LIONS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR DARRELL BEVELL CONFERENCE CALL QUOTE SHEET (VIA ZOOM)
Opening statement: “Hello everyone. It’s great to be back in the building here. It’s amazing to walk in this building and to be able to feel the comfort and safety that we all are able to feel here with basically how everyone worked here, in terms of – you can talk about any group. The fields look amazing, the building, I mean there are walls torn down, there are new walls where walls weren’t, there are walls that are gone where there were walls before. So you really feel a safe sense in here. Kind of almost feel like we’re in our own bubble. You got to give credit to those guys – to our food crew, to the facilities crew, the grounds crew, everybody has just done such a great job to make us feel safe, make us feel different in here. So it’s been great to be able to be back and just finally get in here and be able to start to get going. I just wanted to start out with that and give those guys a little bit of thanks and gratitude for how we feel in this building.”
On his comfort level knowing he has key offensive pieces returning despite the shortened offseason: “I think I’d answer it first – there’s just a little bit of comfort just with the knowledge that maybe that they have, but I’m really in to how we execute it on the field. I’m excited to get to this next level. I think that’s really important for us. We can’t get complacent or rest on our laurels in terms of, ‘Yeah, we got this down. We know this stuff.’ Every year is a new year. We have new players in new spots. We have little wrinkles that we want to make sure that we’re adding. So we need to get on the field; we need to start practice and stuff that we’ve been talking about for quite a while.”
On the biggest thing that a rookie running back and offensive linemen needs in order to transition their game from the college level to professional: “Everything is really different for those guys. All our rookies coming in, I mean definitely, (they’re) going to be behind the eight ball a little bit. The Zoom meetings I think have helped. We’ve had more meeting time than we’ve ever had. In terms of the information, I think they’re going to be able to handle some of that. But still, you have to have the applied science. You have to get out there on the grass and be able to see them react and read. There’s going to be guys in offensive line – you’ve always heard me talk about it – the combinations, how your guy next to you is coming off a combination, how they communicate, how they pass things off. Every position has just little nuance to it that we really need to see those guys get on the field and how fast that they can pick up on that kind of thing.”
On his impressions of RB D’Andre Swift and how he will go about opportunities to evaluate him without preseason games: “Obviously everybody is in the same situation across the League. We’re not going to have preseason games – that’s the way it is. We’re going to have to find new ways to gain that information. As far as D’Andre is going, I think he’s done a really nice job in the meetings, in the Zoom meetings. There are different settings in terms of just the rookies, but now we’ve obviously had the vets in there as well. I think he’s been quiet. I think he’s trying to gain as much information as he can. He’s got to find his place with what he needs to do. But I think he’s picked up the information pretty well, and I’m excited to get him out on the grass and see exactly what he’s got, see how he can take this information from the meeting rooms and put it on the field and how well he can make the adjustments and see the things that he needs to see to play at a high level for us. That remains to be seen. Unfortunately, since we haven’t been out there on the grass very much, I think a lot of the questions, that’s going to be the answer: We have to wait and see. Whether it’s the new offensive linemen or really, everybody across the board, how they’re going to fin into our offense, how I’m going to be able to use them, and D’Andre is no different than that.”
LIONS DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR CORY UNDLIN CONFERENCE CALL QUOTE SHEET (VIA ZOOM)
On collaborating with Head Coach Matt Patricia to build the defense: “It’s been smooth. Obviously, the relationship there between us helps a little bit. Grinding through that, going all the way back to when I got hired and all the way through the spring, virtual or now that we’re back in the building. It’s been good and I think it’s safe to say that we both feel good with where we’re heading. We’re not there yet, but we’re going in the right direction. It’s been very positive.”
On if he likes where the scheme and philosophy are going in collaboration with Head Coach Matt Patricia: “Absolutely. There hasn’t been any questions on where that’s going from him to me. It’s been very clear and him asking me and we’re on the same page. Like I said, we haven’t even practiced yet, much less had a meeting with the players in it, albeit we’ve been doing all that virtually through the offseason. We’re on the right track and we feel good with where we are going into training camp where we actually start and practice. We’ve got a bunch of meetings coming up here before that happens. Yeah, same page, right direction, arrow up.”
On the challenge facing rookie CB Jeff Okudah this season: “I think I would agree with all of that as far as the challenge that goes for that position. I don’t care if you’re a rookie or you’re a six-year vet. You stand out there and line up on Sunday’s against any team – I don’t care what team it is. It’s a challenge. We all know what that looks like out there. I would say right now, as I talked about him in the spring when I was talking about virtually, I think the most important thing to understand is we have not played – you said it – we have not played a snap yet. We haven’t even practiced a snap yet. His challenge right now is just being out there on the first day and (I) don’t care where we drafted him, where he came from. That position comes with challenges, and I think we’re all excited, not just for him, but for everybody else that’s new, guys that have been here, once we get out on the field, then we’ll start with the first one and we’ll go from there. Obviously, the goal is for every guy on this roster to get better every single day and we’ll just start from there.”
On what it’s like preparing for and facing a guy like QB Matthew Stafford: “That he’s a really good player, he can throw it all over the field. He’s a really good player, I would just say that. I mean I’m coaching on the defensive side, and I know you’re talking about me coaching against him in the past, but I’m just excited to be around the guy, to be on the same team, to see him. I’ll leave it at that.”
On the challenge of preparing to play against QB Matthew Stafford as a coach who has done so before: “It’s not easy. I mean this could be a 35-minute conversation, but I’m just happy that I’m on the same team as him. He’s gotten the best of me the last few times I’ve played him, so I’m happy to be here with him.”
On how he handles working with a defensive line with low numbers at the moment: “As a coaching staff, coming from Matt (Patricia) and then going to me and then the position coaches, we’ve just got to manage it. There’s nothing you can do about it. Numbers are what they are, and it’s our jobs as coaches to manage it and move guys around so that we don’t overwork somebody else. So, it’s not easy but everybody’s got some kind of situation, whichever position group it’s at, so it’s on us to make sure we do it right and move guys around so that no one’s getting overworked. And then we’re just day-to-day with those guys. Whenever they’re back, they’re back. Players know that and really, I would say it’s on coaches to make sure we don’t put somebody in a bad spot.”
LIONS SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR BRAYDEN COOMBS CONFERENCE CALL QUOTE SHEET (VIA ZOOM)
Opening Statement: “Great to see you guys, wish we were doing this in person, for sure. But hope everyone is safe, healthy.”
On his expectations for the competition at punter and what he expects to see from P Jack Fox and P Arryn Siposs: “I’m really excited about it, really excited about both of those guys. We’re going to have competition across the board at every position, not just punter. I know that’s the big one, but if you ask the guys, that’s kind of the number one thing we’ve been talking about since Day 1 is competition. I think that makes everybody better. But those two guys, they’re both very talented. I think they both have high ceilings. It’s just a matter of going out and doing it. Neither of them has done it in a game. With no preseason that’s definitely going to be a little different, but we’re going to find ways to make it hyper competitive in practice and put them under competitive situations and we’ll see who rises to the top. I’m really, really excited for both of those guys.”
On his reaction when he heard the Mid-American Conference will not be playing football this fall and if he has reached out to anyone at his alma mater, Miami University of Ohio: “Gosh, it probably literally, what, 10 minutes since I’ve seen that news. We were in a meeting, broke the meeting, happened to see that before I came down here. It’s devastating. My time at Miami to this day is some of the best years of my life. Lifelong relationships and friendships and all that started with the football program. So, I’m really hurt for those guys. I have friends who coach in the MAC, got to reach out to them, obviously disappointed for them. It’s unfortunate, as there’s obviously been a lot of unfortunate circumstances over the last several months. Hopefully, the people that we’re entrusting to make these decisions have a good feel for what’s best and are making the right decisions – but even if it’s the right decision, it’s still really disappointing, especially for the kids in that program, in those programs right now. They’re never going to get that time back, so hopefully we can work something out for the spring, or figure something out because really, really disappointing – just kind of sad for the people involved right now.”
On what conversations have been like with his father, Kerry Coombs who is a defensive coordinator at Ohio State: “Long, long. But he’s been a really valuable resource for me, like he always is, like he always has been. You know, kind of the timing of things where they kind of got started first and then took a break and then we kind of got started. We’ve really been able to balance things off each other. He’s been able to kind of just give me a heads up on kind of what to expect, what works, what doesn’t work, what’s the best mask to wear at practice. I mean, really, the amount of things you don’t really think about until you talk to somebody else about it are infinite. So, kind of blessed I guess in that way to have somebody close that I can trust to talk to. I think he is like everybody else, trying to work his way through it and frustrated that we can’t just go and play ball and do things the way we’re used to doing. But knowing him, he’ll adjust. He’ll be fine. I know that they’re really hoping they can play because I think they feel really good about the team they’ve got this year. So, we’re all hoping it works out. And I think they’re doing the best they can given the circumstances.”
On what mask his father encouraged him to purchase: “I guess for practice, he says the best are just the gaiters. You know, up and down is real easy. You don’t have to worry about the ears, so we’ll see how it goes.”
