PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – It was in a Vikings team meeting when former Steelers defensive lineman Javon Hargrave was caught double-taking a few times. It was when his defensive coordinator, Brian Flores, dropped a few Tomlinisms. It’s part of what Flores learned from his good friend in just a season with the Steelers.
Flores spent 2022 with the Steelers as a Senior Defensive Assistant and Linebackers Coach, this after only a few teams would have likely given him the opportunity as the fired Dolphins head coach was suing the NFL.
“This is a great week for me, I get to go to Dublin and see my people from the Steelers, Mike T. included,” Flores said. “Quite honestly, when I think of him and the Steelers, I have this gratitude for my time there. The friends that I made. I just had a great time there, it was exactly what I needed at that point in my career.”
“His willingness to learn is a really attractive component of Coach Flores,” Tomlin said Tuesday. “We had some awesome discussions during our time together. He certainly has opinions, schematic opinions, strategic opinions, and personnel opinions. His openness to differing thoughts or viewpoints I think is a weapon for him as a coach.”
“Are we similar, yeah, there are a lot of similarities,” Flores said. “His leadership, his football acumen, his toughness, his ability to motivate. I feel like when I get up in front of a room, I have a presence. But when I saw him in front of a room, I was taking notes.”
Tomlin knows what’s coming on Sunday even if he doesn’t really. Flores is very multiple in his schemes. He is unique in how he attacks protections. Tomlin said he is aggressive, yet structured. He will disguise his looks to create confusion. He runs a lot of plays with a lot of variations on those looks and is not afraid to try something new.
For the Steelers offense, to keep from getting in bad situations, they have to win first down, because if the Vikings get the Steelers into second and third and long, that’s when Flores goes to work, even against a friend and mentor.
“It was a great experience for me, not just Mike T., but the Rooney family, (GM) Omar (Khan), Kevin Colbert, the staff is tremendous. I had a great time there and am excited to see them.”
Flores said the Steelers were the right fit and the right opportunity at the right time. He has nothing but gratitude.
He’ll try and repay that gratitude by utterly confusing the Steelers like he and his defense did to Cincinnati last week forcing five turnovers and only 10 points.