Brian Flores December 28 Takeaways

The Miami Dolphins head coach looked back on the Dolphins' 20-3 victory against the New Orleans Saints and touched on other team-related topics

Dolphins head coach Brian Flores conducted his usual day-after-the-game media session Tuesday in the aftermath of Miami's 20-3 victory against the New Orleans Saints at the Caesars Superdome.

Here were the highlights of that media session:

-- The first question pertains to the offensive line, and Flores praises the Tennessee defensive line before mentioning pretty much every position group on the team.

-- Flores singles out Jeffery Simmons as a player to watch on that Tennessee front four.

-- The offensive line had a rough game against the Saints and Flores says there will be corrections to make.

-- Return specialist Tommylee Lewis is going through most tests on his injured hip.

-- Wide receiver A.J. Brown is among the best receivers in the league, Flores says, who praises Ryan Tannehill for getting him the ball. Says Tannehill is doing a good job of leading that offense.

-- The Dolphins have been able to get pressure even without blitzing, and Flores praises the work of defensive coordinator Josh Boyer and his staff. As Flores points out, a key to be able to get after the quarterback has been the ability to stop the run.

-- It was shortly after Flores became head coach that the Dolphins moved on from Ryan Tannehill, and Flores basically says he's a "very good player."

-- Flores is asked to look back into the decision to let Tannehill move on, and not surprisingly Flores says he doesn't really care to look back at something that happened in 2019. "I'm kind of focused on the guys that are on our team."

-- Asked generally about "franchise quarterbacks" and the most important attribute, Flores says toughness, competitiveness, intelligence, leadership, accuracy, taking care of the football. "That's what every team is looking for."

-- Jaylen Waddle has done a good job since he got in the building, Flores says, adding the usual comments of Waddle being "smart, tough." Also praises Waddle for his ability to absorb information.

-- Mike Vrabel played for the Patriots during Flores' time an assistant there, but Flores says Vrabel coached him, not the other way around. "He's somebody I call a friend."


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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.