The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off an impressive defensive performance in a razor-close game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Many players contributed to the 20-18 victory, but some of the crucial plays came from the linebacker position. Their combined efforts are a small sample of what Steelers Linebackers Coach and Senior Defensive Assistant Brian Flores brings to the table ahead of his first game back in Miami.
Photo Credit: SI.com
Revenge At Hard Rock Stadium
Whenever a person returns to their old stomping grounds as an opponent, there’s always the narrative of it being a “revenge game." After the past three seasons as the Head Coach of the Miami Dolphins, Flores will return to South Beach as a member of the Steelers, in hopes of maintaining momentum from last week’s success. Even though the main aspect of revenge for this weekend will be based on the events unfolding on the football field, there’s still the matter of retribution off the field.
In February, Flores filed a class action lawsuit against the NFL and three individual teams including the Dolphins. As it pertains to Miami, the lawsuit is partially based on how Flores was treated as the Head Coach by the team’s owner Stephen Ross. Ross wanted to acquire the top pick in the 2019 draft, Flores' first season with the team, and wanted Flores to tank in order to achieve that goal. In return for his compliance, Flores would be rewarded large sums of money by Ross for each loss incurred.
Ross also allegedly pressured Flores to try and lure a top-tier quarterback to play for the Dolphins, even though it went against the league’s tampering rules. Flores refused to do so and was subsequently labeled as someone who was incredibly frustrating to work with. This perception of Flores continued all the way until his firing.
These are just the allegations that are being directed toward the Dolphins' franchise, but there is still a great deal more to this lawsuit outside of this article. However, this is in the background for the motivation of Sunday’s matchup. Steelers linebacker Myles Jack can attest to this.
“He doesn’t bring it into work, even though we try to like mess with him and bring it up, he won’t like talk about it. He keeps the main thing the main thing. So, it's cool," Jack said.
Steelers Linebackers Fight For Flores's Praise
Brian Flores has definitely been a positive influence on the linebacker unit this season. Most notable is the production they’ve gotten out of off-season acquisition Myles Jack. Jack has amassed 58 tackles over the first six games this season, which is the second most in Steelers’ history during that span. His 58 tackles are also tied for seventh-best in the league. But Jack isn’t the only one performing well.
Devin Bush and Robert Spillane have also been beneficiaries of Flores' coaching.
Bush has a total of 35 tackles with Spillane adding 20 of his own. While the number of tackles each player currently has been good, each of them understands that it’ll take more than filling up the stat sheet to remain in the coach’s good graces.
Each week, the players receive a report card based on their performance from the last game. In order to earn high marks, you need to go out and make plays. Devin Bush explains the super high expectations Flores has for his group.
“He expects us to be Superman. Every Monday you know you’re gonna get a grade sheet and if you’re not Superman then you’re gonna get a bad grade," Bush said.
Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield, @JSKOPHOTO
The whole report card grading system Flores uses is just one way he gets through to his players. When it comes to breaking down film, Flores also allows each player to have their say in explaining their thought process on each play. Robert Spillane enjoys the open discussions he can have with his coach.
“We are able to speak our minds and tell him how we feel about certain things. I love being able to work with a guy like that," Spillane said.
Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield, @JSKOPHOTO
It seems obvious that the Steelers players have taken a liking to Flores. This is why they’re making an extra special effort this week in practice in preparation for Sunday. They understand what going on the road to South Florida means to their coach.
“We take (facing the Dolphins), as a unit, kind of personally,” Spillane said. “We want to make him proud.”
Do you believe Flores has made an impact on the Steelers' linebackers and the team as a whole? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.
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