January 10, 2023
Opening Statement: “First of all, I just kind of want to start off just kind of giving some appreciation and thanks. Obviously, first and foremost to our ownership, their support, their belief, most importantly their patience that they practice with the plans that we have in place and what we’re trying to build just really means everything. I want to thank the players, just their grind and commitment. Often, people don’t have any idea of what that grind is like during the week and sometimes in conjunction with their grind during the week and conjunction with the coaches hard work. On gamedays it looks like magic sometimes, but it’s a lot that goes on during the week and it’s extremely intense and just very appreciative of their dedication and sacrifices that they put in. Our coaches, I think (Lions Head Coach) Dan (Campbell) and the rest of the staff, they did an unbelievable job. They’re very passionate, they’re very committed to the development of our players, they’re all excellent teachers, man, I just thought they did an unbelievable job. I thought our personnel staff, specifically our pro personnel department, (Lions Director of Pro Scouting) Rob Lohman, (Lions Assistant Director of Pro Scouting) Joe Kelleher, (Lions Pro Scout) Justin Licker, those guys working around the clock. It starts off in camp like I told you guys at the end of training camp with preseason scouting and all of that. But when you get into the advances and working the waiver wire, workouts, all that stuff, they’ve had some finds. We’ve had some summer editions, post-Draft of the – (Lions DL) John Cominsky, (Lions DL) Isaiah Buggs, (Lions RB) Justin Jackson after camp. I mean, those were real players, so credit to those guys, those guys did a great job. And then, really the rest of our personnel department just from an operation standpoint just to get through the season did an amazing job. Our analytics, our football IT department, they’re all rockstars in there and I could go on and on. I mean, our trainers, our football ops staff, our equipment, video department, player engagement, player wellness, nutrition, they all play a part in this, it’s all hands on deck. Our grounds crew, I think our grounds crew is elite, I mean those guys are as good as it gets in this business. So, really it’s all hands on deck, just want to thank everybody. But certainly not least, our fans, our atmosphere every week was electric man. Like, it was electric and it created a tough environment for our opponents a lot, the sell outs that they’re able to provide. But we talk about who we are as a team and what we want to be for our city, but One Pride, man, you better buckle up for One Pride because they’re a gritty group. Their energy’s unmatched and you just better be ready every single week, so much appreciation with what those guys did and what those guys brought. Just in regards to the season, obviously finishing up at 9-8, 5-1 within the division, it’s an improvement. I believe it is a step in the right direction and it’s another step to where we want to go, but we still have work to do. And I do think that we’re just getting started. I think we’re just getting started and we’re just going to keep going up from here. Last year a foundation was laid, a culture was put in place, but this year in and off I think the standard is set now. I believe the standard is set and that standard is not going to be compromised, it’s not going to be compromised no matter what. And it’s a standard of who’s on this team, who’s in this building, a standard of who’s on this staff and all of that’s earned and I think everybody did earn that this year and couldn’t really be prouder of it. You always talk about – we have a plan, and we have a plan in place, and we said it a lot last year, ‘We have a plan, we have a plan.’ But really, when you have a plan, it has to work and there’s times where you might start questioning that plan. If the plan’s not working, don’t keep doing it because it’s not working. But we stay committed to our plan and we had a disciplined approach and see we thought that even through the dark times, we saw enough growth that let’s just stay committed. Let’s stay the course, don’t waver, and I think that’s exactly what our team did, and I think the adversity that came along with that, that’s really what shaped us. So again, I’m just proud of everything, of everybody, what everybody did. With that plan, I remember at 1-6 everybody was – they were ready to write us off. But nobody ever wavered, everybody stayed the course and I think they were resilient with the adversity that we all faced. And we made a commitment to build this thing the right way and sometimes the right way is the hard way. But it’s still – it’s just the right way and we stayed committed to it. And we saw the growth and we just stayed patient and like I said, we just had a disciplined approach and I think towards the end you started to see it really materialize. So, it’s good to see.”
On if the free agency plan will change headed into this offseason: “No, it really doesn’t. We’re always going to be very strategic and selective with our approach. Even back – regardless of how many resources you have, how much money you can spend, we always are very selective and strategic with how we go about free agency. And that’s upcoming UFAs that are on our team as well as external adds, but it’s always going to be the same approach. And I think we kind of proven that, obviously year one didn’t have as many resources at our disposal, but we were very selective about who were the right guys and being very selective about alright, (Lions LB) Alex Anzalone, he’s the right guy. (Lions WR) Kalif Raymond, he was the right guy. (Lions DL) Charles Harris, he’s the right guy. It’s not that it was just a ‘prove it’ one-year deal, but it was the right guy. There were a ton of other options for ‘prove it’ one-year deals, but we just were really strategic and selective in getting those right guys. And we’ll continue that same plan.”
On if they will take a similar approach to last year with prioritizing free agents that were on one-year deals in 2022: “Yeah, I mean those guys had good years and look, as long as they’re fits for our culture and what we’re trying to build and where we’re going, yeah absolutely. Now, like I say all the time, those guys are UFAs, they’re UFAs for the whole League. So, obviously we know them and they know us and I know a lot of those guys that want to come back. I pretty much met with all – me and (Lions Assistant General Manager) Ray Agnew met with all of our guys that are coming up on expiring deals and majority of them, they expressed interest in wanting to come back. But I don’t ignore the reality of there’s other elements of that business that we’re going to have to deal with. But it was cool to hear because those guys believe in what we’re doing and they believe it’s the right way. They like how they’re treated, they can be themselves and it was just cool to hear that they think that we’re doing it the right way. But yeah, we’ll just see how it goes, but hopefully we can get a lot of those guys back.”
On how confident he is in Lions QB Jared Goff and the decision on which direction to go at quarterback: “Yeah, I don’t really know what the decision is. I just – I was always confident in him because I’ve been with him from the get-go since he was drafted back when I was with LA. I just kind of know how resilient and mentally tough he is and I think a lot of it was me knowing all the success he had in LA. I think that was kind of forgotten about a little bit when he got here and I think he was put in a very tough situation. I don’t want to say I don’t know how many quarterbacks in that situation that he was in last year, but we had a lot of injuries man, and we didn’t really have the weapons around him. (Lions Head Coach) Dan (Campbell) had to really make a very tough decision on the staff offensively and make a change there, so and he stayed the course. I’ve talked to you guys about this at length, but knowing what he’s made of, that’s why I just kept faith and kept confidence and I respect the hell out of him because I told him look, ‘We’ll hold up our end of the bargain.’ Like, we were being held accountable, we’ve got to put you in the right situation with the right pieces around you, stability on offense. And I felt like we did that, and he held up his end of the bargain and I think it just worked out, but I didn’t really have any doubt or waver again. Like you said, I never really deemed him as a bridge. I think everybody else did, but I think it’s a little bit of the recency bias he had to go through last year.”
On if he was surprised by the amount of success from the 2022 rookie class: “When you say surprise, I’m not surprised about the success. Now, you don’t know if (Lions S) Kerby Joseph’s going to pick off (Packers QB) Aaron Rodgers three times in a season. You don’t know if when (Lions LB) James Houston gets going that he’s going to have eight sacks in just that small sample size. I can’t say we have that crystal ball, but we do know about who they were as football players. Like, we knew Kerby Joseph was a ball guy. We knew he was a ball hawk, we knew he had outstanding instincts to get the football. So, that’s not a surprise. We knew that. James Houston had all the developmental attributes and traits and he had the football character and the intangibles to work with that development. And so, him having production, that’s not a surprise. We knew (Lions DL) Aidan (Hutchinson), we pretty much knew what his skillset was and what his drive and determination, what his intangibles were. So, I don’t want to say like we knew that the statistics would be what they were, but we’re not really surprised that they ended up having success and that’s why we do all the work that we do.”
On why this year’s rookie class was able to have so much success compared to last year: “Yeah, well I mean, (Lions DL) Levi (Onwuzurike) had to deal with some medical stuff, obviously. But I actually thought that there was no, really, disappoint from last year’s class. Obviously, now if you want to compare stats and production, I guess as a whole I think that’s fair to say that it was a little bit higher. But I thought (Lions T) Penei (Sewell) showed last year as a rookie that he was going to be one of the better tackles in this League. I thought (Lions DL) Alim McNeill showed that look he’s a good starting nose tackle in this League. We knew that (Lions LB) Derrick Barnes had to develop and work, I think that showed this year. (Lions S Ifeatu Melifonwu) Iffy had to deal with some things, but when he played when he was healthy I thought that he showed flashes and spurts and then, obviously going through a position switch there. And then, obviously (Lions WR Amon-Ra) St. Brown speaks for itself. But I don’t think that anything was like a disappoint or anything I just think that yeah, it was good production this year though.”
On the potential of drafting a quarterback with the sixth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft: “I’ll say this, no seriously I think that – I think it’s a lot easier to get worse at quarterback than to get better at quarterback, and so – in this League. And so, I think what (Lions QB) Jared (Goff) has done this year, he – captain of the ship of a top three offense and I want to say he was top 10 statistically in most of the passing categories. So, and again you know how we approach the Draft, like we’re never going to turn down a good football player. So, if there’s a football player we really love, I mean we’re going to make sure every stone is turned. But I do think that Jared has proven everybody that he is the starting quarterback for us.”
On how close it is to the best-case scenario to have a top 10 Draft pick from the trade with the Rams while Lions QB Jared Goff is playing well: “Yeah, I would say the pick, obviously knowing that the Rams were a really good team, I knew when we made the trade that yeah, it was likely that pick was going to be late in the first round however far that they went. But I didn’t know about the pick this year, obviously being their track record and all of the success they have. You don’t just obviously think that it will be a top 10 pick, but that’s what I say every year though. When schedules come out and people say, ‘Oh, well somebody’s got an easy schedule.’ Well, what do you mean an easy schedule? Every single year is different for every single – so yeah, I guess you could say it’s fair to say it is best case scenario, but the success that (Lions QB) Jared (Goff) had, like again just like I was telling him, I’m not surprised about that. But obviously the pick is – it’s definitely nice to have that high.”
On if playoffs are the standard going forward after the season the team had: “Yeah, I mean I felt like – I felt like we could’ve been in there and competed with those guys and obviously it didn’t work out. But I think we were right at the cusp there, but we made the improvement from three wins last year to being right on the cusp of possibly getting into the playoffs. So yeah, I mean that’s – that would be the next step is to get into the playoffs and when you get in there, when you get into that dance anything can happen.”
On the leap in win totals from 2021 to 2022 and if it will be more difficult to take a further leap next year: “Well, I don’t think it’s more difficult as long as we continue to stay the path and stay the course and stay committed and disciplined in our approach. I would expect more improvement and if more improving means the difference of being right on the cusp of the playoffs to being in the playoffs, then yes. That’s exactly what I would expect.”
On the plan moving forward for Lions WR Jameson Williams to get him where he needs to be: “Yeah, well I would say this on Jamo. So, I think I’ve made this point before at the end of camp, but it’s the first time of him going through an injury and a rehab process like he had to go through. And to his credit he went through it and I think – OK, just getting through that for the first time and then when he completed that at where we were at in the season that was the first hurdle. That was the first step and then – and yes, he was in meetings and he was at practice every day, but it’s different not getting those live reps. So, all those other receivers, (Lions WR) DJ (Chark), and (Lions WR) Josh (Reynolds), and (Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown) Saint, and (Lions WR Kalif Raymond) Leaf, like those guys have been working with (Lions QB) Jared (Goff) way back in the offseason. So, they’ve had all that chemistry and all those reps and getting on the same page. And so, Jameson kind of had to start that after he got healthy and cleared to get back on the field. So, I think a little bit of what you saw, I don’t think that’s really anywhere close to where this kid’s going to go. I mean, he made some big plays and he had some flashes, but the other thing about Jameson, he’s just a football player, man. So, whatever the role is, I know a lot was made about that first game and was he going to be on punt team and all that stuff man. That dude just wants to be out there on the football field, man, that’s just – that’s how he’s wired. That’s how he is. But I don’t think anything he did this year is anywhere remotely close to where he’s going to go. We’ll determine what that role is and a lot of it is on him too. He’s going to have to put the work in this offseason, he’s going to have to be dedicated in his approach. And we can provide all the resources and lay it all out, but he’s going to have to take the accountability and do it on his own. But I’ve got a lot of faith and confidence in Jameson and obviously because we traded up for him and made the move for him, we all had the same belief. So, I think he’s going to be just fine.”
On if he gets excited for the Draft and the opportunity to add players and improve the team during the offseason: “Man, it’s exciting. It’s really exciting. I get excited every time, like as much as – the ball didn’t bounce our way in terms of us getting into the playoffs, after the game, I was proud of our guys. I was proud of our organization. I was proc ud that we were able to end on a winning note in front of national TV and be able to give the world a sneak peak of really what we’re about. We’ve been on the Sunday 1 o’clock skirt all the time, so a lot of guys, they didn’t see us, what we were all about. And I think everybody was able to see that, but on the plane going back, yeah, I was excited. I was like, ‘Man, it’s time to get players now.’ And that just gives me juices, man, when that opportunity and those windows come up. It’s exciting to have the capital that we have. Obviously, made some moves, probably some that weren’t popular among people outside this building, but just like I say all the time, we do every single thing for a reason, every single thing is well thought out, every single thing is well planned. We’re not in a position to be knee-jerk or impulse. We’re not in a position to fold the tents. No, that doesn’t even touch the surface of what our thinking is, so it’s good to have the capital, and always say, you can have all the picks you want, you better pick them right. But we have confidence in our process that we’ll do that.”
On his assessment of Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell and his ability to turn around a 1-6 record: “I think Dan – he’s special, he’s elite. I will say what Dan can do, and I don’t know if all coaches have, but I’ll say what I – he has an elite ability to pull a team out of a dark place, and whether it’s from a record standpoint, whether it’s something from he has to make a tough decision on the staff. Like, it’s proven. Proof’s in the puddling. He had to make a tough decision on the staff last year, a decision I know he didn’t want but he had to, and he knew he had to. And he’s going to do it, he’s going to do what it takes for the team. He had to do it again this year, it was at 1-6, and he just has a rare, elite ability to pull a team out and right the ship. And when you have that, I think that’s just – it’s God given, and you just either have it or don’t, and he has that, and that’s one of the many qualities that I think makes him an elite coach.”
On which position groups need the most improvement: “I mean, that’s a good question. It’s a fair question. There’s a lot of different areas that we can go, especially with the resources that we’ll have available to us. Obviously, our defense was ranked 32nd, so I mean it’s pretty obviously that we’re going to have to utilize some resources to try and improve that defense. I do believe that there’s some young guys on our defense right now that are only going to get better. Everything that (Lions LB) Malcolm Rodriguez was able to do. I know that linebacker kind of came in as a question, but I think that thing ended as more of a positive, more a strength of (Lions LB Alex) Anzalone having 100-plus-tackle season, (Lions LB) Derrick Barnes taking a jump, and then Malcolm Rodriguez, and I think you know our pass rush is on the come. Obviously, (Lions DL) Aidan (Hutchinson) with 9.5 sacks. I think he’s only going to get better. (Lions LB) James Houston’s only going to get better – so and then guys that we did not have available to us, is (Lions DL) Charles Harris. I mean Charles Harris, he had to go on IR, so him coming back, (Lions DL) Romeo (Okwara) had to kind of come back slowly from a really tough injury, so there’s pieces there. They always weren’t available to us, but we saw enough growth, but obviously, we need to improve in that area, and I think we will.”
On his assessment of Lions CB Jeff Okudah and his performance throughout the season: “Yeah, Jeff – first of all, I told you guys after camp that I give him so much credit because we challenged him, and he answered the challenge, but I also told you guys, look, it’s basically his rookie season. And he’s kind of getting this extensive action for the time, and he showed some good things, but when I say basically like a rookie season, he’s going to have lumps. And he showed some good, he had some times that were not so good, but he’s a really young player. I think he’s still developing, and we’ll just kind of – I know like fifth-year option and all that stuff like you said is coming up. We’ll address that at the appropriate time, but I’m proud of what Jeff did, and I know he’ll hold himself accountable for his play of the good things, and the things that he needs to work on.”
On if spending big on an external free agent will stunt the growth in the young players on the team: “No, spending big is subjective a little bit, but no, I’m not worried about that. Again, (Lions Head Coach) Dan (Campbell) and I have a plan that we’re going to stick to in terms of how we’re going to construct our roster, and those guys will all play, so just because we add a veteran or a ‘big-spend guy’ in free agency doesn’t mean that another guy – one thing that is very prevalent that is high priority is player development in this building, and that will never be a shortcoming around here, so when we talk about stunting a guy’s growth, that usually doesn’t happen around here. So, regardless of what we do in free agency, I think our young guys will still take the upward trajectory.”
On if he feels the team is at a place where one player addition could take them over the top: “I wouldn’t say that. I still think we’ve got enough work to do. I wouldn’t put us in the ‘We’re one player away’ bucket. And again, even like – I don’t even know when that window comes. I don’t even know when that ‘one player away’ window comes, and if it does come, it doesn’t matter because I’m going to still keep trying to get players. But there’s some areas that we’ll look at and address, and we’ll be wise and smart and strategic in how we add, but again we don’t just spend big on getting a high-price guy. It’s got to be the right fit, and it’s got to be the right guy, and if it’s not the right guy then it doesn’t matter what the outside world thinks. And that’s kind of what I said last year is about – and there was a lot made about us signing our own guys back, and we’re not aggressive because we’re signing our own guys back, but look, that’s still being aggressive because you still have to pay for those guys. You still have to sign them back, but we knew – we identified those were the right guys. Just because you go external and get a guy from an external team doesn’t mean that it’s the right guy. And I’m not saying that we won’t do that, but that was kind of a little bit of explanation of our approach was last year, but again, if it’s a big spend, big ticket item, big ticket item, but it’s got to be the right guy.”
On how proactive they have to be in developing a replacement plan for Lions Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson if he gets a head coaching job: “Yeah, that’s more of a question for (Lions Head Coach) Dan (Campbell) and I have full trust. Just kind of like the examples that I laid out that Dan has made from a staff standpoint in-season in the past, I have full trust. I have full trust in him that he’s going to make the right decision. I have full faith in that, and so if it comes to that, I know Dan will make the right decision and make the necessary adjustments in terms of his staff.”
On his philosophy about drafting a quarterback high and sitting him behind an established starter to develop properly: “I think it’s a lot of merit, and there’s a lot of proof behind that. You can see countless examples of guys that got drafted high. Obviously, (Chiefs QB) Patrick Mahomes comes up right off the bat of them trading up and taking him high and sitting him, but you can go back to, man, the guy that we just got done playing in (Packers QB) Aaron Rodgers. So, there’s a lot of proof in the pudding behind taking that approach, and I don’t see anything wrong with it. It’s a premium position. They don’t grow on trees. They’re really hard to find. Just like I said earlier, it’s easy to get worse at that position than get better at that position because there’s so few of them. But I’m not against at all that philosophy of ‘draft one, let them sit and develop and just kind of see what you’ve got down the road.’”
On if he is of the mind that calculated risk when it comes to trading players can be good: “Yeah, I think that’s a good way to put it. I know me and (Lions Head Coach) Dan (Campbell) are both – we’re aggressive, but I will say, both is we’re aggressively smart, so we’re going to put the work in. We’re going to put the time in. It’s going to be well thought out. It’s going to be planned and prepared. Again, we’re not knee jerk, we’re not impulse. We just don’t do things just to do it, but yeah, I mean I think both of us are – we have an aggressive nature when it comes to that kind of stuff, but again, I would label it aggressively smart.”
On if he liked the hook and ladder play in the fourth quarter against the Packers: “I loved the hook and ladder, man. That was sweet, man.”
On his excitement when players he drafted produce and if he pats himself on the back for a successful pick in the Draft: “It was cool to see. I mean, I’ll say even (Lions DL) Aidan (Hutchinson) in the Washington game where he had the three sacks. It was just cool to see. It was just like, man, all the work and everything that we believed in and everything that we thought he could do, the way he got the sacks, and then even seeing him intercept (Packers QB) Aaron Rodgers in a big – I mean seeing that and kind of talk about how we did a heavy study on his instincts and his awareness, and all that stuff, and to see that come about, I’ll never forget the one thing about Aidan, and he’s talked about his lack of ball production in the past before this year, but I remember at that Michigan Pro Day, unfortunately the other kid, (Ravens OLB David) Ojabo, tore his Achilles doing push rush drops, but I remember Aidan only did one, and that one, it was like, ‘Woah, I wasn’t expecting –’ He’s an athletic dude, and so you see those kind of things, you’re excited. But to your point, (Lions DL) James Houston, he was showing all the flashes in practice. He was showing, and you’re just like, ‘Man, man, can we get him up? Can we get him up?’ And we were reaching where we couldn’t really get him up when we wanted to get him up because we had a lot of injuries, and the roster just didn’t work to get him up, and he gets up, and then that first time he went in, and I’m like laser-focused on this dude, trotting out, running out on the field. And he gets that sack, and I probably just erupted in emotion. It’s really cool to see, so that’s a good question to ask because when you see it – I mean even (Lions WR) Jameson Williams, I mean him making that big play – I mean that stuff is cool to see, and not just for me, but just the entire personnel staff. When you see those guys make plays and especially how you envisioned them making plays, (Lions S) Kerby Joseph, it’s always a good feeling.”
On Lions LB James Houston’s ceiling: “Yeah, I mean I think it’s not out of the realm to say that he has starter-level traits and abilities, rather he’ll become that, but I think he’s got the ability to be as good as he wants to be, and I’ve got a lot of faith in that because I know how he wants to work. We’ve had a lot of conversations, going back to training camp on things he needs to work on, and I mean he is always just like, ‘Yes, sir. No, sir.’ Really smart kid, and all of that production you saw, I couldn’t tell you how many times he was after practice in that indoor or outside just working on his craft, just working on his craft, and so when you get a guy that’s got that kind of drive and on top of the physical ability that he has, I mean I was with the Rams when we drafted (Eagles DE) Robert Quinn, and I thought Robert Quinn probably had the most rare ability to bend around the edge. Didn’t know when I was going to see that but I would say that James, he’s got a little bit of that ability to bend like that, and he’s got a mean crossover and counter, and his arms are so long, I think that just really helps him out. So, if he just keeps working, he can be as good as he wants to be.”
On if the team is ahead of schedule in terms of developing and building a complete team: “Yeah, that’s a fair question. Like I’ve always told y’all, we never really put an anchored time stamp on, ‘Oh man, it’s going to be a three-year thing, it’s going to be a four-year thing.’ We really just concentrated on, ‘Let’s make sure that we’re chopping wood and doing our part every single day and working hard every single day to win a game, and just make this place a winner.’ And that’s what we’re continuing to do. I think you could make a case that we’re ahead of schedule, but again, we don’t really dive into that really that much. Obviously, we look at it. We talk about it. Just like I said earlier in this talk, we’ve got to look at our plan. It’s at 1-6. Is our plan working or not? But along that 1-6, those dark times, we saw enough where it’s like, ‘Yes, no, the plan is working. We just need to get that one win.’ Exactly what (Lions Head Coach) Dan (Campbell) was saying the whole time. You’ve just got to get the one win, and it’ll keep rolling, and we ended up doing that, so we’re just going to keep that focus a little bit of tunnel vision and not worry about any of the outside noise or anything, but I guess it’s safe to say you could say we’re ahead of schedule, but again, we just feel like we’re just going to keep working. This is cool to see it materialize right now.”
On the injury status of Lions G Halapoulivaati Vaitai and Lions DL Charles Harris: “Yeah, they’re all rehabbing. We’re all encouraged about where they’re at in their process, and so those guys are just going to keep rolling.” | |
