| August 30, 2020 LIONS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR DARRELL BEVELL CONFERENCE CALL QUOTE SHEET (VIA ZOOM) On his evaluation of QB Matthew Stafford during training camp: “It’s been a long time. We’re excited to get out there and play some games. He has looked really good. He’s just super dialed-in. I really wouldn’t say that’s any different than even last year. I’ve always been impressed with him coming in here. He’s always been a guy that’s been on top of the game, been on top of his game, been on top of our offense from Day 1. It’s not something that’s surprised me, but he is definitely dialed-in right now.” On how much he knows about the team’s running game right now: “I thought it was good for us to get some of that live-action the other day, yesterday – they’re all running together. I don’t know exactly what day it was. But in our scrimmage, to see guys – you know, the most important thing that you worry about is the ball security, with guys not getting hit on the football and taking some of the shots that they take. I think that’s really the main focus for some of the live hitting. The guys have been hit before, but that’s just the – really the ball security is the issue. It was fairly good. We did have a ball out yesterday, and so that’s something we will continue to work on. I thought it was really good for us to get at those opportunities. The receivers got hit, the running backs got hit, tight ends got hit. I think that was good for them just to kind of get that feel before the first game starts.” On how the wide receiver depth has developed: “I think we’ve given ourselves an opportunity with some depth there. I like the way the competition is shaping up. I think there is a good nucleus of guys, particularly the guys you mentioned with Marvin Hall, with (Jamal) Agnew, with Vic Bolden, those guys have – with (Quintez) Cephus as well – those guys have really done a nice job. We move some of them around. We put them in different opportunities, just try to give them some chances to make plays. In different moments guys have showed up, but I think it’s shaking out. I think at the end we’re going to be really comfortable with the guys we end up going with on the roster.” On what he’s seeing QB Matthew Stafford do better now compared to last year: “Anything he’s doing better? I just think he’s super dialed-in right now. Obviously he’s a year better within the offense, so I think he might be even a little bit quicker on some of the decisions that he’s making. We really have put an emphasis on his speed. Starting with last year when we got here and how your feet correspond to the plays, I think he’s done a nice job with that. I mean, he’s just a special talent in terms of throwing the football. It just looks so effortless. He can just flick it, and the ball’s flying out of his hands. He’s always been impressive that way as well.” On explaining the role of play-action in the offense: “The talk that we have and the thing that we believe in is being able to run the football, and that’s something we really want to do. Then coupled with that, once you’re able to run the football and willing to do it, then you put the ball in front of the running back, you know you’re trying to distort the defense, but the sell job is also just – it’s not just the quarterback and the running back, it’s how the line’s coming off, how the tight ends are coming off the ball and the effort they put in just to some of the sell that you need to have in that run game. I think we were doing a fair job of that.” LIONS DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR CORY UNDLIN CONFERENCE CALL QUOTE SHEET (VIA ZOOM) On the progress of rookie CB Jeff Okudah: “I would say steady progress. I think, even for me, no OTAs – I mean he’s a rookie, and he missed a couple of practices there early in camp. I mean he’s really been on the grass seven times. So, for me, for myself, I’ve got to keep the perspective to where it should be and that without OTAs – and I know you can meet on Zooms and we spent all that time on Zoom calls in the spring – it’s not the same. I mean when it starts and it’s live and people are running around, there’s an adjustment that’s got to take place, not to mention running around with the wideouts that we have on offense. But, at the end of the day, after seven practices for him, maybe it’s eight – I can’t really remember – he is on a steady incline, which is all we can ask. That’s all we can ask from any of our players – vets, rookies, whatever. So, I like the direction that he’s headed in. We’re not there yet. I don’t think any of us are there yet. If you ask any players, we’ve still got two weeks left here to clean it all up and get ready for that first game. But I’m not disappointed on the work he’s been doing and where he’s going. Still have a long way to go.” On the addition and progression of LB Reggie Ragland: “I would agree with the fact that you’ve seen him make some plays, we’ve all seen that. I think, again, (he’s a) veteran player, super smart, great guy, great perspective on what it takes to be a professional and play at a high level in this league. He’s played a lot. But when you come into a camp for the first time, and obviously the situation is what it is, it takes time for guys to get their feet on the ground. I’m not saying he started out slow, but just like anybody, the more we’ve practiced, the more they get used to me calling it, the more they’re out there with this group of guys, it’s all been better. I think the last week, last week and a half, it’s kind of like, ‘OK, there he is.’ Like more comfortable, speaking the same language, speaking to the same guys, all of that. Very, very impressed. I mean, I think this is what we all expected from him when we got him, and very pleased with where he’s at and his role and how he’s going to help us this year. So, very excited.” On if rookie CB Jeff Okudah’s transition to the NFL is accelerated by going against the Lions’ receiving corps in practice: “I would agree with that – accelerated. That acceleration can come in two ways, either help you or make you realize really quick like, ‘OK, this is legit.’ The college game, this guy played at a high level for a long time. That’s why we took him. You run out here on Sundays, you guys all know – I’m not saying anything that you don’t know – but it’s different. My point on that was, it doesn’t matter. I’m not talking about the ones, you listed all the players, I just said about the group of wideouts, and that group we have over there is pretty special from the top, and you guys can list them, all the way to the bottom. So, I think it’s been great for him to realize, like – you can only play this game one way at this level, and that is with the utmost technique, eye discipline, focus, details on everything, because as soon as you lose or miss one of those, it doesn’t look very good. And I think he’s already at that point like, ‘OK, I get it. It’s not the same.’ I would go back, again, to the fact that he didn’t have any time in OTAs – none of us did, all the players. So that adjustment now coming back into training camp, especially for the rookies, to be like – we would have gotten that mindset out of him and that realization of where he is and who he’s playing against at this level, we would have got that out in May and June. It’s just happening now. It’s happening later, and it’s good that it’s happening now. I mean there’s nothing you can do about it. It’s coming fast, but again, we’ve got a lot of work to do; he’s got a lot of work to do. I think if he was on this call with us and we asked him that question, he would agree with that.” LIONS SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR BRAYDEN COOMBS CONFERENCE CALL QUOTE SHEET (VIA ZOOM) On the punter competition between P Jack Fox and P Arryn Siposs: “That’s the million-dollar question. Those of you that have been there (have) seen both of those guys performing at a high level. I think we’re in a situation right now where it’s a good problem to have, to have to try to make a decision between two guys who are really going out and executing consistently at a high level. I’ve joked with both of those guys, if one of you guys wants to just go out and really crack under pressure one day and make this easy for me, that’d be great, but they haven’t. They’ve battled. They both, no matter what situation we’ve put them in, no matter how much pressure we’ve tried to create, whether situationally or with guys right in their face rushing, everything we’ve thrown at them so far, they’ve both handled it really well. So, they’re different. They bring some different things to the table, but kind of the way we’ve been evaluating them, there’s probably half a dozen categories or so, aside from just gut instinct – and I would say of those categories, there’s probably four that are almost neck and neck, I mean, like almost shockingly similar and then of the other two, it’s kind of split in terms of whose got the edge. It’s really neck and neck and obviously we’re getting to a point here where we’re going to have to make a decision and they’re going to make it really hard on us, so we’ll put our heads together and when we have to, we’ll decide, but as of now we still got another week here for one of those guys to really, maybe, have the opportunity to separate themselves. But I think kind of like I said at the beginning, I take a lot of comfort in the fact that whichever way it goes, however hard the decision is we’re going to be going into Week 1 with a punter that we feel really good about, that we have high expectations for as an NFL football player. So, I’m encouraged by both and I’m excited about it. Hopefully in a week or so you guys will find out where we’re at.” On why he has an “I Can’t Breathe” mask: “So, I think just really appropriate with where we’ve been at over the last week and just kind of wanted to – I don’t know, kind of show I guess, a sign of solidarity with our players with everybody here, make sure there’s really no question in terms of which side of history I’m going to be on.” On if he sees something valuable from a coaching perspective when running on coverage teams in practice or if it is just his energy: “I would say, it’s probably both. You know, you can ask the guys around here in the building, I have a hard time sitting still in general, but particularly at practice, just kind of the way I’ve always been. I’m definitely not an up-in-the-sky-lift kind of coach. I like to get in the mix, be around the guys and kind of feel their speed, try to feel and see the same things that they are seeing and feeling. And I do think that obviously, there’s different ways and different angles to coach from, but that’s kind of the one that works for me and I think it also lets them know, ‘Hey, like, let’s go. This is how we practice.’ We’re not going through the motions. There’s a time and a place for walkthrough and do tempo things, but when we’re out there competing, and we’re out there kind of developing the play speed that we want to be about, I want to encourage that and make sure that they know, ‘Hey, and definitely, don’t ever let me be out in front of you, right?’ That would be a problem. So, just kind of the way I’ve always done things and probably the way that I always will. Everybody’s different, but for me to be true to myself, that’s kind of how I’m always going to coach.” On what young players have stood out in terms of having a grasp of what he is trying to teach: “We’ve got a really good group here. You guys have seen it, just the depth of our roster and the guys that are going to be key contributors for me. There’s really a lot of good players. Hesitate to single anybody out, but I would say, C.J. Moore is a guy who has had an outstanding camp. I would say first off, you talk about just a great kid, hard worker, has worked for everything, ‘Yes sir,’ you know he drives me crazy calling me sir. I don’t really like that, but that’s a habit for him that he’s not going to break. But when you talk about a guy who just does everything exactly the way we’ve asked, and to be perfectly frank, is a guy probably that I underestimated coming in as a new coach and probably I was just wrong on just going off of the tape and my perception of him coming in, but has really just kind of took the bull by the horns. You know, the guy had multiple tackles as a gunner last year, was a starting gunner and I’m sure you guys have seen – kind of I came in and asked him to move to PP, and not only the PP, but moved him to be the backup PP and he never complained, never tried to convince me that he was best where he was, just really embraced it, dove in head first, wore me and ‘Mule’ (Don Muhlbach) out all offseason just learning the protection aspect of playing that position and did a great job, has really earned everything that he is getting right now in terms of playing time and opportunities. So, that would be a guy that I am very, very excited with, excited for and really proud of, I would say, just the way he handled everything, the way he approaches everything on a daily basis. We have a team of 53 guys like that, we’ll be in great shape. There’s a lot of other guys I could rattle off, but a guy who’s really stood out in camp as one of our best players would be C.J.” |
