A couple days after Tua Tagovailoa candidly described the harsh coaching he received from former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores, outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel offered a different take Wednesday.
Van Ginkel, 29, joined the Minnesota Vikings as a free agent in the offseason, reuniting him with Flores, who is currently the defensive coordinator in Minnesota.
🎥 Former Miami Dolphins LB Andrew Van Ginkel on Tua Tagovailoa's comments about Brian Flores: "[Flores] is the reason I'm the player I am today… I'm just going to kind of leave Tua's comments to himself but for me I wouldn't be here without [Flores]." (@JeffWaldFox9) #GoFins pic.twitter.com/LUyUzqmFwz
— FinsXtra (@FinsXtra) August 22, 2024
“We’ve got [Flores]’s back and trust what he’s building here with this defense and the type of standard that he’s built and we’re all just trying to live up to his expectations and standards he has for our defense,” Van Ginkel told Jeff Wald of FOX 9 in Minnesota.
“Obviously, [Flores] has a lot of respect from me. I’ve got a lot of respect for him and kind of who he is as a defensive coach and what he brings to the table. He’s the reason I’m the player I am today and I give him credit for that. … I’m just gonna kinda leave Tua’s comments to himself but for me I wouldn’t be here without [Flores].”
On Monday, Tagovailoa told Dan Le Batard that constant criticisms from Flores caused self-doubt to sink in before Mike McDaniel was able to instill confidence in the quarterback again.
“If you have a terrible person telling you things that you don’t want to hear or probably shouldn’t be hearing, you’re going to start to believe that about yourself,” Tagovailoa told Le Batard. “That’s sort of what ended up happening.”
On Tuesday, Flores had a measured response to the criticism, telling reporters that he’s learned from past mistakes and he’s “genuinely happy” that Tagovailoa has found success under McDaniel.
Van Ginkel, 29, was a fifth-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft and finished his Dolphins tenure with 17 sacks.
