October 14, 2024
Opening Statement: “Let me just start here. I know that there was an update with (Lions DL Aidan Hutchinson) Hutch and his surgery. Surgery went great, which is all good news. I kind of mentioned this yesterday, but, man, Hutch is a captain for us, highly productive player, great teammate, does everything right and was having one hell of a game, one hell of a season. And so, look, it hurts. It hurts to lose somebody like him. Not only the player, but the person that’s in that locker room and the leader that he is. With that being said, we move forward. And let me say this before I get to what I was just saying, it’s four-to-six months, I would never count Hutch out, ever. So, yeah, probably a long road, but I would never count him out and I would say if anybody could make it back, it’d be him. Now, what gives me hope moving forward is (Lions Defensive Coordinator) Aaron Glenn. We’ve been coaching here four years and he’s done everything in his power to work around any personnel we have and use the players that we have and get the most production we can, and we will be able to adapt to that. I have a lot of faith in that D-line room. (Lions DL Alim McNeill) Mac and (Lions DL) Levi (Onwuzurike) and (Lions DL DJ) Reader and (Lions DL Josh) Paschal and that group that’s going in there – (Lions DL Isaac) Ukwu, we’ve got (Lions LB Al-Quadin) Muhammad on practice squad, (Lions LB Mitchell) Agude, (Lions DL James) Houston’s still here. So, we’ve got options and it’s why we play with three phases. So, we play offense, defense, special teams, that’s why we do it. And we help each other out. So, we’ll be just fine, we’re going to move forward, and I’ll kind of leave it at that. As far as yesterday, highly productive, probably our most productive game top-to-bottom, offense, defense, that we’ve played. Details, execution on defense. 3.9 yards per play, that’s huge, and then five takeaways. I mean, what a game. I’m really proud of those guys. Active. Offensively, same thing. I mean, 184 yards rushing, quarterback played lights-out, skill guys showed up, we had 14 explosives. Once again, (Lions RB David Montgomery) D-Mo and (Lions RB Jahmyr) Gibbs, (Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown) Saint, (Lions WR Tim Patrick) TP, I can go down – (Lions TE Sam) LaPorta, (Lions WR Kalif Raymond) Leaf, and then that O-line played great, (Lions T Taylor) Decker, (Lions OL) Graham (Glasgow), (Lions C) Frank (Ragnow), (Lions G Kevin) Zeitler and (Lions T Penei) Sewell. So just a total team effort and really showed up and I was proud of those guys. So, game balls, defensively, was (Lions DB Brian) Branch and Mac, and then Hutch, and offensively it was (Lions QB Jared) Goff, special teams was (Lions K Jake) Bates. I thought Bates did a good job yesterday, and then just a number of guys that played really good across the board, really. I think we only had maybe two guys that had losing performances, so that’s pretty damn impressive. So, proud of them.”
On how much more Lions DL Alim McNeill can give the team in the pass rush to make up for the loss of Lions DL Aidan Hutchinson: “A lot. Listen, Mac showed up and Mac wasn’t pleased with the way he played against Seattle, and so he was a man on a mission before the bye, coming out, and he was locked in this week. His mind was right, and he was going to be a factor in this game and that’s what we expect every week out of Mac, is just that. So yeah, how much? A lot. And he’s one of those guys we’re going to lean on. He doesn’t have to be Superman, but we’ve got to get that out of him every week, and he’s got that ability. Played a heck of a game yesterday.”
On how important it is as a player to have the hope of coming back during the season while rehabbing: “Yeah, I think it’s huge. To be able to say, ‘Man,’ – because it is out there. And just knowing (Lions DL Aidan Hutchinson) Hutch – he’s got one of those rare – he believes in it. He can will himself to find a way to get back. He’s one of those guys – the mind can heal the body and he’ll find the next best thing and do whatever it takes to get back. So, who knows? But yeah, I think it’s huge. You know it’s just sitting right out there, ‘I can do this, I can get back. We’ll be in a position to where I’ll be able to come back and help.’ And I do, I think it’s huge.”
On why the players still seem confident in the team’s goals after Lions DL Aidan Hutchinson’s injury: “Well, I started with it yesterday. That was the first thing I said once we got done with prayer, was just about Hutch and so we had kind of covered that. But I think what I’d say is, everybody feels for Hutch because of what I already mentioned, but they also can put themselves in his shoes because that could be any one of you, it could be any one of those players. And so, it kind of bring you back to reality like, ‘Hey man.’ That’s part of this game, and that’s hard, but I think they also understand that, man, we are a team and everybody is here for a reason and it takes every one of us and it goes back to – that’s why we play with 11 on defense, 11 on offense, 11 on special teams, and we play together, and if we need help in one area, we’ll get it from one of the other groups, and that’s how we complement each other. And so, they believe it’s next man up. We talk about it all the time on the practice squad, the vet squad. Man, we’re going to have injuries, things are going to happen, you’ve got to be able to step up and you’ve got to hold the line. You’ve got to hold the line.”
On how long they can take to evaluate players internally before they start to look externally for different defensive linemen to add: “Yeah, well, let me start here. (Lions Executive Vice President and General Manager) Brad (Holmes) always – this comes up every year, and it’s not like he doesn’t look. So, he’s doing what he’s been doing, he’s looking – is there somebody out there that could potentially help us, what is it going to cost? And so, those things will always come up, but just because that’s there, it doesn’t mean we’re going to do it, and it’s got to be right if it is. Everything’s got to be right. And honestly, where we’re at now, we’re not in a hurry. I mean, I believe in the guys that are here. I believe in that D-line. Doesn’t mean we’re not looking, we’re not evaluating. Brad is, that’s his job and he’s good at it and we’ll take it as it comes. But our eyes are open, and we want to make sure that we have what we need here.”
On what he saw from Lions DL Isaac Ukwu’s debut and his confidence in his ability to contribute: “Well, he’s a young player and that was his first taste of real NFL football, so I thought as the game went on, he got better, and it looked like it was his first NFL game. That’s just the truth, but I also – I see that guy every day in practice, I see (Lions LB Mitchell) Agude every day in practice, we just got (Lions LB Al-Quadin) Muhammad here, I’ve known what he’s been able to do for a while. And so, man, those are guys that – they’re going to do what we ask them to do and they’re going to go all-out to do it, and while they’re doing it, they’re going to continue to grow. Ukwu will get better every week. And so, look, everything’s on the table, but we’re not panicked, (Lions Executive Vice President and General Manager) Brad (Holmes) and I are not panicked, and this team’s not panicked. It’s next man up and if we have an area we need some help, then we’ve got to help each other out a little bit here and we may have to play a little bit different and that’s OK. But I know (Lions Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn) AG’s going to put together a hell of a gameplan, he does every week, and he’s going to use everything that he has and the resources that we have, and we’ll be ready to go.”
On if he feels confident that the Lions can still win the Super Bowl with the players they have in-house: “Yeah. I mean, listen, my job is to coach what’s here and I’m going to coach the hell out of them, and we are as a staff. And so, yeah, I do. And if we get somebody, great, if we don’t, these are our guys. And the coaches know that. This is what we came into camp with, this is why we develop talent, and it’s next man up and they’ve got to be ready to go.”
On how much it meant for Lions QB Jared Goff to give him the game ball he was awarded: “Yeah, he did, didn’t he. He just didn’t want to carry his. Listen, I love those guys. I love our players, they’re the best and I appreciate it. And the coaching staff and everybody. But look, it’s not like I’m the only one from Texas. (Lions Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn) AG’s from Texas, there’s a number of us. (Lions TE) Brock Wright. So that was a great team effort and listen, man, I love those guys and I wouldn’t trade any of them for anybody right now. This is our crew.”
On the thought process to decide to use trick plays while up big late in the game versus saving them for another game: “No, I think for that we had gone in saying, ‘Man, we’re using everything in our arsenal.’ We had told the players that, that’s the way we worked all week, and we were using it, and we were playing football and we were pedal to the metal. That was the whole mindset. And them, our job is to, every week, come back up with something more creative and find a way to continue to push the limits here. (Lions Offensive Coordinator) Ben (Johnson) does a great job and the offensive staff. And so, now it’s, ‘Let’s go find something else.’”
On if yesterday’s game at Dallas was Lions CB Terrion Arnold’s best game: “Yes, it was. I would totally agree with that. That was his best game, we saw improvement in man-to-man coverage, no DPIs or defensive holdings, things of that nature. And so, man, we saw improvement. I totally agree with that.”
