Meanwhile, defensive coordinator Brian Flores is dealing with major off-field drama. On Tuesday, a recent interview clip surfaced of Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on the Dan LeBatard Show.

In the clip, Tua goes off on Flores, who was head coach at Miami for Tua’s first two NFL seasons. He blames his old coach for confidence issues back then, along with Sunday struggles he dealt with, early in his career. Tagovailoa even went as far as calling Flores “a terrible person”. You can read the full context of the clip HERE.

Minnesota Vikings players have Brian Flores’ back

On Tuesday afternoon, Brian Flores spoke with members of the media for the first time since the Tua clip dropped. In a show of both literal and metaphorical support, two veteran Vikings defenders, Josh Metellus and Harrison Phillips, showed up and stood behind their defensive coordinator during the start of his press conference.

Josh Metellus (left) and Harrison Phillips joined Brian Flores in a show of support before Flores began speaking to reporters. Flores admitted Tua’s words hit hard, said he has evolved as a coach and wishes Tua nothing but the best. pic.twitter.com/U2cUPPLSpk

— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) August 20, 2024

After a brief introduction, Flores got into what everyone was there to hear about. His response to what his former QB said about him. Below is the full back and forth, regarding Tua’s comments, between the now Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator, and media members today at TCO Performance Center.

I’ve included some of the transcript below, but the video has captions, for those who cannot listen with sound.

Brian Flores' full back and forth with reporters, regarding Tua's comments that he is "a terrible person…" (captions included) #Vikings pic.twitter.com/OC3oCsIehC

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) August 20, 2024

Flores: “I’m genuinely happy for the success that Tua has had and I really wish him nothing but the best. Player relationships are very important to me. I think that’s kind of the foundation of coaching.”

Reporter: “Did you see the relationship the way [Tua] saw the relationship? Did what he said resonate at all with you?”

Flores: “You know, I think…. I think, part of coaching is correcting. I’m always going to correct, I’m always going to have a high standard. Look, I’ve done a lot reflecting on the situation, and communication. I think there’s things that I could do better, for sure, and I’ve grown in that way, and I’ve tried to apply the things that I could do better and the things that I’ve learned over the last two, three years. But I would say, over the long haul, I’ve had a lot of great relationships over my 21 year career here, in the league.”

Flores shows remorse, but wants to move on

The back and forth with reporters, regarding Tua, went on for about seven minutes. It was clearly a very uncomfortable interview for Flores to give. He stumbled on his words multiple times, as he tried to find the best way to describe his feelings on a very sensitive subject that he doesn’t want to fan the flames on.

He didn’t want to disregard Tua’s feelings, and made that clear multiple times, noting that he doesn’t want any of his players to feel the way his former QB does. At the same time, though, he wants to use this experience to reflect on what he needs to do to become a better coach, so he can focus on the players under him now.

Related: Did T.J. Hockenson Have a Set Back While Rehabbing his Knee Injury?

And clearly, many of those players love everything about Brian Flores. He said that he has had a lot of people reach out to him, and that he appreciates their support.

When asked if he plans to try and bury the hatchet with Tagovailoa, Brian Flores said he would be open to that, if the opportunity presented itself, but said again, that he is more focused on what the Minnesota Vikings are trying to do in 2024, not re-kindling past relationships that have gone sour.

There were some who thought Tua would make his return this weekend. But Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport (both of NFL Network) reported on Wednesday morning that Tagovailoa is unlikely to play vs the Vikings.

Tua is expected, however, to take the practice field today, and could realistically be cleared by Sunday. The Dolphins supposed plan is to give their young QB another week to get right, before activating him.

#Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa will return to the field and throw today as part of his progression through concussion protocol, sources say. Highly unlikely to play Sunday vs. the #Vikings, but he's headed in the right direction.

More from me and @RapSheet: https://t.co/YJg6ffxNYE pic.twitter.com/jQsrnM8Shz

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 12, 2022

Teddy Questionable too

This update on Tua should have meant that the Vikings can expect Teddy Bridgewater as Miami’s starter. But not so fast. His availability is in question too. Bridgewater got the start for Miami last week, but didn’t make it out of the 1st quarter after suffering his own head injury.

We were told that Bridgewater would have been allowed to return to that game, under previous concussion protocols. Which is why we all assumed he’d be cleared to play, vs the Vikings, by the end of the week. But, the earliest he’s allowed to take the practice field, under current rules, is Thursday.

In the case that neither Teddy nor Tua can go on Sunday, the Miami Dolphins would turn to Skylar Thompson, a 2022 7th-round draft pick. Thompson, according to head coach Mike McDaniel, is the expected starter (at this point). When forced into action last week, Thompson went 19/33 for 166 yards and 1 INT (40-17 loss vs Jets).

From @GMFB: #Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa will return to practice today, per me and @TomPelissero. What it means… ???????????? pic.twitter.com/A9VxgUV8NH

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 12, 2022

Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel says he plans to start Skylar Thompson at QB Sunday vs. Vikings.

If Teddy Bridgewater is cleared from protocol this weekend, he would likely backup Skylar per McDaniel who noted Teddy will be w/ trainers today and potentially limited practice tomorrow.

— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) October 12, 2022

3rd-String Guy?

This is now a really weird situation for the Minnesota Vikings, from a preparation standpoint. It sounds like Tua Tagovailoa could very well be cleared to play, even if the Dolphins are leaning toward resting him one more week.

If cleared, would they really give the ball to Thompson or Bridgewater? Because, should they change their minds, a healthy Tua could present major problems if the Vikings defense is ill-prepared.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan