LIONS HEAD COACH DAN CAMPBELL QUOTE SHEET
October 18, 2024
Opening Statement: “I guess, injury-wise, (Lions CB Carlton Davis III) CD will practice today, trending in the right direction, so it will be good to get him moving around out there, and (Lions G Kevin) Zeitler had a little bit of a hip yesterday, so we’ll see what today looks like and go from there. If he can’t (Lions G Kayode Awosika) Yode will be ready to roll, Yode’s played plenty for us and has taken a ton of reps, so it’s good. Red zone day.”
On if Lions DL Aidan Hutchinson’s injury is an opportunity for Lions DL James Houston to come back into the rotation: “Yeah, I think there’s a chance that he goes to the game here and there may be a place for him. He’s been practicing this week and it’s kind of like – so, yeah, there could be a place here, but it’s like everything else, it’s about the reps in practice, what they look like, and then even when you get in the game, what do those look like? And if they’re good and there’s production and discipline, then keep putting him in, and if it’s not, put somebody else in. But yeah, this is a great opportunity. It’s a great opportunity for him.”
On how Lions DL Isaiah Thomas has looked so far: “Well, let me start here, the up-downs were good. That always jumps on them, that’s the first thing that jumps on them, but now he can be ready for the next guy that comes in, he gets to watch them do it. But we like Isaiah, (Lions Executive Vice President and General Manager) Brad (Holmes) and I both liked him when he was coming out and it’s good, it’s still early. He’s trying to learn our terminology and I talked with him this morning, I told him like everybody else, I said, ‘Hey, you come in here and learn what we’re doing and just continue to develop, keep working.’ I already like his work ethic, and you earn everything you get here. So you go, you compete, and we’ll take it where it goes. So, I don’t see him being up this week, but he’s here for a reason and that’s to get a look at him and let him compete with all those other guys.”
On how big this game is even though it is in October: “Yeah, listen, it is big, and I think – because it is, it’s a division game, they’re playing really well, so are we, we’re on the road, they’ve already got a division win on the road at Green Bay, so this is big, this is a real big game and that’s the way you have to approach it. This team has caused issues with everybody they’ve played and the thing that shows up, and the common denominator between all five of these team that they’ve beaten is, man, they lose their composure and communication is not there and things start going sour and it snowballs, and it gets worse, and really, nobody’s taken them down to the wire, really. And I know the Jet game there was an opportunity there, but that’s what we have to do. We have to take this thing to the fourth quarter and make it a game, because if you don’t do that, it’s going got be hard, you’re going to be running uphill. So that’s really the focus here, keep your composure, communicate and you’ve got to battle.”
On how important the turnover battle will be in this game: “It’s huge and a number of these games it’s – well, certainly the Green Bay game early, but it’s, you score, get a stop, you score, they turn the ball over, you score, and all of a sudden you’re 21-0 and it’s like, ‘Man.’ And so, then you’re scraping for answers defensively on how to stop them, and then offensively you’re starting to feel like it’s a track meet, so you’re completely out of your gameplan, which is the worst thing you can do. But that’s what happens, and those are the type of games they’ve been in because they’re applying pressure and mistakes are being made and those mistakes are turning into critical errors, not just errors, ‘Ah, we’ve got to punt it.’ Man, they’re massive errors and they’re getting up by two scores, three scores in some cases, early, and about the time you fight your way back, then they pull away again. So, it’s really never been close, and it is, the turnover ratio is going to be ginormous.”
On the biggest benefit to having Lions Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson on his side when it comes to keeping composure and making sure they are staying in their gameplan: “Yeah, well, I think the fact that we’ve seen this, we saw it twice last year, because really, the core of this unit and the thought behind it is still there, still very much there. There’s a couple of wrinkles and the personnel is better, they have upgraded, but I think seeing this and gameplanning for it and calling the game against it and making sure you have an answer for everything, that’s what you want. You need to have an answer, and as long as you get (Lions QB Jared) Goff an answer, which in turn give this offense an answer, then you’ll be fine, you’ve got a chance. But, if you don’t have the answer in place, that’s where you get in trouble, and some of these teams, it’s happened to them. You get in there and all of a sudden it looks like, ‘Oh man.’ They got issues. And so, we’ve got the answers, Ben’s got the answers, it’s set up, it’s about execution. But yeah, here we go man, Ben, it’s his third year calling the offense and then, like I say, third year going against this style, so it is big, and I think it gives us an advantage.”
On what it is about playing on road against Minnesota that is more difficult than other teams: “Yeah, I just know since I’ve been here, man, it’s a battle going back and forth and we just made some bad plays at the worst times and they really – it’s like I say, the mistakes are one thing, it’s when the mistakes are being made and then what it’s costing you when you make that mistake, I feel like. And so, look, it’s no different. It’s a loud environment, as you know they play pretty good at home, as most teams do, but I think it just goes back to everything else. We’ve got a pretty veteran team, particularly offensively, which is hearing all the – that’s where you’re really put under fire. The defense is out there, our defense isn’t getting all that, whereas our offense is. But we’re a pretty veteran group, so I feel like we’ll be able to keep our composure, keep our head about us and then it’s about being patient. We’ve got to be patient on offense. That’s hard to say, but it is, that’s what you have to do.”
On the Vikings horn being played during practice: “Yeah, isn’t it annoying? Because the point of it, it’s supposed to be annoying. It’s supposed to annoy them.”
On if Lions G Kevin Zeitler got injured during practice: “Yes, he did.”
On if Lions G Kevin Zeitler will practice today: “I don’t know, I think it’s hard to say. Look, if you’re asking me, I think it’s going to be hard to say he’s playing. I think it’ll be hard to say he’s playing, but I don’t want to say he’s out right now, I’m not there yet.”
On Lions WR Tim Patrick: “Man, he’s a pro. He’s a pro, the way he prepares, the way he works, type of teammate he is, the athlete that he is, man, he’s long, he’s got catch radius, he blocks downfield, he’s got good hands, good, strong hands. So, there again, he brings a different element to us in the receiver room, he brings something we don’t have, which is – man, that’s music to your ears if you’re kind of building an offense, man, it just gives you a different type of weapon. And then, like I say, he fits right in with our guys. I mean he’s just – he’s all in, he’s got no problem doing dirty work. The more he’s – I mean, we’ve got a lot of stuff we’re asking him to do this week. Every week we put more on his plate, we’re asking him to do a lot mentally and physically, which is a good thing. So, there again, that’s – so now, between he and (Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown) Saint and (Lions WR Jameson Williams) Jamo and (Lions WR Kalif Raymond) Leaf, now you’re starting to feel pretty good.”
