ExtremeRavens Posted 21 hours ago Posted 21 hours ago Brian Flores deserves another chance to be an NFL head coach. As the Ravens prepare to interview Flores next week, they’ll weigh a resume worthy of opportunity against a history that still requires deep investigation. Flores, Minnesota’s defensive coordinator over the past three seasons, must prove he’s changed since his final tumultuous days as the head coach in Miami. Flores’ bare coaching credentials say that he’s worthy of another shot. Over three seasons as Dolphins coach from 2019 to 2021, the longtime Patriots assistant and four-time Super Bowl champion compiled a 24-25 record and guided back-to-back winning seasons in 2020 and 2021. I covered the 2020 season as a former Dolphins beat reporter, and that 10-6 record without a playoff appearance was no small feat for a franchise emerging from a teardown. Flores notably stood his ground during the Dolphins’ darkest chapter, alleging that owner Stephen Ross offered him $100,000 for every loss during his first season in 2019 to improve the team’s draft position. Flores’ refusal to tank, and his willingness to publicly challenge those practices, is commendable. Shortly after he was fired in February 2022, Flores sued the NFL and multiple teams, alleging the league was “rife with racism,” particularly in its hiring and promotion practices for Black coaches. He acknowledged the risk to his own career, but he said that the lawsuit was worth it if it created lasting change for future generations of minority coaches. Additional coaches later joined as plaintiffs. Flores spent the ensuing season as a senior defensive assistant to Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. This week, the league petitioned to move Flores’ discrimination lawsuit to the U.S. Supreme Court, raising the question of whether Flores’ case will be resolved in court or in arbitration. Let’s be clear: It’s terrific that the Ravens are hosting Flores for a coaching interview. His name has emerged as a worthy candidate in this coaching cycle. But it’s also difficult to imagine any team fully committing to Flores while his lawsuit against the league remains active. It’s a reality that, fairly or not, continues to loom over every interview he participates in. To his credit, Flores has never backed away from that reality. When Flores and I crossed paths again in February 2023, a couple of weeks after he accepted his current position as Vikings defensive coordinator, he was candid about the consequences of his decision. During a shared multi-hour flight delay at the Indianapolis airport after the annual NFL scouting combine, Flores told me he was at peace with his choice and grateful to be coaching again. Before boarding a different flight, he made one thing clear: Flores still wants another shot to lead a team. He’s certainly earned his way back into that conversation. Flores spent a season under Tomlin in Pittsburgh before becoming defensive coordinator in Minnesota, where his impact has been immediate and measurable. Over the past two seasons, the Vikings have finished fifth and seventh in total defense, generating a league-high 13 forced fumbles this year. The Vikings’ defense has become aggressive, creative and opportunistic, offering a reflection of Flores’ ability to elevate an average roster through his scheme. Coaching acumen has never been the central question with Flores. It’s all about relationships. Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa called his former coach a “terrible person” in August 2024, describing an environment that eroded confidence. Former quarterback and current Amazon Prime analyst Ryan Fitzpatrick echoed those concerns in a podcast appearance with Andrew Whitworth, saying that Flores became “unrecognizable” over time in Miami and burned bridges that still linger today. Has Flores grown as a communicator and relationship-builder over the past four years? That will be a key question in his looming interviews in Baltimore and elsewhere. Flores responded professionally to Tagovailoa’s comments, publicly wishing him success while flanked by players who clearly believe in him. He’s also rebuilt trust by recruiting former Dolphins linebackers Andrew Van Ginkel and Kamu Grugier-Hill, to join him in Minnesota over the past two seasons. Van Ginkel led the NFL in 2024 with two interception returns for touchdowns. Before the Vikings hosted the Ravens in November, Flores praised quarterback and two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson. “He’s improved and gotten better in all areas of his game this year after year after year after year,” Flores said. “He’s a perennial, essentially an MVP candidate year after year after year. When people talk about him or think about him, you think about the dynamic runs and the scrambles and the off-schedule plays. “This guy’s an excellent passer of the football, quarterback. Leadership, command of the offense, protections, deep balls, intermediate, short, scrambles — all of it.” The Ravens are only the first team to schedule an interview with Flores this offseason. NFL owners will express hesitancy with bringing him in, but his defenses demand the respect. Moving forward, Flores must own his past. The Ravens and other franchises should welcome his candidacy, examine it rigorously and demand evidence that he’s properly recognized and developed from his mistakes. If Flores has truly learned, the league should be ready to give him another chance. Have a news tip? Contact Josh Tolentino at jtolentino@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200, x.com/JCTSportsand instagram.com/JCTSports. View the full article Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.