It’s been just under four years since the New York Giants passed on Brian Flores in their head coaching search. On Sunday, he gave them 13 more reasons to regret it, though his defense only allowed six. That’s all the Giants could muster against the Minnesota Vikings in a game that felt like they were playing not to lose, with their only touchdown coming on a defensive scoop-and-score.
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It marked the second straight time a Flores-led defense completely smothered the franchise that passed him over in 2022. In two meetings with New York since then, his unit has allowed zero touchdowns, just 12 total points, and has forced all kinds of uncomfortable questions about whether the G-Men hired the right guy in Brian Daboll.
The backstory is well-known by now. Flores was one of the finalists for the job alongside Daboll. However, a wrong congratulatory text message exchange with Bill Belichick led the 44-year-old to believe his interview was a sham.
The Giants denied the claims and stood by their hiring process. But nearly four years later, Daboll has been fired, the team is 2-13 for the second straight season, and Flores is quietly exacting some pretty ruthless revenge.
Brian Flores keeps making the Giants pay for passing on him
The G-Men have played the Vikings in back-to-back seasons, with very little success to show for it. They've mustered 381 yards of total offense, along with 19 total points -- excluding the seven coming from Brian Burns' sack fumble returned for a score on Sunday.
Flores' coaching career has taken an interesting route. After spending 15 years with the New England Patriots, the Miami Dolphins made him the team's 12th head coach in 2019. After three up-and-down seasons, the Phins decided to fire him after the 2021 season due to organizational dysfunction, lack of progress, and Flores' handling of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
There were rumors he clashed with then-Dolphins GM Chris Grier, sparking power struggles over personnel decisions and painting him as a coach who demanded too much of his staff and players.
After the Giants passed on him in 2022, Flores spent a year in Pittsburgh before taking over as Minnesota’s defensive coordinator, and he’s made sure to terrorize the team that overlooked him every chance he gets. Look no further than what he did Sunday, all but ruining Mike Kafka’s head coaching hopes.
It’s tough to say Flores would’ve been the right guy if general manager Joe Schoen hired him instead of Dabs, but he’s definitely doing everything he can to prove it, especially when he plays the Giants. He’s got the Vikings in the top five in total yards allowed per game and has built a reputation as one of the most creative, difficult defensive minds to game plan for
For NY, it’ll be head coach No. 7 (including interims) in 11 years come January. Here’s hoping they finally get one right.