Eagles' Nick Sirianni Has 'Lot Of Respect' For Vikings Coach Brian Flores
Can the Philadelphia Eagles offense get back on track on Thursday at home?
They'll face another stiff test in the Minnesota Vikings' defense, who are led by first-year defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Flores takes over for Ed Donatell, who was fired after his defense allowed an average of 25.1 points per game, the fifth most in the NFL last season.
The Minnesota defense performed well on Sunday in a 20-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at U.S. Bank Stadium.
"I got a lot of respect for Brian Flores and a Brian Flores-led defense," Nick Sirianni said. "They create a lot of issues with the pressures that they bring at you. They're aggressive, well-coached [and] tackle well. All of the different things that not only are you looking at with the Minnesota Vikings, but you're also looking at the past of what he's done at different places like Miami and also New England."
Flores was the New England Patriots' linebackers coach and defensive play-caller in 2018. In his lone season leading the defense, the Patriots won the Super Bowl with a 13-3 win over the Los Angeles Rams.
He was also the Miami Dolphins' head coach for three seasons (2019-2021) before getting fired. He was the Pittsburgh Steelers' linebackers coach and a senior defensive assistant last season.
The usually high-octane Eagles offense struggled against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on Sunday in a 25-20 win. With Flores coming from New England, one can imagine he'll try to have the Vikings replicate much of what they did to give Philadelphia's offense trouble.
"We'll turn over every stone, and we've turned over a lot of stones so far," Sirianni said "... Aggressiveness is what I'd say from his defense. I've got a lot of respect for him as a coach and the style of defense that he plays."
The Eagles host Minnesota on Thursday Night Football at 8:15 p.m. ET at Lincoln Financial Field.
