| LIONS HEAD COACH DAN CAMPBELL QUOTE SHEET November 4, 2022 Opening Statement: “I would say this, been kind of a tough week. Just a couple of things that have transpired, but I feel like our players have done a great job of just putting in the work, getting ready, focusing on Green Bay. It’s been a good two days, and we’ve got to finish it today.” On the role Lions CB Jerry Jacobs will play Sunday and how they plan to get him back to game speed: “Yeah, we’d like to get Jerry in the game for sure. He’ll continue on special teams, and then we’d like to work him some outside, just see if we can bring him along here because every week, he’s gotten better and better, getting his legs under him, his conditioning, all those things, so we see him working a little bit.” On if Lions RB D’Andre Swift will practice today: “Yeah, he’s going to get out there and work today. There again, he’s had off – been down four weeks until last week, and so just getting him back in to practice, just because he does more things last week, and then he goes in a game, it’s not a lot. We’re trying to work him back here. Wherever he can go, we’re going to let him go, but the plan is to get him in the game and see where he’s at.” On the injury status of Lions WR Josh Reynolds and Lions T Taylor Decker: “Yeah, there again I think today will tell a lot. We’re going to keep Reynolds off his feet today, and just see how he feels as the day goes and the tomorrow, wake up, see where he’s at. Decker was out there at walkthrough, so I think we’ll be good to go there.” On what the potential return of Lions S DeShon Elliott and Lions CB Mike Hughes does for the team and Lions DL Charles Harris’ status: “Yeah well, I think Charles is another guy. He got pretty good work yesterday. Woke up and there didn’t seem to be a setback, so we’ll get through practice today and just kind of gauge where he’s at too, but certainly no setbacks. That’s a positive, and it is good to get Elliott and Hughes back. Those guys have – they look pretty healthy, and they’ve had a pretty good week of practice, so it’ll be good to get them back and get them worked in as well.” On if Lions CB Mike Hughes is more comfortable on the outside than playing inside: “We’re keeping our options open as to who’s playing where.” On where Lions CB Mike Hughes excels the most: “Skill-wise, he can play the nickel and outside. He’s got excellent movement skills.” On if there is a concern for the lack of size and length at the wide receiver position in case Lions WR Josh Reynolds cannot play Sunday: “Yeah, well I think you just – we’ll tweak a couple of things. Certainly, you’d like to have those. I mean there’s no secret, but you’ve got to lean on your tight ends a little bit, which we’ll have plenty going into the game, and then we’ve got – we still have (Lions WR Kalif Raymond) Leaf, we’ve got (Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown) Saint. We’ll see where (Lions RB D’Andre) Swift goes, and then we’ll probably bring a guy or two up.” On if he checks in with players to see where their mental state is: “Yeah sure, absolutely. You want to make sure that – look, they always know my door’s open too. Just because I talk about things just in a general statement in front of the team, and I try to be as transparent as I can be, but they know my door’s open. If somebody one-on-one, you want to know a little more in-depth as to what or why or any of that, they can always come talk to me. But I feel like – I do feel like they’re in a good place. I do, I feel like – look, nobody likes to have to go through what you go through, but yet, I think they’ve refocused and they’ve answered a bell this week.” On if any player has taken advantage of the open-door policy this week: “No.” On containing Packers QB Aaron Rodgers and how he has performed this season compared to last: “Well, I mean certainly he’s – that’s where he’s always been dangerous to your point, yes. I think some of it is he’s having to get the ball out a little bit sooner, even before he’s able to scramble on some things, and that makes it a little more difficult to hold onto the ball and move, but I know they’re getting some guys back, and that’s something that he’s always been great at. So for us, it’s going to be important like any other week, especially with a guy who knows how to work the pocket, can break, contain, we have to – disciplined in our rush, pocket integrity, rush integrity. We have to push the pocket. You can’t get greedy and start thinking inside that you’re going to get one. Just do your job, push the pocket. Outside, we cannot rush by him. We have to close it in on him and make him make more of a more difficult throw. So, it’s easy to say it’s hard to do, but it is – we’ve just got to stay disciplined to it.” On how they can correct their struggles in containing quarterbacks that can scramble: “Well, I think a lot of it is one of the reasons we went back to one-on-one work because not only are you working to win, but yet for example, some of the guys we have, as you’re working your one-on-one, you’re treating it just like that’s (Packers QB Aaron) Rodgers back there. And so, here’s your job. Here’s how you have to rush it and still win. So for example, not just running up field. I’ve got to beat him, but I still have to close in on the pocket and contain and make him to where you’re even with him and not beyond him, so that plays into it, and just emphasizing it in practice again. Yesterday was our third down day, but just anytime something like that comes up, you’re immediately on it. You’re coaching it up. We’re talking about this guy, what he can do, where he’s dangerous, so you just – you put an emphasis.” On if he saw ‘Peyton’s Places’ where former Broncos QB Peyton Manning tried to exorcise the ‘curse of Bobby Layne’: “I did not, I have not seen it, no.” On if he puts any thought into ‘the curse of Bobby Layne’: “No, I don’t man. I do not, I can’t go there. I’m not going to allow myself to go there because I just feel like for me as a coach, or for us as players, that’s an excuse. And I think you create your own vibe, your own mojo, you create your own energy. And I think the more you buy into that, believe that, that’s what you become, so no, I’m not buying that.” On what has led to the second-half struggles in the last four weeks and how he approaches second-half adjustments: “Yeah, it’s turnovers and penalties. That to me is a starting point, turnovers and penalties. So, we have to hold onto the ball. We need more takeaways on defense, and man, we have to be laser focused on all the small things when it comes out. I mean if we’re going to do a hard count, like we should know inside and out when these things are coming because ultimately, that’s what’s done us in. And then once that’s happened, we haven’t – we have not been able to get our momentum back out of those, and so we can’t be so fragile as to, you don’t want them to happen. We can’t have them happen, but if they do, we have to find our way to get back out of it. And if it’s offense has gotten into a lull, defense, we need something big. We need a takeaway. We need a huge sack, we need something. We need to get off the field on third down and get the momentum back, so – or special teams. There again, you guys have heard me say it, but somebody’s got to pick it up, and step up and make something happen, so that we get everything turned back the other way.” On if the second-half adjustments are focused on team adjustments rather than anything the opposing team does: “Yes, absolutely, Absolutely.” LIONS ASSISTANT HEAD COACH/RUNNING BACKS DUCE STALEY QUOTE SHEET November 4, 2022 On what he sees from Green Bay’s defense against the run game: “Yeah, I still see a stingy defense, man. Stingy, stingy defense who plays well within a scheme. You turn the tape on you’ve got guys flying around. (Packers LB Preston Smith) 91, (Packers LB Rashan Gary) 52, those guys coming off the edges. (Packers DL Kenny Clark) 97, those guys inside. Good corners, good cover guys, this is a good defense.” On the Packers being ranked 29th against the run so far this season: “Maybe a little bit of that, getting behind game plan change. Things change, but still I don’t really try to look at those numbers. I turn the tape on, I see – like I said, a good defense. I see guys that are hard to block. I see guys that are hard to shed. And I see linebackers that are downhill. So, we’ve got our work cut out for us.” On the Packers third-down defense and the different things they are doing: “Yeah, I think that’s it actually. I think it’s a package, so when you try to come and you’re studying the defense and you’re looking at them, and you’re saying, ‘OK, we know they’re going to do this or we know they’re going to do that.’ No, you don’t. I think he has a rolodex and I think he just rolls with it.” On the mental state of the team after the coaching staff changes and trading former Lions TE T.J. Hockenson: “These guys are good, man. They’re professionals, this is their job and they understand that. And as coaches we continue to tell them that. I don’t think there’s no holding them together. I don’t think it’s any of that. Maybe the young guys that haven’t been around it, that haven’t seen it. Maybe you kind of talk them through it a little bit. But we all know this is a part of the game.” On if he expects more from Lions RB D’Andre Swift this week: “Yeah, definitely. We expect more, it’s a process man. You look back to last week of course, getting out there, getting going, getting back, feeling good. Trying to get some routes under his belt. Trying to get some of those runs under his belt. And he’s – he’s trending in the right way. So, once again we’ll continue to add on to it and move forward.” On if he feels like the team is preparing for a desperate Packers team: “We’re desperate. Yeah, I can’t worry about them. We’re a desperate team each and every week, so.” On if he sees desperation manifest itself amongst the team and the players: “Good question. I think that you see it as far as they play. As far as urgency, finishing, doing the things that we’re coaching. So, you’ll be able to go turn the film on and of course as a coach it makes you – you’re happy to see those things. But also in practice. I think it starts in practice, man. Come in Monday after a tough game, you’re sore, you’ve got to fight through it mentally, fight through it physically. Then, going out there Tuesday getting your body ready. Wednesday you’re on the field. So, being able to see what we talk about Monday and Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, you see the desperation. That’s what I think about it.” On if he sees changes in the team’s demeanor or the energy level in the past four weeks: “No, they’re just hungry, man. They’re hungry and once again, you see it out there in practice. You see those guys finishing, you see the energy they’re coming out there with. I can’t say enough about the leaders on our team because those guys go out and they practice at a high level. And they expect for everybody else to – that follow them to practice at a high level.” |
