Minnesota Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell Defends DC Brian Flores From Tua Tagovailoa’s Harsh Words

Current defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings and former head coach of the Miami Dolphins Brian Flores was the subject of unfavorable comments Monday.

Flores’ quarterback when he was the head coach for the Dolphins, Tua Tagovailoa, left a scathing review of Flores as a coach and a person. Current Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell addressed Tagovailoa’s comments.

Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa had a lot to say about Minnesota Vikings DC Brian Flores

During an appearance on the Dan Le Betard Show, Tagovailoa explained what it was like to be a young quarterback in the NFL with Flores as a head coach. A New York Post article details how Tagovailoa described his old regime.

“If you woke up every morning and I told you, you sucked at what you did, that you don’t belong doing what you do, that you shouldn’t be here, that this guy should be here, you haven’t earned this right,” Tagovailoa said. “Then you have someone else come in and say, ‘Dude, you’re the best fit for this, you are accurate, you’re the best whatever, you are this, you are that.’ How would it make you feel listening to one or the other? You see what I am saying?”

“If you woke up every morning and I told you that you suck at what you did, that you don’t belong, that you shouldn’t be here, that you haven’t earned this…

and then someone come and tells you, ‘You are the best fit for this…How you that make you feel?”

– @Tua describes the… pic.twitter.com/bBHI6IsVlj

— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) August 19, 2024

The former Alabama Crimson Tide star even went as far as to say Flores was a “terrible person,” claiming he wasn’t the only player affected by the constant negativity Flores allegedly exuded.

“You hear it, regardless of what it is the good or the bad,” Tagovailoa said. “You hear it more and more you start to actually believe that. I don’t care who you are. You can be the president of the United States, you have a terrible person telling you things you don’t want to hear or things you shouldn’t be hearing, you are going to start to believe that about yourself. That’s sort of what ended up happening. It’s been two years of training that out of, not just me, but of guys that have been here since my rookie year.”

Tua Tagovailoa was seen a lot differently under Minnesota Vikings DC Brian Flores

The idea of what Tagovailoa could be as a quarterback in the NFL has changed drastically since the departure of Flores.

When the former first-round pick was trying to find his footing in the NFL under Flores, he earned the moniker Tua “Turndaballova” due to his inability to keep the ball out of the defense’s hands. Despite cleaner play from Tagovailoa, opposing fans still hold on to the nickname.

53 Million for Tua Turndaballova LMFAO pic.twitter.com/7sbwEWkLHF

— Fire David Bell SZN (Vote TRUMP To Save America) (@FireDavidBellFC) August 10, 2024

Tua Turndaballova shaking in his boots https://t.co/luYIuFynsb pic.twitter.com/0Miiq5Dbca

— NastyBills (@KniesCalder) March 20, 2024

Tua Turndaballova making money moves https://t.co/1GsDnLQKW2

— Chance The Bachelor 🇯🇲 (@ChefOrrin) July 26, 2024

Tagovailoa’s interception numbers haven’t drastically improved, but everything else has taken a massive step forward under new Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel. In 13 games played under Flores in 2021, Tagovailoa threw for 2,653 yards with 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

The very next year, the first year with McDaniel, Tagovailoa threw for 3,548 yards with 25 touchdowns and just eight interceptions. That’s almost a 1,000-yard increase with over 50% more touchdowns and fewer interceptions.

Since having McDaniel as his head coach, Tagovailoa has almost completely changed his image as a QB in the NFL. He received votes for the MVP award in 2022 and earned a Pro Bowl selection in 2023. He is now seen as one of the few QBs in the league that a franchise can lean on, and the Dolphins organization proved that by giving him a four-year, $212 million extension.

Minnesota Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell defended DC Brian Flores

While O’Connell tried to stay away from talking about things that have happened on teams that he wasn’t a part of, he did defend Flores by addressing his current situation.

O’Connell said in an article from Pro Football Talk that Flores has “great relationships” with Vikings players, insinuating that the rocky relationship between Flores and Tagovailoa wasn’t just Flores’ fault.

“I don’t particularly have a comment on something that took place with another team,” O’Connell said, via Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com, “or I don’t like to comment on comments of other players on other teams, but I can just tell you I know that the players Flo works with, he’s got great relationships here. He really has. I know [reporters covering the team] have heard a lot of them talk about how much they enjoy playing for him, and how much I enjoy working with him every day, and that’s all I can really comment on, and I’d just like to leave it at that.”

Despite having a decade of coaching experience under Bill Belichick with the New England Patriots, who is widely considered the greatest NFL head coach of all time, Flores struggled to find a job as a head coach after his stint with the Dolphins.

Flores’ struggles led to him filing a lawsuit against the NFL and several teams, claiming that the NFL was “rife with racism,” making it difficult for black coaches to move up and/or get hired in the league.

Flores will have another chance to prove himself in 2024. If he can muster a solid defense with the misfortune surrounding the Vikings as they head into 2024, he may get another chance to be a head coach in the NFL.

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