Detroit Lions vs NY Giants – Postgame Quotes

LIONS HEAD COACH MATT PATRICIA QUOTE SHEET

Opening statement: “All right, obviously just a long hard game there. That’s a really good Giants team, they’re tough they keep coming, and they play 60 minutes – they battled. I’m really proud of our players, I think they battled all the way through the game, and they stayed with it. We knew it was going to be a tough game. I think the guys played tough. (We) made some plays when we need to make them, we have some plays we have to clean up. We did some things that I thought hurt us in the game. We have to make sure we’re not doing that because it just makes it harder, but I was proud of the guys to come in at halftime and they stayed with it – we made a lot of adjustments and a lot of corrections in the game that we were trying to make, and changed some stuff up mid-way to do the best we could to hang in. Give the players credit, I thought they tried really hard, and like I said, I think that’s a good team there – the Giants.”

On how proud he is of the defensive performance: “I totally agree. It’s never really perfect, we just try to be right, and the more we can be right together, then the better off we’re going to be. (I’m) really proud of some of the effort out there, I thought it was really good. I’m always proud of those guys the way they work to be honest with you. Even through the course of the week I thought the defense really worked extremely hard this week and just focused on everybody learning their jobs this week, and (they) tried to do what they could. There were some pretty big plays out there, pretty big moments, and I thought – we always talk about trying to stay in the moment – not thinking about what’s the next thing, what’s going to happen and do all of that. I thought the guys did a good job of that. That’s the biggest thing for us, just play that play in that moment, and for the most part I thought we were pretty good.”

On if they put more pressure on the quarterback because of changes to the scheme: “I think it was just probably a little bit more pronounced. I think some of those calls have been made previously and maybe not noticed from that aspect of it. Really just the normal aspect of it, just glad that we executed really, to be honest with you. I thought we got a couple of looks that we wanted to get, and we were able to execute them at that standpoint.”

On why they called a trick play in the fourth quarter that resulted in WR Kenny Golladay’s touchdown: “Obviously, a couple of weeks ago we threw one out there to start one of the games, and in practice the players know that I have to see it in practice, and it has to work the first time. We’re not really going to take another look at it. It worked, they all started yelling, ‘First play,’ and I said, ‘I don’t think so.’ So as the week went, we talked about it and I felt good enough about it where I thought we had a specific spot, a specific time we wanted to take a shot. We let it rip and it was great execution. It worked very well in practice and I’m just glad it worked in the game. They had the flea-flicker on other side, so I was holding my breath on that one – we didn’t do so well on that.”

On if he considered challenging WR Kenny Golladay’s fumble in the fourth quarter: “(Let me) make sure which one, the fumble that was switched over that they recovered. So again, it’s just the whole conversation of once that’s a change of possession those are automatically reviewed and all of that. I just wanted to get – I was just trying to get information, find out what they were looking at, and what they were talking about from that standpoint.”

On the decision to call the trick play: “All of those are different week by week, depending on what those looks are and what those plays are. I would say most teams in the NFL have something every single week, it’s just whether or not it gets called from that aspect of it. You’re really just looking for very specific kinds of scenarios where you know tendencies may be high or something where you are just trying to play calculated risk, and make sure that you have the best situation available. That was what we were looking for, it actually just came up in the game, and hit so (we) called it.”

On if he called the trick play or Offensive Coordinator Darrell Bevell: “I think it’s just coaching. Coaching – players love it, coaches love it, if you can get it right. If it’s not right, it’s not good.”

On the origins of the trick play: “That was (Offensive Coordinator Darrell Bevell) ‘Bev’, and they worked at it offensively, and I just looked at it in practice and liked it. So, it was good.”

On DB Tracy Walker’s injury and how he thought the secondary responded after he went out of the game: “I mean I saw Tracy briefly as I was kind of making my rounds, he said he was fine and we’ll figure it out tomorrow, and I said, ‘Cool.’ He brought the team up after and everything like that. We’ll look at it tomorrow from that standpoint. I think the guys on the sideline did a really good job, and honestly, they did a good job all week in the back end just being calm, being settled. We made a lot of adjustments in the game, I would say we made some adjustments before that situation happened and just had a lot of moving parts. There was a lot of personnel and positions and all of that stuff, and I think those guys handled that really well. It was good.”

On if the injury DB Tracy Walker sustained appeared to be serious: “Appear, I don’t know. No, nothing.”

On what he thought about the running back performances: “We obviously have to do a good job looking at the tape and see what that looks like. I mean , just for the feel in the game, I thought those guys were trying to run hard and they were trying to get downhill to do what they had to and trying to execute the run plays. I think the blocks – we had some good plays that were blocked really well, and some that were not. It’s always a collective effort from that standpoint with those guys, but I thought from the backfield, it just looked on the ground, like they were running hard. That’s for sure.”

On how involved he is in trade discussions with Executive Vice President & General Manager Bob Quinn before the trade deadline: “I mean as of the current moment right now, it’s just been the Giants, really to be honest with you. We were just trying to do a good job here today and we’ll see. Bob (Quinn) and I talk every day, which is great, so we will see where we go from there. Right now, for us, (I’m) just proud of the team. Like I said, I think that’s a really good Giants team. I think they’re a good young team that’s playing tough, and getting better each week, and the quarterback is playing at a high level. That running back is unbelievable now, he’s a phenomenal player. Not only the run, but the pass – just his ability to get into open space, catch the ball, make guys miss, he plays with low pad level. He’s a really, really good player.”

On what they plan to do with CB Darius Slay: “I mean I think I talked about all of that stuff the other day. I’ve just been focused on the Giants. There has been nothing new on my end.”

On if they want to keep CB Darius Slay: “Again, I want everybody. We just have to try to win and have to put everybody out there. I mean for us, I enjoy the team we have, and I’m trying to coach them as hard as we can, and we’ll go from there. I just want to give credit to the players that played in the game today, and just talk about the Giants. I think our guys battled really hard today.”

On QB Matthew Stafford’s play right now and how he talked about missing throws: “I think there is no truer look at who he is. He is just a competitive, competitive guy. He always wants to be the best, and he’s great. He works really hard, he’s competitive, he’s tough, he’s grinding it out every single day. He did a great job today, leading the offense and just staying consistent all the way through. He handles pressure really well. You just have to love the guys. You have to love how hard he works, how he battles, and you have to love how tough he is, and he’s smart. We meet every week and we go through stuff, and it’s great, I really enjoy all of that. (I’m) just glad for the team. I think the team has been working really hard. I think we had a rough couple of weeks, and I think the guys have been fighting. I think they’ve been battling. I think we’ve been in a couple of close games where we had a chance to win, and that stuff is hard. These guys put a lot into this stuff, and when it doesn’t go the way you wanted it to, it can weigh you down. I’m just glad we went out there and found a way to win, and that’s all that really matters. The NFL is hard man, it’s hard to find wins.”

On why they chose to run on first and second down, and if that was because they have confidence to make long third downs: “There might be some interesting thought to that, yeah. I think for us we’re just trying to play the game the way we have to in those moments. I think we were just trying to stay consistent, and I think for the run game itself, the yards may not look great all the time but it does wear teams down, it does wear people out. It gives the O-line the chance to come off the ball, it gives the backs time. They have to tackle, they have to try to get off blocks, you’re pushing on people – it just keeps things going forward. For a couple of series there I thought it was important, and just had confidence built up through the course of the week that we had a good third down plan and felt confident about that. In some of those situations I don’t think we were – we’re always worried, but I think we just felt we could go out and execute really regardless in those, so I think we were okay there.”

On if G Kenny Wiggins is an emergency option on the defensive line if there are multiple injuries: “I mean Kenny is a big guy, he can do a lot of different things – he can block kicks, he’s always ready to go. Kenny thinks he can probably play quarterback. He and I just have a lot of conversations.”

On if CB Darius Slay was at the game: “I’m not 100 percent sure, but we had treatment and all of that stuff, too. So, I think he was.”

On his clock management at the end of the half: “The clock is very important at the end of the half, especially when we have the ball to start the second half. So yeah, there were some thing in there that we were trying to do. Time is important, clock is important.”

On CB Darius Slay: “I’m not going to really get into that. We just kind of knew this morning of kind of where we were as far as some of that stuff. I got to the stadium, sat in my office, got ready for the couple, got told a couple of things, and then we went, so we were pretty good. I’m not going to elaborate on any of that.”

On if there was anything that surprised him about Giants QB Daniel Jones: “You know what, not really. I mean I think he’s a really good young player. I think I talked about that during the week, how he can handle some pressure, step up in the pocket. He’s a big, he’s really tall, and he’s really long in that sort of regard. Some of that pressure that gets pushed on him, I just saw on tape, like it didn’t really affect him that much. He steps up and dips through, and he’s very athletic. So, there were a couple of plays out there where I was worried he was going to get out and move and use his athleticism, and all of that stuff. I was worried about that and some of those plays – him being able to extend or run. He had one that I think was close on maybe one of the third downs early in the game. I thought it was a lot of what I saw on tape of him just being a really good young player. I think he’s going to be a really, really good player going forward. He’s very calm, he doesn’t look really rattled on the field or any of that either.”

On what it means for the defense to stop a player like Giants RB Saquon Barkley: “Again for us, we tend to stay just even keel with anything. We never tend to get too high or too low with all of that stuff. We don’t like to ride the wave. Good from a numbers standpoint, but I’m sure there are a lot of plays in there that we have to do a better job of getting coached up, and getting taught and technique. We’ll just keep pushing forward to try to get better because what would be nice is to try to do just do it consistently. I think that’s the biggest challenge for us going forward from that standpoint.”

LIONS WR DANNY AMENDOLA QUOTE SHEET

On the offensive performance in today’s game: “It felt like we had a good week, we put a lot of good work in during preparation and we felt like we left some plays out there, still. You know, we can still play better and I’m really happy that we won. That’s the goal of every game.”

On his rapport with QB Matthew Stafford: “He’s a great quarterback, I love playing with Matthew. He’s the leader of our team and he had a great day today and I know he’s excited for the win.”

On the confidence he has in the offense: “We are going to continue to grow with whatever we put out there on the field. We can get better with the plays that we hit on and some of the plays we didn’t, so we are going to continue to grow and continue to get better.”

LIONS DE TREY FLOWERS QUOTE SHEET

On recording sacks today against the Giants: “Obviously, you work hard throughout the week. Me, I just want to make big plays for my teammates to put them in a position win, and like you said, it’s a lot of guys out there that are doing their job and things like that. (Credit) to the defense on those plays that allowed me to be able to get back there, and I just made the play when it came to me. There are a lot of guys on this defense that are capable of doing it, and we’re just going to continue to work.”

On if it was harder to focus this week with the trade of former Lions DB Quandre Diggs: “That’s just part of the business as far as players coming in and out, transactions, things like that. Obviously, we still have a long season, and we still have work to do. So, it was up to guys that were in that locker room to just continue to work, continue to focus, and – yeah, we’re going to continue to do that.”

On the difference in the pass-rush game vs. the Giants compared to other games: “I don’t know as far as the difference as far as relative to anything, but I think a lot of guys just continue to work hard. It was just one of those deals where you work hard, you continue to fight, plays are going to come to you. A lot of guys doing their jobs. Guys in the back end making them hold the ball for a lot longer, guys on each side of the ball collectively, keeping them in the pocket and not allowing him to escape, things like that. We knew he was a dynamic quarterback as far as his legs, he can definitely hurt guys. So, just keeping him in the pocket and understanding that we still have to continue to press the pocket.”

LIONS WR KENNY GOLLADAY QUOTE SHEET

On how important the win is for the team: “It’s huge. We knew we had to come in here and get a ‘W’ today, and we executed.”

On what they can take away from the win: “It just feels good. We still have a few more things to fix – we had a few penalties on offense in the red zone that backed us up. So, just little stuff like that that we have to continue to work on.”

On his first touchdown reception: “The defender tried to undercut it, so I pretty much just had to do just hands it and not really let it get too close to him. I just snatched it away, quick turn, and made sure both feet were in.”

On his second touchdown reception and if he had to sell anything: “A little run fake. Once I saw the safety shoot, I just took off.”

LIONS DT DAMON HARRISON SR. QUOTE SHEET

On if it is weird for him to play the Giants: “Kind of because there’s still a lot of guys over there that I know. But I’m just happy we got the win.”

On his injury status: “I’ll go in and see the doctors. I’ll know more this week. I’m fine.”

On the defense taking steps forward this week: “I think we did well enough to win. There’s still some stuff in there we’ve got to improve on. We’ll get in tomorrow and look at the film and try to correct it.”

On the in-game adjustments made against Giants QB Daniel Jones: “I don’t know. I’ve got to get in there and look at the film. I think we did just about the same as we always do. It just wasn’t as much mental mistakes as in the past.”

LIONS LB DEVON KENNARD QUOTE SHEET

On if he should change his nickname to ‘scoop and score’: “Yeah, I guess so. I think I need to do it a couple more times to actually get that nickname though.”

On scoring the opening touchdown and winning the game after three straight losses: “Yeah, it was a lot of fun. It was my first time scoring since high school, so touching the paint and getting in the end zone was a lot of fun for me.”

On if he had a celebration planned for scoring a touchdown: “Not at all. Not too many defensive guys score that often – I guess maybe a DB, but I’m definitely going to have one in mind next time. Guys just tackled me once I was in there.”

On snapping the losing streak and getting the season back on track: “Yeah, I feel like we did a lot of things that I felt like we were capable of all year. So to see it manifested on Sunday, all the hard work we put in and the talent we have on the field, for us to be able to show it for four quarters and finish, that was great. That’s something we need to build upon going forward.”

LIONS QB MATTHEW STAFFORD QUOTE SHEET

On if the fourth quarter misdirection touchdown play worked in practice when RB J.D. McKissic threw it: “Yeah, it did twice. We have to give that guy the hockey assist or something. He was the pass before the pass that scored. No, that was a good one. It was a great call. Obviously Kenny (Golladay) did a great job, J.D. did a great job. So, I’m just happy it scored.”

On if he knew Lions Offensive Coordinator Darrell Bevell had called the same fourth quarter misdirection touchdown play while he was in Seattle with RB J.D. McKissic: “I was unaware of that.”

On why the fourth quarter trick-play touchdown worked: “Just an aggressive run set. Some safeties that like to play downhill, those guys were aggressive players. Kenny (Golladay) did a nice job of sneaking behind him, and obviously, just dig in, and I put it out there far enough for him to score.”

On Lions Offensive Coordinator Darrell Bevell making bold play calls at the end of games: “I think if we went out there and did it in practice and looked terrible we wouldn’t do it, but he had a lot of confidence in it because we executed it a couple times in practice. Same with the Green Bay play a couple weeks ago, looked good. I just like that he’s willing to try those things, put them in. If we execute them and they look good then he has confidence to go out there just like any play and call it during the game. Obviously, we got to a good spot on the field to call it and got a little bang for our buck and scored.”

On his comfort level with the new offense: “There are a bunch of great players around me. I’m just trying to get the ball to those guys, they make some great plays, and we get in the endzone. Doesn’t matter to me if I’m throwing it in or running it in, I just want to score points. Obviously, left a few out there today but made enough plays to win the game.”

On when was the first time they ran the fourth quarter misdirection touchdown play in practice: “This week. I take that back, maybe we ran it last week. I can’t remember. Either this week or last week. It hadn’t been there for too long.”

On if the fourth quarter misdirection touchdown play is relatively new to the playbook: “Yes.”

On what it means when there is a variety of targets and big plays by various players each week: “I’m just trying to get the ball to the guy that is open, to where the coverage tells me to throw it. I’m just trying to read every play appropriately and trust in our guys that they’re going to win. They are winning a bunch right now and making great plays for me, so that’s just what I’m trying to do. I don’t go into a game and go, ‘Man, I’m going to feed this guy or feed that guy. I know we have a bunch of talented players and on certain plays, when we call those plays if the look tells me to throw it somewhere, I’m going to throw it to that person and trust that they’re going to make the play.”

On if he becomes more excited when Lions Offensive Coordinator Darell Bevell calls a trick play: “No, I think you have to do the opposite. I think you have to be calm, and just say, ‘OK, this is another football play, just go execute,’ and we did. If it wasn’t there I was going to throw it away or – it was just great that it was there and Kenny (Golladay) made a good play.”

On if he was excited on the inside for the fourth quarter misdirection touchdown play: “No, I think you just go out there and run it. You just try to execute the play, and that’s every play no matter what the situation. Whether it’s fourthand-goal to win the game or a double pass at the 50 (yard line). You just have to try to relax and execute.”

On his confidence in WR Marvin Hall: “He’s done a great job. He’s an explosive player. I think I should have thrown it to him one more time. He got behind some guys on another ball that I didn’t find him on, but he’s done a great job. He’s (a) smart guy, comes in there, is in the right spot, does the right thing. When I’ve given him chances he’s come through. That was a huge play today, third-and-15. Anytime you convert that, it’s great. You score a 50-yard touchdown on it, it’s even better. Just happy for him that he’s having some success.”

On stopping the three-game losing streak: “It was great, a team effort. Tracy (Walker) went down there for a little bit. Our defense was thin in some spots, and I thought those guys played extremely tough and did a nice job. Obviously, opening the game scoring with those guys was awesome. Huge play by DK (Devon Kennard) to pick that thing up and go score with it. We shot our self in the foot. I made a bad play on our opening drive, so it was great to see those guys come out there and pick us up. The rest of the day it was everybody. It takes everybody.”

On the offenses’ third down efficiency: “We didn’t necessarily give ourselves the greatest situations. There are a couple I even want back where I think we could have made conversions had I been a little more aggressive, but I thought we did a nice job. We’d love some of those third downs to be a little bit more manageable than they were, but we scored two touchdowns on third down, and I don’t know what the final conversion numbers were, but it felt like we did a decent job.”

On the chemistry between him and WR Danny Amendola: “Yeah, he’s doing a great job. I still think he and I can continue to build and be better, but he’s doing a really nice job on the inside part of the field, both down the field – he had a nice one down the seam early in the game on a third down. Big conversion for us. That was a tough one. Had a couple crossers in there as well. He’s doing everything for us. You guys know what he is. He goes out there, works his tail off, gets open when he’s supposed to get open, makes great catches, blocks in the run game. He’s just a guy that tries to do everything right.”

On how important it is to him for the organization to make good decisions before the trade deadline: “That’s the last thing on my mind to be honest with you. I know it’s on a lot of people’s mind, but I’m just showing up every week with the guys that we have, whoever we have, and I’m going to go out there and try to win.”

On what happened on his intercepted throw: “I got totally in between about how I wanted to throw the ball. Whether I wanted to rip it over (number) 21’s head or I wanted to throw into the back of the endzone, let Marvin (Jones Jr.) go get it. Somewhere in between was not a good place. So, poor decision/throw I guess, so just a bad play. I was beating myself up pretty good about that one.” On his thoughts on Giants WR Golden Tate’s performance: “I thought he played great. I was happy for him. Looked like he had a bunch of catches, run after catch. Happy for him, but happy we won too.”