LIONS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR BEN JOHNSON QUOTE SHEET
September 12, 2024
Opening Statement: “Good start last week, we got the win. Not our cleanest performance on offense, we have some things that we need to take a look at, primarily the three-and-outs, that’s probably our number one disappointment coming out of that game. I believe we had four of them. It’s less about not being able to move the ball and it’s more about playing complementary football too and putting our defense out there for – I think they almost had 80 plays in that game. So, we just need to do a better job. I think (Lions Head) Coach (Dan Campbell) has already talked about our third downs weren’t very good once we got four-plus, and so that’s an emphasis going into this week on where we can improve. The good news is this, when it came down to crunch time, our guys stepped up. The last two drives of the game between the field goal and then the touchdown in overtime, the offensive line stepped up, (Lions RB) David Montgomery stepped up, I know (Lions WR) Jameson (Williams) had a big game throughout that game. He kept us alive and afloat even when we were floundering a little bit. It was really good to see some individual performances and then as a unit, not our best stuff, but certainly a first step and something that we can grow on. That’s really the name of the game right now is getting better each week and good opportunity here this week against a very good defense in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.”
On how unexpected it was that they had some of the offensive challenges that they did: “Yeah, truthfully, I think we were all disappointed by it. We’ve been together long enough that we all know it’s game one and we knew it wasn’t going to be our best performance of the year, but there were still a number of things that popped up that just weren’t us – characteristic of us and how we play. More so than any schematics and anything like that, it was really more how we play ball. So, we’ll get those things corrected and hopefully have some better results going forward.”
On if the Rams’ goal of limiting explosive plays played out in their defense: “That’s really their philosophy, I think, regardless of what year. I think that’s been (Rams Head) Coach (Sean) McVay’s deal ever since he took over the Rams was, ‘Play that shell defense, don’t give up big plays,’ they really wanted to win the game on offense. I can’t say they did anything we weren’t expecting, it’s just our execution’s got to get a little tighter.”
On how unusual it is to have the offensive identity of being able to do anything: “That’s really what we wanted to be is the multiplicity. It starts with our weapons. We have speed on the perimeter, we have speed from the backfield, super athletic tight end that can make plays, and so when you combine that with an offensive line that can be dominant, play in and play out, it’s a dangerous combination and we can morph to whatever the defense gives us. So, if they want to sell out and stop the run, we feel very confident in throwing the football. If they want to play two-high looks and stop our speed down the field, we feel pretty good about being able to run the ball against that. We’ll continue to morph each week with what we’re expecting and adjusting in-game with what defenses are giving us.”
On if the Rams were doing anything in particular to take Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown out of the game: “No, all the balls that went to (Lions WR Jameson Williams) Jamo very easily could have gone to St. Brown, it’s just what coverage they called.”
On what the trick was to unlocking the Lions WR Jameson Williams cheat code: “Hard work and time on task. That’s the name of the game for, I think, all these guys is getting practice reps, time in the building, time with (Lions QB) Jared (Goff), routes on air, routes against the defense, the connection has started to pay off. We’ve been talking about it since the springtime, he’s looked like a different guy in his approach and it’s good to see the production follow-up. Now, the difference between a good player and a great player is the consistency portion of that. So, great game one, let’s see how game two goes and so on and so forth.”
On if he sees Lions WR Jameson Williams not getting caught up in a one-game success due to his mental approach: “Yeah, I think the fortunate thing for him is he was a big-time football player in college as well, so he knows how to handle success. He knows how to handle winning and I’m sure he was fired up, I know he was in the locker room, about the type of game that he had and the impact that he had. Really since we got back to work yesterday and started focusing on Tampa, he’s shifted and now he’s thinking about the next thing.”
On how Buccaneers defensive players being injured impacts their game plan and how Tampa Bay will attack their offense: “Yeah, you’re always guessing when it comes to (Buccaneers Head) Coach (Todd) Bowles, schematically. He, probably more so than anybody in the League, plays the largest amount of defense, the greatest amount of volume. Just today being third down day, you look at last year and they played almost every coverage known to man and different variations of it. So, I think in and of itself, the scheme is extremely challenging and then when they combine the good players that they have with that scheme, I said it last year the first time we played them in the regular season and in the postseason, this is a dangerous team. So, we’ll see who they have available here on Sunday, but more than anything, we have to handle all the variety of looks that they can present to us, first and second down, and third down.”
On if the Buccaneers’ defensive scheme forces them to add more or slim down: “I can’t do that one.”
On what Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown’s mindset is this week: “He just wants to win. I’ve been around some guys, particularly at that position in the past that when they have a game that was below what they wanted it to be, they could pout, they could do this, that or the other, but immediately after the game, I don’t know if anybody had a bigger smile on his face than him. That’s what comes with wearing that C on his chest and he’s a great example of what we want everybody on offense to be about. Unselfish and he was happy that (Lions WR Jameson Williams) Jamo had the game that he had because he knows it’s going to open up more opportunities for him down the road.”
On what the challenge is of having Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs and Lions RB David Montgomery on the field at the same time: “Probably the starting point for that one is that not many teams do that. Not many teams play with the two half-backs on the field, so when you go into a game, you don’t know exactly what you’re going to get. Are you going to get base, are you going to get nickel, what personnel group are they going to come out with? And when there’s those unknowns, it’s hard to hone in on how you want to attack them like that. So, because there’s not a whole lot of evidence on tape, I think that scares most teams. I think last week we had a couple where we had (Lions RB Sione) Vaki on the field with another half-back, so that’s another version of kind of what you’re talking about. But we’ve thought about it. Each week our packages change. There will be weeks when we have five receivers on the field at the same time. There will be weeks where we feature the jumbo tight end. There will be weeks where we want to go with our two half-backs. But each week it’s a little bit different.”
On if there is something that makes being a good receiving back different than being a good slot receiver: “Yeah, there’s not question. The backs’ skillset from the backfield is what they major in the most, obviously. Then what we’ve tried to work and develop over the spring, over camp is working different guys in empty routes, so outside the numbers, and then also the slot routes like you’re talking about. We didn’t feature that last week, but at some point, this season, there’s no question that we will put those guys in different spots.”
On if having Lions RB Sione Vaki on the field was a toe in the water on how to use him: “They went base defense to Vaki and we used him, as you saw him, more like a fullback.”
On what they like about Lions RB Sione Vaki at fullback: “His special teams. We loved him for special teams based on his college tape, but he’s been able to translate that physicality that he’s shown on special teams to that position, so he’s not afraid to come downhill on a linebacker. He’s not afraid to go, I think it was one of the outside linebackers he went and tried to blow up last week. So, guys that are bigger than him, he’s going to bring a level of physicality that you really don’t see for someone his size.”
On what it is like as the play-caller seeing the team’s overtime drive dominate the run game: “I just wondered where that was to start the game. It was tough sledding there early, but we know we had that in us, and it took until that overtime drive to really feel it. Once that happens, everything’s up. It’s really a credit to (Lions RB) David Montgomery, because he – we talk about it all the time, and it happened in camp too, where the defense was getting the better of us at times and we just need one player to give us a spark and that was a great example of David Montgomery giving us that spark and he really ignited us. It was a one-man wrecking show right there. It really was. I didn’t even count the number of broken tackles he had on that drive just by himself. Good lesson for all of us to learn. Maybe the week it’s (Lions WR Amon-Ra) St. Brown, maybe this week it’s (Lions WR) Kalif Raymond. You just never know who it’s going to be that gives us that spark to get us going.”
On Lions WR Tom Kennedy earning the fifth receiver spot last week and how much of that was what happened in practice and who has been here the longest: “Being here, he’s a little bit of a blankie for us because we know if something were to happen, he can play X, F, Z, he can play every spot at the receiver spot. We feel really good about what he can bring to the table, and I think that gave him the nod last week.”
LIONS DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR AARON GLENN QUOTE SHEET
September 12, 2024
Opening Statement: “It’s always good to stand in front of you after a win, especially the magnitude of that game. It was like a playoff atmosphere, like a playoff game against a good quality coach that I highly respect, and the way our team came out there and fought. So, defensively, listen, every game you can look at things you need to improve on, then you also look at the positive. The two things I think we need to improve on, we have to tackle a lot better than we did. And I understand it’s the first game, but there are no excuses for that. Secondly, there are a lot of opportunities that we had to make some big plays. I’m talking about on the quarterback and on the ball, and we didn’t execute those opportunities, so we have to do a better job of that. When you look at the positives, we were really good in the red zone. We could’ve been better. We had a P.I. that was called in that situation, we could’ve been better, but they were two-of-five which actually hit our mark. We did a really good job as far as forcing them or dictating the game to where it’s a passing game. Listen, we know this quarterback is a damn good quarterback and he made some great plays in that game, but when you throw it 50 times and you average six yards per attempt, that’s right in our wheelhouse of where we want to be at. So, we were happy about that, and again, just like I said I the run game, we held guys to 3.6 yards per carry I think on 20-something runs. So, that’s who we are as a defense. So again, excited about the moving forward, where we’re going. We still have a lot of things we have to clean up and we will clean those things up. We’re looking forward to this next game.”
On what the coaching points have been for Lions CB Terrion Arnold in his transition from college officiated football to the NFL: “That’s exactly it. You have to adjust to how the NFL calls these things and this is an offensive League. We know that. You’re absolutely right about how it is in college and that’s one thing that he has to adjust to, and we did a lot of work on that this week in practice. We’re going to continue to work on that. And he knows that when he came in. He knows it’s going to be different. He understands the magnitude of how the NFL sees offensive football, so we just have to continue to work on those things. But I will not tell him to slow down and take his aggressiveness away from him.”
On if he was encouraged by the styles of Lions CB Terrion Arnold’s pass interference calls: “Absolutely, but again we have to make sure that we coach those things out of him. ‘Where’s your hand placement? Understand where do you want to turn your head in certain situations on the ball.’ So, I have no issue with that player getting better at that, because I know he will because he’s a quick learner and he’s a fast learner.”
On if there is something specific they are working on in practice to help with finishing sacks and interceptions: “We just have to finish them. Listen, (Lions DL Aidan Hutchinson) Hutch had one, (Lions DL Marcus) Davenport had one, and they were just missed opportunities. We put those in that category of big plays. That’s another thing that I didn’t even talk about were the big plays. I think we only gave up five in this game. But yeah, we had two interceptions that we should have had also. Those are missed opportunities. But when we get a chance to get our hands on the quarterback, we have to wrap him up, we have to bring him down.”
On what Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield does that is difficult and what is the teaching point against him: “I think the number one this is he’s playing with a lot of confidence right now. He has a lot of trust in the skill players that he has around him, and he has some good ones around him. I think he has a system, and he’s been in a number of systems if you go through his career. I think he has a system that he believes in. I know this coordinator that was with him at the Rams, so they have a good little marriage about how they want to do things, but he also has brought in some things that he has from last year that he really likes that he’s going to bring to the game also. So, it’s going to be a challenge for us as far as preparing for this game, but we’ll be ready.”
On how much he is looking forward to getting Lions DL DJ Reader back and what he brings to the defense up front: “Well, I talked about that last week, that he’s a man’s man. When it comes to the run game, he’s going to be a huge addition to us, but I don’t want guys to just think that’s just who he is, because he has sneaky, athletic ability to be able to help on the passing game too, because he can push the pocket. Anytime you bring a player like that back in the fold, it only helps us as a defense.”
On Rams Head Coach Sean McVay saying that limiting explosive plays is a top key to victory and how that helped form his game plan in Week 1: “Well that’s every week, and he’s right when he says that. Because when you give up a big play, you’re going to get points. That could be three, that could be seven. I think every coach across the League preaches those things, so the thing is, we didn’t give up many, I think we gave up five again, and we gave up 20 points on 80 plays which is pretty damn good for a defense.”
On what the counter is to Rams QB Matthew Stafford getting the ball out quickly: “Well I think our D-line does a really good job in practice of, when they’re in front of the quarterback, sometimes you just have to get your hands up. And that’s just as good as sometimes getting pressure on the quarterback, because now, you get the tipped ball and things like that. So, that’s something we have to continue to work on. You’re right, Matthew got the ball out really, really fast. The thing is, we were hitting him, but the thing is he was getting the ball out at least five-yard routes and things like that, so we have to do a better job of getting our hands up when we don’t get a chance to hit him, because we had multiple guys that were around him.”
On if there is anything they can do coverage-wise to get the quarterback down: “Just stay tighter. Just play tighter.”
On why the Rams were so successful with getting the ball down the field and completing so many passes: “But I would say this, we were in base majority of the game. And the reason why we did that was because we wanted to dictate the game. There were certain runs that they have that’s tough. You got across the League and watch how they play against the other teams, they’re tough to really stop in just true nickel defense. We actually did what we wanted to do and forced this to be a finesse game for him to pass. We knew he was going to pass for some yards, I take that from (Former Head) Coach (Bill) Belichick, ‘Make a team left-handed and force them to do something else.’ And we did that. The thing is, he was making some dink and dunk passes, which you were talking about on the eight-for-eight. The thing that we have to do is when we have these zone coverages, we have to be able to match a whole lot better, and that’s something that we’ve worked on. We worked on it yesterday in practice.”
On how Lions LB Derrick Barnes’ growth in the SAM linebacker role helped with what the defense wants to do up front: “He’s doing a lot for us, and it actually goes back to the question that was just asked, some of those match coverages. That’s one thing that he’s improving on is being able to match these guys in the flat, match a guy that run these little curl routes and things like that. But we’re asking him to do a lot now. He’s playing on the line of scrimmage, he’s playing stack backer. He’s also playing on the edge for us as a rusher, so I have to give him a lot of credit on just his mental capacity to pick up everything and be able to execute like he’s executed.”
On Lions CB Carlton Davis III spending six years with the Buccaneers: “Listen, I will tell you this. He’s normally a quiet guy, but he gave the best introduction to those receivers that I’ve ever heard a DB talk ever in my coaching career, and that’s saying a lot. The way he articulated how these guys are, how they act, how they operate, was pretty amazing yesterday. I wish I actually taped that just for my own, just so I can show other players like, ‘This is how you do it.’ But he does have a little something in him, and he’s not going to show that, that’s just who he is, but you can tell that it’s Bucs week for him.”
On something that Lions CB Carlton Davis III told the group about the Buccaneers receivers that you couldn’t see on film: “Well, I’m not going to tell you that.”
On if it is normal for a player to give an introduction to a team that they are familiar with like Lions CB Carlton Davis III did: “Well, I think it’s smart if you have a player that just came from a particular team and he can get up and just give you insight on how the guys are. I think every team does that, that’s nothing new.”
On if run sweeps are trending up across the League and if it is something that he has to figure out how to stop when game planning: “Absolutely. All these offenses right now are being more innovative, and they have different guys to be able to run the ball. You see San Fransisco, I think they were the team that actually did most of that. They actually have the tight end run the ball. Actually, we have (Lions TE Sam) LaPorta, ourselves, run the ball. So, it’s just something that’s going across the League right now, and as a defensive coach, you have to be on your p’s and q’s to understand that and be able to find ways to stop that because the offense is not going to change in that aspect, so we just have to do a better job on these jet sweeps with these receivers.”
On if defensive backs are the focus with making sure they are shedding the perimeter blocks: “Well not just that. You also have to have edge centers too, so it’s not just on the DBs. When you’re setting the edge, make sure you set the edge and don’t let anybody out-contain you.”
On his assessment of Lions LB Jack Campbell in Week 1: “Jack did a pretty good job. Jack was solid. He was solid. Listen, all the guys can improve. The thing is, you probably didn’t hear his name as much as you probably wanted to, but I think he had around five or six tackles. The thing is, we try to force the ball to (Lions LB) Alex (Anzalone) a lot, that’s why Alex had all the tackles.”
On what went into the strategy to have Lions LB Jack Campbell, Lions LB Derrick Barnes and Lions LB Malcolm Rodriguez play at the MIKE linebacker position: “Because we have different packages for different players. All those guys deserve to play. I think I’ve said this since I’ve been here, when you’re a good player, we’re going to try and find a way to put you on the field. All those guys deserve it. We have a different package for each player, the thing is Barnes is just in a lot of different positions, so we’re going to get them all out there.”
On if he has discussed Lions CB Terrion Arnold’s music career with him: “No.”
LIONS SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR DAVE FIPP QUOTE SHEET
September 12, 2024
On how deep in the endzone the kickoff has to be to accept the touchback as the return team: “Yeah, I kind of alluded to that last week when I said, ‘If it’s not good for the coverage, that means it’s good for the return.’ And what is that yard line? I don’t know totally, I don’t think anyone knows the answer to that. Obviously, there’s just not a lot of information. The one thing I can tell you is, kicks that were returned from the endzone last week – now, that’s all of them, four-deep, one-deep, and also nine-deep, but those – I think the average drive start was like the 29-yard line or something, so it still didn’t push it past the 30, but it got there close. And then, obviously, there’s the argument for, ‘Well, if it’s close and you’re not really losing anything, but you have a shot to gain something, well then, is it worth it?’ And I think that is a conversation that’s probably out there and just what is that line and are we willing to do that and when and why and how?”
On if the fumble risk decreases because the kicking team does not have a full run up: “Chicago had the one fumble on the week there. I mean, I don’t know, I feel like those plays are kind of one-off plays that you’ve kind of got to skew the numbers and take out of the equation a little bit. It’s definitely a possibility, it’s just not very frequent.”
On how he decides how often he wants Lions K Jake Bates to kick a line drive on kickoffs and what goes into it: “Yeah, well some of that’s on purpose, some of that’s not totally on purpose. I think there’s a number – any time you’re trying to drive the ball down the field like that, there’s a chance you hit a little bit high on the ball. When you hit a little bit high on the ball you end up getting that kind of line drive type kick. There was a handful of that in the League. A lot of these guys ended up hitting that by accident – (Cardinals K Matt) Prater hit one. So, there’s a handful of that stuff out there. And then it obviously ends up being a good play, I mean, (Ravens K) Justin Tucker hit one of those a year ago against us when we were playing at Baltimore and obviously, he didn’t mean to do that necessarily, but it ends up turning into a decent result. So, there’s some reward to it, not a ton of risk. Obviously, it’s got to go past the 20, though. We were close.”
On if it is difficult to kick a line drive on a kickoff effectively and how much risk is associated with that difficulty: “Yeah, it’s definitely – I would say it’s definitely risky. You don’t want to give them the ball at the 40. The 30’s already acquiescing quite a bit here, which is funny to me, that’s like a whole other conversation, but not too long ago, the touchback was at the 20. A year ago, it was the 25, all of a sudden, the League got that thing out to the 30 and they’re talking about the 35 and it’s like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ Might as well start the ball at midfield, cut the field in half, don’t punt, no kickoffs, just play flag football. Anyway, that’s another conversation – just stir the pot.”
On if he believes the NFL will eliminate kickoffs at some point: “I don’t know, I think it’ll be long after I’m done, so I’m not really worried about it.”
On what he has learned about Lions K Jake Bates and his clutch gene after he made a kick to tie the game against the Rams: “Yeah, I feel like he does have a little bit of that. The pressure goes up and he kind of calms down and seems to come up big in big situations here, which is obviously and important quality for a field goal kicker, for sure, it’s really one of the most important ones. But it was a huge kick, I mean, really, for all intents and purposes, it was a game-winner. I mean, if he doesn’t make the kick, we don’t win the game and we ended up obviously winning the game, it was a big kick in a big moment. The offense did, obviously, a great job moving the ball down the field, that certainly helps. The closer you are to the goal line, the better your odds of making those kicks, so anyway, that was helpful also. But he’s done a great job. I still, really – I mean, I feel great about him, I’ve got a lot of confidence in him, he’s gotten better and better, he’s going to continue to improve, he needs to continue to improve, he knows that, it’s the same thing we talked about a week ago. He’s very aware with who he is, he knows he’s a developing player, he’s getting better and better. I’ve got a lot of confidence in him, though.”
On if Lions CB Ennis Rakestraw Jr. was just trying to make a football play on the punt that he pushed into the endzone and what the teaching points are for that: “Yeah, it’s a great question. Obviously, yeah, it was disappointing for us. I mean, (Lions P Jack) Fox, he had a great day, and it would have been even better had we pinned them down there deep. I mean, Ennis, I thought he did a good job in the game for us for being his first time. Obviously, that play was not very good. Yeah, in those situations you’ve just go to keep your poise, I mean, everything happens so fast, he had great intentions, he wants to go make a play and sometimes your enthusiasm gets in your way. Sometimes you’ve just got to slow down, and for him, in that situation, slow down or avoid the ball altogether and let somebody else that’s in a better spot finish it. But all things you learn as young players in this League. Fortunately for us, it ended up not hurting us in the game or not costing us the game, so to speak and he’s got a chance to learn from it and grow and move on. And really that, to me, is what this whole business is all about. This League’s about that, I mean, we all have a lot of room for growth or improvement, myself included, and that’s what’s fun about the NFL season is, you get a chance to start here and you’re hoping that you get a little bit better every week collectively and individually, the coaches included, and if you continue to do that, good things will happen to you and really the goal is that you’re playing your best football down the stretch.”
On if it is important not to take Lions P Jack Fox’s punting ability for granted: “Yeah, I would say definitely. In my opinion, for sure, because he is a great player and you kind of get used to just having him out there, but as soon as he’s not there you’ll learn real quick what the difference is. He had a major impact in the game, really the last two times we’ve played them and the last couple times we’ve played Tampa Bay, also, he’s had very good games for us. It is collective, the offense moves the ball, he ends up pinning them down inside, the defense holds them back, they end up punting and giving us field position, but our field position overall has been pretty good. Really, truth be told, the last few years have been pretty good overall, and I would say that’s a collective stat, not just special teams.”
On his process of taking data for the new kickoff and if he has watched every kickoff from Week 1 and if he takes preseason into consideration: “Yeah, I think all data – all the information is good information. Doesn’t mean all data is good data, but there’s a lot of information out there. I always say, ‘There’s an art and a science to the whole thing.’ And that’s what I love about the game is, there’s people who can say, ‘Well, here are the numbers.’ And it’s like, ‘Well, yeah, those are the numbers, but did you watch what was going on on that particular play?’ Then maybe not so much. So some of that’s like the preseason maybe a team was experimenting with something that you’re never going to see, the way they drop the front line on kickoff return or whatever and you’ve kind of got to filter some of that stuff out, and I would say that’s the art to it. But data – the more data we get on the play, the more these plays play out, the more information we get as coaches, and it certainly helps us make decisions. The one thing that didn’t show itself in the preseason is, there was a lot of balls kicked short of the endzone because, in the preseason, from a coaching standpoint, the team that controls the plays is the kick cover team, and that’s the hardest thing about the play right now, they control the play and the team that’s got the incentive right now is really the return team. The touchback goes out to the 30, you have a chance to rip one back, it’s a volatile play, we talked about that, Arizona showed that. I mean, for the fact that there was only a handful of returns and one of them was already returned for a touchdown kind of alludes to the fact that it’s volatile. So the return team is not in charge of the play – the kick cover team – so if they kick it way out in the back of the endzone, then the return team’s kind of got their hand forced, so to speak, to some degree, and what that is, we don’t know, but in the preseason everyone kicked it short because they wanted to work on coverage and now, all of a sudden, we’re saying, ‘OK, it’s starting to flip.’ Maybe it’s more advantageous to return it, how deep is that, and where is that yard line or cut off? So, we’ve still got to learn quite a bit probably. It’s going to take a year until you kind of really know.”
On the value of having Lions DL Marcus Davenport’s power and bull rush ability on special teams and field goal block: “Yeah, he did a great job. Truth be told, (Lions DL Alim McNeill) Mac, (Lions DL Mekhi) Wingo, Davenport, all three of those guys on the inside of our field goal block did a great job. I feel like, for the last few years those guys have consistently played hard for us on the inside and put pressure. We’ve had a block every year that I’ve been here on field goal. But he certainly was exceptional, I mean, I’ll just tell you a funny story. So, it was during the week, and I was like, ‘Hey man, the only concern I really have for you on field goal block is, man.’ And I’m looking up to the guy and I’m like, ‘You’re so tall, how are you going to get down and underneath these guys?’ Because so much of it’s pad level on the play, and he’s like, ‘Yeah, I’ve got a plan for that.’ And I was like, ‘Alright.’ And I said it to him again and then I turned on the film after the game and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh. Yeah, he sure had a plan for that.’ He had no problem, but I guess that’s probably why he’s a pretty darn good player.”
On why Lions P Jack Fox is not on kickoff duty: “I’ve always felt like, to me – I think I’ve said this to you guys before, but I’ve always felt like the kicker should be the guy kicking off. It’s really his skillset, it’s what he does. It’s very similar to field goal in terms of style of kick, obviously much different than a punt. But I’ve also always said that it doesn’t really matter, whatever’s the best thing for the football team is what we’re going to do and so, in years past, Fox has really just had kind of a bigger leg than those other guys out there, so he put our team in a better situation with him kicking off. And then, right now with (Lions K Jake) Bates, we obviously – I mean, he’s got a big leg also and can kick the ball and pace the ball where we want to, so we feel real good about him doing it, also. So, I would prefer it to be that way, in general, just because it’s more aligned with his skillset, but I would never say never. I mean, put the best player out there.”
