| Opening Statement: “Like I always do, I guess I’ll start out about the game and just a brief synopsis. I was proud of the way the guys played, how hard they played. Obviously, there are some things that we could have done better as far as the touchdowns that we gave up. And, the two touchdowns that we gave up are actually touchdowns where we could have easily defended those if we would have just – more detail-oriented. I would say that’s more on us and as coaches, we have to make sure we are more detail-oriented. And then, the players have got to make sure they are more detail-oriented also. But overall, when you look at the total yards, we gave up 250 yards, 50 yards rushing, like 200 passing. But, I told our guys, ‘That really doesn’t tell the whole tale.’ When you’re just looking at stats, as a defensive coach, you might be happy about that. But, when you peel the onion back, there are some things that we could have done better. And, I explained it to the guys and they know that and they see that as far as how they just adjust and they start dinking, dunking and start taking advantage of some of the zones that we’re in. So, we’ve got to do a better job of matching coverages, and as coaches we’ve got to do a better job of coaching that.” On how much of this season’s defensive success can carry over into next season: “I think a lot of that has to do with confidence. I’ve said this to the players a million times, ‘Confidence comes from demonstrated ability.’ And each week, the guys go out there and they play hard. They understand exactly what we’re doing and they understand the scheme more than anything. That allows them to play fast, allows them to play with aggression, it allows them to play more physical. So, going into next year, there is no doubt that the players will play even better and I’m excited about going into next year. But, I want to make sure this year, we finish this thing off the right way.” On the importance of the final two games for CB Ifeatu Melifonwu to get more reps: “Well listen, we expect a lot from Iffy. We think that he’s a matchup guy for us. We used him in that role against (Kyle) Pitts and he did a good job in that. Obviously, he got beat for the one 35-yard, but that guy is a good player, too. But, Iffy did some good things in there. So, the one thing we want to make sure going into these last two games, we get a really good look at how we can put him in positions to utilize his skillset because he is a guy that we’re looking for in the future to be one of our main guys.” On LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin’s importance to the defense this season: “Man, that guy is a football player. The thing is he loves football and you clearly see that when he’s on the field. Anytime you have a player of that magnitude, you can’t help but just put him on the field. You can’t help but just play him. And, I know he was relegated to special teams years before, but he’s shown he can be a starting inside linebacker. So hopefully he can continue to compete. We’re always going competition here. He will have his chance to be our starting inside linebacker. He’s had a great year, still has a ways to go, but we’re excited about that player.” On LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin’s chances of being the starting inside linebacker next season: “I’ll tell you this, he has the capabilities to be that, so I know that he’s a – I’m assuming he’s a free agent, right? Any of our guys that are free agents, we would love to have those guys back. Obviously, we want the player back. There is no doubt about that because he is a good player. Any one of our players that are free agents, we want them back. And, if he does come back, he definitely is going to get a chance to be that starting inside linebacker.” On the importance of the safety position in his defensive scheme: “That’s a very important position in this defense for many reason. One, because it’s the playmaker’s position. And two, it’s the quarterback of the defense to be honest with you when you look at the backend. And really, just the back seven, including linebackers, because of the communication that’s involved in being that position. There are a lot of times when they’re freed up, they can read the quarterback and go make plays. There are times when they have to get down to the box to be able to make tackles. It’s an important position for us. We know the value that position brings to this defense. And I’ll tell you what, Tracy (Walker) has improved dramatically in doing that. We’ve just got to continue to hone in on the details with those guys. But, you’re right, that position requires a lot. It requires a lot and you have to be a heady player to play that position and our guys have been doing a pretty good job at it.” On Seahawks QB Russell Wilson: “My opinion of Russell will never change. I think he’s one of the best quarterbacks in this League and I think we all agree to that. The one thing that they do, they stretch with this running game they have. Those linemen, they’re maulers. Our inside guys know that and they have a job ahead of them. And then, they stretch you with this play-action pass, the deep shots to (DK Metcalf) 14 and (Tyler Lockett) 16. Both of those guys are fast—14 is big, Metcalf—16, Lockett, he’s a speedster, good route runner. So, we have to make sure we’re on top of those things with those guys. And, that’s the thing they do. They stretch you with so much running game that you want to put an extra guy in the box, just like we were talking about with the safety. We want to put him in the box, and next thing you know, they’re trying to go over top with Metcalf and Lockett. So, we have to be very careful on how we do that. And plus, as the play-caller, I have to be on top of my game to make sure I put our guys in the best positions.” LIONS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR ANTHONY LYNN QUOTE SHEET (VIA ZOOM) December 30, 2021 On what RB Jamaal Williams has brought to the offense this year: “Physical, leadership, he has a lot of intangibles. His skillset speaks for itself, but his leadership and juice and energy that he brings to our whole entire football team – when he’s not out there, we miss him.” On RB Jamaal Williams’ willingness to play with physicality on each carry: “Just the way that he takes care of his body, that allows him to make those tough carries like you’re talking about. You need guys that can run between the tackles, goal line, short yardage, four-minute, in those types of situations. But also, you count on that style to run a team down. So, a lot of those three and four-yard runs you may see in the first half, with a guy like Jamaal they turn into 10, 11-yard runs in the second half.” On where WR Amon-Ra St. Brown has grown the most as a receiver this season: “His route running, his coverage recognition and his route running, which that tends to be the development for most rookie receivers. He’s definitely trending in the right direction. I think he’s gotten better every single week. I can honestly say that about him.” On what they saw in WR Amon-Ra St. Brown in the second half of the season that has led to his increased targets: “Well, early in the year he wasn’t quite seasoned like he was now and you had T.J. (Hockenson) and other guys that you were trying to get the ball to a little bit as well early in the year. But he blocks and we’ve made it known that if you’re a receiver in this offense and you block, you will get targets. He’s one of the best blocking guys on our football team.” On why receivers that are good blockers may get more targets: “One, it speaks of his unselfishness to go in there and block in the run game because you’d be surprised at how many quality receivers that don’t do that. Then, you want to reward a guy that does that. But also at the same time, when you can go in there and block safeties the way he does, it opens you up in the run game because they come downhill and you’re running by them, or you’re running out breaking from them. So, it goes hand-in-hand and that’s just one of the ways to get a receiver more involved is just tell him, ‘Hey, if you block, we’ll target you.’” On if he believes WR Amon-Ra St. Brown is a number one receiver: “He is definitely trending in that direction. I never want to label a guy and say what he can, or he can’t do, especially a rookie. He’s got so much more to learn and so much more development and growth, and you’re seeing some positive results right now. Where he can go with his game, who knows. But, yeah, I do think he is trending in the right direction and he can be whatever he wants to be.” On memories he has of the late John Madden: “I did know Coach Madden a little bit. I guess one of the stories with him is he called me about five years ago, and my phone rang. I answered my phone and I said, ‘Hello,’ and he goes, ‘This is John Madden.’ I say, ‘Yeah, this is Barack Obama, who the hell is this?’ He said, ‘No, this is John Madden.’ I was like, ‘Come on man, who is this? I don’t have time for this nonsense.’ And he goes, ‘Coach, this is John Madden, and I’m calling to ask you if you’d like to be on the Competition Committee.’ I was like, ‘Oh, (expletive).’ After apologizing several times, we had a good 30-minute conversation and I’ve got to tell you, he had so much wisdom. When he talked, I listened. That 30-minute conversation, the first conversation I ever had with him, I learned a lot.” On why he was so surprised John Madden called him: “I didn’t know John Madden had my phone number. It just kind of caught me off guard a little bit.” On the honor of John Madden wanting him to be on the Competition Committee: “That meant a lot. Just coming from him, especially, that meant a lot. I learned a lot from him every year when we’d meet at the Combine and we’d talk about this this and that, and I could see why the League is as popular as it is when you have guys like Coach Madden behind the scenes making the decisions that he’s making.” On how much carryover there can be from the end of a season to the next: “I think that is huge. The way you finish, you go into the offseason with some momentum. With the personnel department that we have here, you know this team is going to get better. I look for this team to have a – we finish out strong right now, you look for this team to have a fast start next year. I believe that.” On if he has examples from his career of when a team carried chemistry built late into the season over to the next season: “Yeah, I’ve been on several teams where we finished strong, either we were going into the playoffs or we were getting ready for the next year. I think my last year with LA, we won our last four games. I thought – they have a new staff there and all that, I hope they make the playoffs. They’re playing well enough to make the playoffs, but I thought they had a fast start this year. I thought the way they ended the year last year may have helped that.” |
