| LIONS HEAD COACH DAN CAMPBELL QUOTE SHEET September 9, 2022 On the potential of playing without Lions C Frank Ragnow and the status of Lions G Tommy Kraemer: “Yeah, well, Frank’s going to run around today, and so we’ll see what he looks like. We’ll see what he looks like.” On if they know whether or not Lions C Frank Ragnow will play Sunday: “Not yet, I think we’ll know a lot post-practice. I think it’ll tell us a ton, but I know he wants to give it ago, and he had a smile on his face this morning, so I take that at least as a step in the right direction.” On if he is ever taken aback by losing starting offensive linemen to injury before the season begins: “No, I mean, look, it’s not that that thought doesn’t fly in there quickly, but it goes away. I mean it’s – I think that it’s – it really is about how you adjust, and because look, that’s the hand you’re dealt, right? So, you better make the most of it, and at the end of the day, nobody cares. Nobody cares, you lose, you’re going to be scrutinized, and you’ve got to find a way to win with what you’ve got. So, but yeah, look man, (Lions C) Frank (Ragnow)’s able to go? Then maybe the tides are turning here a little bit. So, if not, (Lions C) Evan (Brown) banked a lot of reps for us last year and did a heck of a job for us, so I – shoot, I’ve got a lot of confidence in him too so.” On if they have figured out the right guard position: “I would say we’ve – yes and no. We have an idea where we want to go with it, but we’re prepared to move quickly if needed another way, I guess is the best way to say that. We have options. On if he will tell who the starting right guard would be: “Yeah, I’m not going to tell.” On how Lions G Logan Stenberg has looked in practice and Lions G Tommy Kraemer’s injury status: “Yeah, he’s done a good job. He’s done a good job. As it pertains to Kraemer, I would say he’s probably – it’s looking a little grim for him, because you asked that early. But yeah, I think Logan’s certainly got plenty of reps there, and we’ve moved a couple of guys around, and so we feel confident that we’ll have the best combination out there.” On if Lions C Frank Ragnow is going to practice today: “He’s been in practice. He’ll be out there.” On finding the identity of the team after playing the first regular season game compared to thinking about the identity before the regular season: “Yeah, I think there certainly – yes. You feel good about things, or you have this vision in your head and sometimes, you don’t really know until you get through a game. And look, this is where, shoot, (former Head) Coach (Sean) Payton would tell you and (former) Coach (Bill) Parcells, it’s like, this is not about winning. There’s more games that are lost than actually won for game one, game two of a season. So, it’s about the team that makes the least amount of mistakes. As the season starts going, that’s when it’s like, ‘Ah you got to make more plays.’ But early in the year, it’s about making the least amount of mistakes, and usually that’ll bold pretty well for you. And then, honestly, it’s like who are we? What are we going to be? What – you won’t know that until Week 4 or 5. Like what is our true identity? We really won’t know that until we get – you get four or five games into the season, then you’ll figure out, ‘Alright, here’s what we have. Here’s what we do well. Here’s how we function.’ So, yeah look, I feel good right now knowing where we’re going and who we’ve got going into this game with, and how we want to attack the opponent. But hey, you don’t know. You really don’t know.” On his experience with his NFL debut as a player: “Oh, my goodness. Yeah, well first of all, I mean, I can’t describe the excitement that goes with it, but I think also the excitement, but also, I remember the – just the – man, you don’t want to be the weak link. Like I remember that vividly. I remember pregame warmup, we’re out at Tampa because we opened at Tampa, and they were a very good team. That was (former Buccaneers CB Ronde) Barber and (Former Buccaneers DT Warren) Sapp and (Former Buccaneers S John) Lynch and all of those guys, and (former Buccaneers LB Derrick) Brooks, but anyways, I remember catching a call, and this is in pregame. I catch a ball, and I take like one step up, I don’t finish, and I remember (former Giants DE Michael) Strahan just yelling at me, and it was like, ‘OK, this thing is real now.’ I mean, we’re in pregame, and I’m just trying to make sure my head’s straight or I’d play this or that, and he just lets me have it for not finishing. But you realize, man these vets and some of these really good players, they’re counting on you, and it doesn’t matter who you are. You may think you’re insignificant, but you play a huge role in this, man, and your piece of the puzzle matters, so. But listen, it’s exciting, it’ll be exciting.” On what kind of flexibility Lions DL Benito Jones has given the team: “Yeah, listen, we’ve been pleased with him. I think that he’s been – he’s going to prove to be a good pickup for us. We have no regrets right now. I mean he’s come in and worked. I mean he belongs here, he’s smart. He’s got natural leverage, quick first step. He’s pretty powerful, and so, with that, he’s stout enough and plays with enough leverage to – shoot, man, he can handle his shade in the nose, but he’s got a quick enough first step to play the three, so he does give us versatility, so between he, and (Lions DL) Alim (McNeill), and then you’ve got (Lions DL John Cominsky) The Comish, and (Lions DL Michael) Brockers, and – I mean we’ve got some flexibility now. So just that one little move there because you’ve got (Lions DL Isaiah) Buggs. And so, we do. We’ve got versatility. It was a big move for us I think getting him.” On warning new additions about doing 40 up-downs when they join the team: “Listen, I know. They don’t get warning until the day of, and then (Lions Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn) AG tells them in the meeting. He goes through this whole presentation, and then it’s – they’re like, they’re all into it until they realize it’s about them. They’re the one who’s going to have to do it.” On if he can reveal who will be doing the play-calling Sunday: “Oh no, this will be fun. It’s going to be fun.” On if he has already determined who will call plays Sunday: “I think (Lions Offensive Coordinator) Ben (Johnson) and I both will have a lot of input in this. It’s going to be good.” LIONS ASSISTANT HEAD COACH/RUNNING BACKS DUCE STALEY QUOTE SHEET September 9, 2022 On the depth he has at running back going into this season: “It’s good. It’s good, just thinking back to last year, of course it was good also. Got a lot of good backs, got a lot of guys that can do different things and just looking back you see (Lions RB) Craig (Reynolds) once again and the things he was able to do coming into camp. I’m super excited about the whole group.” On Lions RB Craig Reynolds’ story last season coming in and making the 53-man roster: “Great story, right? But it doesn’t end there. Continuing to work, that’s what he did this offseason, staying around here, we had to send him home. ‘Hey Craig, go get some rest. Go home.’ But still, I mean he’s knocking on the door wanting to get all the information he can and just grow. And that’s what he did and that’s why he made the roster.” On what point during the offseason he sent Lions RB Craig Reynolds back home: “Well, he would knock on the door every day. Every day he would come up, ‘Hey, Coach you got something for me?’ And I would give him something. Then, some days like I said man, ‘Go rest. Tomorrow’s coming, just go chill.’” On how ready Lions RB D’Andre Swift is to go play on Sunday and how excited he is to unleash him: “Oh, he’s ready. Even last year he was ready. He was able to fight through a lot of things. He’d be the first to tell you. I just think right now where he is physically and mentally. Of course, this is my second year with him. I wasn’t here when he was drafted. I just think he’s ready to go, man, he’s ready to unleash and let it go and I’m excited just to be a part of it.” On how badly he wants to get revenge against the Eagles after last year’s loss: “Yeah, last year is last year. Of course, this is the first game, we want to come out and just start the season with a bang. And of course, it would be real good to go out there and smack them in the mouth a little bit.” On how much of a matchup weapon Lions RB D’Andre Swift is in the run and pass game: “A lot, a lot and usually when you think of a guy like that you only think third down but not with Swift. Man, you can put him out there first down, hopefully he gets matched up with a few backers and even on third down when he started the drop to safety he can take advantage of that too.” On the depth at running back he had during the offseason: “Oh, without a doubt and you know we want it like that from every position. So, from (former Lions RB) Godwin (Igwebuike), to (Lions RB) Craig (Reynolds), (Lions RB D’Andre) Swift, (Lions RB) Jamaal (Williams), all those guys were competing at a high level. And just once again just to remind you guys, I don’t have a starter and I tell them that all the time. You want to start? Prove it. Show me. Just because you make what you make doesn’t mean you start.” On the run game discrepancy against the Eagles last season and how they want to make a statement in the run game this season: “Yeah, we’re not going to shy away from who we are. We’re going to run the ball and that’s what we’re going to do. Of course, last year getting behind, things change, you get off schedule. But you go back still to that game we had some opportunities to take advantage of what they were doing and we didn’t. Simple as that. They whooped us. New year, new day.” |
