Brian Flores says return to Miami isn't about revenge

PITTSBURGH -- It’s a chilly, grey October time arsenic Brian Flores stands connected a sideline of the Pittsburgh Steelers signifier fields and laughs astatine the question.

A week and a fractional from this moment, he’ll measurement backmost wrong Hard Rock Stadium for the archetypal clip since helium was fired arsenic the Miami Dolphins caput manager successful January contempt signaling the Dolphins' archetypal back-to-back winning seasons since 2003. He subsequently filed a lawsuit against his erstwhile employer, 3 different teams and the NFL for discriminatory practices successful hiring and firing practices connected Feb. 1. Since helium filed the lawsuit, 2 much coaches, Ray Horton and Steve Wilks, have joined arsenic plaintiffs, and the NFL has argued to propulsion the lawsuit retired of the nationalist oculus and into arbitration.

But does that caller history, 1 that’s go a flashpoint for treatment astir contention and coaching opportunity, springiness Flores immoderate other foodstuff entering Sunday night’s game? Could it be, perhaps, a revenge game?

“No, no,” Flores said with a chuckle. “That’s not the mode I'm looking astatine it now.”

Steelers manager Mike Tomlin, who hired Flores arsenic a elder antiaircraft adjunct successful February aft Flores called Tomlin for advice, besides downplayed Flores’ suit and his instrumentality to Miami.

“It's a nonfactor,” Tomlin said of the pending lawsuit. “It's irrelevant successful presumption of what we're doing present contiguous successful mentation for this game. It is simply a non-story for us. It truly is.”

Like Tomlin, Flores is approaching this crippled with a businesslike mentality, but he’s besides acknowledging that determination are memories that volition travel flooding backmost erstwhile helium steps disconnected the autobus successful Miami Gardens. His past with the enactment is complicated, and his feelings astir returning for Sunday’s crippled are apt the same. Even so, helium smiles arsenic helium talks astir the relationships helium formed with Dolphins diversion trainers Kyle Johnston and Troy Maurer and instrumentality manager Joe Cimino successful Miami, and however overmuch he’s looking guardant to seeing them again.

“I don’t person atrocious memories of the place,” said Flores, who compiled a 24-25 grounds successful 3 seasons arsenic Miami’s caput coach. “I person a batch of bully memories, but my absorption is present close now."

“When I deliberation of that place, I deliberation of each the relationships that were built determination that are bigger than shot and volition spell a agelong mode beyond football. There's a batch of those that similar that there, players, coaches, enactment staff. That's benignant of wherever my thought process goes.”

Flores, 41, arrived successful Pittsburgh successful February. Together with Tomlin and antiaircraft coordinator Teryl Austin, Flores helps make a antiaircraft program each week, and helium besides spends clip coaching the linebackers. Among the players helium coaches is erstwhile first-round wrong linebacker Devin Bush, heavy scrutinized and criticized for inconsistent play aft an ACL teardrop successful 2019 that derailed a promising start. In Flores, Bush recovered a manager that’s nonstop successful his acquisition and gives feedback successful play people sheets. Having tangible measurements of his advancement and explicitly verbalized expectations is helpful, Bush said.

“He expects america to beryllium Superman,” said Bush, who added helium had his highest-graded crippled aft the Steelers’ triumph against the Buccaneers. “If you're not Superman past you're not playing to your ability.

“Monday you cognize you're going to get a people sheet, and if you're not Superman past you're going to get a atrocious grade. … Feedback is ever good. Whether it's good, nary affirmative oregon negative.”

Flores enters this week aft vanquishing an aged acquainted face. With his help, the Steelers’ shorthanded defence upset Tom Brady and the Buccaneers arsenic astir double-digit underdogs. And portion Flores wasn’t intimately acquainted with Tampa Bay’s system, helium did supply a important model into the quarterback’s mind, cognition helium gained successful 10 seasons connected the New England Patriots’ coaching staff.

In signifier earlier the Steelers’ 20-18 win, Flores meticulously went implicit a play wherever helium expected Brady to look from the strongside linebacker earlier throwing it to the anemic side. Come that Sunday, Brady targeted receiver Chris Godwin connected a crossing way successful the 2nd quarter. Jack recognized what was happening, but helium was conscionable a measurement disconnected of Godwin. Brady tried to exploit the situation, but helium missed the propulsion for an incomplete pass.

“He was spot-on, man,” wrong linebacker Myles Jack said. “He was like, ‘It's going to play retired conscionable similar this, I'm telling you.’ And that aforesaid play happened. He conscionable has a very, precise bully understanding, particularly erstwhile we were playing Tom. He was like, ‘We person to beryllium wherever we're expected to be, and if we're misaligned oregon miscommunicating, he's going to find it.’”

And yet, the Steelers were seldom misaligned. Even with a fig of caller faces, the connection was astir seamless.

Playing for Flores was among the things that attracted Jack to signing with the Steelers successful escaped agency. Through the offseason and six weeks of the regular season, Jack and Flores person developed a dependable rapport. Flores calls Jack, the astir seasoned wrong linebacker successful the room, the “voice of reason.”

“I deliberation it’s funny,” Jack said. “I deliberation I'm conscionable the feline that's benignant of played the astir snaps. Everybody has their ain perspective. We collaborate connected thing and immoderate radical whitethorn consciousness 1 way, immoderate radical whitethorn consciousness another. I'll conscionable benignant of propulsion my sentiment successful there.”

Jack said Flores is meticulous successful detailing his plans and nonstop successful his feedback arsenic Bush said helium cuts the “fluff,” and is simply a stickler for communication.

It’s 1 of Flores’ main tenets of coaching, and helium often takes ideas talked astir successful the wrong linebacker country to different presumption radical meetings to marque definite everyone’s speaking the aforesaid language.

“He's a large communicator,” Tomlin said. “You don't ascend successful this concern the mode helium has without having definite tools. And helium has consistently displayed those tools since he's been here.”

But arsenic unfastened arsenic helium is with communication, Flores inactive keeps the details of what happened successful Miami mostly to himself.

“Obviously you perceive the headlines and everything connected TV and worldly similar that, but we person yet to truly get his perspective,” Jack said. “Like we effort to inquire him to messiness with him and accidental small jokes. … Even if we bring it up, he'll dodge it and won't adjacent speech astir it, support it astir football, beating the Dolphins. One time I'm definite we'll person a speech astir everything, but helium keeps it strictly business. It’s going to beryllium benignant of a chill week for him.”

If Flores views Pittsburgh arsenic a impermanent halt connected his mode backmost to a head-coaching job, he’s not sharing his plans publicly. Shortly aft accepting Tomlin’s occupation offer, Flores bought a location a vicinity implicit from Tomlin’s successful the bosom of Pittsburgh.

“I’m focused connected close now,” Flores said. “We’ve got a bully group. I'm enjoying coaching with these players and learning nether Mike T. That's been fun. That's been a batch of fun. It’s a large learning acquisition for maine and that's benignant of wherever I'm at.”

As for buying a location implicit renting and what that could perchance awesome astir his aboriginal with the Steelers?

Flores laughs.

“Talk to my fiscal advisor.”