Recent Brian Flores comments should infuriate Tua Tagovailoa

Through the first eight weeks of the 2024 NFL season, the Minnesota Vikings defense has looked good, but is their defensive coordinator, Brian Flores, growing soft on quarterbacks? Flores sure was never this kind to Tua Tagovailoa when he was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins.

Flores and the Vikings will take on the Indianapolis Colts this week, and during his weekly press conference on Tuesday, he was asked about Indianapolis quarterback Anthony Richardson, specifically about the play that he pulled himself out of this past Sunday against the Houston Texans

To catch up, Richardson revealed on Monday that he pulled himself out of the game because he was tired. He was off the field for a play, but it eventually caught fire with the national media. However, Flores didn't see a problem with what he did.

"Anthony, he's a young player [who is] still trying to find his way to a degree, but [he] still makes a lot of plays.

I know there's been a lot of talk about the play where he came out, but did you watch the play? Guy throws a 300-pounder off him [and] he runs around. I thought it was an incredible play. I mean, I got tired watching him.

But I think he's a very, very talented young player. He's a dangerous player. On any snap, he could break a couple tackles and go the distance. He's fast. He's got a huge arm.

When you talk about QB mobility and off-script plays, that's what he does. [He keeps] his team in the game even when not every throw is perfect for him. He still has that explosive play ability, which, [when] you have two or three of those, you're in the game."

Former Miami Dolphins head coach much softer on Anthony Richardson than he was with Tua Tagovailoa

Is this just a coach minding his "Ps and Qs" to not give an opposing team something to pin to a bulletin board, or has Flores grown softer after leaving the Dolphins?

He was surely never that easy on Tagovailoa during his time in Miami, and he outwardly lobbied for a Deshaun Watson trade. In fact, it was pretty clear that Flores was banging the table during the 2020 NFL Draft for anyone not named Tua. Maybe he should have just let Josh Rosen play in 2019, and the Dolphins might have had another option.

A lot has poured out from players and even from Tagovailoa himself about the relationship he and Flores had. Tagovailoa made comments earlier this year about the situation to which Flores gave a half-hearted attempt at an apology without actually giving one.

In Miami, Flores was a tough head coach that demanded accountability and discipline. His approach to Tagovailoa was similar to the one that Bill Belichick took with Tom Brady. Harsh, to the point, and not always endearing.

Flores faced a lot of criticism after this exit from the Dolphins, which included Miami's exposed attempts to backdoor a move for Brady and current Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton. Those attempts cost the Dolphins a lot of money and draft picks.

Leaving the playing field because you are tired is apparently no big deal to Flores, though, and to be fair, it really shouldn't be. Quarterbacks, just like receivers or running backs, often run all over the field and end up needing a breather, but they are hardly given an opportunity to catch their breath.

More Dolphins News and Analysis