Before the Miami Dolphins conducted practice at the Baptist Health Training Complex on the grounds of Hard Rock Stadium on Monday, head coach Brian Flores spoke to the media.
Here were the highlights of that session:
-- First question concerns Tua's health and Flores says the expectation is that Tua will start against the Jets on Sunday.
-- Malcolm Brown, Will Fuller V and Michael Deiter all are eligible to return from IR this week, but Flores says it won't happen this week.
-- Flores confirms that veteran defensive back Jason McCourty's injury is season-ending.
-- Jacoby Brissett is day-to-day but expected to practice at some point during the week.
-- Tua is limited, but the Dolphins will monitor his progress throughout the week.
-- The Dolphins were able to get some chunk plays against Baltimore, thanks to some massive defensive breakdowns, but Flores says those obviously are important to be able to manufacture however they happen.
-- Liam Eichenberg will continue to start at left tackle.
-- The mini-bye after the Thursday night game was good for the players to recharge their batteries.
-- After all the blitzing we saw Thursday night, Flores saw the game plan will depend on the opponent, adding that sometimes it's a coverage and other times it's a blitz game.
-- There will be discussions about possible changes on the offensive line, outside of the left tackle spot. Flores says the best combination always will be out there.
-- Jaylen Waddle has dominated the targets in the passing game all season, and Flores likes the idea of having a go-to receiver while also wanting to spread the ball around.
-- Regarding the Jets, Flores refers to them as a young team that plays with great effort. Points out they've beaten two good teams — Tennessee and Cincinnati.
-- Not surprisingly, Flores says he's not concerned about the notion of his team potentially getting itself back into the playoff picture at some point but rather focusing strictly on the game at hand.
-- Rookie safety Jevon Holland is "mature beyond his years," Flores says, adding he's got a lot of intangibles the team likes. "He keeps up the way he prepares, he's going to be OK in this league." Editor's Note: We'll see Flores' OK and raise it to star. Holland can become a star, a term that Flores wouldn't use but we would.
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