LIONS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR BEN JOHNSON QUOTE SHEET
October 31, 2024
Opening Statement: “How about those special teams? Did (Lions Special Teams Coordinator Dave) Fipp come in with a little more pep in his step this morning or what? He’s always like that isn’t he. He can’t help himself. No, it was awesome, it was a unique game from that regard. Those guys played their tails off. Same with the defense getting all those turnovers, and from our perspective it was just trying to take care of our end which was punching it in in the red zone. So, proud of our guys, we took care of business, and onto the next one now. A great match up here at Lambeau, couldn’t ask for a better scenario here with them being a juggernaut that they are right now. They’re playing really good football, particularly on defense. Name of the game for them is quarterback disruption. You can see it across the board. They get after them pressure, they get a number of turnovers, and it’s almost less – and I don’t want to take anything away from their DBs, it’s almost less the DBs and it’s more the pressure in the quarterbacks’ faces. They’re just throwing the ball up and they’re making plays down the field. So, it’ll be a huge challenge here this week.”
On if he looks at the performance in the red zone against Tampa Bay as more of an anomaly: “Yeah, I like to think that we’ve been pretty good over the last two and a half years down there, being able to punch it in. That game, I think we talked about it after it happened, that was kind of an asterisk when we looked at it as a staff. So, I don’t know that schematically we’re doing much different, but we have a philosophy that once we get it down there that we try to adhere to, and our guys did a heck of a job executing the plan last week.”
On if running so few plays against Tennessee allows them to use plays that they did not deploy in later games: “We try, each week we try to draw from the previous plan, but defenses vary so much week to week that it’s hard. So, going into the week early on, we really start from scratch and then maybe towards the end of the gameplan, we look back at things that we did last week and try to draw from there just because time on task, our guys can handle it. But no, each week is a new animal, so we lost a lot of good ones there, left on the sheet last week.”
On if Lions RB David Montgomery has been reminding him that he was a high school quarterback: “Well you guys think in the springtime when we had the throw off that it’s all for show, but no, we were honestly evaluating those guys and so we have a number of people that can throw the football well.”
On what the points of emphasis are when facing a team with a lot of takeaways: “Yeah that’s funny because actually from the Titans staff asked me at the end of the game, ‘What are we doing to cut down on our turnovers?’ And each week, huge emphasis on ball security and securing the football after the catch, ball carrier, (Lions Assistant Head Coach/Running Backs) Scottie Montgomery’s on those guys from the moment that we get it, to tucking it after the mesh, to down the field, using our weapons, what should it look like, punching the chin. It’s constant harping on it as coaches. It gets old, it gets redundant, but at some point, these guys, I think they just hear it in the back of their minds when they’re carrying the ball down the field. So, like I said, it’s each and every week we just attack that portion of it, and we have a quarterback right now that is playing very smart, sound football. He’s taking care of the ball. If it presents it to him down the field, he’ll throw it, he’s got no problem ripping a dagger or throwing a post down the field, but teams that we keep seeing get all this depth and he’ll check it down. So, he’s just being very smart and deliberate with how he’s attacking coverages right now. So, that’s keeping the ball out of harm’s way from an interception standpoint.”
On if opposing coaches will ask him questions on the field: “No. It’s like right here right now, I keep a lot of stuff to the vest, you know what I mean? Sometimes I say a lot but it’s all coach speak at the end of the day.”
On the point of emphasis with Lions QB Jared Goff fumbling the ball: “Usually whatever we emphasize early in the week and in practice, it carries over to the game. That’s what we found at least with our guys. They’re very conscientious that way, and so (Lions Quarterbacks) Coach (Mark) Brunell’s been on him in individual periods, just in terms of what it should look like in the pocket when we get pressure. And to your point, we have not done a great job of that the last couple of weeks.”
On the offensive line’s pass protection in the last few games: “Yeah, our sack numbers over the last, I mean really stretch of four or five games have been higher than what we’ve grown to know over the last two years. So, something that we’ve talked about as a unit, there’s ways that we can help out schematically that did not put guys on so many one-on-one islands and so we do look at that every week. That doesn’t really change and then I do think also, when you look at (Lions QB) Jared (Goff)) and not putting the ball in harm’s way down the field, something we did talk about was being a little bit less aggressive trying to fight – push the ball into tight windows, we may get a couple more sacks because he’s holding onto the ball a little bit longer. So, that might be a little bit of the result of that as well, just kind of how we’re coaching Jared to play turnover-free ball. But the sacks are a point of emphasis, particularly this week when we’re facing a crew that it’s their number one priority up front. They’ve got not just four, but eight guys up front that they just role through constantly. They’re attacking, penetrating, stunts, games, violent, so it’s – we’ve got our work cut out for us. It’s going to take everybody. It’s going to take the receivers, it’s going to take the tight ends, it’s going to take the running backs as well as the O-line.”
On if Green Bay’s defensive attacking style is more dangerous compared to last season: “Yeah, I think so. I think the way that they’re playing right now is giving a lot of team’s issues. They’ve faced a number of solid quarterbacks, and it seems like everyone has some negative plays on tape so far this year. So, hopefully we can limit those. But I think the chirping out of training camp was certainly those guys up front were excited about the new style of defense and it’s carried over so far in the first half of the season to what they’ve put on tape.”
On what he has seen change from Green Bay’s defense in Week 1 to now: “A personnel probably more so than anything. You see some moving parts more so on the backend as opposed to up front. They’ve just – you can see who – they’ve got a bunch of players on the backend that are playing at a high level, but they have a rotation going on. Who’s going to play nickel this week, who’s going to play outside, it’s been a little bit of musical chairs there the first half of the season. So, we’ll find out early who’s healthy for them and where they want to line everybody.”
On how important the team effort in blocking has been in the last few games as it relates to the run game: “Yeah, our guys understand how important the run game is to us. Each week, we do an eval after the games and it’s been every week, ‘What have we done well?’ The run game has been at the forefront of all seven games so far this year. Both from a yards per carry standpoint, but really run efficiency which we calculate a little bit differently. It’s been over 55 percent for us from our standpoint and that’s a credit not just up front, because we have some phenomenal offensive lineman, but our two backs are special as we all know, but our receivers, our tight ends are blocking down the field, they’re playing selfless ball, and they know they play as big of a part of our success as anything.”
On what run efficiency is: “Run efficiency is first down, we get a third of the distance. So first-and-10, we need four or more. Second down we get half the distance, so second-and-10 we need five, second-and-6 we need three or more, and then third down we convert.”
On if Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs is taking a step in his second-level ability: “You know he was close earlier in the season to knocking it out of the park and he’s gotten to the point now where he understands that we’re going to get him up to the safety a couple times each game and it’s up to him to make that guy miss. So, last week the safety took a bad angle, and he just outran him. Minnesota, he knew he had that – I think he was thinking all week, ‘Hey, if I get 24 in space, this is what I need to do to break a tackle.’ And it came to light. It worked out exactly like he’d thought about. So, I think each week he’s understanding, ‘Man, they’re going to get me up on the safety and it’s my job to make them miss and if I do, it’s going to be a touchdown.’ So, he’s got that type of ability.”
On if they feel like they have an offense that can do anything: “Yeah, I mean we talk all the time that we are our biggest culprits when we have a three-and-out or it’s a punt or it’s a turnover, it’s usually something self-inflicted more often than what teams are doing against us. It’s not very often that we’re looking and we’re going into halftime saying the opponents doing something differently than what we’ve practiced or what we anticipated. It’s been more, ‘Guys, we have to do a better job of securing the football, we have to do a better job of pass protection, we have to do a better job blocking the safeties on a couple run plays.’ Things of that nature more so than it has been opponent-wise. So, I do think our guys feel that too. I think they understand that if we get the first first down in each series, then chances are pretty high that we’re going to end up with points for that drive.”
On if he was aware that they were just shy of the franchise record of points in a game: “The records don’t matter, it’s just the mentality of when we step on the field, until the head coach tells us to let off the gas, we’re trying to score a touchdown every time. It doesn’t matter if we’re up by five scores, down by five scores, that’s just who we are and that’s what we believe in, and it’s been that way since (Lions Head) Coach (Dan) Campbell got here.”
LIONS DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR AARON GLENN QUOTE SHEET
October 31, 2024
Opening Statement: “Critical, critical win for us last week against the Titans. I really loved the way that we started the game, and I’m talking about the beginning of the game by getting the INT from (Lions LB Trevor Nowaske) Now, the new superstar. And in the second half how we came out and played. Not very happy, third and fourth series, because we gave up two touchdowns. And listen, I knew for a fact that Tennessee was going to come out and they were going to challenge us, just like every team now and we have to expect that every week. But, when you look at that third and fourth series after we gave up touchdowns, here’s what happened – the sequence that happens. INT, punt, end of gain, which was a critical, critical two-minute stop for our guys on the goal line. We come out of the second half, punt, punt, fumble, punt, punt, fumble, punt, end of game. That’s how you want to play defense. So that says a lot about how our guys understood – listen, we didn’t play well with those two touchdowns, but we came back, and we fought our ass off and they played not to give up anything else. So, that was critical. But you talk about an overall team win, the way our special teams came out and played. I could sit here and talk about (Lions WR) Kalif (Raymond) all day, about what he did, but I want to talk about the guys that really doesn’t get mention, about the guys that really blocked for him and how they operated on special teams. Those guys need a lot of credit, you guys should say something about that. And then the way our offense came out in the red zone to go five-for-five off the turnovers and score, that was the best team – one of the best team wins I’ve been around. And we have to continue to play like that. If we want to go where we want to go, we have to do that. So, onto this week, probably the best set of skill players that we’ll play, and I’m talking about defensively speaking, and it’s going to be a challenge, but we’ll be up for it.”
On how Lions DL DJ Reader and Lions DL Alim McNeill did on blocking on special teams: “Well that’s funny that you said that because they were the two that was – so the ball gets punted this way and there were a lot of guys that were this way, but they were the two guys that were back that way. So, they tried, and Mac pointed, and I told Mac that the reason that he was pointing that way was because he was telling (Lions Special Teams Coordinator Dave) Fipp, ‘I told you this was about to happen.’ So, those guys did a good job in that aspect.”
On how Green Bay’s run game is different and how they attack defenses differently: “Well listen, just like I said when we played Minnesota, there’s something about acquiring a back that has pellets on the wall, that you know that’s a good runner. And to change the mindset, I think for the offensive linemen, and you see Minnesota where they’re running the ball with (Vikings RB Aaron) Jones, they’re doing a good job. So now, you take that into what Green Bay has, they bring in (Packers RB Josh) Jacobs. I remember going to see his workout when he was at Alabama and I was impressed with him, and now to be able to see how he is in the NFL and the violent, physical, runner that he is, you just know that their offensive line looks forward to blocking for that man. There’s a tick-up on how they’re operating as far as the violence and the physical nature of the game because of who they have running the ball. So, it’s going to be a challenge for us and we have to do everything we can to make sure we stop that because if you let that happen, that’s not good for a defense to allow a team to run the ball and then be able to have the play-action passes that they have with these receivers that they have. So, we have to do a good job in that aspect.”
On what the common theme may be to Detroit giving up more rushing yards than usual in the last few games: “Well I would say this, and you don’t like the yards that’s given up, but when you peel back the layers on it – take (Vikings RB) Aaron Jones, he had a 34-yard run that we made a mistake as far as our fifth. And then had like a 20-yard run at the end of half that we were playing soft to end the half. Then after that, I think he had like 45 yards for maybe 12 or 14 carries. So, when you think about it, I thought our run defense was pretty good in the totality of what we have to do. And then there were a lot of yards given up at the end of game of last week. So, listen, I’m not going to sit here and say our guys weren’t doing their job when it comes to run defense. The thing that we have to do, you’re right, we have to put a cap on that because we built our defense around doing that. So, there’s no excuses for that at all and our guys know that. But yes, you’re correct, we have to make sure that we put a cap on those things.”
On how long it would take for a player to contribute if there is one brought in before the trade deadline: “Well you’ve seen that with what we have right now with (Lions DL) Isaiah (Thomas) and (Lions LB Al-Quadin) Muhammad. So, a lot of those guys play the first week that they’re in. Especially if we can find packages to put those guys in. So, I’m going to look at it from an aspect of, this is the NFL and each week you might play a new player. Then during the game, you might play a new player. For example, (Lions LB Malcolm Rodriguez) Rodrigo went down, (Lions LB) Ben Niemann, (Lions LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin) Germ, all of those guys had to step up and take his spot and that’s just what it is. The biggest equalizer in this game is injuries and we don’t make no excuses for them, we just keep on pushing like we’ve always done and we’re going to continue to do that.”
On if it helps that there is film on both Packers QB Jordan Love and Packers QB Malik Willis and how different the two are: “Yes it does help that there’s film on those guys, and I would say this. Right after the Tennessee game, I immediately came back here to start watching tape because I had heard about the injury to Jordan. We don’t know who’s going to play, but we will have a plan for both of those guys. And the offense is not just totally different offense for those guys, we just know what they both bring to the table. The only thing that you will see is probably more run oriented with Malik than Jordan, and we’ll have a plan for that.”
On if he watched tape on Packers QB Malik Willis or Packers QB Jordan Love after the Titans game: “Both of those guys, because again, when you don’t know the extent of the injury, you have to get ready to get the players something to – what we’re going to prepare for.”
On Lions LB Al-Quadin Muhammad’s performance against the Titans: “There were some rushes that you liked with Muhammad. There are some run game that you want him to improve on. But yes, it was a solid performance and the thing is, just being here the time that he’s been here, I can’t expect anything more from the player. Obviously, I had him in New Orleans, but I know that player well and with another week under his belt, hopefully each week he continues to improve in what he’s doing to be able to help us.”
On what he enjoys about coaching with Lions Special Teams Coordinator Dave Fipp and what makes him a good coach: “The energy that he brings to the table. You just watch him in practice the way that he operates, it’s clear why the players run around with him because he’s right in the fight with those guys when you watch him in practice. When you run up and down the field on kickoff, kick return, punt, and the players follow that because they know that he’s in the fight and he has his back as well, and vice versa. So, he’s smart, he understands this game, he has a defensive background, so the physical and violent part of the game is what he’s about an you see him put players in the position to be able to do that.”
On where he has seen Lions DL Mekhi Wingo grow and contribute: “We knew when we drafted that player who he was. Undersized, penetrating three-technique, and we knew exactly what we were going to try to do with him. The thing that happened with him once we started having these injuries, we have to move him around in different spots. But that’s the good thing about Wingo, his versatility and his lower body strength to be able to handle different opportunities that we’re giving him to play different positions. He’s been playing end for us, he’s been playing inside, he’s been playing a big end for us. So, that was a pleasant surprise for us, honestly. We knew he was a good player, we knew that he was strong, but to see him be able to hold up at the point of attack was good to see so we can put him in those spots. So, every year, if you just look at what we’ve done on defense, we’ve had a rookie that comes in and plays a significant role for us, and I think that’s just across the League. But when you have good players, you try to get them on the field as much as you can, and Wingo’s one of those guys that we’re trying to get as much playing time as we can.”
On how they coach players on off-the-field matters as it relates to Lions WR Jameson Williams: “To me, that’s a lot of personal relationships with those guys. Even when I was a player and you guys, when you’re in your youth – I mean I know you guys never did anything wrong. I can see that just by looking at you. But we all – we act like we don’t, but we all can relate to some of those things. Just talking about the experiences that you’ve had, nowadays, there’s so much that’s going out with social media, things like that, that it’s tough. And you just have to remind them that times are different. When I grew up, when you guys grew up, and what he’s going through now, that there’s just no room for it. What you’re doing is you’re not allowing yourself to capitalize on everything that you can capitalize on. Listen, we all know Jamo is a talent. He’s a talent and I want to be able to see him capitalize on everything that he can because of the talent that he had and because of the person that he is. If you don’t really know him, you should get to know him because he’s a really, really good person. So, to me, that’s how I look at that is the relationship part of it that you speak to. Sometimes, that’s not even the football part, that’s more of the relationship of what I went through and how can I help him.”
LIONS SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR DAVE FIPP QUOTE SHEET
October 31, 2024
On if he has any bonuses attached to his salary surrounding special teams players earning NFC Player of the Week awards: “No, I mean honestly, it really is like as soon as that game’s over, you’re on to the next one. I know that’s not what you guys want to hear, but Green Bay’s a really good football team and we know that’s a big challenge for us. So, yeah, it’s really getting ready for them.”
On if there was anything he did not do well in the game against Tennessee and if the game against Tennessee was one of the cleanest performances the team has had: “Well, I didn’t do really anything, and that’s why I say – yeah, I mean it was definitely – obviously those guys did an incredible job. I said in that locker room – I’m sure you guys saw that, which – whatever, I hate that, but it’s a player’s game, players make plays out there and we’re fortunate to have a bunch of really good players and I said in there about our head coach, I mean, it’s really important who the head coach is and when you have a head coach who supports special teams and makes it important to those guys and puts an emphasis on it, it really makes my job a whole lot easier. And so, those guys did an incredible job of making everything come to life. And ultimately, this game is, it’s a lot about one-on-one matchups and guys making things happen and deciding, going into the game, whatever that motivation is. Like, for (Lions WR) Kalif (Raymond), you’d have to ask him. Was it the fact that he played for those guys, and they let him walk out of that building, that he wanted to go there and prove a point? Was it just – I don’t know what flips. But when guys play with everything they’ve got in their heart and soul, then those can be the results sometimes. I think for me, if you coach long enough, then every once in a while, you see something like that happen.”
On what it meant to him to get a game ball after the game against Tennessee: “Yeah, embarrassing. I really don’t like it. I mean, I’m very appreciative of that. My least favorite part of the whole game is, honestly, is attention. I would rather just lay in the weeds and do my job. I said in there, I love being around the players. The players and the game of football really give me life and I love what I do, I enjoy being around them, I enjoy helping them, it’s my passion, seeing them be successful is like the most important thing in the world to me. And so, really, for me, the game is about them. There was a time when I was a very young coach where I was excited about the gameday environment and all that stuff, but that’s really come and gone. So, I’m grateful for the game ball. I really don’t like the attention. I would rather not see all that stuff, but I meant what I said in there and so – I don’t know, I hope that answers the question.”
On what a game like Tennessee can do to show the unit what they are capable of and the impact special teams can have: “Yeah, I mean, obviously that’s an example of, if you go out and do those things it can change the game real quick. Now, that being said – and that’s why I say the Green Bay Packers. That game’s over and those things come and go, they happen once in a while, but the bottom line is, you’ve got to play the next game and the next play. And the truth is, what really makes this game so great is the fact that, at this level, going against the players you go against, every team’s good. It’s not like college where, eight games, you play somebody who you’re just better than and then a couple games a year you’ve go to get up and play real big. If you let your guard down on any play in any week against any one of these teams or on any one-on-one matchup, then you’re going to lose. And that’s what makes this game great, is the challenge to stay motivated and hungry and play at your highest level. And what happens is, naturally, you get the praise and the attention and the people say you’re doing great and all that stuff, and so then, naturally, you end up – human instinct, you start to let your guard down and you start to think, ‘This gets easier, and it should.’ And the way I sometimes think of it is, in a lot of our professional lives, the longer we work, the higher up we get, hopefully, and we think that with that comes a little less work and our job should be easier. In this business – and a lot of times it is that way in a lot of professional endeavors – in this game, it’s the total opposite. The better you get the harder it gets and the bigger the target gets on your back and the harder it is to win. And so, keeping guys level and understanding, ‘Man, it’s going to take the exact same effort again and nothing will be handed to you in this business,’ is really the trick. And so, I shift back to Green Bay, just saying these guys are as good of a team we’ve played, they’re super talented, they’re big, they’re physical, they’re tough, they’ve got a bunch of great players rushing the punter, they’ve got (Packers DL Lukas Van Ness) number 90, they’ve got (Packers DL Kingsley Enagbare) 55, they’ve got (Packers DL Arron Mosby) 53, they play, arguably, one of their best wideouts back there at punt return, (Packers WR Jayden Reed) number 11, we all know who (Packers CB Keisean Nixon) 25 is, 25 and (Packers WR Bo Melton) 80 are their kick returners. I mean, these guys across the board are really good. So for us, we’ve got to go out there and expect their very, very best, we have to play our very, very best one more time, and the result’s probably not going to be the same as it was a week ago, I mean, that’s obviously few and far between, but what we’ve got to do is go play winning football and help our team win the game, and that’s, really, always the most important thing for us.”
On facing Packers CB Keisean Nixon and what lessons were learned after facing the Cowboys that they can apply to the game against Green Bay: “Yeah, I mean, I think what’s going on throughout the League is, a lot of people are learning about this kickoff, kickoff return play as the season’s gone along, and you can get hit real fast with something you didn’t necessarily foresee coming or for the kickoff team, there’s a lot of constraints on how you line up on the field. So, for example, for us against Tennessee, we overloaded on our return team one side of the field, they kicked away from it, we ran the ball back to it and we had a numbers advantage over there. And when you’re a coach and you put them out on the field, you don’t know what they’re going to do and, all of a sudden, they line up and it’s too late and there’s just so many different things going on out there that it makes the coverage unit – it’s a challenge. They could throw something at you that you might not totally be ready for and there’s really no way to see it coming because everything’s so new. So, I think what’s happening is there’s people that are learning quite a bit from the play as the season goes on. The bottom line for us is, yeah, we did learn from it. We have some things in place that we feel better about that will help us and we’ll go out there and find out how we do. But I feel like we have a good plan in place for it and we’re excited to cover them against this guy.”
On how different the understanding of kickoffs and kick returns are from Week 1 to now about everything that goes on in the play: “Yeah, it is a dynamic play, there’s just a lot going on out there from the very start of it. Number one, the kickoff team, you have to have two outside the numbers, you have to have two between the numbers and the hash, and you have to have two inside the hashes and you can’t be any more than that. So, really, the kick cover team has got to spread the whole field, but the return team – a lot less limitations. They can overload a side, they could overload the other side. You go into a situation in Green Bay where the wind says, ‘Hey, it’s blowing right to left,’ so you’re trying to kick with the wind probably and not into it – or maybe – and so, no you’re kicking over here to the left, but they put all the numbers to the right. So, there’s some interesting dynamics that you have to be prepared for. There’s a lot to it. What if they bunch two guys up close on the return team? You’re running some kind of a twist scheme. Can you get the guy through, can you not? Well, you have the call on before the play and before you saw their alignment, you see their alignment, you do something different, so can we audible that stuff and put it in the players’ hands out there on the field? There’s a lot going on on the play, a lot more than anybody sees.”
On what it means to have defensive starters like Lions LB Alex Anzalone and Lions DL Alim McNeill blocking in punt coverage on Lions WR Kalif Raymond’s punt return touchdown against Tennessee: “Yeah, I mean, it’s awesome. Those guys have always taken a lot of pride in it. Obviously their first job when they’re on the field is to make sure we prevent the fake, something like that. It’s fourth-and-short in that situation, so we’re making sure we don’t give up some kind of run play or whatever, give the ball back to the offense. But those guys did – a bunch of those guys ended up picking up blocks and really their punter kind of outkicked the gunners covering down the field. We didn’t do a great job of holding them up on the outside, but Leaf got started and then once you get the ball in his hands – the faster the returner plays, the slower the coverage is going to play and I think what you guys saw in that game was, Kalif was paying really fast and he’s on the attack. It’s kind of like I said to you guys a week ago, when you play on the attack in this game, good things happen to you. And so, you’re always trying to stay on the attack, no matter what the unit is, and Leaf did a great job of that, and then Anzalone picked up a block on (Titans LB Luke Gifford) 57, arguably one of their better cover guys, so that was huge. (Lions DB Brian) Branch had a block, (Lions S) Kerby (Joseph) ran – and we had a couple of guys make good decisions. (Lions DL James) Houston came down there and didn’t block a guy because he might’ve blocked him in the back, which was good to see. I always say, sometimes the best plays are the ones you don’t make. But the decision not to block the guy or try to make it ends up being, really, one of the best plays out there. So anyway, it’s great to see. Those guys compete, they know Leaf’s going to compete with the ball in his hands.”
On what it is about where Lions P Jack Fox is in his career now that allows him to excel: “Yeah, he has been incredible and really that game was – I mean, he was huge in that game. His performance was exceptional, but (Lions WR Kalif Raymond) Leaf just kind of makes it look like it was nothing. But yeah, he’s really come a long way and I think, you guys all asked me over and over when I first got here, ‘Where does he need to get better, how can he improve?’ And I said a lot of it was situational football. When you’re in that kind of 40 to 50-yard line going in where you’re past the 50 now and you’re in that plus-50 area and you’re punting the ball in. So punting the ball in that area with hangtime and directional control, being able to adjust based off the look that you’re getting and being able to move the ball around based off that and the other thing – no one player can do anything by themselves, so it takes a team of guys, whether it’s Leaf returning the punt, all the guys blocking for him, or Fox. The protection’s been great, we’ve got two great gunners that have been playing super hard on the outside, (Lions CB Khalil) Dorsey and (Lions CB Kindle) Vildor. Vildor really showed up big for us in the last game. Dorsey gets the attention and then other guys steps up, and that’s really what great teams do. You can’t just have one great player, you’ve got to have a bunch of good players all around so they can share the load and take the load off each other. When one guy’s load gets heavier, the other guy’s is lighter and then that guy really lights it up and performs well. And then the rest of those guys covering down the field have done a great job too. So, it’s really been good team play by that whole unit.”
