Head Coach Brian Flores
(I guess seven players on the COVID-19 list as of this morning. Are any coming off today that you’re aware of? Or are any going on the list?) – “No one is coming off the list and no one is going on the list either.”
(Then WR Albert Wilson, I know he was absent again yesterday. You had mentioned personal reasons Wednesday. Do you expect him back today? Do you expect him to be available for the New Orleans game?) – “Yeah, he’ll be back today.”
(Obviously with the news that QB Ian Book is going to be starting, how quick do you go through and prepare? And do you have to go back to college film or is it his exhibition game? Obviously he’s just one of 11 players on the team but how much does that change the gameplan?) – “Yeah, we go back to the college film. We had him in the Senior Bowl so we’ll go back to some of that as well. They’ve got a lot of very good offensive players. Sean Payton is obviously a great head coach and certainly one of the best offensive minds maybe in the history of the league. He’ll have his group ready. I think guys like (Alvin) Kamara, guys like (Mark) Ingram, guys like (Nick) Vannett and guys like (Marquez) Callaway and Tre Smith, they’ll be there. They’re very good players. We’re preparing for their entire team. Ian Book, having spent a lot of time with him, he obviously showed good command of the offense in the Senior Bowl and I’m sure that will be the case on Sunday. He’s smart, tough. I’m sure they’ll put him in very good positions and he can make some throws. He’s also a good runner with the football as well. They have a lot of good players. I’m sure they’ll try to feature Kamara, Ingram and that group I talked about earlier like they always do. This will be a tough challenge for us.”
(What stood out to you about QB Ian Book when you coached him at the Senior Bowl?) – “Tough. Smart. Again, he took the information that we gave him, on a short week, and was able to execute at a good clip. He’s been there the entire year so I’m sure he’s got a good handle on their offense and how they do things. I’m sure Coach Payton and Pete (Carmichael), they’re meeting with him, they’re going through things. I’m sure they’ve been grooming him the entire year and getting him ready for his opportunity when it presented itself. If this is it then I’m sure he’ll be ready. He’s a smart kid, a tough kid. (He’s a) competitor. He’ll be ready to go. Their team will be ready to go.”
(I know you’re getting ready for this game against the Saints but with this being the holiday season, what do the holidays mean to you and your family each and every year?) – “It’s just time to get together with family. Obviously celebrate the birth of Christ. I think we just try to spend some time together and enjoy one another.”
(When you’re the coach and whatnot and the leader of your household, what does one buy for Brian Flores? I’m sure he doesn’t want anything from his family but what does one get for Brian Flores for Christmas? Or what would Brian Flores want outside of a win obviously this upcoming Monday night?) – “My mom always got me underwear for Christmas, so that’s my favorite gift.”
(I wanted to ask you on that same line, how can this special day and family gatherings help the team at all? In terms of preparation, of course you guys are doing everything on the field. But having that special night with family, just a few hours before the game, does that help at all mentally to the players?) – “Yeah, I think it’s beneficial. I think we’ve got to have balance. We can’t be all one way or the other. I know those guys, they work hard. Our coaching staff, our support staff, our players, they work hard when they’re here. To sort of balance that out, to go home and spend time with your family and have those conversations and enjoy the people that you love and care about, I think ultimately those things make you a better player. Balance makes you a better player.”
(Like you guys, the Saints have been pretty streaky this year. Maybe not to the point or the same extent, but do you see similarities between you guys and the Saints?) – “I hope so. They’re a tough, physical team. They’re talented. They’re well-coached. It will certainly be a challenge, really on all three sides of the ball. They’ve done a nice job. Obviously they got a big win last week holding a very good team to no points. On the road, that was a great effort by them. It will definitely be a challenge.”
(You mentioned your mom a few minutes ago. I was wondering if there are any Honduran dishes on the menu for Christmas.) – “I haven’t had that conversation with my wife yet. There will probably be some Mexican dishes.”
(You have the toughest decisions you’ve probably had all year at running back, but they are good decisions with depth now you’re developing obviously with RB Duke Johnson, RB Myles Gaskin, RB Salvon Ahmed and RB Phillip Lindsay. Have you and General Manager Chris Grier talked yet about what to do with RB Malcolm Brown? Obviously he would be a fifth possibility. And how difficult is that decision in allocating playing time for several good backs?) – “We’ll see how today’s practice goes and just talk about it post-practice as far as what roles we’re going to have for the different backs we have. Those are tough decisions but we’ll always do what we feel is best for the team.”
(With S Jevon Holland and WR Jaylen Waddle back, are you thinking of possibly still elevating WR Tommylee Lewis? Would the fact that he played for the Saints for four years be a factor at all in that decision?) – “We’re still working through a lot of things. Barry just mentioned the backs. You can’t have everybody up. We’re working through that, what we feel is best for the team offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. It’s good to have Jevon and Jaelen back. They’ll be up, I can tell you that. We’re still kind of working through whether it’s the backs, whether it’s a couple guys on the practice squad. We’ve got the COVID list so we will have some COVID elevations. A lot of different ways we could go. We’ll do what we feel is best for the team.”
(Obviously, S Jevon Holland coming back, he was able to pay attention to things via Zoom. But do you see rust or maybe some effects of what he’s got going on impacting his performance?) – “As far as Jevon, yesterday was a walkthrough so today we’ll move around at a better pace, at a faster pace and more of a game-tempo speed. As far as the walkthrough yesterday, just getting back into things, getting back into making calls for us defensively, I didn’t see too much rust. I saw a lot of energy. He was excited to be back. Guys were excited to have him back. The same thing with all of the guys who have come back off the COVID list, or even Malcolm Brown coming off the injury and back into practice. Today will have a little bit better tempo. It will be good for him to practice at that speed. It will be good to see him out there at practice today.”
