| October 28, 2022 Opening Statement: “Really probably, no updates. (Lions RB D’Andre) Swift’s had a full week of practice. He’s going to practice again today, we’ll see what he looks like. But it’s certainly trending the right way. And this will – today’s redzone, so this will be the last one before, really the last big one before we get ready to play this game.” On how the Dolphins’ speed on the outside complements the speed they have in the backfield: “Yeah, well look when you’ve got that kind of speed on the perimeter it – there again, it kind of forces you to play – well it does, it forces you to play in a lighter box a lot of times. Which means now your front six if you’re in nickel has got to take care of the stuff in the middle. And it creates creases and you’ve got a pretty good run game in there. A tight end, (Dolphins RB Raheem) Mostert, those guys, (Dolphins RB Chase) Edmonds can hit it. So, it presents a challenge. I mean, just about the time you think you’re building an umbrella over the top of those, (Dolphins WR Jaylen) Waddle and (Dolphins WR) Tyreek (Hill), man, they can hurt you inside and get you on levels and layers. And so, look it’s challenging.” On Lions S DeShon Elliott’s finger injury and if it is something he can play with: “He has not practiced the last two days. We were going to see how he felt today, but right now (Lions S) JuJu (Hughes)’s going to be in that spot and we’ve got (Lions CB) Jerry (Jacobs) working a little bit too. So, we’ve got some options there that we’re trying to work through right now. But JuJu’s had a good week of practice, so if DeShon can’t go it’ll probably be him.” On if Lions CB Jerry Jacobs is taking reps at safety to step in if need be: “Well, we’ve got him kind of – he’s ready to go where needed if you will. That’s the best way to say that.” On if he thinks practicing in pads the past two weeks has paid off: “Yeah, I do. I do. I felt like it was another good week of practice and it was pretty clean, pretty sharp. There again, it was like last week, had the one-on-ones, had a little O versus D. Nothing that was overbearing, but enough to just I think get them going. It forces you to play fundamentally sound when you have pads on. You can’t cheat it anymore. Not that guys are cheating it. You just – sometimes you can get bad habits if you let that – let that go. So, it’s been good for us. We’ve had pretty good – two days of pretty good work. So, we’ve got to finish it today.” On if Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown is still trending the right way: “Yes. Yes, he is.” On the lift it would give the offense to have Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown and Lions RB D’Andre Swift back on the field: “It would be good. I mean, those two guys can account for a lot of offense. A lot of production in our offense. So, having both of them back is a big jolt. And look, I would say this too, (Lions WR Josh) Reynolds was out there practicing yesterday which was good. And he’s going to get another day’s work and that’s really the first time in two or three weeks we’ve had him in practice per se. He’s really been walkthrough, and then he’s gone into play. So, I know at this point this is the best he’s felt in a while. So, that helps. Those three players, to have them certainly is going to help more than it hurts I can tell you that.” On if he has seen Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions RB D’Andre Swift and Lions WR Josh Reynolds give the team a lift in practice: “Yeah, it does. Yes, it does because naturally they’re the type of players we’re talking about, but also to be able to – there is a – there’s a comfort level, there’s a – I mean, those guys have banked a lot of time together through camp, early part of the season. So, to have them out there there’s a better flow to everything. It’s certainly the type of players, but also – there is a comfort to it. (Lions QB Jared) Goff, Goff knows where they’re going to be, what kind of players they are and certainly the O-line. We all know what Swift can bring. You just – you latch on to your guy and give him a crease and he can do the rest. And so, that helps.” On how much it helps Lions QB Jared Goff’s operation of the offense when Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions RB D’Andre Swift and Lions WR Josh Reynolds practice: “Yeah, that’s really kind of what we were just saying right there. It helps everything. It’s – there again, you – when you’ve worked with guys long enough, particularly in that position, the quarterback, the receiver, look that’s what takes a – the run game’s one thing, but the pass game, man, it takes a lot of work and it can – and you can get out of sync in a hurry, just with a few things. How body language is when you come out of a route, those things, and so Goff’s got a tremendous amount of trust in Reynolds and certainly, Amon-Ra. And so, it does help and it just – everything’s a little cleaner, certainly.” On what he took away from Lions Principal Owner and Chair Sheila Ford Hamp speaking to the media and voicing her support: “Look, I appreciated it. But I also, I know that – she’s told me that’s how she feels, so I’m not surprised by it either. But I appreciate it, she didn’t have to do that. And certainly, I appreciate that and I know that – I know that we have her support. But I don’t take that for granted. I don’t take it lightly either, I know that that’s not easy. It’s not easy at all. It’s not easy on anybody. But certainly, I appreciate it.” On how Lions G Halapoulivaati Vaitai is doing and if there is a chance he will play this season: “He’s doing well. I would say that would be very slim to none as of right now, but the surgery went well and he’s doing great. It’s just – that’s one of those long term. It’ll be probably – if you’re asking me right now, I’d say it would be hard to get him back.” On if he thinks Lions G Tommy Kraemer is a player that could come back soon: “I do. I think – he’s another one that we’re just gauging his progress right now. I could see him being back at some point here over the next few weeks possibly.” On the job Lions Pass Game Coordinator/Defensive Backs Aubrey Pleasant has done with Lions CB Jeff Okudah and the rest of the unit: “Yeah, look he’s done a heck of a job with those guys. There again, it’s – overall it’s a pretty young crew and we’ve had injuries and still having them. But I know Okudah’s – you really feel like he’s progressing nicely. He’s progressing right where you want him to go and I feel like over the last three weeks or so he’s just gotten a little bit better, a little bit better. And last week was certainly a good game for him. So, Jeff’s put in a ton of work. He wants to be good. He asks a lot of questions. He puts – he puts in the time and AP certainly is helping him do that which is good. So, he’s had to work with a lot and move a lot of pieces around and he and (Lions Safeties Coach Brian) Duker, both have had to kind of work in that area. But it’s – they’ve done a good job with it.” On where the urgency to win soon is after Lions Principal Owner and Chair Sheila Ford Hamp spoke to the media: “Sure. I mean, look I’m not blind to any of this. It’s – I appreciate that and I know, but I also know the reality. I mean, we’ve got to win. I mean there’s still urgency here. I mean that’s not – that’s never changed. This is a – I mean, we know what kind of business we’re in. I know what kind of business I’m in and I know that the patience only goes so long. So, look we’re trying to get one this week and then, after that takes place then you go get the next one. But I mean it’s all about winning. I mean, we’re not – we’re not trying to kick the can down the road. We’re not trying to say any of that. I mean, we’ve got a team here that I know can win and it’s my job to get them there.” ASSISTANT HEAD COACH/RUNNING BACKS DUCE STALEY QUOTE SHEET October 28, 2022 On what having Lions RB D’Andre Swift return from injury would do for the team and how he prepares Swift to be ready Sunday if he plays: “First, what (Lions Head Coach) Dan (Campbell) said is 100 percent correct. He is trending in the right direction there. Just getting him back out there on the field, getting him back into the swing of things I’ll say is important, just the little things from putting the ball away, running routes, making sure his eyes are in the right place. Just stuff we do every day with other running backs.” On his conversation with Lions RB Jamaal Williams after his fumble at the one-yard line: “Yeah, I wish I could share the words with you initially that I told him. I’m pretty sure you guys can put two and two together. But then of course after the game was over, you get in, you watch the film. He takes full accountability. There’s a lot of accountability in our room, which I love, and he’ll be the first one to step up and say, ‘Hey man, that was all on me.’ And then not just in our room, he’ll do that in the team setting too, so a guy like Jamaal, if I’m not mistaken, first career loss, something like that. He takes pride in getting back out there on the field and taking those carries and showing that he’s not that guy that’s going to fumble the ball. So, that’s the first thing you do is put him back in those situations so he can gain trust, of course in us putting him back out there, and we can gain trust to him.” On why Lions RB Craig Reynolds has not had a larger role after building trust with the coaching staff last season: “It’s a little bit of everything. So when you look at Craig, of course last year, had a bigger role. We were doing certain things that we thought that Craig could do. Of course, gameplan is different each and every week, so it’s all predicated on that. If we see something that Craig can do when Swift is not in there, and we can take advantage of it, he’ll be in there. If not, it’ll be (Lions RB Justin Jackson) JJ, if not it’ll be (Lions RB) Jamaal (Williams).” On what Lions FB Jason Cabinda offers in short-yardage situations: “First of all, just his attitude and approach is amazing. Every day he has the same attitude, he has the same approach when it comes to practice or a game. He brings a lot of juice and energy out there on the field and going out there just being physical. And he’s one of those old-school fullbacks I call him. He’s downhill. I mean he’s trying to knock a guy out, so we miss that in our room. We miss that, him coming in here, just talking about what he’s going to do, how he’s going to do it, and that right there carries over in our room. Lot of juice, lot of energy.” On what he sees from the Dolphins run defense and how he gameplans against it: “No, collectively as a group they do everything well, as a defense. Of course, they stop the run, you see that on film. You see the numbers. They’ve got players everywhere, linebackers, corners, safeties and of course that D-line, the stingy D-line. We’ve just got our work cut out for us. We’ve just got to make sure that we’re on top our eye game, technique and finish, some of the things that we’ve been stressing all week long, some of the things that (Lions Head Coach) Dan (Campbell)’s been stressing all week long. And we’ve just got to go out there and execute.” |
