DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR RYAN NIELSEN
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2024
(On what stands out about Detroit’s offense) “It’s a complete group, they’re playing at a
high level, very efficient. Quarterback play is fantastic. He [Lions QB Jared Goff] is doing a
really good job knowing where to throw the ball, getting the ball out. Then the runners are
some of the top in the league right now. Both guys are doing a really good job. The offensive
line, just the way they’re playing, they’re operating, a group that’s been together and
operating at a high level. So, we’ve definitely got a really good test. We’ve got to go out
there, we’ve got to execute and play our game.”
(On if the Lions present the most complete offensive unit the team has seen all year)
“We’ve played some good offenses, we really have, but this group is up there. The way
they’re operating and even to come back from a negative play and they get right back on
track and keep it a third-and-manageable. It’s very impressive. Ben [Lions Offensive
Coordinator Ben Johnson] has done a really good job with the group, getting everybody
together, they’ve got some really good coaches. Obviously, Dan [Lions Head Coach Dan
Campbell], he does a great job with the team and the operation. You can tell he’s got his
fingerprints all over it and it’s going to be a heck of a test. They’re a physical, tough group to
play and we’re excited. We’ll be ready for them.”
(On how he evaluates the defense’s performance vs. Minnesota) “The most important thing
is the win and then points, right? So, that’s where we really look at it. We don’t want to be
on the field, we’ve got to do a better job getting off on third down, those types of things,
tackling a little bit better. We even could have had a couple more interceptions I thought,
and then we’ve got to get the quarterback on the ground, a few too many scrambles. The
whole thing. Overall, just guys keep getting better. That’s the biggest thing. One play at a
time, one game at a time and that’s what we’re stressing, just get better from last game. I
think that the guys, they played really hard, our players, they played tough. I thought we
executed at a pretty good level last week. Now it’s just doing it again, a little bit better this
time. That’s the most important thing. We’ve given up a few too many yards, but ultimately
the points are where it’s at and the win. We want to win ultimately, but we’re going in the
right direction.”
(On the secondary and the pass rush working in tandem together to create turnovers) “The
whole group, the whole thing, because it’s rushing coverage together. You get interior push
a lot on the quarterback, make it hard for him to throw, changing coverages and things like
that, and I thought our secondary did a really good job of just showing one thing and doing
another thing. It’s pretty good.”
(On CB Montaric Brown recording his first-career interception) “It’s awesome. You’re fired
up for him. The look on his face on the sideline coming off, just being excited about playing
football. That’s the thing you love about him, he doesn’t bat an eye. He just keeps playing.
Things like that, just stay the course. Just keep doing the little things better and good things
start to happen for you. I think that’s what you’re starting to see with him and some other
guys.”
(On going up against Lions OT Penei Sewell) “He’s a very good player in the run and the
pass. He’s a very, very good football player. Shoot, they’re hooking lateral to him and putting
him out on passes. That tells you everything you need to know.”
(On if there any many tackles like Sewell) “Not many. Not many, so it’ll be a good matchup.”
(On who draws Sewell one-on-one in coverage) “Savage D Darnell Savage.”
(On continuing to get takeaways throughout the rest of the season) “You hope so. You hope
they come in bunches. Just part of staying the course. You hope it continues to go that way.
Two or three in a game, that would be really good to end the season. If you were two or
three in a game, you’d be top or one of the top in the league. We’ve just got to continue that
trend and continue what we’re doing. Thought our guys caught the ball, but then there are a
couple of things you point out, like, we could have had a couple more. We had one and
can’t really comment on the—Darby [CB Ronald Darby] made a great play. He made a great
play. It was a fantastic play. That was another one. We had a couple of opportunities, and
we’ve got to cash in on those. That’s what we’re working on this week.”
(On the snap distribution among the linebackers) “Just the game plan some weeks are a
little bit different than others. Nothing really to put a finger on and say, ‘Hey, this is the
reason why we did it.’ It’s just the game plan. It’ll be a little bit different this week. It’s just
kind of the matchups that we’re going in, the coverages that we’re playing. It was more of a
Foye [LB Foye Oluokun] game this last week, but this week may be different.”
(On what the keys are to defending the play-action) “A couple of things. You’ve got to get an
interior push. We’ve got to be able to revert from run to pass quicker and maybe steal some
things and get up the field a little bit better. Then we’ve got to be sticky in coverage, those
types of things. Don’t let the guys fake block. This is a really good double-move team as
well. We’ve got to do a really good job with our eyes on our receivers and our coverage. Then
not let them hold it all day and throw the ball down the field because Goff can make all the
throws. His deep-ball game is very impressive.”
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR PRESS TAYLOR
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2024
(On how the offense can be jumpstarted) “It’s just being able to piece some of the
consistency that we’ve lacked. Obviously, there are times where we like what we’ve had
early on, and it doesn’t work out for one reason or another early on to sustain drives. It’s
converting that first third down, staying on the field early because whether it’s the first
drive, second drive, being able to get it going at some point, but obviously it comes down
to—more often than not—being able to get the drive started on first down, but converting
that first third down. A lot of times that’s just being able to really hone in on the details but
make that play early on.”
(On trying different strategies to get the offense going in the first quarter) “We’ve tried a
number of different things just in terms of how we’re approaching whether that opening
script for the first third down or the ranking of things early on in certain situations that come
up, to the way we do our Saturday night walkthrough to make sure we’re prepped on
everything that could possibly come up, what we’re showing, things like that. So, we’re
continuing to search.”
(On how much he learned about QB Mac Jones vs. Minnesota) “Yeah, I think you learn a lot
from being in the fire with somebody. We’ve seen Mac in preseason games, in camp, in
practice and all that. Nothing can replicate a game, so there’s a lot of good you want to
continue to build upon and things like that, that you recognize Mac’s really comfortable
with and Mac sees really well throughout the course of the game. But every game, every
week is so different. The opponent you’re playing, who’s available to you on offense and
how you try to create the matchups or the looks you try to create. It’s about putting
everybody in the best possible position, but there’s a lot that Mac is very capable of, that
our offense as a whole is very capable of, that we’re trying to continue to find a way to get
the best out of.”
(On how he keeps Jones’ confidence up) “Yeah, I mean, it’s like anything. I think in this
business, you just keep going forward. You have to. There’s a game on the schedule. We
play Sunday, so it’s how do you approach, how do you handle postgame, what that looks
like, how long does it take you to get back? We tell everybody about it, by the time you walk
in Wednesday, it’s over. Players especially. Good, bad, indifferent, whatever it is,
Wednesday is the start of a new week no matter what happened the week before. I think
our guys do a good job of keeping that kind of tunnel vision where you can sulk, you can
celebrate, you can do whatever happened on Sunday. Monday, that typically happens.
Usually, Tuesday, most guys are moved on, but by Wednesday, there are no excuses. We
are rolling forward. I think that’s just the professional aspect of the guys we have around.
They do a good job of being able to keep their head down and keep moving.”
(On what makes Detroit’s defense stand out) “Honestly, as a whole, they’re just really good
together, and they’ve lost a lot of defensive linemen, and they continue to thrive just in the
situations that they’ve put their guys in. They’re very instinctive. There’s a lot of really
versatile guys. They play a lot of base to 11-personnel, which is unique to a lot of people,
but they are obviously very confident in their linebackers and the way they can play and the
way they move. I think the safeties are as versatile as any two safeties we’ve seen, just in
terms of being able to cover in man, play in the post, play in the box, tackle, make plays on
the ball. The corners are playing very confidently. Then they have a lot of bodies through the
defensive line. Obviously, it starts inside with McNeill [Lions DL Alim McNeill] and [Lions
DL] D.J. Reader. They cause a lot of problems for a lot of people; both run and pass. I think
just as a whole, and you get the consistency of being there four years together, running the
same defense from Coach Glenn [Lions Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn]. You kind of
see it year-to-year evolve and what it’s grown into, and then the way they play, the
confidence they play with, the aggression they play with, the speed they play with, they’re
doing a really, really good job.”
(On involving WR Brian Thomas Jr. more in the offense) “Yeah, I mean, we need to do
something. I think the biggest thing is continuing to try to give him those opportunities.
There are times where you call things where you really think he’s going to get the ball right
here and something happens to take the play away. Whether it’s a pressure, whether it’s the
ball just didn’t get thrown for whatever reason. We were calling screens the other day that
didn’t even get thrown out to him at times. There are opportunities and we’ve got to
continue to find those. We’ve got to continue to give him opportunities because like we say
every week, he is dynamic for us, and so, he needs opportunities to get the football.”
(On if the smaller number of targets are frustrating for Thomas Jr.) “He doesn’t. He is just a
cool customer. No highs, no lows with him. He’s a competitor. He wants to win. I think
anybody, I tell those guys all the time, if you’ve got something to say after a game, if we
didn’t win, I’m all ears. I’ll take whatever they have to say, and those guys are great. They
handle it really well. He never shows emotion one way or the other in terms of he’s
frustrated, he’s excited. He just comes to work every single day. That’s been the really cool
thing about watching him grow and getting to know him really, just the professional
approach from such a young player to keep thriving and keep moving forward at this point
in the season.”
(On having to know where Lions DB Brian Branch is on the field at all times) “Yeah, he’s
been a playmaker for those guys, and [Lions S] Kerby Joseph, the same way. Those guys are
doing a great job, like I mentioned. You get into some of these defenses where that guy’s the
post guy, this guy’s down. If this guy’s down it’s zone, if this guy’s down it’s man, they don’t
really seem to care. I mean, they’ll play them on receivers, they’ll play them on tight ends,
they’ll play them both in the post. They both do it really well. So, it’s not like one of them is
out of position just to be versatile. They’re both playing really well. Brian Branch is a
playmaker. They’ve got a lot of guys. They’ve got great ball skills in the back end. That’s why
they have, I think, they’re second in the league in interceptions. I mean, they’ve done a
great job just being disruptive, making plays on the ball.”
(On RB Travis Etienne Jr. and RB Tank Bigsby’s potential to become a top running back duo)
“Yeah, that’s certainly what you want. Anytime you have two backs, their skill set seems to
complement each other well, you want to be able to use them to play off one another. So
that’s certainly the goal, yes.”
(On Etienne Jr.’s progress coming back from injury and getting him more involved vs.
Detroit) “Yeah, I think, like anything, especially whether it’s a starter, a backup, playing
quarterback, you want to be able to lean on that run game a little bit. We want to be
obviously more efficient than we’ve been so we can stay. I mean, not everybody’s excited to
run the ball in second-and-10, second-and-11, things like that. So having that first-down
success to start drives particularly gives you the ability to lean into the run game a little bit
more. You go back to the New England game, we had so many runs. It’s because first down
run for five, your second for five, you’re in control of the game in situations. So, you’re able
to lean into that a little more. But Travis is just another one like Brian, he’s another one of
our playmakers. So, we want to give our playmakers as many opportunities in the right
situation to be able to make plays. It’s not just hammering the ball into heavy boxes and
doing certain things like that but giving him opportunities in situations that we think he
thrives in already.”
(On how Jones’ personality differs from QB Trevor Lawrence) “I think guys respond to
leadership and leadership looks different in any way, shape or form. I think nobody
questions Mac’s preparation. So, Mac probably has a different intensity in the huddle than
Trevor does. Trevor kind of has that cool, calm demeanor. Mac is going to be—there’s going
to be a certain intensity and focus with Mac. I think as long as you’re true to who you are
and you’re the same guy every day and guys know what they’re getting with you and the way
you handle the competitive situations; I think guys respond to that. So yes, they’re very
different personality-wise. So, they’re going to be different in the huddle and they’re going
to play the game a little bit differently, but as long as they’re authentic to who they are,
which I believe both those guys are, guys thrive off that, guys respond to that.”
