Head Coach Brian Flores
(Do you walk away from this thinking your offense did great work and bailed us out?) – “I walk away feeling like we won. It’s hard to win in this league. It’s hard to win in this league. We could have played better, obviously. We could have played better in the situations at the end of the game, but at the end of the day, we rallied. They stuck together and found a way to win the game. It’s not easy to win in this league. A lot of people think it might be, but it’s not.”
(How would you describe the way QB Ryan Fitzpatrick played overall?) – “I thought he played well. I thought we moved the ball efficiently the majority of the game. We got stalled out a couple of times on some three-and-outs. They made some adjustments and then we had to make some adjustments. Overall, I thought he played well. At the end of the day, he was able to drive us down the field for the game-winning kick, which it feels good to win.”
(Talk about your passing game. It was tough running all day long but WR DeVante Parker comes up big, TE Mike Gesicki comes up big, WR Albert Wilson comes up big. So many guys in the passing game that really helped you get back in the game and allowed you to get back in when you needed it.) – “I thought we had contributions from a lot of guys. Like you said – DeVante, Mike – Isaiah Ford I thought played great, really specifically in the fourth quarter. Durham (Smythe) made a couple of catches. I thought – that’s what you need. You need contributions from several different guys and we got that today, and we needed all of it. We needed every catch, we needed every run after catch, we needed every block, we needed every tackle in the kicking game, defensively. Look, at the end of the game, there’s a lot of learn from from the film – especially situationally – but it’s good to learn from your mistakes after a win.”
(QB Ryan Fitzpatrick took some big hits during the course of the day, but 419 yards, four touchdowns. That’s pretty good for a 37-year-old guy.) – “Yeah, I thought he played well. We were able to move the ball. He made some good throws. Those guys made good catches for him and we blocked efficiently today. We had some instances where the protection wasn’t – we had some pressure, but I thought overall the protection was solid and we gave him enough time to find the open receiver. He made a lot of plays for us.”
(What went through your mind or crossed your mind during the 2-point conversion to tie the game up?) – “The game was tied, we go into overtime, and we’ve got to win in overtime. Look, the other team, they made a play. They made a lot of plays, specifically at the end of the game. They played really well at the end. We didn’t play well; but at the end of the day, we had an opportunity to go into overtime, put a couple of drives together and win it at the end. Look, we always talk about playing a 60-minute ballgame and today we had to play a 70-minute ballgame. That’s what it took to pull this one out, and it’s a happy locker room, and we’re excited.”
(Do you feel like it was definitely them making plays or did you see any part of your team that was up 35-12 maybe taking its foot off the gas on defense?) – “No. I mean, I thought they made a lot of plays. I thought they did a good job situationally with their time outs and game management, and gave themselves an opportunity to stay in the game, and we didn’t. There was a lot to learn from. We were out of bounds on a couple. We had a holding penalty which stopped the clock. Those end-of-the-game situations, we work on them, we talk about them. As a young team, it’s good to go through them and live them and see what can happen when we don’t execute in those situations. But it’s always good for that to come up – it’s never really good for it to come up, but to see what can happen in a bad way. We saw that today. But at the end of the day, we were able to make those corrections and learn from those mistakes after a win, which is good.”
(Did you think DT Christian Wilkins was going to grab that ball after he dropped it? Were you confident?) – “We were very confident. Christian, we stuck him in there at the fullback position. (Offensive Coordinator) Chad (O’Shea) made a good call there, and he made a good catch. He probably can do a little bit better with his ball security; but they called it a score, so we’ll take it.”
(You guys broke the record last week for most players used in a single season, and this week you have plenty of guys – DT Zach Sieler, CB Tae Hayes getting plenty of reps. How big of a challenge was it to get those guys ready to play within a 7- to 10-day period?) – “Well, I think our coaching staff – from (Special Teams Coordinator) Danny (Crossman) in the kicking game and Chad (O’Shea) offensively, (Defensive Coordinator) Pat (Graham) defensively, our coaches, whether it’s (Defensive Line Coach) Marion Hobby or (Defensive Pass Game Coordinator/Cornerbacks) Josh Boyer as you mentioned with Tae Hayes and getting those guys ready – I think they do a really good job, and that’s been the case really throughout the season with injuries and new players. They do a good job from that standpoint, getting those guys ready. We’ve got one more game where we can go out there and try to play another tough, smart, physical game, and it’s an opportunity to get better.”
(WR DeVante Parker and TE Mike Gesicki made some plays today as did WR Isaiah Ford. Those are three examples of players who have shown professional growth this season. What role do you think QB Ryan Fitzpatrick has played in some of that?) – “It’s always a collective team effort – so it’s Ryan, but a lot of credit goes to those guys individually, going through that process, their preparation, their practice habits. The credit is to them, and obviously ‘Fitz,’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) hats off to him for the way he prepares, and look, it’s a team game so you’ve got to help each other. Different groups – quarterback to receiver, backs with the o-line, tight ends blocking with the o-line – I mean, it’s a team of teams, and you’ve got to work together. I think they’ve all done that, and Ryan has been a big part of that. I think you’re on the right track there.”
(The wins this season, what have they meant to you as a first-time head coach and what do you think they mean to your players in the locker room?) – “It’s always good to win. These guys, they put a lot into this. From a preparation standpoint, from a practice standpoint, it’s important to them. It’s important to me. Look, I’ve said this before: I’m excited to coach this team. I love coaching this team. They work extremely hard and I want them to have success. That’s what coaching is all about. Again, I’ve said this before: I’m here to serve these guys and try to help them become better players, better people, and to see the fruits of that labor is always good.”
(What have you learned from the first game to today?) – “I’ve learned a lot over the course of the season. This role is very different from a leadership standpoint, from a relationship standpoint; but it’s been a lot of fun. I’ve enjoyed coaching this team, working with the different people in the organization, from security to media to equipment to nutrition. In this role, you deal with everybody. It’s been a lot of fun. I’ve enjoyed it. I love coaching this team. I love being the head coach of the Miami Dolphins; but at the same time, I know that we’ve got to continue to work and continue to prepare and continue to go through our process, and if we continue – if we do those things, hopefully the results will show up.”
