LATROBE, Pa. -- Brian Flores is a head football coach in the NFL. He just doesn't have the title right now.
After three seasons with the Dolphins, he proved he has what it takes to do the job, though powers that be in Miami disagreed at the end of last season, firing him after going 24-25 and far exceeding expectations by leading the team to winning records in each of his final two seasons.
The Dolphins' loss, however, is the Steelers' gain.
After it became obvious Flores wasn't going to get another head coaching job in this year's hiring cycle -- very much due to the lawsuit he filed against the Dolphins, Giants and Broncos for unfair hiring practices -- Mike Tomlin was only too happy to add Flores to his own staff, hiring him as senior defensive assistant/linebackers coach in mid-February.
It's been a breath of fresh air for the 41-year-old Flores, who learned a lot in his first venture into head coaching in the NFL despite the way things ended.
"Absolutely. That experience was a good one," he told me of being a head coach Thursday at Saint Vincent College. "I learned a lot about the big picture. It’s refreshing in a lot of ways to get in a room and get to know a group of guys as a position coach again, because when you’re a head coach, it’s difficult to build those kind of relationships."
That includes the players, the other coaches and even the ancillary staff. As an assistant coach, even a high-profile one such as Flores, whose lawsuit against the NFL is ongoing and continues to be in the headlines, he's still not under the same scrutiny as Tomlin.
Yes, Flores is under the microscope. But he's seemingly far more at ease as a position coach than he would be if he were in charge. And he's enjoying that.
"It’s a great staff with TA (defensive coordinator Teryl Austin), Karl Dunbar, Jerry Olsavsky, Grady (Brown) is a really good young coach, Denzel Martin, and obviously Mike is involved," Flores said. "Any way I can help, run game, pass game, protections, pass rush, any way I can help, that’s what I’m going to do. I’m grateful for this opportunity to come to this organization and spend time with great coaches, great leadership."
MORE STEELERS
2. Adding someone with Flores' track record was a no-brainer for Tomlin. And with the addition, the Steelers might have the top defensive staff in the NFL, starting with the head coach at the top of the pyramid. Flores will have his imprint on the Steelers defense, much the same way Bill Belichick did in New England. Even though Flores was calling the defense his final season there -- though his title was linebackers coach -- few talked about it as his defense. It was always considered Belichick's defense. "Everywhere you go, there’s an imprint and personality, identity or style that comes from the head coach," Flores said. "That’s no different here. I think Mike gives us the space and autonomy to make it our own, whatever personality or style he is trying to create. It’s always collaborative. But within that, we’re trying to make sure all the pieces fit." -- Lolley
3. Yes, I asked Flores about his lawsuit against the NFL, one that has been joined by former Steelers assistant coach Ray Horton and former Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks. He declined to talk about it. "Respectfully, I’m not going to talk about it and get into it," Flores said. "I’m just so fortunate and grateful to be here and do what I love, which is to coach football with some great people, some great players. That’s where my mindset is." -- Lolley
4. Flores should be a head coach in the NFL again sooner rather than later. In the spring, many players spoke about Flores' attention to detail and his drill sergeant-like mentality. "If there’s something that can help us win, I’m all about that," Flores said. "If that’s detail, if that’s drill sergeant-ish, I’m all about it. I’ll do that." And when Flores is hired as a head coach again, the Steelers also will benefit from that. Because of adjustments to the Rooney Rule, they'll get two third-round draft picks in return for losing him. But in the meantime, they'll benefit from his coaching knowledge. -- Lolley
5. I'm told Pressley Harvin III is down 40 pounds from his playing weight last season as a rookie. Harvin was as heavy as 285 pounds last season, quite a bit heavier than his listed weight of 255, while dealing with some family issues. Those included the death of his father and grandmother late last season after illnesses. Harvin struggled with his consistency last season, but the Steelers are excited about what he can potentially be in 2022. -- Lolley
6. Remember last year when it was reported here that the coaching staff was less than thrilled with Kevin Dotson's preparation for the 2021 season? That wasn't about his conditioning. It was more about the coaching staff not feeling he had spent enough time in his playbook. Dotson admitted he wasn't always quick to the trigger last year when coaches asked him questions in meetings. "Last year, I felt like I was more anxious in meeting rooms," Dotson said. "I knew what it was, but once coaches started calling names and stuff like that, I was like ‘I don’t want to mess up.’ I was thinking too hard on not messing up. You know the answer. Just say it. Don’t overthink it. Just say it. Now I can say it fast. I’ve been in the playbook. I feel good about it." -- Lolley
7. We witnessed our first skirmish at training camp. After Robert Spillane intercepted Mitch Trubisky Thursday, Spillane was running with the ball and wound up out of bounds with a mob of celebratory defensive players and a couple offensive players around him. Among that mob was Mason Cole, who was chasing down Spillane. Cole told me the scrap was “fun” and wasn’t hostile. “That’s what camp is all about. Those skirmishes are good for us. It’s good for the offense, to build an attitude. Don’t take anything from anybody.” -- Chris Halicke in Latrobe, Pa.
8. The quarterback competition will obviously hog the vast majority of headlines out of camp. One thing I’ve heard from multiple receivers and/or tight ends is sometimes they don’t know who the ball is coming from with how quickly the quarterbacks are rotating in drills. That’s a good thing for continuity’s sake, but maybe not so great since no one is really standing out yet. Then again, it is still football in shorts. We still have a long way to go. -- Halicke
PIRATES
9. Heard one of the main targets for the Pirates during this trade deadline is upper-level pitching prospects. Not to suggest they would turn down a younger, lower-level pitcher that would need to be developed more in a deal, but the preference is someone more developed who could contribute sooner. -- Alex Stumpf
10. Also heard the Pirates have explored upper-level catchers too. Don’t know how serious they are given that Henry Davis projects to be ready for the majors in 2023 and there are some good catching prospects right behind him in Endy Rodriguez and Abrahan Gutierrez, but the major-league catching depth has obviously taken more than a couple hits this season. -- Stumpf
11. The Pirates always send a few members of the front office on road trips. Travis Williams was one of those members who made the trip to Chicago. Speaking as someone who has been on most of those road trips these last three years, I believe it’s the first time I’ve seen him on the road. -- Stumpf
12. Ke’Bryan Hayes opened up to me that his neck had been bothering him for awhile after the headfirst collision he had at home plate with Cubs catcher Willson Contreras in late June, but it’s cleared up now. While he was able to play through it, it seems safe to assume that the injury is at least partially to blame for part of his July slump. -- Stumpf
13. I got another report on first-round draft pick Termarr Johnson, this time from one of the Pirates’ top draft picks from last year’s class: Bubba Chandler. They played on Team Halo, a travel ball team in Atlanta, from when they were about 12-16 years old. After the Pirates drafted Johnson, Chandler reached out to congratulate him. I asked Chandler who would win a matchup between the two of them. “I’ve got a little more experience on him,” he said. “I’ve got the upperhand there.” -- Stumpf
14. Johnson also told Chandler he couldn’t wait for his deal to get done with the Pirates, in case anyone is worried that he hasn’t signed yet. -- Stumpf
15. Chandler admitted to me that he was nervous before his first affiliated game as a pitcher for low Class A Bradenton, but when talking to him Sunday night, he said he was a lot more confident for his second outing. The result: 3 2/3 innings, six strikeouts, one run. Pretty good job backing it up. He acknowledges there’s some rawness there and room to grow, but he’s 19 and still developing. He’ll get there. He also talked about how his swing got out of sync shortly before his promotion, so he had to find his left-handed swing. He’s working in the cage to get his swings back in line. -- Stumpf
16. Chandler told me how he thought it was beneficial that he stayed at Pirate City longer than many expected rather than go straight to the Bradenton Marauders, like so many high school players in his draft class did before him.
“When you get to extended spring training, you’re like, ‘this sucks,’ but I’m actually really happy I got put there this year. There’s guys there, front office and higher ups, that are a lot smarter than I’ll ever be. They had a plan, and I’m glad they did it, because I learned how to be consistent with not only playing, but off the field, recovery, working out, eating right, drinking right, all that stuff, which I may not have found if I had been thrown straight into affiliated ball.” -- Stumpf
PENGUINS
17. It's unclear whether Brian Boyle will play again, at 37 years old and coming off of knee surgery. During the season he expressed a desire to continue playing beyond this year. As of this week, his side is still waiting to see if any teams are interested in his services, no offers have materialized yet. It seems possible that Boyle lands somewhere on a PTO again and tries to land a deal out of training camp. -- Taylor Haase at PPG Paints Arena
18. The Penguins' last buyout window of the summer has passed, and the Penguins didn't use it. It's still possible to get cap-compliant through reassignments alone, but another trade still seems likely in order to provide the Penguins with some more wiggle room heading into the season. With nine NHL-caliber defensemen, the blue line remains an area in which the Penguins could stand to shed some salary. Marcus Pettersson seemed a likely trade piece earlier in the summer. A trade involving Pettersson seems less likely now, but a source told me that "if the return is good enough, he’s gone." Everything remains up in the air. -- Haase
19. The source who told me Danton Heinen ultimately took money out of the equation in deciding to return to the Penguins also told me the market for depth players is quite crowded. Two big ticket names in Nazem Kadri and John Klingberg remain unsigned, but there are also numerous lower-end complementary players who can make a positive impact still waiting for their next contract, like Paul Stastny, Sonny Milano, Evan Rodrigues and Victor Rask, among others. Heinen wanted to stay in Pittsburgh, anyway, but that was at least a tiny factor that worked in the Penguins’ favor. -- Danny Shirey at PPG Paints Arena
20. Kris Letang, P.O Joseph and Sam Poulin are part of a group of pros who gather to play three-on-three games just outside of Montreal each Tuesday. Other participants include the Flames' Jonathan Huberdeau, Flyers' Nicolas Deslauriers, Jets' Pierre-Luc Dubois, Rangers' Louis Domingue, and current UFAs Daniel Sprong and Derrick Brassard. -- Haase
21. Funny Valtteri Puustinen story: Earlier in the year the WBS team bus broke down on the side of the highway (a rite of passage for all minor-league hockey players). When the replacement bus showed up, players started to help transfer the gear from one bus to another. The coaching staff, wary of the narrow shoulder on the highway, told the players to get back onto the bus. They get on the bus and look out the window, and Puustinen is down there still chucking bags into the new bus on his own because his English wasn't strong enough to understand the direction, and was too focused on the task at hand to realize everyone else left. A fellow Finn had to go back outside to tell Puustinen to get back on the bus. -- Haase
