Opening Statement: “I’ll just start with this, knowing that we’ve got the Packers this week, certainly, this will be a tough opponent. They’ve been kind of the gold standard in this division for a long time, rightfully so. We know they’re going to be ready to go and we have to be ready to go. This will be a good challenge.” On the Green Bay Packers’ loss to the New Orleans Saints in Week 1: “Look, I know that’s a good football team they played because I just came from there. I think that time of possession played a big part in that. New Orleans’ offense, I thought, was able to control some things, which in turn affected Green Bay’s offense. I know this, they’re going to be – we’re going to – New Orleans kicked the hornets’ nest. So, we’re going to get everything they’ve got and we have to assume we’re going to get their A-game and that’s how we’re preparing.” On what the Saints did well defensively against the Packers that they can utilize on defense Monday night: “Look, I would say this, they were very physical. They played very physical up front and really even in the second level, too. I felt like they challenged the receivers up front. They were able to set edges on that run game, which coach (Packers Head Coach Matt) LaFleur and them like to – they build a lot of things off of that, that way (Aaron) Rodgers has the boots and everything. They just – they did a good job of identifying Green Bay’s strengths and trying to take those away from him and they got the upper hand and just kind of got them out of sorts early in the game and they couldn’t quite recover.” On why the Green Bay Packers have been what he considers the gold standard of the NFC North: “Yeah, well look, certainly, the quarterback plays a big part of that both, (former Packers QB Brett) Favre and (Aaron Rodgers) he, for all of these years. That certainly helps, but they’ve had enough pieces out there defensively. Hell, (Senior Defensive Assistant) Dom (Capers) was out there for years. They were – I think sometimes people forget they had a pretty dominant defense for a number of years as well. So, I think they’ve done a good job drafting. I think they’ve got a taste of success and know what it’s supposed to look like, how it’s supposed to look, a belief, and year-in and year-out, they have a chance of winning the Super Bowl because of it.” On how the Lions can become the gold standard of the NFC North: “I think for us it’s about – we have to create that attitude. We have to go numb when things don’t go right that you – let me rephrase that, we cannot go numb to losing and to those things that sting. You can’t accept when, even if you have a chance at the end of the game, you don’t win it, and there are small victories with what happened with us, but it also should taste awful and I think our guys are going to respond to that. That’s the other thing is, they’re coming off a loss, so are we. We don’t like that taste either. So, we’ve just got to clean it up. I think you’re trying to build a belief and a certain style of play that doesn’t matter what it is, you’re going back to work every day, you’re taking every rep one at a time and every game is a new game and it’s the most important game.” On how important it is to rely on the strengths of the roster: “I think it’s really important because, look, those are the guys right now that we know can produce for us, or the unit that can produce for us. They give us the best chance of success, while maybe sometimes masking some of your weaknesses. So, for example, our offensive line is a strength. T.J. (Hockenson) is a strength. (RB D’Andre Swift) Swifty is a strength. To be able to try to put those guys in position, our offensive line and somewhat control the football would help us. That would, certainly, behoove us this week if we could. Now, that doesn’t mean that we’re just going to run it 50 times, but we need to find a way to possess the ball, run and pass, if you will.” On the status of WR Tyrell Williams: “He’s in concussion protocol now.” On if he has expectations for whether or not WR Tyrell Williams will play Monday night: “I really don’t. I can tell you he’s not in the building today. Like, right now, it doesn’t look great, but we’ll see what tomorrow looks like.” On how DE Levi Onwuzurike’s game status is trending: “I would say he’s trending the right way. We put him through a really good workout Sunday to see how he felt for gameday, even though he was down and he responded well. So, we’re excited. I think we’d like to see if we can get him up this week, but we’ll see where the week goes.” On how he puts the importance Monday night’s game in perspective: “Yeah, look, absolutely it is. It is because, there again, it was kind of what I alluded to. It’s the most important game because it’s the next game and to find a way to get a win early here would, I think, would go a long way. Now, that being said, we can’t worry about – like, winning is a byproduct of playing the right way and playing fundamentally sound and handling your business. So, I just – a starting point, I want to play better. We need to play better. If something happens and we get beat because this guy is better than our guy and it was a technique error or an athletic error, that’s one thing. But, just to do things to where we’re not in the right gap or our eyes are bad or just these things that are focus-related, man, those are things that’s just like – it’s hard enough to win in this League, much less when you shoot yourself in the foot. So, I just want us to play better. I want to know that we’re out there doing what we’re coached to do and then let’s see where it goes. I would like our odds if we played the way we should play and we’re sound and responsible.” On how correctable the mistakes are from Week 1’s game: “I think it’s like a lot things. It’s no different than, for example, yesterday we did a simple shallow cross drill because our shallow crosses were awful last week. We talked about it and we made an emphasis and we went out here just like you would with a seventh-grade football team and we did a shallow cross drill. So, the emphasis, ‘Hey, this is how we need to handle this. This is how we line up. This is how we’re setting the edge. We’re going back to the basics.’ And it’s a major emphasis. That’s one. Two is that San Francisco is a little more – they’re a little more advanced schematically with the way that they can cut your defense. Now, they’ll do some trickery and there is some eye candy Green Bay does, but it’s different. They do a lot of things out of 12 and 11 whereas, man, (49ers FB Kyle Juszczyk) 44 can create some issues because he’s a fullback, he’s H-back, here comes this fly motion or turbo motion, he’s cutting back, they’re trapping you, the counters. So, I think it’s not quite as complex of a run game if you will, which helps.” On how much of the improvement process consists of coaching the younger players: “Certainly, that’s – listen, that came into play. There was some of that is – get over the – there were a couple of players that the last play affected them the next two plays and it hurt us. That’s what we’re trying to coach out of them. We’re trying to, ‘Hey, you put that behind you. We just solved this problem, let’s go to the next one. What are you going to do? Just play the next play in front of you and play your keys and we’ll fix that last one. But if you’re going to just continue to try and process that improperly in your head, it just cost you the next play and cost your team.’” On if they contacted free agent CB Quinton Dunbar about returning the team: “Yeah, I mean, we had contacted him, but that’s not our intentions right now.” On their plans for the open 53-man roster spot: “I think right now we’re just – we’re kind of holding right now. We’re in a holding pattern and see where we might need a spot. We’re not in any hurry to do anything. We signed Daryl Worley to our practice squad. All things are on the table right now. So, there’s a chance he can go to the game. But, there again, he just walked in the door, so, I’m not going to say that he is until we really get a good look at him and let him kind of process what we do defensively.” On if RB Jamaal Williams has been everything he expected him to be when signing him this offseason: “He sure is. He sure is. He’s exactly what I thought he would be and the vision of what he would be. And that, man, there’s true value in that because he was as steady and reliable as a guy you can have. He looked exactly like he did in camp, he ran hard, he was high-energy, he played smart, and he helped move the football for us.” LIONS QB JARED GOFF QUOTE SHEET On what entails creating a new attitude in the organization: “I think it’s just having that little chip on your shoulder and that little, ‘Get to it,’ and a sense of urgency and exactly what you’re saying, that attitude of who we are and who we want to be.” On what they need to improve on in order to win after losing in Week 1: “Just go back to the fundamentals. Like I said, be efficient on first and second down, take care of the football, move the ball down the field and watch our defense fly around out there and hopefully good results will come.” On how a win this week could affect the season as a whole: “They all count the same. Right now, it’s Week 2, but this game counts the same as when Week 16, 17 come around and everyone’s fighting for playoff spots. You treat them all the same. Of course, it’s a road game, it’s a divisional game, which does make it a bigger deal. But at the same time, we’re going to approach it just like any other game.” On having RB D’Andre Swift and RB Jamaal Williams’ abilities to catch the ball out of the backfield: “It’s huge. It’s huge. You see Swift the other day catch that screen pass and take it to the house. Having a guy like him who can hit home runs like that and Jamaal (Williams) is just the same, it’s a good little combo for us.” On if it is easy to compartmentalize the mystique of playing at Lambeau Field: “It is. It’ll be loud. It’ll be rocking. It’ll be fun, but you definitely do grow up watching Monday Night Football at Lambeau, big games. I remember watching (former Packers QB) Brett Favre all the way back when he was playing there. So, yeah, you do think about that, but as soon as you step on the field, no, it’s kind of out the window.” On if there is anything on the Packers’ defensive tape that looks different with a new defensive coordinator: “Yeah. I know (Packers Defensive Coordinator) Joe Barry very well. He’s a great coach I think and has done a great job with them. It’ll be fun, man. They will be aggressive. They’ll be excited, they’ll be ready to go. It’ll be a good crowd and it’ll be fun for us.” On what he learned about himself and the offense in Week 1: “I think we learned how we can be down in a game and come back and make it a ball game. You don’t ever want to have to be there, but we have that ability to throw the ball and come back and make it a game.” On if he watched the Los Angeles Rams’ Week 1 game against the Chicago Bears: “Yeah, I did. They had a great game. I did. I saw some of my buddies go out there. They played well. It was good.” On facing Packers QB Aaron Rodgers after their loss to the New Orleans Saints: “Anytime you play a guy of his caliber, a Hall of Fame player, as good as he is, it’s always a challenge. It’s not my challenge, but it’ll be our defenses challenge. They’ll be ready.” On how important it is to move the sticks this week: “Always important, but yes. Every week especially – like I mentioned, it’s going to be rocking on third-down, we know that. They’re going to be bringing the pressure. Staying efficient will be very important.” |
