Brian Flores December 8 Takeaways

The Miami Dolphins head coach touched on various topics before practice at the Baptist Health Training Complex

Before the Miami Dolphins conducted practice at the Baptist Health Training Complex on the grounds of Hard Rock Stadium on Wednesday, head coach Brian Flores spoke to the media.

Here were the highlights of that session:

-- The first question deals with the performance of the offensive line, and Flores replies that the group is working hard and making improvement. Points out that it's a young group.

-- Robert Hunt was moved to right guard from right tackle this season, but Flores punts on the question of whether it was the right move, saying that Hunt works hard. It should be obvious by now that Flores is not going to throw out player evaluations and will say that every player works hard and is making improvement.

-- It's the same refrain when the question is whether the offensive line's pass blocking is ahead of the run blocking at this point. To  repeat, Flores is flat-out not going to give the media evaluations of players  and groups.

-- The bye week will be used in part to do some self-scouting, which involves how practice is run, different facets of the game and how the team performs in them, what players do best and where they need work, who's best at doing certain things, and so on. Flores points out the self-scouting is ongoing throughout the season, but more time can be devoted to it during the bye week.

-- Flores acknowledges the Dolphins need to improve their running game and they'll keep working on it.

-- Punter Michael Palardy was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week on Wednesday, and Flores points out he's gotten better throughout the season.

-- Jerome Baker has made an impact on the field for the Dolphins and in the community, and Flores says he's proud of him. Baker was selected as the Dolphins nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award.

-- The message to the players heading into their bye is to rest and relax for a couple of days.


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Alain Poupart
ALAIN POUPART

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of All Dolphins and co-host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press, the Dolphins team website, and the Fan Nation Network (part of Sports Illustrated). In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.