"I'm not mad" - Brian Flores denies strained relationship with Bill Belichick 

Following the lawsuit filed by Brian Flores against the National Football League and its teams, including the New York Giants, the Miami Dolphins and the Denver Broncos, it came to light that New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick played a part in the story.

Flores said that Belichick sent him a text congratulating him on being hired by the New York Giants before he was even interviewed by the team. They both quickly realized that Belichick intended to send it to Brian Daboll, who was hired by the Giants. The text exchange added to the former Miami Dolphins head coach's case that he was just being interviewed to satisfy the "Rooney Rule".

In a guest appearance on the I Am Athlete podcast, which debuted on Monday, Flores was asked whether he was upset with his former boss, Bill Belichick, for sending him that text message.

The former Dolphins head coach said that it did not bother him and that he understood it was a mistake. Moreover, the incident brought to light the issues that Flores was already facing in the league.

"I'm not mad," Flores said. "I mean, Bill [Belichick] did what a lot of us [have done]... He sent a text message to the wrong person. I mean, I'm certainly guilty of that before and, to me, I thought it was specific to the lawsuit in that, for me, it confirmed a lot of things that I thought were going on that I think a lot of Black, minority coaches think are going on."

The former Miami head coach worked for Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots, beginning in 2004 as a scouting assistant until 2018, when he was hired by the Dolphins.

How will Brian Flores improve the Steelers defense?

The Pittsburgh Steelers announced on Saturday afternoon that they had hired former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores to be their defensive assistant and linebackers coach.

After being overlooked for all of the vacant head coaching positions, many wondered if Flores would be employed in the NFL next season. Now that he has found a job, his presence may have just made the Pittsburgh Steelers defense even better.

The Steelers already have a new defensive coordinator in Teryl Austin. Their most recent hire will bring in his expertise on the defensive side of the ball.

While some may wonder how much better the Steelers defense is, considering T.J. Watt was just named Defensive Player of the Year and Cam Heyward had one of his best seasons to date, there is room for improvement. For reference, the AFC Wild Card game against the Kansas City Chiefs witnessed the most recent fall of the Steelers defense.

As linebackers coach, Flores will also be integral in the coaching and development of linebacker Devin Bush, who had his struggles last season after returning from an ACL injury in 2020. The Steelers defense also finished last in rushing defense last season, something else that Flores will help reconstruct.

As the linebackers coach for the New England Patriots, he helped build one of the best defenses in the league during his tenure. He will now get the opportunity to hone his skills with the Steelers defense.