| June 8, 2022 Opening Statement: “Good morning. Really not much to speak of other than, I thought they practiced well yesterday. I thought they were—you know, got after it and it was good. That’s how you want to come out after the weekend and put them in some good situations. I thought both sides, offense and defense really showed up and did some things that we’re good for us as it pertains to this minicamp.” On his evaluation of Lions WR Quintez Cephus during minicamp: “Yeah, I mean, I think to this point it’s very much like last year in an extent. He was here, he put in the work. He’s doing what we asked him to do, and last year it was kind of like, put him in a competitive environment, and all of sudden, he shows up. That’s when you really feel him, and yesterday we get one of those competitive environments, and who shows? He showed up again. So, we don’t ignore those things. I don’t ignore them. So, that was good to see out of him. We thought he did well. Look, I thought (Lions WR) Trinity Benson did a hell of job too, by the way. He’s having a hell of a spring. But yes, back to your (question), Cephus he just he shows up. He shows up in these competitive settings. That’s a good thing.” On Lions WR Trinity Benson getting more comfortable in his second season with the offense: “Yeah, I think—here’s one thing is the fact that he’s kind of started a little bit all over as far as verbiage as far as with everybody else because we’ve changed enough things to where everybody’s learning at the same rate now, and so to be able to do that I think is big. I think the fact that he’s been around the guys, the quarterbacks—he’s been here for, shoot man, for six weeks now, and has built a rapport with the quarterbacks, and they trust that he’s going to be where he’s supposed to be, because of that you see his confidence and he is playing faster. He is running, and our defense feels it. Look, to this kid’s credit, I know it’s early. There again, I know we’re in pajamas. He came up after the season, and he’s like, ‘Coach, what do I got to do? What do I really need to do?’ And we talked about it and he took it serious. He’s always put in the work. It’s credit to him, so we are happy with where he’s at right now.” On what he told Lions WR Trinity Benson to improve on this offseason: “Well, get the playbook that was number one and we’ve got to know that you’re going to be and where you’re supposed to be, when you’re supposed to be there because then the quarterback will trust you and build the rapport. When you do that, then you’re going to play that much faster, which you’re seeing right now in the spring, and he’s done that.” On Lions WR Trinity Benson’s strengths within his skillset: “Speed. Speed, speed, speed. Like that’s what’s really showing and you didn’t always feel because he was feeling his way through it, and he wasn’t real confident as to, ‘What (do) I need to do here? What’s the look? Should I lean on him? Should I break in, out?’ And then the quarterback is waiting on it. There’s just this rapport that comes with it, and so I think his confidence is up and you’re really— the speed is really showing, and his hands have been—he’s catching the ball well, he’s plucking. So, I think that’s his major skillset, and look he’s pretty tough. He’s pretty tough. I think he can help us on special teams. I think he can be gunner, and so if we can feel that speed, and he continues to catch the ball, and do what he’s done in spring, and then he comes out and competes at a gunner on special teams, I think that serves him well, serves us well.” On examples of players from his coaching and playing careers that took a leap from year one to year two and his excitement level for this year’s second-year players to take a big leap: ”Well, I mean it’s hard to say. When you phrase that way, I don’t know. Like to me, that’s where I see—I feel like that is the most growth from year one to year two with most rookies. I mean you’re asking directly, yeah, I played with (former NFL TE) Jason Witten, that was a huge jump from year one to year two. (Former NFL TE) Jeremy Shockey was the other one. That’s another one I actually played with. Then there’s players that I actually coached that it’s—(former NFL TE) Charles Clay made a huge jump from year one to year two. But I think that’s—that to me, that is more of the norm now. Now how much do they make that jump? But I think that’s what we anticipate out of our guys and that’s why we’ve got them here. That’s why they’re here is so we can continue to develop them and get them to take that big next step in year two. And I said this before, you’ll always—most guys can continue to get better and grow throughout the years, but I think it’s hard to make that big of a jump after year two. That year one to year two is when you make the biggest jump.” On if he can make any real evaluations of the team at this point in minicamp: “Yeah, I mean—look, I think that—that’s a good question. I feel good with where we’re at for what we’re doing because I do feel like we are a step ahead of where we were this time last year, and I just feel like some of the situations that we’re in now—look, I told (Lions Offensive Coordinator) Ben Johnson and (Lions Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn) AG this, as a head coach, what is very satisfying for me right now that I’m feeling that I didn’t necessarily feel this time last year, was that we were testing each other. You want to feel like your coordinators are playing a chess game amongst each other, and you’re trying to be one step ahead of each other because now, it creates problems and then you learn to solve problems and then you go to the next thing. I think that’s how you get really better schematically and then just developing your talent. What can we do inside the system? Where can we take advantage of a weakness on either side? And I feel like we’re doing that right now so that gives me—that’s what makes me feel pretty good right now. I can feel our coordinators playing the chess game. We are, there are problems being solved and created on both sides.” On if the coordinators are able to have more competitive chess matches in practice with more pieces on both sides of the ball: “Well, that never hurts. That never hurts, but I think that because of where we’re at with some of these young guys if they’re a year older and they’re a little bit – they’ve got this base underneath them, they have a foundation of what we’re trying to do in the system. Last year was the first time most of those young bucks have heard that. We’re a young, young team so they don’t even know what they don’t know and now this year, they’ve heard it before so now they understand what we’re trying to do and now it’s the next step in that process. So, I think that’s what makes me feel pretty good is that I feel like the mental part of what we’re doing is – we’re getting better.” On how his relationship with the Lions ownership has developed from his first to second year: “Listen, it’s hard for me to say anything negative about the Ford family. They obviously gave me the opportunity but they also – when you’re a head coach, all you can ask for is that they’re going to give you the resources and support that you can do what you need to do as the head coach and the GM, and they allow us to do that. Now, from (Lions Principal Owner and Chair) Sheila (Hamp)’s perspective, who is really who I deal with on a constant basis – to have your owner in the building and to be here and to know – she knows who we are. She knows the issues that we have as it pertains to – it could be anything from players to concepts to – it doesn’t matter – man, it could be what’s going on in the weight room because she’s around and she’s hearing all of it. So, she knows from our own perspective, (Lions Executive Vice President and General Manager) Brad (Holmes) and myself, as to how we feel about certain things, where we feel like we need to go, where we feel like we’re deficient, where we feel like we can really – and I just think when that’s the case – man, I think that’s a recipe for good things to happen, and so having her around is big. I’ll ask for her input too. The last thing she wants to do is ever feel like she’s butting in and sometimes I wish she would butt in and so she’s been great, she really has. We’re a year later and I couldn’t ask for anything better than her for an owner. I trust her and she’s one of the people that I want to win for.” On if Lions DE Josh Paschal’s absence from practice is injury related: “We’re trying to be smart with him. He’s got a lower extremity injury, but just trying to be smart. There’ll be a couple of guys that we’ll back off today just to be smart and get them out of here healthy. But, all good.” On if there are any injury concerns about the players who have been absent from practice: “No, I mean, I think it’s – there again, we’ve got six weeks so let’s see how this rehab goes. Some will heal faster than others. We hope they all heal quickly but I think right now we feel pretty good.” On where he has seen growth from Lions TE Shane Zylstra: “Yeah, he’s you know, taken steps. The fact that he’s out here with us in spring I think is pretty – I didn’t know if we were going to be able to have him out here coming off of what he did. But there again, that’s a credit to him. He put in the work. He’s healed well and he’s another one – man, just time on task and for him to be able to get the reps, and I think he’s going to be able to help us in the pass game first and that’s kind of what you’re seeing out there. He’s beginning to grow as a route runner and make a few plays out there and I know the quarterbacks, for spring right now, are developing some trust in him which is a good thing. So, we like where he’s going, he’s just got to continue on that road. But, he’s getting better.” On if he embraces the attention on the team from the public and having HBO’s “Hard Knocks” in the building or if the attention is more of a distraction: “No, yeah I mean – it’s kind of like what (was) said the other day it’s not – I don’t – I really don’t have a thought on it. I’m just kind of – I’m neutral on it. We’ve got a job to do and anything at this point is irrelevant until we win games. We’ve got to win games and we’ve got to set ourselves up to win games and go from there.” On Lions WR Kalif Raymond’s role in the offense: “It’s kind of like what we told him last year when he was up as a free agent and we told him that he can be a role player for us offensively and he’s our starting punt returner. We know we can use him as a gadget and put him in at the Z if we need him right now to take a load. We know we can put him in at the F if we need him to play a load of the slot. So, he brings a ton of versatility and really trust, reliability. Like, we know exactly who he is, what he’s going to be for us and what he can do. So I think having – I think to able to take a little bit of a load off him offensively to where you’re still getting like maximum everything he’s got on these offensive reps and he’s your starting punt returner, I think he can be even better. I think that will make him even better. He’s not a huge guy, so that body man, it takes a toll especially the way he runs and practices and hits and blocks. I mean, this guy – he runs around and plays the game like he’s 220 pounds from a physicality standpoint and that will take a toll at times, but we love Lif and now let me say this, he’s another one of those – I made the (Lions NT) Alim (McNeill), yesterday – but like pound-for-pound he would fall under that category as one of the most explosive players we have on this team, and he puts in the work, so glad we got him.” |
