Tre Flowers’ Spirit Is Still on Display and the Bengals Have It as Super Bowl LVI
STILLWATER – Tre Flowers had a strong career at Oklahoma State. I remember the long, tall athlete from Converse Judson as he started most of his four seasons in Stillwater (2014-2017). Flowers finished with 284 tackles, 209 unassisted, four interceptions, a fumble recovered, and four fumbles forced. He also defended 25 passes. That was what he was credited with, but he prevented a lot more damage from opposing offenses.
This Sunday Flowers will have role in helping the Cincinnati Bengals win Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles against the Rams. He’ll also see a slightly older former Cowboy alum on the sidelines coaching the Rams in Zac Robinson. Flowers is one of the guys with spirit. He walks around with it and if you pay attention then you will notice something special about him.
Flowers finished his career as an All-Big 12 safety. He was one of the better players on the defense and while I will remember his play, it was a November night at Boone Pickens Stadium that I remember more. The Cowboys were locked into a Top 10 battle with a very talented Baylor team, one of then-Bears coach Art Briles’ best teams. No. 4 Oklahoma State needed all hands-on deck. Flowers and his family had suffered tragedy that week.
Rodney Flowers, Tre’s father, was coming home from work on his motorcycle when a car pulled in front of him. The damage was massive with a broken leg and ankle, a dislocated shoulder, severe injuries to his abdomen and bladder, and completely fractured pelvis. Doctors put Rodney into a medically induced coma with hopes he would heal, and his body would come out of it. The prognosis at the time was 50/50.
This was Thursday and despite wanting to leave immediately, Tre’s mother told him to stay put. Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy checked with compliance to make sure it was legal and then on Friday sent Tre home on a private charter to see his father and be with his family. Once there and after seeing his father, Tre’s mother encouraged her son to get back on that plane and head to Stillwater and play in the game.
He did, and he played well. You could see that night that Tre was extremely emotional and motivated. Baylor won the game 45-35.
"I played with a heavy heart that game," Flowers would say later when asked about it. "Unfortunately, we didn't win the game. But to have that (his teammates) to rely on, that they are going to support you no matter what, it's great. I'll always remember everybody on the team. I'll love them forever, too."
Tre’s father Rodney did recover and has enjoyed watching his son’s pro career, which after three full seasons and a month and a half as a Seattle Seahawks corner came to an abrupt end. Flowers had been drafted by Seattle in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. His 6-3, 215-pound frame with quick twitch athleticism had Seattle thinking corner and the analytics backed up their decision right up to when they waived him in October. Some reports say Flowers asked for it after being benched, other reports are the Seahawks decided to let him go.
"It was time for a change," Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, who had been a huge Flowers fan, said back then. "He did a lot of good stuff. He was a really good technician, but you have to finish the plays, make the plays, and come back when you don't. You have to find successful plays to build on, so it was just his time to go on, that's enough to say."
The Bengals at the time were struggling with pass defense and Flowers fit the bill. He also made a return to playing special teams. Something he thought he’d have to do as a rookie.
"My rookie year I knew the way I had to make it was play on special teams," Flowers said to the Cincinnati Bengals website. "It just so happened I earned my way to the top (and didn't play in the kicking game). But I went to the meetings, and I always listened."
That came in handy because upon arrival in Cincinnati he was playing in the Jungle (Paul Brown Stadium) on punt unit as a gunner. Bengals special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons has appreciated his willingness to jump in. His teammates like defensive captain Jessie Bates III have noticed.
"I love that dude," says Bates, a fellow 2018 draft safety. "He sits right next to me in the meeting room, and you can tell that he cares. Tre was a starter for three years at Seattle and he could've easily come over here like 'Why am I not playing defense?' But instead, he comes in on packages, he does his job and then he goes and plays gunner for the first time ever and makes huge plays in that aspect of controlling the field. I can't say enough about him."
Flowers has that spirit. He still has it and it will be out there on display in SoFi Stadium on Sunday. He may not be a starter, he may be toiling on special teams, but he doesn’t care.
"My goal is to win the Super Bowl," Flowers said to Bengals.com. "Everybody talks about being a starter and coming in as a role player, I want to help this team win."
Since joining the Bengals, Flowers has 32 tackles, 22 unassisted, four passes defended, and a fumble recovery.
"I just want to play football as long as I can," Flowers said. "And this is going to help me do it."
Being with the Bengals, being willing to do whatever it takes, and possessing that spirit.