INDIANAPOLIS — Neither Bill Belichick nor Nick Caserio is scheduled to address the media this week at the NFL Scouting Combine, but the New England Patriots were well-represented Wednesday in Indy.
Sort of.
Of the 41 NFL coaches and general managers who took part in the first media session of combine week, nine of them either played, coached or worked for the Patriots before landing their current gigs. (Full list: Bill O’Brien, Mike Vrabel, Matt Patricia, Bob Quinn, Jason Licht, Jon Robinson, Kliff Kingsbury, Thomas Dimitroff and Brian Flores.)
Several of those ex-Pats had high praise for the team’s latest departure, Flores, who was hired as head coach of the Miami Dolphins earlier this month. Flores worked in the Patriots organization from 2006 through this past season, rising up the ranks from scouting assistant to de facto defensive coordinator.
Matt Patricia, Detroit Lions head coach (former Patriots defensive coordinator): “I obviously love B-Flo, was with him for a real long time, worked real closely. I just wish him the best of luck down in Miami. I think he’s going to do a great job. I obviously cherished our time working together. … He’s really smart, he’s a hard worker, he’s a great guy. He really relates to the players outstandingly. And to people in general, I think he has a great mannerism about him. He’s just a good person.”
Bob Quinn, Lions general manager (former Patriots executive): “B-Flo is great, a good friend of mine. I remember B-Flo coming in and being really quiet the first, I’d say, six months, which is usually, when you’re working in New England, that’s a good thing. And he just kind of put his head down and worked. He started the same way I started. As scouting assistants, you pick guys up at the airport, bring them for their physical, drive them around. He probably logged as many hours in those vans as I did back in the day, so I’m really for Brian. I think he’ll do a great job down there, and I’m really happy for him and his family.”
Bill O’Brien, Houston Texans head coach (former Patriots offensive coordinator): “Brian Flores is a guy that, first of all, is a great friend of mine. (I have a) tremendous amount of respect for him. His background — everybody knows his story, how he was brought up, where he grew up. When I got to New England, he was a scout. … Brian was a scout, and then Brian wanted to be a coach, so Bill (Belichick) moved him over to the offensive side of the ball. First, he was on special teams, and then moved him to the offensive side of the ball. He worked with me for a while, and then he wanted to be on defense. He had that type of drive to be a defensive assistant coach, so Bill moved him over to defense. And in every role that he had in New England when I was there — and obviously after I was there — he did a great job. He’s a very bright guy. He’s a very hard-working guy. The players really respect him. He’s the same guy every day. He’s not an up-and-down guy. He’s got a good demeanor. He can adjust on the fly, and he’ll do a great job in Miami.”
