Brandon Flowers (American football)

Brandon Lavar Flowers (born February 18, 1986) is a former American football cornerback. He played college football at Virginia Tech, and was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft.

Brandon Flowers
Flowers with Chiefs in 2010
No. 24, 26
Position:Cornerback
Personal information
Born: (1986-02-18) February 18, 1986
Delray Beach, Florida
Height:5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight:187 lb (85 kg)
Career information
High school:Delray Beach (FL) Atlantic Community
College:Virginia Tech
NFL Draft:2008 / Round: 2 / Pick: 35
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:487
Sacks:3.0
Pass deflections:110
Interceptions:21
Forced fumbles:4
Defensive touchdowns:4
Player stats at NFL.com

High school career

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 Hargreaves, 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

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

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 drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the second round (35th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft. Flowers was the highest selected Hokies defender since DeAngelo Hall in 2004.

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 9 5⁄8 in
(1.77 m)		 189 lb
(86 kg)		 4.55 s 1.47 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, except 20-ss and 3-cone, which are from Virginia Tech Pro Day.[5]

Kansas City Chiefs
Flowers (left) with the Chiefs

Flowers signed his contract for four years on July 23, 2008.[6]

During the 2008 season, Flowers played opposite Patrick Surtain, who is his cousin.[7] 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,[8] 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.[9] In the Chiefs/Raiders game, Flowers picked the ball off twice which one was returned for a touchdown. Flowers finished the season with 59 tackles and 4 interceptions.

On June 13, 2014, the Chiefs released Flowers.[10]

San Diego Chargers
Flowers in 2014

On June 24, 2014, Flowers signed a one-year deal with the San Diego Chargers.[11] His decision was influenced by the opportunity to play against the Chiefs.[12][13] 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.[14] 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.[15]

On March 7, 2017, Flowers was released by the Chargers.[16]


Retirement

On August 8, 2017, Flowers announced his retirement from the NFL.[17]

NFL statistics
Year Team GP Tackles Fumbles Interceptions
CombTotalAstSackFFFRYdsIntYdsAvgLngTDPD
2008KC 14696270.0123721185991113
2009KC 15655870.0220538833023
2010KC 15655690.01002331733114
2011KC 165947120.00004952458120
2012KC 15484081.00164328929013
2013KC 13686351.0000132323208
2014SD 14524840.00003441527010
2015SD 11332941.0000000004
2016SD 6282440.0000133333315
Career119487427603.0451012142120914110

[18]

Personal life

Flowers posed for PETA's anti-fur campaign in December 2014[19] and became vegan in June 2015.[20]

References
  1. "Brandon Flowers, #24, Cornerback, Kansas City Chiefs". Archived from the original on July 30, 2008. Retrieved October 30, 2008.
  2. "Brandon Flowers Recruiting Profile", Rivals.com, retrieved February 18, 2010.
  3. "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.
  4. "2008 NFL Draft - Brandon Flowers". Sports Illustrated. November 12, 2012. Archived from the original on November 12, 2012.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
  5. "*Brandon Flowers - Virginia Tech, CB : 2008 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile". nfldraftscout.com.
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 29, 2008. Retrieved July 23, 2008.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. "Flowers flanking `cousin' in Chiefs secondary". ESPN.com. Associated Press.
  8. Teicher, Adam (April 9, 2010). "Flowers working on breakout season - KansasCity.com". Kansas City Star. Archived from the original on April 9, 2010.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
  9. Siciliano, Andrew. "Direct TV Redzone". Direct TV. Roto Wire. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  10. "Brandon Flowers released by Kansas City Chiefs". NFL.com.
  11. "Chargers agree to deal with CB Brandon Flowers". ESPN.com. Associated Press. June 24, 2014. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
  12. "Brandon Flowers had Chiefs in mind when joining Bolts". NFL.com.
  13. Gehlken, Michael. "Chargers veterans sold Brandon Flowers". U-T San Diego. Archived from the original on July 1, 2014.
  14. Rosenthal, Gregg (March 8, 2015). "Brandon Flowers, Chargers agree to 4-year, $36M deal". NFL.com. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  15. Henne, Ricky (December 14, 2016). "Chargers Place Brandon Flowers on IR Among Trio of Moves". Chargers.com.
  16. Henne, Ricky (March 7, 2017). "Chargers Release Trio of Vets Including CB Brandon Flowers". Chargers.com.
  17. "Veteran CB Brandon Flowers plans to retire Tuesday". NFL.com. August 7, 2017.
  18. "Brandon Flowers Stats". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  19. Posner, Ryan (December 11, 2014). "Chargers Cornerback Brandon Flowers Joins PETA's Anti-Fur Lineup". Times of San Diego. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  20. Caswell, Marty (July 30, 2015). "Brandon Flowers on building camaraderie, why he's gone vegan & what excites him about this team". Mighty1090.com. Retrieved July 16, 2018.


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