Brandon Flowers (American football)
You may be looking for: Brandon Flowers, Lead singer of The Killers
 Flowers with Chiefs in 2010 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 24, 26 | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Cornerback | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born: | February 18, 1986 Delray Beach, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 187 lb (85 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school: | Atlantic Community (Delray Beach, Florida) | ||||||||||||||
| College: | Virginia Tech (2004–2007) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2008 / round: 2 / pick: 35 | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Brandon Lavar Flowers (born February 18, 1986) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Virginia Tech Hokies, and was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the second round of the 2008 NFL draft.
Early life
[edit]Flowers played high school football while attending Atlantic Community High School, where he earned first-team all-area and all-conference honors. He was teammates with Omar Jacobs and David Clowney. Flowers then attended Hargrave Military Academy for prep school in 2003.[1] At Hargrave, he was teammates with Jonathan Hefney, Brian Soi, DJ Ware, and Justin Harper. He also starred in basketball and track.
Although considered a three-star recruit, Flowers was not listed among the nation's top cornerback prospects by Rivals.com.[2]
College career
[edit]
Flowers attended Virginia Tech, where he majored in Sociology. In 2004; he did not play in the season opener vs. Southern California, but made a spectacular interception for a 38-yard return the following week vs. Western Michigan. He suffered a fractured right fibula later in the contest and missed the rest of the season. Flowers returned to action in 2005, posting 20 tackles (13 solo) with four pass deflections, 1 1/2 stops behind the line of scrimmage, and an interception.
As a sophomore in 2006, Flowers took over the boundary cornerback spot, going on to start his final 27 games with the Hokies. He earned All-American second-team and All-Atlantic Coast Conference first-team honors, leading the league with 21 passes defended, breaking up 18 throws and picking off three others. He totaled 51 tackles (29 solo) with 3.5 sacks and 7.5 stops for losses. He also caused a fumble and did not allow an opponent to catch any passes in three games.
As a junior in 2007, Flowers again received All-American and All-ACC recognition. In 2007, Flowers intercepted five passes and deflected nine others; he also ranked third on the team with 86 tackles (56 solo), including eight stops behind the line of scrimmage.
In 41 games at Virginia Tech, Flowers made 28 starts at cornerback, making 158 tackles (99 solo) with 3.5 sacks for minus-28 yards, 17 stops for losses of 71 yards and six quarterback pressures. He caused and recovered a fumble, deflected 32 passes, and intercepted 10 others for 172 yards in returns and two touchdowns. He also led the Atlantic Coast Conference in passes broken up (18) and passes defended (21).
Flowers decided to forgo his final year of eligibility to enter the 2008 NFL draft.[3]
Professional career
[edit]Regarded as the No. 8 cornerback available in the 2008 NFL draft, Flowers was described an "opportunistic cornerback with solid ball skills" by Sports Illustrated.[4] He was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the second round (35th overall) of the 2008 NFL draft.[5] Flowers was the highest selected Hokies defender since DeAngelo Hall in 2004.
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 9+3⁄4 in (1.77 m) |
189 lb (86 kg) |
31 in (0.79 m) |
8+5⁄8 in (0.22 m) |
4.54 s | 1.53 s | 2.60 s | 4.08 s | 6.72 s | 30 in (0.76 m) |
9 ft 9 in (2.97 m) |
14 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[6][7] | ||||||||||||
Kansas City Chiefs
[edit]
Flowers signed his contract for four years on July 23, 2008.[8]
During the 2008 season, Flowers played opposite Patrick Surtain, who is his cousin.[9] He recorded his first two career interceptions against Brett Favre of the New York Jets on October 26, returning the 2nd one 91 yards for a touchdown. The Chiefs, however, lost the game 28–24. Flowers finished the season with 69 tackles (62 solo), 1 forced fumble, 13 pass break-ups, 2 interceptions and a touchdown.
Despite playing nearly all the 2009 season with a hurt shoulder,[10] Flowers accumulated 65 tackles (58 solo), 2 forced fumbles, 23 pass break-ups, and 5 interceptions.
During the 2010 season, he helped lead the Chiefs to the 14th ranked defense (in yards per game), after finishing 30th the previous season, and helped lead the Chiefs to their first division title since 2003. He finished the season with 65 tackles, 14 pass deflections, and 2 interceptions one of which was returned for a touchdown.
On September 16, 2011, Flowers signed a five-year contract extension with the Chiefs worth $50 million with $22 million guaranteed.[11] In the Chiefs/Raiders game, Flowers picked the ball off twice, one of which was returned for a touchdown. Flowers finished the season with 59 tackles and 4 interceptions.
On June 13, 2014, the Chiefs released Flowers.[12]
San Diego Chargers
[edit]
On June 24, 2014, Flowers signed a one-year deal with the San Diego Chargers.[13] His decision was influenced by the opportunity to play against the Chiefs.[14][15] On September 28, 2014, against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Flowers picked off Blake Bortles, his first interception as a Charger. On October 5, 2014, versus the New York Jets, Flowers recorded his second interception of the season, intercepting Geno Smith. On November 23, versus the St. Louis Rams, Flowers recorded his 3rd interception of the season, intercepting Shaun Hill. Flowers finished his first season in San Diego recording 52 total tackles (48 solo), going along with 3 interceptions, and 10 passes defended in 14 games played.
Flowers re-signed with the Chargers on a four-year, $36 million contract on March 8, 2015.[16] After the departure of Ryan Mathews he announced that he would switch his number to 24 (His previous number was 26). On December 12, 2015, he was placed on injured reserve.
Flowers appeared in six games in 2016 before suffering a concussion in Week 10. He was placed on injured reserve on December 14, 2016.[17]
On March 7, 2017, Flowers was released by the Chargers.[18]
Retirement
[edit]On August 8, 2017, Flowers announced his retirement from the NFL.[19]
NFL career statistics
[edit]| Year | Team | GP | Tackles | Fumbles | Interceptions | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | FF | FR | Yds | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | PD | |||
| 2008 | KC | 14 | 69 | 62 | 7 | 0.0 | 1 | 2 | 37 | 2 | 118 | 59 | 91 | 1 | 13 |
| 2009 | KC | 15 | 65 | 58 | 7 | 0.0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 38 | 8 | 33 | 0 | 23 |
| 2010 | KC | 15 | 65 | 56 | 9 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 33 | 17 | 33 | 1 | 14 |
| 2011 | KC | 16 | 59 | 47 | 12 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 95 | 24 | 58 | 1 | 20 |
| 2012 | KC | 15 | 48 | 40 | 8 | 1.0 | 0 | 1 | 64 | 3 | 28 | 9 | 29 | 0 | 13 |
| 2013 | KC | 13 | 68 | 63 | 5 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 0 | 8 |
| 2014 | SD | 14 | 52 | 48 | 4 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 44 | 15 | 27 | 0 | 10 |
| 2015 | SD | 11 | 33 | 29 | 4 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2016 | SD | 6 | 28 | 24 | 4 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 1 | 5 |
| Career[20] | 119 | 487 | 427 | 60 | 3.0 | 4 | 5 | 101 | 21 | 421 | 20 | 91 | 4 | 110 | |
Personal life
[edit]Flowers posed for PETA's anti-fur campaign in December 2014[21] and became vegan in June 2015.[22]
References
[edit]- ^ "Brandon Flowers, #24, Cornerback, Kansas City Chiefs". Archived from the original on July 30, 2008. Retrieved October 30, 2008.
- ^ "Brandon Flowers Recruiting Profile", Rivals.com, retrieved February 18, 2010.
- ^ "Virginia Tech's Flowers declaring for NFL draft". Fox Sports. Associated Press. January 7, 2008. Archived from the original on January 15, 2008. Retrieved January 8, 2008.
- ^ "2008 NFL Draft - Brandon Flowers". Sports Illustrated. November 12, 2012. Archived from the original on November 12, 2012.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "2008 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
- ^ Bryan, Dave (March 7, 2011). "Top 2010 NFL Cornerbacks NFL Combine Results Compared To 2011 Top CB Prospects". Steelers Depot. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
- ^ "2008 NFL Draft Scout Brandon Flowers College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- ^ "www.kansascity.com | 07/23/2008 | Chiefs reach deal with 2nd-round pick Flowers". Archived from the original on July 29, 2008. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
- ^ "Flowers flanking 'cousin' in Chiefs secondary". ESPN.com. Associated Press.
- ^ Teicher, Adam (April 9, 2010). "Flowers working on breakout season - KansasCity.com". Kansas City Star. Archived from the original on April 9, 2010.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Siciliano, Andrew. "Direct TV Redzone". Direct TV. Roto Wire. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
- ^ "Brandon Flowers released by Kansas City Chiefs". NFL.com.
- ^ "Chargers agree to deal with CB Brandon Flowers". ESPN.com. Associated Press. June 24, 2014. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
- ^ "Brandon Flowers had Chiefs in mind when joining Bolts". NFL.com.
- ^ Gehlken, Michael. "Chargers veterans sold Brandon Flowers". U-T San Diego. Archived from the original on July 1, 2014.
- ^ Rosenthal, Gregg (March 8, 2015). "Brandon Flowers, Chargers agree to 4-year, $36M deal". NFL.com. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
- ^ Henne, Ricky (December 14, 2016). "Chargers Place Brandon Flowers on IR Among Trio of Moves". Chargers.com.
- ^ Henne, Ricky (March 7, 2017). "Chargers Release Trio of Vets Including CB Brandon Flowers". Chargers.com.
- ^ "Veteran CB Brandon Flowers plans to retire Tuesday". NFL.com. August 7, 2017. Archived from the original on August 9, 2017.
- ^ "Brandon Flowers Stats". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
- ^ Posner, Ryan (December 11, 2014). "Chargers Cornerback Brandon Flowers Joins PETA's Anti-Fur Lineup". Times of San Diego. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
- ^ Caswell, Marty (July 30, 2015). "Brandon Flowers on building camaraderie, why he's gone vegan & what excites him about this team". Mighty1090.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
External links
[edit]
- Virginia Tech Hokies bio
Media related to Brandon Flowers (American football) at Wikimedia Commons
- 1986 births
- Living people
- Sportspeople from Delray Beach, Florida
- Players of American football from Palm Beach County, Florida
- American football cornerbacks
- Virginia Tech Hokies football players
- Kansas City Chiefs players
- San Diego Chargers players
- Unconferenced Pro Bowl players
- Los Angeles Chargers players
- Hargrave Military Academy alumni