‘His willingness to learn is really attractive’ – Mike Tomlin believes Vikings HC Brian Flores can be a head coach again

Growth is going to be huge with Flores getting another opportunity

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Oct 24, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores watches from the sidelines against the Los Angeles Rams in the first half at SoFi Stadium.
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

After a dominant performance by Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ unit against the Cincinnati Bengals, people are talking about whether or not he can be a head coach again.

There are several key elements surrounding Flores’ second chance as a head coach, and the most significant one is the lawsuit he currently has against the NFL. The other element concerns how things went in Miami, which was a mixed bag at best.

Mike Tomlin supports Brian Flores getting another head coaching opportunity

After Flores got fired from the Miami Dolphins, he spent a season with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Mike Tomlin. That year was big for his development as a coach, and he’s flourished with the Vikings.

On Tuesday, Tomlin was asked about Flores and what he’s shown that he can be a head coach again.

“You know, I thought he did a successful job of it the first time around. To be quite honest with you, his willingness to learn is a really attractive component of [a head] coach,” said Tomlin. “Flores, we had some awesome discussions during our time together. He certainly has opinions, schematic opinions, strategic opinions, personnel opinions, but his openness to differing thoughts or viewpoints, I think, is a weapon for him as a coach, and so I think that’s why you oftentimes, you see them do a wide variety of things schematically. I think it first starts with an attitude or an openness to new things or to learning and discovery.”

The willingness to listen to different ideas and be open about those is something that most people don’t have, let alone when you are a coach in the NFL. We’ve seen Flores continue to adapt what he likes to do with his unit, and it’s manifested in some impressive numbers.

One thing that is also noticeable when it comes to Flores getting another opportunity is how his players in Minnesota feel about him. They stood by him when some negative press came out about his time in Miami. Harrison Phillips and Josh Metellus flanked him at his press conference, showing their support.

Will Flores get another chance? It’s certainly within the realm of possibility. It will help that Tomlin is speaking highly of Flores since people across the league think the world of Tomlin.

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