Anytime you have a former head coach available you make a call. When you have a former head coach available who has the credentials of Brian Flores you make a call, make a visit, or send the team jet after him. I’m not yet sure which one of those the Pittsburgh Steelers did but bringing Flores aboard is an excellent move for numerous reasons.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the fact that the former Miami Dolphins’ head coach is in the middle of a massive lawsuit against the NF which will continue. But that’s not what this is about. It’s about bringing in a guy who has coached with and won a lot of games with Bill Belichick including four Super Bowl wins. In other words, it’s a no-brainer.
Flores is widely known as a tough coach who is not afraid to work players hard even in an era where that’s become less and less common. In Pittsburgh, he’ll be coaching linebackers and has been named a senior defensive assistant. Is he over-qualified for this job? I would say for sure he is but if he were willing to take this on and I’m Mike Tomlin? You do it in a heartbeat.
There are two potential subplots to this signing. The first is that Flores is reunited with Minkah Fitzpatrick who was traded to the Steelers after a rocky experience playing under the former Miami coach. My concern level here is minimal. I have to believe that Tomlin reached out to Fitzpatrick prior to Flores coming aboard. The young all-pro safety is expecting a new contract this off-season from the team and Tomlin can’t afford to see him go. While Flores won’t be coaching Fitzpatrick directly there’s every expectation that the two will need to work together on the defensive side of the ball.
The other subplot here is Devin Bush. Coming off his ACL injury, the former first round draft pick struggled big time in 2021. Flores will have a huge opportunity to get Bush back to where he was pre-injury and perhaps beyond. But… A lot of what ailed Bush seemed to be on himself so this relationship is going to be intriguing.
Mike Tomlin made a very standard statement yesterday that was released by the team. I expect his first public comments will come when he makes his usual comments at the NFL Combine. The development will no doubt be brought up by the media.
Many years ago Dan Rooney helped implement the rule which bears his name in an effort to improve the hiring of minority coaches and front office personnel. The Steelers should be at the forefront of this especially at a time when the rule has been so blatantly and flippantly been used. In the end however, the hiring of Flores immediately makes the team better and that’s what it should be about.
