMedia. It was hard to take much from the opener in Brazil due to the poor field conditions but the encore performance was not much better.
The Eagles have one of the most talented rosters in the league. The secondary play needs to match the franchise’s investment. Cornerbacks Darius Slay and James Bradberry have been impactful players for most of their careers but last season was disappointing. Bradberry has been working at safety this summer, but is now on injured reserve. They added Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell and Iowa’s Cooper DeJean early in the draft to bolster that unit. Safeties Reed Blankenship and Sydney Brown are relatively inexperienced but each has the ability to lock down their respective roles. The return of C.J. Gardner-Johnson could prove to be a major coup.
Giants: Offensive line Quarterback play is clearly limiting but there is little that can be done about that situation midseason.
The construction of the offensive line remains a mystery. Jermaine Eluemunor started at right tackle ahead of former first-round pick Evan Neal. What comes of the battery that includes John Michael Schmitz, Greg Van Roten and Jon Runyan Jr.? Depth behind that unit is relatively limited as well. New York has the sixth-highest pressure rate allowed, according to TruMedia.
Cornerback concerns were alleviated a bit with the return of Adoree’ Jackson. Linebacker is another position to consider.
NFC West 49ers: Running back The 49ers have lost running backs Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell. The replacement, Jordan Mason, had a fumble last week. Coach Kyle Shanahan is proactive in investing in that position but early-season injuries have already challenged depth.
San Francisco needs to continue investing in its offensive line. The 49ers removed right tackle Mike McGlinchey but did not replace him with a similar investment. Trent Williams is the only former first-round pick and Aaron Banks was the only Day 2 selection prior to the selection of Dominick Puni. Puni has looked good early in his career but the remodeling must continue.
Cardinals: Defensive line The biggest issue is the defensive front seven. Arizona had 12 draft picks and only two, including first-round choice Darius Robinson, were used on the defensive front seven. Robinson has yet to make his debut as he nurses a calf injury sustained during training camp. The Cardinals have one of the 10 lowest team pressure rates through two games, according to TruMedia.
Injuries have taken starting right tackle Jonah Williams and offensive tackle draft selection Christian Jones.
Rams: Wide receiver Where does one begin when discussing Los Angeles’ injury issues? The Rams have lost two star wide receivers, two contributing cornerbacks and two projected starting offensive linemen. Following the losses of Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, the Rams are left with Demarcus Robinson, Tyler Johnson, Jordan Whittington and Tutu Atwell at receiver.
The trade of Ernest Jones IV opened up the conversation for linebacker being the biggest position of need at the time. In his absence, the team is left with Troy Reeder, Christian Rozeboom and Omar Speights.
Seahawks: Linebacker Seattle signed linebackers Tyrel Dodson and Jerome Baker in free agency before drafting Tyrice Knight in the first round. New coach Mike Macdonald did bring out the best in linebackers Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen last season in Baltimore. The hope is that he has a similar effect on the group cobbled together by general manager John Schneider.
The Seahawks have a sound roster if they can stay healthy and, to this point, they have.
One week after stifling one of the best play-callers in the NFL, Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores is tasked with doing the same to one of the league’s best up-and-coming play-callers Sunday against the Houston Texans.
Flores seems to have the key to beating Kyle Shanahan considering the Vikings are the only NFC team to beat the 49ers in a meaningful game since last season, and they’ve done so twice. Now he faces Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, from the Shanahan coaching tree himself, in a matchup of two 2-0 teams on CBS.
The Vikings have one of the best defenses in the league early in the season, and any sustained success would typically lead to the defensive coordinator getting head-coaching interviews. But before that potentially happens, the former Miami Dolphins head coach faces questions about his relationship with his old quarterback while also still serving as a plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit against the NFL.
I talked with 10 sources across the league and various teams and levels about Flores. What makes him such a good coordinator, whether he should get another opportunity to be a head coach and, more importantly, whether he actually will get another shot.
Vikings stats Through the first two weeks of the season, the Vikings lead the NFL in sacks (11) and quarterback hits (19) while being tied for the league lead in pressures with 36.
When talking about top-of-league numbers and Flores, you’d expect a high blitz rate. But these Vikings are blitzing on just a third of dropbacks so far, well down from the 50.7% rate that led the league in 2023.
With a blanket caveat that we are barely a tenth of the way through the season, the Vikings are third in points allowed after facing the Giants and the 49ers. Still, with a blitz rate cut by nearly 20 percentage points, the Vikings are getting better pressure than last year (38.7% this year compared to 32.1% last year.)
49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, the third runner-up to last year’s NFL MVP, told Flores on the field after San Francisco’s 23-17 loss last week: “Your scheme is crazy.” More on that later.
‘The Tua stuff’ Coming off a Super Bowl victory as the Patriots’ de facto defensive coordinator, Flores went to the Dolphins as their next head coach ahead of the 2019 season. He went 24-25 in his three seasons there, including two winning seasons highlighted by a 10-6 mark in 2020.
But the Dolphins failed to make the playoffs while he was at the helm. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross fired Flores after three years in part due to the crumbling of the relationship between Flores and franchise quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
In a podcast over the summer, Tagovailoa referred to Flores as a “terrible person” and recounted his relationship with his former coach.
“To put it in the simplest terms, if you woke up every morning and I told you that you suck at what you did, that you don’t belong doing what you do, that you shouldn’t be here, that this guy should be here, that you haven’t earned this,” Tagovailoa said. “And then you have somebody else come in and tell you, ‘Dude, you are the best fit for this. You’re accurate. You’re the best whatever, you’re this, you’re that.’ How would it make you feel listening to one or the other?”
Flores responded to Tagovailoa in his own press conference shorlty after the podcast aired. He said he was happy for the quarterback and wished him well.
“Look, I’m human,” Flores said. “So, that hit me in a way that I wouldn’t say was positive for me. But at the same time, I’ve got to use that and say, ‘Hey, how can I grow from that, or how can I be better?’ And that’s really where I’m at from that standpoint.
“Do I feel like that’s me? No. But how can I grow from that situation and create a world where that’s not the case where anyone says that about Brian Flores?”
Ryan Fitzpatrick, who played for Flores for two of his three seasons in Miami, said on Prime Video that Tagovailoa’s experience was not his experience.
“Look, there is a certain style that Flo coached with. For me, he coached me differently than he coached Tua. The intention of what Flo did was to try to get the best out of Tua,” Fitzpatrick said earlier this month. “When you put the coaching style that he had with Brian Flores and you put it next to what Mike McDaniel came and did, which is love him up and tell me how great he was, then it probably made it seem like it was even worse than maybe it was at that time.”
One high-ranking NFC executive told me: “He’s a good coach. Whether he’s learned from Miami power struggle/behavior would be key. The Tua stuff will be tough for him.”
Asked if Flores could overcome Tagovailoa’s comments, another high-ranking executive with a different team said: “In time. His humble initial response to it was good.”
An NFL evaluator who has known Flores for several years said he was sure Flores coached Tagovailoa hard, but found the “terrible person” comment to be “way out of bounds.”
“After meeting with a lot of coaches and front-office personnel and self-reflecting, he has a much better understanding of how players and people in general are wired now,” the source said. “He has a better pulse on how to handle players from a mental standpoint. He will treat them all fairly, but he understands he can’t coach everyone the same way. He won’t make that mistake again.”
The lawsuit In February 2022 Flores filed a class action lawsuit against the NFL claiming racial discrimination. His allegations included specific claims against the Giants, Broncos and Texans, and later he was joined by two more former NFL coaches. Today, most of the lawsuit is in NFL arbitration.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin hired Flores a few months after the suit was filed as a senior defensive assistant/linebackers coach for the Steelers.
The source familiar with Flores said that year helped give the coach even more perspective.
“Spending a year with Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh allowed him the opportunity to view everything firsthand from a very successful head coach who is a lot like him from a personality and background standpoint,” the source said. “Seeing how Mike managed people while also keeping standards and expectations high was big for him. Brian won’t worry about small things that don’t affect wins and losses this time around.”
After a season in Pittsburgh, the Vikings hired Flores as their defensive coordinator in 2023. The Vikings had the 13th-ranked scoring defense and 16th-ranked total defense after faltering in the final four games of last season. Flores did not get a head-coaching interview opportunity following the 2023 season.
Flores participated in the NFL’s Accelerator Program at the league meetings in May. It was the second league meeting Flores had attended as the Vikings defensive coordinator, stopping next door in 2022 when the same meetings were held in Minnesota.
“He was exceptional,” said a source in the room. “A leader in the room with other coaches, expressed level of vulnerability/leadership during sessions and strong engagement with [team] owners” during the meetings.
Rod Graves, executive director of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, sat in on those meetings and helped conduct mock interviews sessions with all the participants, including Flores. Graves said Flores “presented himself as an outstanding professional in our interviews.”
“We talked about building a championship-caliber team. He was outstanding in every phase of discussion. He was poised, displayed exceptional knowledge of head coach management, handling players and dealing with the game,” Graves says.
“He spoke briefly — and I don’t want to violate any trust here — about lessons learned and how he would use those previous experiences to be more of an effective leader, even his growth as a person. He really, clearly, was one of the best interviews we conducted.”
Whether an NFL owner would actually hire someone to be a face of their franchise while they’re actively suing the league is a question you, the reader, likely have an opinion on. But in the time since the filing of the suit, two different franchises have hired him, and the league hasn’t treated him like a leper at meetings.
Why he’s so successful The stats are the stats, but what about Flores’ scheme is so “crazy,” as Purdy put it, that makes it so hard?
“[Shanahan’s] superpower is having the answer for everything. He can predict what the defense will do and manipulate the rules of the defense,” said one evaluator who watched the 49ers-Vikings game. “Not that Flores’ scheme is unsound, but it’s not logical in a football sense. Offensive formations, shifts, motions don’t work. They don’t react like a normal defense would or how we’d expect.”
Say the nickel is creeping toward the line of scrimmage. A quarterback may typically read that as believing there could be a void in the flat. But at the snap, Flores may send the deep-half safety screaming down into the flat where the void in coverage was supposed to be, confusing the quarterback and the rest of the eligible receivers.
“It’s really just the unpredictability of it. They just do so much to disguise and window dress what they’re really trying to do and they have the personnel to be multiple and versatile,” said a second NFL evaluator. “Hard to tell who, if anyone, is bringing pressure and who is dropping. What’s the coverage over the top? Is it really man or are they just playing zone with man principles.
“It gets the offense to second-guess things and makes them think they have to take certain options off the table in terms of calling and checking plays. He’s done some of this stuff since New England, but it’s definitely evolved over the past five years or so.”
A third evaluator made the point that such unpredictability can lead to early season success, but questioned whether it can hold up late in the year.
The Vikings were fifth in points allowed and 10th in yards allowed through the first 14 weeks of last season. From Week 15 until the end of the year, when Minnesota went 0-4 amid several injuries, the Vikings were 30th in points and 31st in yards.
“Something tells me the unpredictability could wear off and people figure out how to scheme him up,” a fourth evaluator told me. “But he’d be so tough in a non-common opponent scenario. I have to imagine he’s hell to prepare for on a ‘Thursday Night Football’ week.”
Where the NFL is trending The last NFL coaching cycle potentially provided a glimpse into the coming cycle this year. Of the seven head coaches hired last cycle, four are defensive-minded coaches. And three of the seven previously held head-coaching jobs in the NFL.
“Given success of DeMeco [Ryans] and potentially [Mike] Macdonald, defensive guys may be en vogue,” said a high-ranking team executive.
The Shanahan-McVay system, or more broadly coaches from the Mike Shanahan tree, have taken over the NFL in recent years. Along with Shanahan and Sean McVay there are the likes of Mike McDaniel, Matt LaFleur, Arthur Smith and Zac Taylor who are primary play-callers for their teams.
And in the pipeline of candidates to be an NFL head coach include Houston OC Bobby Slowik, New Orleans OC Klint Kubiak and Atlanta OC Zac Robinson, to name a few.
Going back to 2020 as either the Dolphins head coach or Vikings defensive coordinator, Flores has gone 6-1 against head coaches who come from that tree.
Multiple sources indicated their hesitation with hiring Flores in the future would be the quarterback position. How well he mixes with a young quarterback could come into question during the interview process.
“If he interviews for head-coaching jobs in the future, he will need to have his QB coaching and development plan ironed out in detail,” said the source close to Flores. “He will need to convey how he is better suited to handle quarterbacks and offensive football in general. A team with a stable QB situation would be smart to include their QB in the interview process.”
Others said recommendations from fellow coaches and, perhaps most importantly, his players would go a long way in helping him land another job. “In my opinion,” a second high-ranking team executive said, “owners that want to win like hot candidates with advocates.”
There’s still nearly nine-tenths of the season remaining, and the Vikings defense has plenty more to prove. But plenty around the league see a path to Flores returning as a head coach if all goes well.
