| July 29, 2022 Opening Statement: “Let me start with this, I know everybody’s heard the news on (former Lions DB) William White and man, certainly for his family and those close to him, that’s hard to hear and praying for them. Anytime, when you’re part of this profession, this brotherhood and you hear news like that, it does – it hits pretty hard. And I know this is – for (Lions Special Assistant to President/CEO and Chairperson) Chris (Spielman) this is hard. Chris was close to him as well, but certainly thinking about him and his family, all that are involved. On a brighter note, (Lions Executive Vice President and General Manager) Brad Holmes’ birthday today, so shoutout to Brad. Get to a quick, couple of injuries from yesterday, (Lions RB Greg) Bell, you guys saw kind of went down. He had a back/hip, so we’ll get him – we’re going to get him checked out today a lot more thoroughly, get a scan on it and see where he’s at, but he won’t be out there. And then, (Lions TE Devin) Funchess, it looks like this will be a light, kind of groin, so looks pretty optimistic but he won’t be out there today. So, everybody else is pretty good to go. Said this yesterday, it will be a full speed practice. There will be no jog-through or anything of that nature, we’re going.” On Lions CB Amani Oruwariye’s development from last season to this season: “I’ll tell you what, I’m glad you brought him up because already after two days – the spring, in two days talking about him – shoot, last night we were talking about him. I’ll tell you what he – from this time last year just, man, he feels like – he feels like a vet. He feels like a guy who – he understands what he’s capable of, he understands what he’s good at, what he can do, what he needs to work on. He’s a pro right now, he’s practicing like a pro, he did in the spring, he is – it just – there’s a comfort level. He’s very confident and it’s good to see. We feel – this time last year we were looking for two corners, we didn’t know – we feel like, ‘Alright, at this point –’ and it’s early in camp and all that. He’s got to prove it again, he knows that and continue to improve, but we feel pretty good about where he’s at over there in that spot. So, it was good to see him grow and develop at the rate that he did. He was having a hell of a year before the injury, and I would say he picked up right where he left off in spring and even the first two days.” On what a second-year jump looks like for Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown going into this season: “Yeah, I mean – yeah, it’s funny that you bring him up because you’re like, ‘Holy crap, well look at –’ everybody grows at a different rate, right? I would say the jump he made, we were fortunate that it happened as soon as it happened. I think ultimately, that’s kind of what you’re looking for, so if you really want to detail it, it’s like, ‘Man, Amon-Ra hit his jump by the end of the year.’ I would say (Lions T Penei) Sewell did somewhat as well and that doesn’t always happen. Usually, it does take year one to year two before you get that kind of jump, like what – and so, it may not be as big, but it’s already transpired towards the end of last year. But I do see continued growth. Now, I can’t put that in production either as far as, ‘Hey man, he’s going to get 10 catches every game this year.’ I think the hope is that we’ve got enough weapons and enough arsenal here that we’re able to spread this around and the production gets spread out even. It’s more – it could be a game, it could be every game, it could be – maybe it’s (Lions TE T.J. Hockenson) Hock, maybe it’s (Lions WR DJ) Chark, maybe it’s (Lions WR Josh) Reynolds, but he’ll be steady and consistent and whenever you need him, you know you got him and he’s going to make the plays for you. So, we’ll see, but even if he didn’t have that kind of production again, I think I’m hoping if he doesn’t, that’s because we’ve got people around him that are helping.” On how the coaching staff has kept Lions RB D’Andre Swift healthy and on the right track this offseason: “He looks great. He’s – you guys know Swift’s an explosive athlete, (in) phenomenal shape. I remember this time last year, we were like ‘Man, this guy’s wow.’ Just the way he’s wired, and he looks even better this year just from a physical standpoint, great shape. So, we’ve got our – we have our eye on him on just – we’ve got to be smart with him. This first week has so – the reps are so much lighter that we weren’t really going to worry about it right now. But as we start next week, there’ll be things that we do with him, just to try to maximize what we can get out of – intensity and volume in a week for him and be smart. So, there could be a little bit of, we ramp him up for a couple days, back him off on the third day, but we are, we’re going to be smart with him. Try to be, but yet still get him.” On what last season taught him about Lions RB D’Andre Swift’s workload and how much they can push him: “Yeah, he had the 30-carry game, right? He went for 100 and what was that? Yeah, 130. Then, the next week he had, I don’t know what that was, 17 carries, 163 or – 14, 136 that’s right. Then, that’s when we went into Chicago, and then it was kind of like, couple of them started to – and so, I think the hard thing with him – look, we ran into this with (Saints RB Alvin Kamara) AK every year and you’re always – look, it goes without saying, Swift is one of our most explosive players on offense. Like literally, we feel like, ‘Alright man, if we set this up right and there’s any space, this guy can take it to the house.’ He’s got that ability, and so my gosh man, you want those guys out there every play, but you also know, you may not have – I think a little bit, what you’re asking goes into what he just asked. I would like to see, if man can we get him out of camp, get his legs under him, get him in really good shape, like I said get the intensity, get the volume under him and then let’s see where he looks like. Look, this time last year, we went and we had to pull back man. He missed – shoot man, week and a half, two weeks in camp for the most part. So, we really never got to put a load on him and get him prepared for a season. We have him ready for San Fran and he takes – he takes quite a bit of reps, we didn’t want to do that, but yet it just kind of happened that way. We throw him a string, he takes it to the house, you’re trying to win a game, and so that may have started that whole – he didn’t get the load in camp and here you go, first game out of the box, he’s got quite a load on him. Then, it just starts to stack over time, we don’t make it through a season, halfway through the season, 10 games in or whatever that is, it starts to – and so, I kind of think of it as that may have started in camp. So, let’s see what we can do with him.” On how immersed the coaching staff is in teaching football IQ and how they spot football IQ on the field: “Yeah look, it’s big. It’s a focal point of what we’re doing – look, some of that is, it helps when you’re in year two because now your system’s in. Now, you’re off to the next step. I mean as simple as, just from a – (Lions Special Teams Coordinator Dave) Fipp and I were talking last night, just from – this time last year, we were still trying to work on our stance and punt and pushing off the – now, you have to work on that every year. But I mean literally we had to – at one point I think we were week three into camp and we had to go back to the basics and start it all over again, just so guys got comfortable with how – you’re stepping on your teammate, we’re tripping, we’re not – man, we’re past that. That’s just in special teams I’m talking about, but it’s like that in offense and defense, so that helps. But I think it’s – like I said, we’ve made a point in emphasis, I have with the coaches and the coaches to them, we’re nonstop talking about, ‘OK, yeah now you know what your job is, now what is he doing? What’s his responsibility? Where’s your help at?’ Then, on top of that is just putting those guys in those situations. That’s on me, and we’re going to start doing that, like we’re going to finish with a two-minute today. Again, already and normally you know you don’t start two-minute until day five, but we’re going to have it. End of half, we’re going. We’ve got to put ourselves in these situations early, like we did in spring and I’m looking for two things. Those guys, that under pressure, man they’re cool and collective. Like we’ve said, pressure goes up, your heart rate goes down. Who are those guys? Who can handle it and produce? Or who are the guys that man, they crumble under it? They can be great for three quarters, and that’s awesome. But when it comes time and it’s high pressure, they just – they fold. Those guys will kill you, they just will, and I’d like to know that now before we get into a game. So, that’s on me to put them into that.” On what he has seen from the team in the first two practices and how they can maintain the energy: “Look, I posed the question to our staff last night. I said, ‘Man, who do we have on this team that we feel like are pros?’ Just they’ve kind of got a professional approach about him because we are a young team and it really came to a point where we said – we started going through names and it’s like, ‘Alright,’ I said, ‘Let me refrain that question, who do we not have?’ And that’s a good sign. That’s a good sign. That means we have very few that we feel like really need to grow up, just from their approach to the game if that makes sense, and listen, being attentive, the way they work, the way they walkthrough, the urgency, all those things. So, we’re on the right track and I would say that’s what it feels – I feel like we’ve got guys that are, man, they’re attentive, they know that the guy next to them is counting on them and they’ve got a job to do. They’re grown men and they’ve got to handle their business and it’s felt that way the last two days. Now, this is day three, they’re going to be a little bit sore even though there wasn’t much, so we may have to push them a little bit. But they’ve been good, they’re attentive, they’re ready to go.” On when the first day of full pads at practice will be: “The day after our day off.” |
