Former Patriots coach Brian Flores responds to Tua Tagovailoa’s harsh criticism (2024)

Patriots

"That hit me in a way that wasn’t — I wouldn’t say it was positive for me."

By Conor Ryan

August 20, 2024 | 4:40 PM

Former Patriots defensive assistant and former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores clearly did not leave a positive impression on current Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

Tagovailoa made plenty of headlines on Monday with his stark assessment of Flores’ two-season tenure as Dolphins’ head coach — criticizing Flores for shattering his confidence as a young player in the NFL and praising current head coach Mike McDaniel for building his game back up.

“Well, to put it in simplest terms, if you woke up every morning and I told you, ‘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 during a recent interview on the “Dan Le Batard Show” of Flores’ coaching identity. “And then you have somebody else come in [McDaniel] and tell you, ‘Dude, you are the best fit for this, like you are accurate, you are the best whatever. You are this, you are that.’ Like how would it make you feel listening to one or the other?”

Flores — who is now serving as the Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator — addressed Tagovailoa’s comments on Tuesday, acknowledging that he has evolved as a coach since his days leading the Dolphins.

“I think, you know, part of coaching is correcting, you know, I’m always gonna correct,” Flores said, as transcribed by Pro Football Talk. “I’m always gonna have a high standard. And I think, you know, look, I’ve done a lot of reflecting and — on this situation . . . reflecting on the situation, communication, you know, I think there’s things that I could do better, for sure. And I’ve grown in that way.

“And I’ve tried to apply the things that I can do better and the things that I’ve learned over the last 2-3 years. But I would say over the long haul I’ve had a lot of great relationships over my 21-year career here in the league. Players, coaches, personnel, equipment, you know, people in the kitchen, really across the board. I’ve had a lot of great relationships. I’m going to continue to do that. But I’m also always looking to get better and evolve.”

Tagovailoa did not hold back when further pressed about the impact that Flores had on him during his first few years in the NFL, even labeling him as a “terrible person” for his harsh coaching approach.

Flores was asked about Tua’s decision to label him under such harsh terms.

“Look, I’m human,” Flores said. “So, you know, that hit me in a way that wasn’t — I wouldn’t say it was positive for me. But at the same time, I’ve got to 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. But, you know, how can I grow from that situation and create a world where that’s not, you know, the case that anyone says that about Brian Flores.”

Even though Tagovailoa, 26, has improved under McDaniel, the case can also be made that the QB’s growth has also coincided with the additions of two elite pass-catchers in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle to Miami’s roster.

McDaniel has led the Dolphins to two straight appearances in the playoffs since taking over for Flores, but Miami has yet to advance out of the AFC Wild Card over those two years.