| LIONS HEAD COACH DAN CAMPBELL QUOTE SHEET November 11, 2022 On if he has seen the team’s practice reps translate onto the field on Sundays: “Yeah, I mean I feel like these guys – so much of it is about your confidence and certainly what we did last week helps the confidence. But there again you’ve got to put the work back in again. You restart the week and it’s all about the details and working through those because that’s still what it comes down to. So, look it’s been a good week. There’s been a lot that has gone into it. This offense does a ton and there’s a ton of eye candy. We’ve already talked about this quarterback, these backs. They play hard, they’ve got speed and size on the perimeter. So, there’s a lot that goes into it. But I feel like our guys have been locked in and we’ve still got another day here of work. We really got two more days to finalize the details of it. But it’s been good.” On the injury report getting smaller and the status of Lions WR Josh Reynolds heading into Sunday: “Yeah, look he is improving. He’s improving, but there again we’re going to hold him off his feet again today and just see where he’s at tomorrow, this evening, tomorrow, go from there. But yeah, it’s – I really don’t even want to comment in regards to that. All of it as far as – it’s good to see guys.” On how close Lions S Ifeatu Melifonwu is to seeing the field and coming back from his injury: “Yeah, I would just say that he’s – it’s good to get him back out there and just begin to move around again. He’s still very early in the process, but to have him back out there on the field. I would say – because it’s been a while, but to get him out moving around, doing football work again. (Lions CB Chase) Lucas got back out there running around a little bit. (Lions T Matt) Nelson got back out there running around. So, it’s just good to have them back on the grass working themselves back in.” On if Lions FB Jason Cabinda will come back this week: “Yeah, we’re hopeful. We’ll see what it looks like today and that’ll tell us a lot going into this game, how he looks and feels. But he’s put in a couple of days work and then we’ll see how he is today.” On how Lions S Kerby Joseph is progressing through the concussion protocol: “Yes, he is. Yes, he is. No setbacks there, he’s passed all the protocol to this point. He’s full go today and as long as there’s no issues, he should be good for the game.” On having four rookies start on defense and if he views them as cornerstone pieces: “Yeah, I don’t think – I don’t think you can judge that by – when they’re a rookie. I think you’re hopeful, but I think it takes time to know for sure. You certainly are – can be optimistic about where it’s going or what it looks like. But I don’t – I think it’s hard to say – to make that assessment only after a year. You can just feel good about where they’re at. As long as they continue to progress and get better.” On what it is about the rookies and how they have performed that gives him hope: “Well, I think just the fact that they’re – all of those guys are improving, like every week you see improvement. We see improvement and sometimes it’s things that you don’t – if you’re just watching the game, you don’t always see it’s the little things that show up that may be insignificant as it pertains to somebody making a tackle or a sack. But it’s – just them doing their job and technique-wise you can see that there’s –they’re figuring out what we’re trying to do, how we’re doing it and they’re setting their teammates up to have success relative to how the play is designed. So, I think that’s the big thing is you just want to know that there is improvement every week and growth and that’s happening with those players.” On the 13-game losing streak on the road and if that is something he talks to his team about: “Boy that’s brutal, when you just said that I haven’t thought of it like that. That’s rough, I think we will talk about that now that you’ve – yeah, no look I think it’s this. I don’t think – I think what we talk about is, ‘Hey, man first road win. This is an opportunity to get the first road win.’ But you have to treat the game – no matter on the road, at home, no different. And it’s all about how do we prepare for this opponent, the work you put in, the consistency and the little things. I think just talking about going on the road won’t really do you any good. So, there again we’ve got to hone in on it and really I think it’s offensively is where you – look, defense too, but defense you’re not worried about crowd noise and all those factors. You do worry about momentum because a lot of times at home it can swing a little bit and you’ve got to get yourself out of it. But offensively, the communication, being able to communicate without verbally being able to do that is huge. And the pre-snap penalties, man, holding your water, all those things are big. And I think that’s what it really comes down to because I think when you’re in a loud environment it’s the – the penalties are what really can set you back. That’s where you get in trouble, so if you stay disciplined and we’re in tune to that, you give yourself a pretty good chance.” On if he allows himself to think about building momentum off of one victory: “Yeah, I mean it’s – there’s an opportunity to do a few things here that we haven’t done since I’ve been here and us as a team, the guys that have been here for two years. But there again I think you have to just focus on the job at hand and it really is about the game plan and what your role is in the game plan and how you function inside of that, and just trusting the guy that’s next to you. I think if you start going off that path that’s where it really doesn’t do you any good. So, look we’ve got to play hard, you’ve got to every week, but this team plays hard. We’ve got to match and go beyond their effort. And we have to keep (Bears QB Justin) Fields in the pocket. We have to. He’s a good athlete, he can make things happen with his feet, but that’ll give us our best chance of success. We hustle more than these guys do and we don’t allow one to beat us.” LIONS ASSISTANT HEAD COACH/RUNNING BACKS DUCE STALEY QUOTE SHEET November 11, 2022 On balancing Lions RB D’Andre Swift’s workload when it appears he wants to go in the game: “It’s been the same for the last couple of weeks, just working him back and slowly but surely. And I thought that (Lions Head Coach) Dan (Campbell) and (Lions Offensive Coordinator) Ben (Johnson) have done a good job along with myself. I thought us three talking about it, making sure the gameplan is tight, getting him going a little bit I thought has been perfect.” On Lions RB D’Andre Swift wanting to go in the game on a goal line play against the Packers and being frustrated by not being allowed to play full snaps: “When you say frustrated, have you talked to him? So you take that as him being frustrated? Oh, (Lions Offensive Coordinator) Ben (Johnson) said he was pissed off. You can tell I read your clips. Alright, I don’t know, and I will say this, if he is, tell him to take that same energy, that same juice and use it on the field. You tell him that.” On if Lions RB Jermar Jefferson will see more playing time in wake of Lions RB Craig Reynolds’ injury: “Oh man, Jermar has really turned it up. Coming in last year of course, just being young, being a little puppy, trying to get used to the way the NFL does things. And then special teams, trying to get used to doing things for (Lions Special Teams Coordinator Dave) Fipp. It’s been a challenge for him. Coming back in this offseason, he kind of dialed in on that. He took it upon himself to meet with Fipp, talk to with Fipp and say, ‘Hey man, I’m serious about getting on the field.’ Well, we all know it starts with special teams, so I’m proud of him. I love where he is right now. He’s going to continue to grow. Who knows, we might see him, never know.” On the growth he has seen from Lions RB Jermar Jefferson and the areas he has improved the most: “Yes, just protections. Coming from the system he came from, they didn’t really protect a lot, meaning they scat the back. So, now that he’s understanding what we all demand from him as far offensive coaches when it comes to protection, that was number one. You’ve got to be able to protect your quarterback. He was always a good wide-zone runner and in inside-zone. So, he brings those good qualities to the running game, so I’m excited for the kid.” On Lions RB Jamaal Williams being consistent and healthy through six seasons despite the wear-and-tear nature of the position: “It’s funny because Jamaal is the same every day, like he comes in this building, man, he has juice. He has energy. He’s the same in my room. He’s the same in the cafeteria. He’s the same walking to the parking lot. So I say that to say this, you’ll never know if anything’s wrong with him as far as if he’s hurting a little bit. To your point, the wear and tear. So, playing the position, knowing the position, I’ll go up to him and say, ‘Hey man, alright, you take one play off.’ Oh, he hates it. He doesn’t want to do it, or I’ll go up to him and say, ‘Alright man, this period, I’m going to pull you back two or three plays.’ I think now that he knows me a little bit, he’s getting used to it, but it definitely in the beginning was a little struggle.” On Lions RB Jamaal Williams making the most of more snaps with Lions RB D’Andre Swift playing limited snaps: “He’s durable. I mean that’s the one thing you look at, and as much as we run the ball, you’ve got to have a guy like that. You’ve got to have a guy that’s consistent and durable, and he’s been both, so I’m happy to have him.” On what it would mean to Lions RB Jamaal Williams to hit 1,000 rushing yards: “It would mean the world. I know that. I remember when I got my first 1,000, man, it was just like, ‘Wow.’ And then one of my linemen during the time broke it down, he was like, ‘Well –’ and I’m paraphrasing, he was like, ‘You’ve only got to get 60 yards a game.’ And I was like, ‘What the (explicit).’ I said a couple colorful things. ‘You block.’” |
