Brian Flores is Focused on the Present, Not What Comes After This Season

Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores has done an unbelievable job this season. The turnaround that he has pulled off without much Pro Bowl-level talent has been nothing short of remarkable.

As a result, Flores' name has understandably been circling in speculation about potential head coach openings this upcoming offseason. With how well his defense is playing this year, the former Dolphins head coach (2019-21) might be earning himself another shot at leading a franchise.

There are some other factors that could complicate things, most notably Flores' ongoing lawsuit against the NFL and several of its teams on the basis of racial discrimination in hiring practices. There are also some who believe he held back Tua Tagovailoa during his time in Miami. But there's no debating the fact that Flores is one of the premier defensive minds in the entire spot.

Asked this week about the future, Flores said he's keeping all of his focus on the present.

"I understand the question, I really do," he said. "My message to our guys yesterday was 'We’ve got 35 guaranteed days. That’s all we got that’s guaranteed.' I asked them to put everything into these 35 days. I can’t give that message and not heed that message. That's where my focus is. My focus is on these guys, this team, these next five games, because that’s all we really have. All the other stuff, I ask them to block it out and I'm blocking it out myself, because I think you gotta lead by example and I'm certainly going to do that. I know that that's out there, I'm not blind to any of that. But, I'm really focused on the task at hand."

Sitting at 6-6, the Vikings are going to need their defense to continue playing at high level down the stretch if they're going to get into the postseason. Flores' group ranks 8th in DVOA, 8th in opponent EPA per play, and 8th in points allowed. The playoff push starts on Sunday against the Raiders and rookie quarterback Aidan O'Connell.

That's all Flores is thinking about right now. Everything else will get sorted out after the season ends.

"Like I said, my message to those guys was we got five weeks, let’s put everything into these five weeks," Flores said. "And not come out of it with any regrets and saying, 'Hey, my focus is on this so it wasn’t on you guys.' That's not happening. I think these guys work too hard. They’ve put a lot into the season already. Again, I understand the question, but that is really not where I’m at right now. I'm on the Raiders."

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