Coach Speak

Head coach Brian Flores offers his thoughts on a wide variety of topics, including receiver/returner Jakeem Grant, the progress of tight end Mike Gesicki, and quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick’s gunslinger mentality

Q. Is it possible to build a team in the likeness of the New England Patriots? For years, this team said it was going to build a team to beat New England. Now it kind of seems as though this team is taking a New England path to the building. Is this possible?

BF: No, it’s not. There are different players in this building. We’re trying to build the Miami Dolphins. I’ll say that first and foremost. New England has their players, their coaches, their own organization. We’re the Miami Dolphins, and we’re trying to build something here. Each player is different. Each coach is different. How you coach differently, it’s all different. To build something in the likeness of someone else — that’s not how it works. We’re going to have our own personality as a team, our own culture. That’s the goal.”

Q. How is that going? How do you think instilling your culture into this franchise is going so far?

BF: I think it’s a work in progress. I think we’ve got a group of guys who understand the work that it’s going to take to prepare and compete every week, and we’re learning to do that. I think we practiced that way yesterday, and we’ll continue to build and try to improve and get better.

Q. How do you foresee Jakeem Grant being used in the next few weeks, and what do you expect from him?

BF: I have a lot of confidence in Jakeem as a returner, as a receiver. I have a lot of confidence in him. He’s a guy with the ball in his hands, he’s very explosive, and we’re going to try to put him in positions where he can make some plays.

Q. WR Allen Hurns had kind of a quiet preseason from him, but what do you like about what you’ve seen from him?