LIONS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR BEN JOHNSON QUOTE SHEET
October 24, 2024
Opening Statement: “Listen, it was great game last week. We found out a lot about our guys, getting down like we did, 10-0 early in that game and didn’t start the way we wanted to, three three-and-outs, not the formula for success for us, but guys stuck with it, we really just shot ourselves in the foot there early on, whether it was penalties or sacks. But once we started rolling, I mean, you could see where they executed the plan really well and they were playing hard for each other just like we do each and every week. So that was fun to see, some guys played probably the best ball of their season so far, (Lions C) Frank (Ragnow)’s one of those guys, (Lions RB) Jahmyr (Gibbs) certainly had a big game for us, thought (Lions WR Kalif Raymond) Leaf came through for us on one of those drives where he made several big plays to extend the drive for us, on third down in particular. Awesome to see, awesome to see some guys step up. Hard environment to play in, I mean, I think (Lions QB) Jared (Goff) and Frank both said that was one of the loudest games that they’ve ever been a part of, so communication was a major issue and we’ve got to be cleaner in terms of the penalties, we can’t allow that to be a crutch moving forward. Great week this week in terms of the challenge. Tennessee is a very good defense. I think (Lions Head) Coach (Dan Campbell) already alluded to, might be the best we’ve seen all year. Maybe not as challenging from a schematics standpoint, but personnel-wise, these guys are, across the board at each level, sound, they are violent, they’re physical, they finish, and when you see a team that plays as much two-high as they do and yet still be able to shut down every run game that they face, we already know that we have our work cut out for us.”
On if he can contextualize how well Lions QB Jared Goff is executing his offense: “Yeah, it’s our offense, I mean that’s been – from day one it’s been – he has been involved with this, it’s been a collaborative effort with him and the rest of the coaching staff and I think he’s taken a lot of ownership. We make a big deal each and every week, why each play is in, what the premier look is, if we don’t get that look what we need to do with the football, and then I think the weapons around us right now are really just – they’re opening up the entire field. We’ve hit some big plays over the top and guys have backed off, and so Jared’s been very good at staying consistent to, if they get depth, let’s check it down, and then the guys underneath are explosive runners after the catch. So, whether it’s (Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown) Saint, whether it’s our backs, those guys have, on checkdowns, gotten explosive plays almost each and every week. So, he has just stayed true to what the play calls for and we’ve been able to find open receivers and it’s been a good thing so far. None of us are surprised. I mean, he’s put stretches of this together in training camp, and so we probably didn’t start the season quite as hot as we wanted to, but this is really what we expected going into the year.”
On the consistency of Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown and how important he is to what the offense does: “I was thinking about that earlier this week is, he might be the most consistent player I’ve ever been around. Just bringing the same mentality into work every day, you know what you’re going to get out on the practice field, there’s really, particularly with that position group, there tends to be some mood swings at times, and he hasn’t had that ever since he stepped into the building. And so, the consistency that he approaches the game with and preparation carries over to gameday and that’s why he’s been such a reliable, productive player for us. And to know that, I mean, that catch he had in the fourth quarter with (Vikings S) Harrison (Smith) coming right down and trying to punch through the pocket, I mean, that’s a hell of a catch that certainly hasn’t gotten the recognition that it should because that really won the game for us. Got us into a good chip shot there for our kicker and not many guys can make that type of play, with a guy draped on your back and going through. He’s strong, he’s physical, he’s really everything we could hope for.”
On if he feels that Lions QB Jared Goff’s ability to find answers and execute the offense has improved in his time here: “I’m sure the comfort level’s gone up with us being together for as long. He knows what each play – really what we’re looking for, and so, if we don’t get that, I think he’s quicker to say, ‘Hey, here’s my number two option,’ or, ‘I need to get the ball down to the back right away.’ So yeah, I’d like to think his play speed has increased a little bit just because of the number of reps we’ve accumulated.”
On how much comfort he has in Lions WR Kalif Raymond filling in for Lions WR Jameson Williams: “Well, he’s another guy that, along the same lines as (Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown) Saint, you know what you’re getting each and every day. He comes in with a great attitude and he’s willing to do whatever it takes. If you told him, ‘Hey, you’re going to have 10 snaps this week and they’re all run blocking,’ he’s going to attack that with a vigor, and he just loves playing football and being out on the field for his teammates. And so, when you combine that mentality along with – he’s got probably the best press releases on the team because of how small and shifty he is, guys can’t keep up with his quickness, he’s a threat in man-to-man, and then his run after catch is that of what you would expect from a punt returner. So, very dynamic weapon, there were some games earlier in the year, didn’t feel like was giving him enough opportunities, and so the last couple of weeks we’ve been able to get the ball in his hands and he’s taken it and ran with it.”
On Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell saying Lions WR Isaiah Williams may play this week and what he has seen from him in practice: “Man, that’s the fun part, I think, when you’re coaching, is seeing – yeah, you’re tuned into the opponent at hand with the starters and everything that they have going on, but you have fun when the defense is in their preparation and you’re – just watching our scout team, he’s been the guy that pops every week on scout team, and I know he’s won scout team player of the week several times for (Lions Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn) Coach Glenn and the defensive staff. And so, you see it – you see what you saw in the preseason with the speed, the explosion, and now it’s just carrying over and you’re seeing it day in and day out. And so, the trust level’s certainly going up. If he’s up here this week, then we’re getting more confidence in what he’ll bring to the table as well.”
On how much of Lions C Frank Ragnow’s performance against a team like Minnesota is predicated on pre-snap reads versus post-snap reads: “Yeah, I’m glad you said that because that’s – I would say the post-snap aspect of it that particular game – (Vikings DL) Harrison Phillips has had his number a little bit, he’s given us some trouble over the last year, so for him to have as much production he had after the snap was certainly a positive, but no one appreciates what he does before the snap more than me because it’s a lot. Particularly a game like that where we could’ve had any variety of looks. (Vikings Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores) Coach Flores, as you know, he gives any personnel group and pressure from every angle and Frank did a heck of a job deciphering it. On the road, loud, he was able to communicate, and we really didn’t miss a beat. I don’t think we were close to having a delay of game the whole time, and that’s a big credit to him.”
On how rare Lions T Penei Sewell’s ability to block a player and then peel off and block another player is: “Extremely. Yeah, he’s what we call a generational player for a reason. It’s what (Lions Executive Vice President and General Manager) Brad (Holmes) identified, (Lions Head Coach) Dan (Campbell) identified, when he was coming out of Oregon, and he just keeps getting better. I mean, how old is he now, 23, 24? I mean, he keeps growing. I mean there’s – heck, you saw him throw the ball last week in practice, didn’t you? As we were getting warmed up. Oh yeah, you’re not allowed to comment on that, but maybe we’ll find out soon enough then. But no, he can – there’s really nothing he can’t do. There’s really nothing he can’t do.”
On how valuable it is to have two players like Lions G Kayode Awosika and Lions OL Graham Glasgow that can play anywhere on the interior of the offensive line: “Yeah, no, I think (Lions Offensive Line) Coach (Hank) Fraley preaches it from the springtime to training camp. Those guys know, over the course of the last two-and-a-half years since I’ve been coordinating, it doesn’t matter if you’re in the top five to start the year, if you’re active anywhere from lineman six to nine, chances are, you’re going to see some time. And so, they prepare for it, we’ve got guys working both sides all the time, constantly, so they should be comfortable with it at this point. And the way Hank trains those guys, I don’t think that they bat an eye when their number’s called.”
LIONS DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR AARON GLENN QUOTE SHEET
October 24, 2024
Opening Statement: “This game did not start the way we all wanted it to start. At all three parts of our team, when you take a look at it, offense goes out, we stall on offense, special teams comes out, we don’t execute a fake, defense comes out, we give up a 34-yard run for a touchdown. So definitely not the start that we wanted, but man, I’ll tell you what, you’re talking about a resilient team, you’re talking about a team that plays with effort, you’re talking about a team that can recalibrate and get their focus on the task at hand. Our men actually did that at all three levels, all three parts of our team. Offense did a really good job of some critical drives to get 21 points before the half. Our defense did a really good job of making some key stops and creating a turnover again to put the offense in position. And man, two really critical, critical parts of that game that people really don’t talk about, but, for us as a team, we look at those and we actually talk to our players about it, how critical they were. On the fumble return those guys had, man, our guys go out and we execute a two-point play, as far as defensively, to not let them make it, and that was a critical, critical play. And then we go on a four-minute drive, and we get a three-and-out, get the ball back to our offense, the offense marched the ball down the field to kick that field goal to win the game. Those are the two critical – three critical parts in that game, and I thought that our guys acknowledged and we acknowledged to our guys how critical that was, and that just goes to show, man, every situation that comes up in these games, our guys are ready for it, they don’t blink, and that’s a credit to our head coach because we go through those things always during the week, and a credit to our players because they execute at a high level. So, going onto this week, listen, this is an opponent, in this League record doesn’t matter. You can get your ass kicked at any given time and we understand that because we were in Tennessee’s shoes before. We were that team that we were out for blood every week, I know this team feels the same way. Listen, they have names, they have players, they have high draft picks that want to come out and establish dominance, but we have to do a really good job of just understanding what the task is at hand. Records don’t matter, we just have an opponent in front of us that we’ve got to beat to get onto the next level that we want to get to, and our guys understand that. So that’s our mindset, we look forward to the challenge, it’s going to be a challenge, and we’re going to have a good week of practice and be ready for it.”
On if Lions DB Brian Branch and Lions CB Terrion Arnold communicating on the Lions’ two-point conversion stop at Minnesota shows that the young players on defense are starting to settle in and make big plays: “Well, when you really dive into that play, it was actually more than that because (Lions S) Kerby (Joseph) was part of it too, if you saw him getting ready to move. Because you – offensive teams are doing this a lot, Kansas City did it twice in their Super Bowl wins as far as these quick motions, and you just have one guy on them, we usually have two guys so we can have anchor points on both sides, so Kerby was involved in it also. Man, but for all three of those guys to have the mentality and the understanding of what we’re trying to create and to be able to pass things off, it does show the growth of those players. And here’s the scary part about it is, man, they still have a long way to go, and they’re working at it every day, so I’m excited about the go-forward with those guys. Again, they know they still have work to do, but you’re proud of the fact that they can communicate at a high level and quickly, to be able to get the job done.”
On why offenses are using short motions: “Well, listen, everybody has their own reasons why. Sometimes you get man-zone tells, sometimes you’re starting to get spacing throughout the defense, sometimes you’re trying to get matchups, so I can’t tell you exactly why each team does it, but I know the mindset of why teams do it, and those three things are part of it. So, we just have to do a good job of understanding where we’re at, where our man is, especially if you’re in man coverage, and zones, understanding, man, they’re creating space, and we make sure we’ve got to condense that space as much as possible.”
On Lions DB Brian Branch’s interception at Minnesota and what goes into playing with disguised coverages: “Well, it’s understanding. Number one, it’s film study, two, of understanding what teams are trying to do when you show a certain look, so those guys did a really good job of showing a single-high look, and usually that team went to a certain play that we looked at, and those guys did a really good job of forcing that play to happen, and we were in a totally different defense and Brian was in a half, (Lions S) Kerby (Joseph) was in a half, and man, he ended up throwing the ball to Brian, and Brian made a good play on it.”
On if he believes that secondary is disguising coverages better this year: “They are, that’s something that I’ve said every week. Those guys are doing a better job of understanding exactly how they have to operate in the back end, and the communication part, to me, is probably the most important part those guys are doing a good job of.”
On how much safeties disguising coverages comes from coaching versus in-game adjustments from the players: “Listen, that goes hand-in-hand because you coach a concept, and when you coach a concept, the guys start understanding, what are those strong points and what are the weaknesses when you coach that concept? And then, when you add that to film study, those guys start seeing, ‘Man, if we do this on tape – this is what teams are showing them on tape, this is what teams are checking to, then maybe if we do that, we can show something different and be able to make plays.’ So, it goes hand-in-hand with coaching then also execution and understanding of those guys, and to me, that’s what you do as an NFL player, you start to grow, and you start to figure those things out. Listen, it’s never one-sided, it’s never all coaching and it’s never all players. That’s why this is the ultimate team game. Coaches are a huge part of it, players are a huge part of it, when you match those two together, man, it’s something special.”
On Lions Linebackers Coach Kelvin Sheppard expressing his belief in Lions LB Malcolm Rodriguez being a starting-caliber linebacker and where he has seen growth from him: “Listen, I’ve said that from the beginning and listen, that room is a special room, and we have a number of guys in there that can start for us. We have a number of guys in there that play on all special teams and come and play with us on defense, and my philosophy is, when you have good players, you try to get them on the field as much as possible, so Rodrigo is a guy that we try to get on the field as much as possible. So, anytime we have injuries, especially in that room, ‘OK, let’s go to the next man because we know that man can do the job.’ So, excited about his growth, he’s still a young player, still has a ways to go, but man, listen, I have no issues with playing that player as a starter, backup, but in some way, shape, or form, he’s going to be on the field for us, because he’s a good player.”
On playing at Minnesota without Lions DL Aidan Hutchinson and how he would assess the defensive line’s play and how they generated pressure: “Listen, we talked about this last week. Players are what makes your team and you put those players in position to be successful as much as you can. Hutch was a guy that can generate pressure in games or by himself, but obviously, Hutch is not here. Now you look at each player that we have, and you try to do the same thing with each of those players. So, my job is to make sure I put a gameplan together looking at the players and making sure it’s player-centric to where every time that they go out there and play, we’re putting them in the best position. That can either be putting guys in situations where they’re running games, putting guys out on the edge to where they can try to win one-on-one, and just in totaling – just how do we create this defense to where these guys can go play and go play fast. And that’s what I try to do every week. And listen, I know that Hutch brought a huge part of rushing the passer, but man, again, we have other guys that can go out there and do the same thing. So, listen, are they Hutch? No, they’re not, and it’s hard to be Hutch. But they have their own talents and traits that we can try to utilize to help us win.”
On if blitzing as much as they did at Minnesota is sustainable or if it will depend on the opponent: “I like to blitz anyway. Listen, it’s really by gameplan and it’s about the players that you have. And going back to our linebackers, man, I want to blitz those guys as much as possible because I think it’s hard for a running back to actually block those guys. You’ve got (Lions LB) Jack (Campbell), he’s a 6’4”, 250-pound man on the running back, man, I’m going to take that matchup all the time. Same thing with (Lions LB) Alex (Anzalone), you have a 6’3”, 240-pound man on a back, I’m going to take that matchup all the time. So, it’s not the fact that we’re just trying to blitz to recoup what (Lions DL Aidan Hutchinson) Hutch gave us, it’s the gameplan that we’re trying to make sure we take advantage of. But at the end of the day, I like to blitz.”
On how much containing opponents’ number-one receiver was a point of emphasis for him and how proud he is of the job the team has done at containing number-one options this season: “Listen, I told our guys this, and I’ve been telling them this for a while actually is, the way that they go out and the way they challenge guys, they get in guys’ faces, they put their hand on guys, that’s the way, that’s the vision of playing smothering defense. And those guys create that picture because I paint that picture for them, and they know that’s what I require when it comes to playing defense in general is, I want to smother people as much as possible. (Lions CB Carlton Davis III) CD does a really good job of that. Man, he’s a 6’1”, 200-pound man with long arms. Same thing with (Lions CB Terrion Arnold) TA. (Lions CB) Amik (Robertson)’s on the small end, but I tell you what, he is feisty, he is scrappy, he is highly competitive. And all our guys have that same trait about themselves, so when you have guys that’s like that, man, you want to put them in situations where they’re able to do what they do best, and that’s go play man coverage. So that’s a huge part of what we do. Now, listen. We’re going to double those guys too, I mean these receivers in this League are – they’re elite, elite athletes, and it’s hard to just contain them with one guy, so there’s going to be times where we double them, but there’s going to be times where they’re by themselves. So, our guys have been doing a really good job of executing the plan and going out there and challenging and not being afraid to challenge and understanding, ‘Listen, if you beat me, I’m going to line up again, get in his face, and we’re going to go at it again.’ And those guys have been doing a good job of that.”
On how familiar he is with Titans Head Coach Brian Callahan and the offense he brought from Cincinnati: “Well, listen, I understand the Cincinnati offense fairly well. I think he’s put his own stamp on what he wants to do. Listen, I totally understand exactly where that team is because, again, we were Tennessee when we first got here. So, it’s going to take those guys some time to get to exactly where they want it and I don’t know if they’ve got the personnel they want, but the thing is, I know they’re going to coach hard. I know (Titans Defensive Coordinator) Dennard (Wilson) really well and I know he’s going to coach his ass off and get those guys to play at a certain level. All the offensive coaches, I don’t know them that well, but I do know where he came from and I know how they play offensive football and they’ve been highly successful in Cincinnati on the offense, so I’m sure he’s trying to recreate that.”
On how he feels Lions LB Trevor Nowaske has done with an increased role after previously saying not to crown him too early: “We’re still not going to crown him just yet. But I would say this, he’s improving as a player. That SAM position is not an easy position, it’s not for everybody. Listen, there’s a reason why we wanted him back, because we knew what he brought to the table. So, he’s going to continue to grow, he’s going to continue to grow in our system, and I like what he’s doing for us. And again, listen, we’re going to try to put as much on his plate as he can handle, but we’re not going to overwhelm the player, because he is a young player still. But he’s doing some good things. He’s two-for-two as far as sacks, right? That’s why you want to make him (former LB) Lawrence Taylor, I know. But it’s all good.”
On the defense against the Hail Mary at Minnesota and if it is a play that he thinks about a lot: “Well, it doesn’t happen a lot, but the thing is, and again, this is to our players and also to our head coach, that we talk about situational football all the time, and I think you have to prepare guys for any situation that comes up. And sometimes they don’t come up, but the thing is, our guys understand the situation and when it’s time for a Hail Mary, we have certain plays that we want to run against Hail Marys and our guys, they go out there and execute. And when you do it at a high level, usually good things happen. And (Lions LB) Trevor (Nowaske) was the guy that actually had a chance to get the sack on it, so good for him.”
LIONS SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR DAVE FIPP QUOTE SHEET
October 24, 2024
On how good it was to see Lions K Jake Bates score the game winning field goal against the Vikings and win NFC Special Teams Player of the Week: “It’s awesome. It’s really great for all of those guys. I think when you get into coaching, or at least certainly the longer I’ve been in it, the more you do it to watch stuff like that happen to the players that you coach. You want to see them have success, you want to see them play well, you want to see them make big plays. So, for me, personally, obviously, being able to be a part of watching them do that, is fun to see. That’s kind of why you do it, so it was good.”
On the Vikings special teams defense almost blocking a punt: “Yeah, we had some pressure on a punt. Just simple little things, but yeah.”
On if the Vikings special teams defense putting pressure on punts was something that they did or if they were just a good rushing unit: “They rush hard, traditionally, and they did a good job of it. The field goal, I didn’t think they were actually really that close on, but the guy did try to jump over the top of us and all that, you saw that.”
On how he coaches Lions LS Hogan Hatten to avoid being pushed to the ground after snaps: “I think truth be told, I felt like our execution on the play was pretty good. It put pressure on those guys to really, what they call, leverage or push off the back of the guy – which is illegal. So, the guy kind of had to use us to elevate over the top. When you have to elevate that high like you saw on that play, whether you leverage or not, if you did it legally and didn’t leverage then you would be jumping over the top. It takes so long to get up over the top that by the time that you come down, you can’t reelevate in order to block it. You have to reelevate on the play, and I think you saw that. Even though the guy was pushing on us to get over the top, he still didn’t have enough time to reelevate. At some point if you want to get over the top, you can probably get over the top, but can you do it fast enough, and that’s really what that play comes down to. I think the key for that thing is pad level. If you’re real, real low, then you can get over the top and reelevate afterwards and that really didn’t happen for us. So anyway, they tried.”
On if he has seen Lions K Jake Bates come out of his shell: “I think it’s just like any player. He’s really focused on trying to do his job. He’s got a huge job, it’s a very difficult one and there’s a lot of pressure in that position. So, I think for him, a lot of him is just being ultra focused and I don’t think it’s really that he’s not having a good time or not having fun. But one thing I really respect about him is that he has an ability to really lock himself in. I mean on game day, you don’t even need to talk to him because he’s taking care of it himself already. I mean he is super focused, so you don’t see him smiling, doing all that stuff a lot. Like I said, I don’t think it’s because he’s not having a good time, but he just knows what comes with the position and you have to take one kick at a time. And it’s really the same thing going forward, that play is over and he’s already onto the next one and the next one’s going to take everything that he’s got, and I think he knows that. But it was definitely good in the moment to see him enjoy it and have some fun and I think he’s definitely getting more comfortable with his teammates. I think in this game the bottom line is all your teammates care about is if you can play, and if you play and you play at a high level and you play well and you help them be successful, then they all love you. So, the better he plays, obviously the more those guys are going to embrace him.”
On if Lions K Jake Bates’ short touchbacks are something that he has been working on: “Yeah, so we really came off the Dallas game and I sat in here a couple weeks ago or a week ago and said that we didn’t really cover those kicks well enough and a lot of it was on me. I really believed this my whole life but it couldn’t be more true in that situation – I think in life you have to play on the attack and you have to know what’s out there and what you want, and you have to go get it. And that’s really how – there’s a lot of people who, ‘OK I’ll just do this and see what comes my way.’ And that’s really no way to live your life. We were kind of playing that way on kickoff. We were playing conservative, we know that the play is volatile, we saw that in the Cleveland, Cincinnati game, the opening kickoff, Cincinnati scored a touchdown on it. It’s a volatile play. There’s no way around it, but just kind of hoping that it doesn’t happen to you or whatever is probably not a great approach, and we had a little bit of that and that’s really my fault. So, we decided going into this game, ‘Hey, we’re going to approach this different. We’re going to play on the attack, we’re going to be aggressive.’ And I think what happens when you play that way, it doesn’t always work out. It’s like the fake punt, it didn’t work out. But I think what happens on that, once you start dictating the tempo and the terms, then you force your opponent to play a little bit different and you have them on their heels and I think that was kind of, going into that game, was more of our approach is, ‘Hey man, we’re going to play to win. We’re going to play on the attack, we’re going to take what we want to go get and we’re going to go out there and take it,’ and those guys did a great job of executing that. And when you empower them, they really come to life, and I think you can see that.”
On how much of the fake punt was a bad look or poor execution: “I think what you hope is that when you’re a coach, you hope that you stand up here and say, ‘It was my fault.’ We didn’t execute it well enough, and we didn’t get the play done. I think if you’re a player, you think, ‘Man, there’s a few little things I could have done differently.’ So, there’s a lot to it. We liked the look, we felt good about it, I still feel good about it, I know we can get it if we got that look again. I think the hardest thing on the play is that you don’t know exactly what look you’re going to get necessarily, and it could be just a little bit different and if it’s a little bit different, you may block it just a little bit different. And there’s a lot of that stuff that goes on on the fly and we’ve been really good about still getting it done no matter what we’ve gotten, even if it wasn’t exactly the way that we practiced it. And that one was very close but a little bit different in ways and you can see why guys thought what they thought. And I’m not blaming it on our players at all. It’s tough. I think when you call those plays you know that there’s an element of risk. If we get every one of them, we’d never punt obviously. So, you know that there’s an element of risk, but I also think that it’s just like I was saying, it ends up paying you back. The guys who swing the bat, it ends up coming back to them. The entrepreneurs out there who go for it, they come up with some crazy idea and they let it rip and it doesn’t always work out, but those guys are never discouraged and that probably leads into something else that ends up being great for them. For us, with the fakes, we end up having a huge net or (Lions CB Khalil) Dorsey ends up being singled. The last punt of the game was a huge punt. We net 58 yards in a critical situation of the game and flipped the whole field. Our defense, I think, goes three-and-out, they punt the ball back, we drive the ball down and kick the field goal and win the game. On that punt, we netted 58 yards, Dorsey’s singled up, they’re playing soft on him on the outside because they have to take away the throw, they have to take away the run, and now we get a chance to run down there and play fast. So really, it pays us back in a lot of different ways even if ultimately the one play is not successful. There’s a lot to those plays that not everybody sees. I would love for them to work every time.”
On what Lions CB Khalil Dorsey does well that makes him a critical player on special teams: “Yeah, he definitely has great speed. I think more importantly than that, if you’re not competitive, then it’s going to be hard for you. You can be fast and if you don’t want to compete and go out there and win and have a certain level of pride in your game and the way you play and a certain standard for yourself, and he is ultra-competitive, has a super high standard for himself. He always wants more and to play better. And then you couple that with his speed and athleticism, quickness, his ability to react, I mean he’s a special player.”
On if their short touchback kickoff strategy is here to stay: “Yeah, I would see definitely that being a part of us going forward. I’m not saying it’s going to be every kick, I would never make any promises but no, I definitely see that being a part of us. To your point earlier, you asked like four weeks ago something about, ‘You’re going to have to play outdoors anyway.’ I mean we’re going to have to cover some at some point anyway.”
On if they were comfortable with Lions K Jake Bates’ field goal range at the Vikings game as opposed to running another play to try to get closer: “Well, I would say in general terms, you will hear me always say, and (Lions Head) Coach (Dan) Campbell will always hear me say, closer is always better than further away. And I say that only because the odds go up the closer you are, and the odds go down the further back you are. So, in general terms, closer’s always better. I felt very comfortable with where we were on the field. Obviously, Jake’s got plenty of leg for that and the truth is, sometimes he’s better from further than he is tighter. It’s a little bit straighter kick, there’s a little bit less aiming the closer you get up if you’re on a hash, the closer you get up to the uprights, the more of an angle is on the kick. So, it’s a little bit straighter from further back and he’s got a big leg so it kind of allows him just to swing straight through the ball a little bit. So anyway, the truth is he’s just as good for the most part from a little bit further back up to some point. A lot of these kickers fall off, when I first got in this business it was like the mid-40s, well now it’s like upper 40s or 50s where they’re starting to fall off. But the number kind of, their percentage kind of just slowly decreases in more of a linear fashion and then the further up you get, the steeper it drops off. So anyway, I felt great with him, I wasn’t worried about a couple yards. Coach asked me about the hash, right or left, that didn’t matter to me. So, we felt really good about it.”
