As the Vikings trickled back into TCO Performance Center on Monday morning fresh off their bye week, defensive coordinator Brian Flores gathered his group together like he usually does before game prep begins. He went on to deliver a message to the defense to make sure everybody fully understood what’s at stake over the next month or so.
“We’ve got 35 days,” Flores said. “That’s all we’ve got that’s guaranteed.”
Indeed. The playoffs certainly aren’t guaranteed for the Vikings despite the fact they currently sit above the cut line with a 6-6 record. They have games against the Las Vegas Raiders, Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions (twice), and Green Bay Packers coming up, and while the offense is about to get a boost with star receiver Justin Jefferson returning from a hamstring injury, the defense is going to be heavily relied upon down the stretch.
That’s why the 42-year-old Flores reiterated Tuesday that he is determined to keep everybody hyperfixated on the task at hand. That includes himself as his name starts to be attached to head coaching rumors across the league. Though it’s something he admitted he’s privy to at this point, Flores made it clear that he’s trying to practice what he’s preaching to his players.
“I asked them to put everything into these 35 days,” Flores said. “I can’t give that message and not heed that message.”
Asked if he has asked his agent to avoid mentioning anything to him, Flores smiled, then replied, “They know not to bring it up.”
There’s a good reason that Flores has been mentioned as a potential candidate for some job openings. He has helped the Vikings turn things around on defense in a way that didn’t seem possible even a few months ago. To say that Flores has gotten the most out of his players would be an understatement.
Gone is the passiveness that former defense coordinator Ed Donatell seemed to pride himself on. As soon as Flores was hired, he promised to be more aggressive, and he has delivered on that in every sense of the word. The results have been staggering as the Vikings transformed into a borderline top 10 defense with a different player or players stepping up seemingly on a weekly basis.
That continued improvement will be necessary if the Vikings want more time together.
“That’s where my focus is,” Flores said. “All the other stuff, I ask them to block it out, and I’m blocking it out myself. You’ve got to lead by example. I’m certainly going to do that.”
Dobbs, Mullens or Hall?
With head coach Kevin O’Connell set to announce his starting quarterback on Wednesday, offensive coordinator Wes Phillips put on his best poker face while talking to reporters. He skillfully maneuvered around any questions about how the Vikings broached the subject during the bye week.
“There were discussions about the whole offense,” Phillips said. “We’re going to play to our strengths.”
The decision as to who starts under center will come down to journeyman Josh Dobbs, veteran Nick Mullens or rookie Jaren Hall.
“I think we have identified some things that are better for the personnel that we have at the moment and some things that maybe we
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