Head Coach Brian Flores addressed the media Tuesday. Here were some comments that stood out, along with some perspective:
"I think we started fast. I thought we were ready to play."
— The Dolphins jumped out to a 14-0 lead against the Steelers on Monday night, a clear indication they were prepared to face a team coming off their bye. As Flores pointed out, the outcome Monday came down to big plays that were made by Pittsburgh and not made by the Dolphins.
"I think he flew around, played fast, did a lot of good things."
— Linebacker Jerome Baker might have had his best performance of the season against Pittsburgh, and Flores says the second-year player keeps growing every week. But Flores wasn't overly concerned with individual performances on a night when the Dolphins lost.
"We're going through every potential positional changes we would make based on injury and based on our opponent."
— The Dolphins could find themselves short-handed at cornerback this week in light of the injuries sustained Monday night by Xavien Howard and Ken Webster, but Flores said it was too early in the week to start trying to pin down potential moves to help the situation. One scenario would be moving Eric Rowe back to cornerback after he played the past two games at safety. Another would be activating Cordrea Tankersley off PUP if the Dolphins decide he's ready to contribute.
"If you want to win games in this league, you've got to be aggressive. That's never going to change."
— The Dolphins were aggressive in their play-calling against the Steelers, and even though it didn't always work out, Flores says he's never going to change his approach.
"I thought he played OK. I think he'll be better in practice this week. I think he'll be better in the game. He looked rusty."
— Defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche played his first game for the Dolphins on Monday night after being activated off PUP, and Flores said the technique issues that surfaced weren't unexpected considering Nkemdiche just started practicing with the team less than two weeks ago. Nkemdiche played 15 snaps against Pittsburgh.
