When the Minnesota Vikings traded up for Alabama EDGE Dallas Turner, we probably should have seen their interest from a mile away. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores is from the Bill Belichick coaching tree, which also includes legendary Alabama head coach Nick Saban.
There has been a real pipeline from Alabama to New England with the Patriots prioritizing a lot of their players, including Dont'a Hightower, whom both Flores and Saban compared Turner to.
After the first practice, Turner spoke to the media and was asked about his first practice and coming from Alabama. That led to a direct comparison of Flores to Saban.
"It’s actually crazy because in the first defensive meeting coach Flores [Brian Flores] orchestrated it with the same rules, regulations, and day one base stuff that was the same in college. One team, one defense, all about the ball, all about tackling and being physical and playing fast. It’s a lot of the same stuff I was used to in college so there’s a very good resemblance between the two."
Flores being compared to arguably the greatest college football head coach of all time after working for arguably the greatest NFL head coach of all time is both great to see and not too much of a surprise, especially since Saban worked under Belichick as his defensive coordinator.
The good news for Turner is that he is used to that style of coaching, which should help the adjustment period early on.
