Brian Flores reveals how Pittsburgh Steelers opportunity came about

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a new defensive piece on the 2022 coaching staff and former Miami Dolphins’ coach Brian Flores said the deal moved swiftly.

In an interview with Bryant Gumbel of Real Sports, Flores said that it “all happened very fast” because he called Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin “to get some counsel” about his next steps last Thursday. The two men spoke again on Friday and “that conversation turned into an opportunity” with the team that Flores accepted on Friday night

Gumbel followed up on that by asking if he thinks Tomlin threw Flores a “lifeline” as a result of the lawsuit Brian Flores filed against the NFL and several teams alleging discriminatory hiring practices for head coaching jobs.

“I’m a very — capable coach in this league,” Flores said. “But I do feel like he saw a situation where there was — a very — experienced coach — who could help his staff, who was also a Black coach in the league. And I think — I think that — that kind speaks to what we’re talkin’ about.”

In a move that was felt throughout the league, Flores recently filed a lawsuit against the NFL on the basis of racial bias.

“This Brian Flores lawsuit against the NFL is going to resonate throughout sports and be a significant moment in the history of the league,” Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports said. “I’ve spoken to two other coaches who believe they have the receipts to be a part of the class. This could be a tsunami before it’s all over.”

Cam Heyward chimes in on Brian Flores hire

The Steelers made headlines this weekend, bringing Flores in to join Mike Tomlin’s Pittsburgh staff. After the news broke, star defensive end Cam Heyward reacted to Flores joining Pittsburgh as a senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach.

“It’s very similar to when we signed coach Munchak,” Heyward said, via Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, per Pro Football Talk. “You heard of his leadership and what he had done as head coach, but you knew the type of coach he was through his players. Even when Flores was in New England, he got the most out of his defenses.

“When you start looking at the track record, when you bring in different coaches, you start to get pretty excited.”

While Tomlin has a background in defense, his focus has been pulled away as he has so much responsibility on his plate. With Brian Flores joining newly-minted defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, Heyward and the unit as a whole could be in for a big year in 2022.