| LIONS HEAD COACH DAN CAMPBELL TRAINING CAMP DAY 12 QUOTE SHEET August 9, 2022 On if he has any long-term concerns about Lions LB Julian Okwara and Lions DL Levi Onwuzurike coming back from their injuries: “No, well both of them have – I would say it’s not serious, but yet it’s enough to where I can’t tell you, ‘Is it going to be a week, two weeks?’ But it’s not a serious long-term issue by either one – either one of the guys.” On if he is concerned that Lions LB Julian Okwara and Lions DL Levi Onwuzurike could miss the season opener: “No, I don’t feel that way. I don’t feel that way. Not right now I don’t. It would have to be something crazy would happen.” On if Lions DL Levi Onwuzurike’s injury is related to his back injury last season: “Kind of back, hip area. I mean we just got to get it calmed down. The kid’s in a good place and he’s getting back from it, he’s put in a lot of good work, and so we’ll get him calmed down and get him right, get him realigned and I think he’ll be fine.” On Lions DL Levi Onwuzurike missing time in two straight training camps and if it hurts his development: “Yeah, I mean – yeah, certainly all the reps he can get are good for him. He needs them. He needs all of them just like all these young players do. But at the same token, he’s doing all he can do and we’re doing all we can do to help him get back out there. He’s getting better every day, he’s progressing. So, we’ll just take it as it comes.” On Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown’s performance in camp so far and his expectations going into year two: “Yeah, I – he’s been, I would say he’s picked up right where he left off last year. He’s been really good. He’s a pro. He was really – for a rookie last year, he was a pro and just needed to grow and play and get used to the speed of the game at this level. But he’s a high-level thinker, he’s tough, he may be one of the top-to-bottom across the board toughest players we have, that’s the honest truth. So, and he practices that way. He’s always looking for competition and I would say he’s right on pace to have another good year for us.” On what Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown working on the jug machines all the time says about him as a player: “It says he wants to be the best, that’s what it says. Like he can’t get enough competition, and he’s a type of guy that even if he didn’t want to do something, if you just roll the ball out there, he can’t help himself. He’s going to want to win and compete and be the best at it. He never wants to take a rep where he gets embarrassed or he loses. That’s just the way he’s wired and I mean, that’s why we love him.” On where he stands on his assessment of the backup quarterback situation: “Yeah, I – look, I think we’re taking it as it comes. I feel like both of those guys had a week last week, (Lions QB Tim) Boyle and (Lions QB David) Blough. I feel like they’re both better than they were in the spring. And I would just say it’s still somewhat early in camp and until we get in these preseason games, I think that will tell a lot for us.” On if he is comfortable with the options they have at backup quarterback if Lions QB Jared Goff were to be injured: “Yeah, I mean, I think that both of them can do it. I think that they’re both different in what they do. You know, (Lions QB David) Blough is a little scrappier. He’s – he’s more of a ‘Man, he’s going to find a way.’ And that’s what he’s about, but he can certainly run the offense. I think (Lions QB Tim) Boyle’s got all the gifts, all the traits, and then he is just consistently doing it. And I – there again, I think that he’s got to do this in the preseason games. Let’s see where he’s progressed from last year.” On the pros and cons of keeping two quarterbacks on the final 53-man roster versus three quarterbacks: “Well, I think most of it comes down to what else is on our roster. That’s what it’s going to come down to. Is it – are you keeping a quarterback three versus a stud special teams player? Or, someone you know is going to play 30 snaps for you on defense, he’d be a critical role player, or what – I think that’s what it’s going to come down to honestly.” On how Lions CB Jerry Jacobs is progressing in his rehab: “Jerry’s doing great. And Jerry is – you talk about pulling the reigns back. We’re constantly having to just keep him, ‘Easy Jerry.’ He is going. He’s going, going – I would say, he’s a – we’re very pleased with Jerry.” On if he thinks Lions CB Jerry Jacobs will see the field at all during training camp: “Yeah, I – look, it’s a hard one. I – we go back and forth here. There’s a couple of moves that we could make, between 85 and 80, as it pertains to PUP, and that’s one of those – that’s one of those we’re talking about right now. Do you use that sooner than later? Do you wait to see where he’s at? Do we go ahead and pull it earlier because we feel like he’s really progressed at that point? That’s something that (Lions Executive Vice President and General Manager) Brad (Holmes) and myself and (Lions Head Athletic Trainer) Kevin Bastin have been talking about. So, I can’t give you an exact answer, but I would say this, we all feel like he’s a little ahead of schedule, which is good. He’s doing very well.” On if the modified rules allow players to be placed on PUP to start the regular season: “Yeah, you can do that, yes. That’s one of those changes that they had, which is good, so.” LIONS QB JARED GOFF TRAINING CAMP DAY 12 QUOTE SHEET August 9, 2022 On how the team wants him to approach the upcoming preseason game against the Falcons: “Yeah, I think it’s just going to be emphasized as just procedure. The results in a preseason game obviously don’t count, but we do want to have good results. But most of all, I think just breaking the huddle right, getting lined up, snapping the ball, and getting good plays off and getting productive plays off, but at the same time, just feeling good about when we’re out there with the starters.” On if the preseason game is to practice in-game operations and procedures: “Exactly, operations, yeah procedures, operations and just feeling good about that.” On the team running downfield plays during training camp and if it is indicative of the game plan going forward: “No, we don’t do that here, we don’t throw it down the field at all. No.” On how he thinks training camp has been going for the offense: “It’s been good. Yeah, we got guys that can run, we got guys that can catch. We’re protecting well and they’re running good routes.” On how developing the run game has been beneficial for the offense: “Yeah, it’s been huge. I think it starts in the run game, like we’ve always said. When we’re able to run the ball well, the play-action game will make that protection that much better. And then just those guys are starting to gel a little bit up front. It takes some time, you know from last year being banged up a little bit this year in training camp, we’ve seen it week after week get better and better, and I think they feel pretty good about it and I know I feel good about it.” On the camaraderie he shares with Lions QB Tim Boyle and Lions QB David Blough: “It’s fun. It’s fun. I’ve never been in a quarterback room with the same three guys two years in a row. So, it’s been fun with those guys, they keep it light, they keep it fun. They’re both extremely competitive, and it’s fun for me to have guys like that who are competitive with me on the field.” On if he ever bounces ideas off of Lions QB Tim Boyle and Lions QB David Blough or vice versa: “Of course, of course. They’ve both had their fair share of playing time, and they’ve both played around really good quarterbacks as well, so I’ll bounce stuff off of them all the time.” On developing a connection with Lions WR DJ Chark during training camp: “Yeah, it’s just reps. It’s just reps over and over again, knowing what his speed is and knowing his ability and his range. I mean, it’s trust and it’s confidence. And I think he’s coming into his own right now and has a lot of confidence and is playing well and is playing fast and like you said, that kind of second gear where, as a quarterback, you almost feel like you can just chuck it up there wherever and he’s going to go get it. That’s a good feeling.” On his excitement level for the new offensive scheme heading into the season: “Excited, excited. Yeah, it’s still so early. We got about, I don’t know, a month until game one, but excited about where it’s going for sure. It’s definitely going this way with him and I and our whole pass game, but still plenty of things to clean up all the time.” LIONS QB TIM BOYLE TRAINING CAMP DAY 12 QUOTE SHEET August 9, 2022 On how he is progressing through training camp and his comfortability with the coaching staff: “Yeah, it’s – there’s definitely a familiarity with the coaching staff. Obviously, it’s nice to have (Lions Offensive Coordinator) Ben (Johnson) staying as the offensive coordinator. We made huge strides in the offense since springtime, and it’s been so much fun. The atmosphere out here offensively is incredible, and you guys see on the field we’re making plays right now. We’re starting to hit our stride. But yeah, I think getting some game reps in me last year kind of allowed me to settle into, just my routine pre-snap. Every play I feel like I have a certain kind of check list of what I see pre-snap and play in those games last year kind of helped me formulate that process. So, feel really comfortable, I love the offense, I love where we’re heading, and it’s been a good camp so far.” On his shared camaraderie with Lions QB Jared Goff and Lions QB David Blough: “Yeah, the cool part about the three of us is we’re all within a year of each other. So, we all are kind of going through the same kind of process of life right now. Obviously, David’s married, Jared got engaged. So, they’re kind of – we’re hitting that next kind of phase right now where we can kind of have mature conversations and we can talk football, but also be in the quarterback room and just talk about life. You know, it’s – I’ve been in a quarterback room where (Packers QB) Aaron Rodgers is 11 years older than me and there’s a disconnect of just interests, just because of an age gap. And the fact that we all support each other and love each other, and we have great conversations and we build off each other, we compete every day and we love it.” On what stands out to him about Lions Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson: “He’s – energy is the thing that stands out for me. Energy, composure, and clarity. There’s a lot of clarity in this offense right now. He’s made it very specific for us quarterbacks as to what he’s looking for us, and what plays and what we have to look for from the defense, but Ben’s been a fresh breath of air. He really has. He’s extremely organized. He’s fundamental-orientated, which is critical for NFL guys because the older you get, you kind of slip away from the fundamentals, and they’re drilling that into us right now, which is, I think, critical. But Ben’s been, like I said, a breath of fresh air. He’s youthful, he’s energetic, we love being around him, and he knows – he’s one of those unique coaches who can – he can coach any position on the field, which is tough to do in the NFL, but he’s one of those guys, super knowledgeable. He can step aside with a guy and talk his fundamentals, and what he’s doing next, which is incredible.” On how implementing the offensive scheme has gone this offseason: “Relearning a good majority of it, a good majority of it. Some of the formations stayed the same, so it’s nice to have some carryover there. But for the most part, terminology-wise, it’s all pretty new. Conceptually, as you guys know, offense-to-offense, most of the stuff you run is the same, it’s just called four-five different things, whatever offense you’re in so, conceptually of how to learn it. We know how to progress through it and play the plays but it’s just getting in the huddle and hearing it from (Lions Offensive Coordinator) Ben (Johnson) and being able to spit it out in the huddle is kind of the part where just repetitions just help us out.” LIONS QB DAVID BLOUGH TRAINING CAMP DAY 12 QUOTE SHEET August 9, 2022 On how he sees the quarterback competition playing out and how it will affect the quarterback group: “Man, really I think it’s finding the best out of our team, like we just – we go out and compete. There’s competition at every position I think in the NFL through – this is year four now. You see guys come in every year and you’ve just got to compete, and we all want to make the most of our opportunities. Every single guy out here wants to compete and at the end of the day, we have a great staff up there who’s going to make decisions and that’s not up to us. We just go and compete. And so, it’s exciting to even be in the position to be here at Allen Park and compete for a job.” On if being with the same quarterbacks for two years has helped: “Hey man, it’s been an awesome room, like that’s – I know there’s a big part for (Lions Head Coach) Dan (Campbell) and (Lions Executive Vice President and General Manager) Brad (Holmes) to bring us all back and be in there, sit in there with (Lions QB) Jared (Goff), help Jared, and then (Lions QB) Tim (Boyle) and I help each other also. Yeah, I take a lot of pride in our room playing well, whether it’s Jared last year, Time last year, myself, it’s important to us to sit in there and play good football, and that’s what we want to give to our fans and to this team.” On if he is looking forward to playing in the first preseason game of the season: “I’m ready to get hit. No, I’m excited, it really is special just every opportunity you get whether it’s a preseason or regular season game to go and play against other guys who have the same dreams we do and compete. And yeah, it’s – you want the ball in your hands with two minutes to go win a game and I think that’s – those are how a lot of those preseason games come down to and that will be fun Friday night.” On how much he has enjoyed playing in the NFL the past four years: “I love football. I love football, I love the people that I’ve gotten to meet because of it. I love the chess match when you’re on the field with the defensive coordinator. I think that’s – I think that’s probably my favorite side of it, is trying to solve the problem that somebody is presenting to you. And yeah, it’s fun, it’s been a blast.” On what goes into being a good backup quarterback: “That’s a good question, I think there’s a lot of things that go into it. But yeah, it’s seeing looks, and I – I got to see (Chargers QB) Chase Daniel do it for a year, really as the second guy. And he was as prepared as our starter was and he – he said he would – every single pressure that’s coming, he’d see every look. He’d be in there studying and he learned from great quarterbacks in the past and I think – man, if I can help on one play in a game that will go for an explosive or create a first down or create a touchdown. That’s a big part of the job and it’s a collective effort while one guy’s on the field, we’re all working together throughout the week to put the best product on the field and I take a lot of pride in that, we do. Then, I take a lot of pride in playing well too myself, and preparing the defense. I know (Lions QB) Tim (Boyle) does, we have over our career, it’s just – you get so many throws in a practice, you want to hit them. And so, it’s about getting better, it’s about being a better player than you were yesterday, and I believe in that whole-heartedly.” On playing with Chargers QB Chase Daniel: “Man, Chase was a great guy and did a lot of things right. And I think a lot of those opportunities came to him because of how he treated people, how he acted in the room. And Chase was great here and I learned a lot from him.” On if the wide receiver group this season makes him a better player: “Man, those guys – those guys have made us look good all camp and (Lions WR) Trinity (Benson)’s making great plays, (Lions WR Quintez Cephus) Q and (Lions WR) Kalif (Raymond), (Lions WR) Tom Kennedy, all these guys have made awesome plays all camp and it makes your job a lot easier. We talk about so much in our quarterback room, it’s all about trust. And if you trust the guy you’re throwing it to, you give him a chance, they make the play, you get the stats, I get the stats, but those things are founded in hard work. And those guys just instill confidence in us as we take the field and looking forward to everybody getting a seat kind of the back half of our roster, so to say on Friday night.” |
