LIONS HEAD COACH DAN CAMPBELL QUOTE SHEET
September 13, 2024
Opening Statement: “Final day here really before dress rehearsal tomorrow, clean everything up. It’s been a good week, and we’ll be ready to go.”
On the likelihood of Lions T Penei Sewell and Lions DL Marcus Davenport playing on Sunday: “Yeah, we’re going to see if we can get Sewell out there today a little bit, same with Davenport. Not sure yet, we’ll see.”
On if Lions T Penei Sewell is dealing with a high-ankle injury: “I think it’s a little bit more medial than that, but it’s healing, it’s just – we’re trying to be smart about it.”
On the likelihood of Lions WR Jameson Williams playing on Sunday: “Yeah, we’ll try to get him out there moving around a little bit, too, see how he does. They’re all progressing, they’re all getting better. It’s just a matter of, how fast can they heal up and is it fast enough for them to play?”
On the passing of former Lions LB and Head Coach Joe Schmidt and the grit and mentality he brought to the Lions: “Well, I mean, look, yes, it was before my time a little bit, but I know enough to know that – Hall of Fame player, heck of a coach – both player and coach. It’s a heck of a life, I mean, that’s a – he will have seen it all, that’s for sure. So obviously I think he embodies everything that this city’s about and this team is about. Well ahead of his time and where we’re at. So just thinking about his family, too, as well, in this time. It doesn’t matter how long that life is and how good it was, it’s still – it’s a passing, so I know that’s tough on the family.”
On what kind of responsibility and pride he feels going out onto the field for former players along with fans: “Well, I think, especially when you hear from the old throwbacks, when you hear from somebody else or you get a letter, you get a text, you hear something from a family member that appreciate what we’re doing here and the style of play that we have, those make you feel good because you can really respect that, you appreciate that. So, it means a lot, it really does.”
On his confidence level in players like Lions DL Josh Paschal, Lions DL Levi Onwuzurike and Lions DL James Houston to step up if Lions DL Marcus Davenport does not play on Sunday: “Well, the good news is, we get (Lions DL DJ) Reader back this week. I feel pretty good about that. So, him coming back now really opens up a little more versatility that we have at the D-line because really, between (Lions DL Kyle) Peko, and (Lions DL Alim McNeill) Mac, Levi and Paschal, they can all play anywhere from the nose, three-technique, to the big end. So, they’re all going to share that load a little bit if Davenport couldn’t – or is not going to be able to go.”
On what it is about the Tampa Bay defense that caused the Lions to pass the ball much more than run the ball in their last two matchups against them: “Yeah, I think in that moment we just felt like that was the right thing to do. Every time you go into those you study where they’re at, what they do well, what we’re doing well, where we’re at at that point of the year and it just felt like that was the right thing to do in those moments. Now, last time we played them, we came out of the game with 15 runs and yeah, we won, but that’s not near enough. We’ve got to find a way to establish the run this game, we have to. So, we’ve got to lean on the run game.”
On if having a ‘big fella’ like Buccaneers DL Vita Vea makes it difficult to run against Tampa Bay: “We’ve got a big fella too.”
On what sort of attention they have to give Buccaneers DL Vita Vea to make sure they can get the run game going: “Well, it just means (Lions C) Frank (Ragnow)’s got to eat a lot more, and he will, and he’s been hydrating. He’s ready to go is what that means. Look, I’ve said it before, I think Vita’s a heck of a player and he’s a big man with power, he’s got size, length, he’s got good feet, and so he’s a load. He’s a load. He’s one of these really good down linemen in this League, and they’re hard to find and they’ve got one over there. But we’ve got a Frank Ragnow, too. So, I like it, I like our front. I like (Lions G Kevin) Zeitler and (Lions OL) Graham (Glasgow) and it’ll be a battle, man, and they may win a couple, but that’s why you go play the game, right? You battle it out.”
On what he thought of the Lions’ special teams coverage in Week 1: “Yeah, well, obviously we had one that we got to – on our kick cover that we got to cover down on and that was because it hit the grass early. That was – it was a great kick, worked out to be a great kick. And so, that helps, it does, but those – you don’t always get those. And so, that one played out well and if you can buy yourself a second, a half-second, to get a start, whether that’s, they return it from deep in the endzone or it hits the turf before it get to them, then, man, you like your coverage units a lot better on that particular play, so that was good. Obviously, our punt unit, I like where we were at there. I feel like, a lot of what we do certainly starts with (Lions P Jack) Fox, but then, man, on the perimeter, (Lions CB Khalil) Dorsey getting down there, it puts a lot of strain on their return unit when you can get down there and get in their face. So, I like where we’re at right now, and we’ve got so much to improve on, too, just like we do on offense and defense.”
On what Lions LB Alex Anzalone has meant to the team as the energizer on the field and the leader off the field: “Yeah, he means a ton, he means a ton to us. I’ve said it before, he’s our defensive captain really going on four years now. He’s high energy, he plays snap-to-whistle, he’s smart as a whip, he knows exactly what we’re looking for on our defense, he knows what (Lions Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn) AG’s going to call and why he’s going to call it, and, ‘If I don’t get the call, then I’m calling what you would’ve called.’ He gets everybody on the same page, and he just doesn’t take plays off and he’s a damn good athlete, so he’s meant a lot and I do feel like he’s one of those guys who really sets the tone for our defense.”
