If you were looking for the absolute worst reaction to what Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores said on Tuesday in response to the recent comments made about him by Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, you're in luck!
That's because, after Flores's response on Tuesday, Meadowlark Media's David Samson went on "The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz" on Wednesday and shared his reaction to what the Vikings defensive coordinator did.
"[Flores] doesn't get an Oscar for that performance. In my mind, it was almost 85-year-old [Robert] De Niro-like. I think it was so obvious. The sunglasses, being flanked by two players, and then saying, 'I've corrected myself, I've improved myself.'
But I don't know why he needed to improve himself because he's friends with the guys in the equipment room and all the kitchen staff, and over 21 years [of coaching], he's got tons of players who love him. And look at my two buddies next to me."
David Samson has no idea what he's talking about when it comes to Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores
Samson, who was the first person voted off of the competitive TV show "Survivor" during his season of the program and was the former president of the MLB's Miami Marlins, believes Flores would have been better off by saying something on Tuesday like "Hey listen, there were a lot of reasons it didn't work out in Miami. Tua's play was part of that, but not the entire thing. I obviously have moved on, and I'm all about the Vikings."
So, instead of Flores showing growth and maturity by taking ownership of some of the things he might or might not have done in the past, as he did on Tuesday, Samson thinks Minnesota's defensive coordinator would have been better off by essentially doubling down and pointing the finger at Tagovailoa for any of Miami's struggles during their time together?
Sure, that would have probably turned out wonderfully by continuing to extend what currently seems like a never-ending beef that Tagovailoa has with Flores.
Later in the episode, Samson also states that the Vikings told Flores to hold a press conference on Tuesday to respond to Tagovailoa's comments and to find Minnesota players to stand next to him at the podium.
That literally could not be further from the truth.
Before Tagovailoa's comments were even released to the public, Flores was already scheduled to meet with the local Twin Cities media on Tuesday, as he does every week during training camp and the regular season. So, this was not something that was done by Minnesota's defensive coordinator because he was being forced by the team to respond publicly to Tagovailoa.
As for the two players standing next to Flores at the start of his press conference on Tuesday, safety Josh Metellus and defensive lineman Harrison Phillips, this was done without the Vikings' defensive coordinator's knowledge.
Before leaving to let Flores answer questions, Metellus, a Minnesota team captain in 2023, told the reporters in attendance that he and Phillips "just wanted to let [Flores] know we're behind him."
Not really sure why Samson felt the need to accuse Flores of putting on a performance or allege that the defensive coordinator only held a press conference on Tuesday because the Vikings forced him to do so.
Flores has had a positive impact on a ton of players throughout his coaching career.
Earlier this week, Minnesota signed free-agent cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who spent time with Flores when the two were both members of the New England Patriots in 2017 and 2018. Gilmore, unsurprisingly, mentioned his past with the Vikings defensive coordinator as part of the reason why he was excited to sign with the team.
A few months ago, All-Pro Minnesota safety Harrison Smith said that learning from Flores last season was "awesome," and he was part of the reason why he decided to return to the team for another year instead of retiring.
On Tuesday, new Vikings linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel, who was with the Dolphins during Flores's entire tenure as Miami's head coach, said that he "wouldn’t be here without [Flores] at this point in my career."
Did Flores and Tagovailoa have the best relationship during their time together with the Dolphins? No, that's been made pretty obvious by numerous people and reports.
But all that Flores can do moving forward is attempt to improve himself each day and do whatever he can to get the best out of the players he's responsible for coaching. His response on Tuesday was part of his effort to improve and it wasn't a performance, regardless of what others might believe.
