He is an elite defensive mind.
In his three seasons with the Vikings, Flores has orchestrated some of the top defenses in the league, predicated on disguised rushes and coverages.
Minnesota allowed the third-fewest yards per game (282.6) this season and had a six-game stretch where it didn’t allow a passing touchdown, the first time a defense did that since 1988.
Flores gets the most out of the personnel he has. Similar to how the Ravens deployed Kyle Hamilton in a variety of ways, Flores gave 14-year veteran safety Harrison Smith free rein this season. After defeating the Cowboys this season, Smith said playing on Flores’ defense is “so much fun.”
“There’s a lot of things in the defense that ‘Flo’ kind of builds in and allows us to be a little creative and flexible with,” Smith said. “When you have a bunch of guys that understand the game, who can communicate on a high level, it allows us to do some things that I haven’t done in my whole career.”
Last season, when the Vikings finished 14-3, Flores’ defense allowed the fifth-fewest points per game (19.5) and was tied for the league lead with 33 takeaways. Flores was named a finalist for The Associated Press Assistant Coach of the Year award.
