The latest Patriots playoff bye week will bring quite the workload for linebackers coach Brian Flores.
While he is still arranging his schedule, he has agreed to meet with the Browns, Broncos, Dolphins and Packers about their head coaching vacancies, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports (on Twitter). These interviews will occur this weekend.
After previously omitting the Broncos, who requested a meeting with Flores, La Canfora reports they will meet with the aspiring head coach. The Bucs, though, are not set to meet with the Patriot assistant this week, JLC tweets.
These four teams requested summits with Flores, and he will oblige. Flores has become a far more attractive candidate than he was a year ago, when the Cardinals met with him about their HC opening. Arizona again has an opening, but the team has not as of yet requested another audience with New England’s 37-year-old de facto defensive coordinator.
The Patriots turned to Flores as their top defensive assistant following Matt Patricia‘s defection to Detroit.
New England’s first post-Patricia defense has been the team’s typical bend-but-don’t-break unit, ranking 21st in yards allowed but seventh in scoring. The Pats have only had one non-top-10 scoring defense in the past 13 seasons; Flores has been a part of their past eight defensive coaching staffs.
This is the greatest news this year in the NFL.
Oh sure, because everyone wants another BB coach to fail for their team. How many of these “interviews” are being done so teams can meet the stupid Rooney Rule requirements?
So you assume that any time a black coach is interviewed, it’s only for the Rooney Rule? Are you aware that the Browns have already interviewed Jim Caldwell, and that the other teams have expressed interest in other black coaches as well? Newsflash – people often interview black coaches because they are good coaches. In this case, they may also want to see if he would make a solid defensive coordinator candidate, which is not unheard of with head coaching interviews.
Read my comment again, and stop trying to put words in my mouth.
I read exactly what you said. There is only one reason you would suggest he’s just a Rooney Rule interview.
Sufferforthetribe he doesn’t understand you called it the stupid Rooney rule! But not everyone has the ability to think outside the box
Maximum that is a very good point, there are plenty of good black HC candidates. Which is exactly why the Rooney rule should be tanked. If a team already has a HC in mind, the Rooney rule would be even more insulting to those other candidates.
If not for the Rooney rule Mike Tomlin would likely have never received an interview with the Steelers
There were very few black coaches prior to The Rooney Rule. There still aren’t many in proportion to the number of black players.
All the Rule says is that you have to interview a qualified candidate of color. And yes it makes a difference, because in many cases, people who wouldn’t have been considered in the past – like an Anthony Lynn – get a chance to make a pitch. In many cases, they blow away the competition in the process, or make themselves a top backup option if the first choice takes another job.
This rule doesn’t force even racist owners to hire a candidate rather don’t want. It just gives traditionally ignored candidates a shot at a job.
Not sure why that would get anyone upset.
Anthony Lynn did not get hired because of the rooney rule.
100% correct
The Rooney Rule is good because of its intent but horrible by the way it it manipulated by most of the organizations. It is much like the practice in industry where a company must interview an internal candidate before hiring an iexternal employee or vice versa.
Lynn was interviewed for positions for three straight years before he got a job, and was interviewed in the first two cases when he was a running backs coach. While he was qualified – all Rooney candidates are qualified some of those interviews were likely done to fulfill the requirement. But that is how the rule is supposed to work. Give people a foot in the door to be noticed.
patriots remain the gold standard and breeding ground to cherry pick coaches and players they choose not to resign
Funny how all the comments on this thread are about the Rooney Rule and not Brian.
Is the Patriots defense a standout? I haven’t read the numbers. As a Broncos fan I’d like to know if I should be intrigued or not.