The NFL’s annual meetings continued yesterday and, one day after Chris Grier sat down to speak with the media, Dolphins head coach Brian Flores did the same.
And for the first time in Flores’ tenure, he spoke candidly about some of his expectations and the roster at hand. Of course, there were still references to competition and remarks on leadership.
But there was more substance to Flores’ comments this time around. One such instance revolved around the running backs. Flores was initially asked about running back Kenyan Drake and if he was an every-down back.
“He (Drake) catches the ball well. He’s a good runner, he runs hard…the opportunities they get on the field will be up to them, period. If they practice well, if they’re smart, they work hard, they’re tough, they block…then they’re going to play. That’s all of the backs.”
Huh. There’s no question Drake can do all of those things, but the issues centered around Drake’s playing time under former coach Adam Gase? Were they not centered around consistency issues? A perceived failure to consistently hit the hole?
Miami handed over more carries to Frank Gore last season because of consistency. And while Drake has the physical tools to pass block effectively, but was hit or miss in that category last season as well.
As Flores said, the opportunities to get on the field will be up to the backs, so the ball is in Drake’s court to deliver what he’s always been physically capable of. And he needs to start providing it on a daily basis, not just on Sundays, if his big breakout season is to come in 2019.
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