| LIONS HEAD COACH DAN CAMPBELL TRAINING CAMP DAY 21 QUOTE SHEET August 26, 2022 On Lions LB Julian Okwara’s injury and if he will be ready to play by Week 1: “He’s just got – it’s really lower leg. We’re hoping for Philly that he’ll be back. He’s probably got the best shot out of all of them to be ready for Philly.” On if Lions S Ifeatu Melifonwu’s injury is the same as last season: “No, this is a different one, a different one. Soft tissue.” On if he plans to use the second half of the Pittsburgh preseason game as an evaluation for players on the bubble: “Yeah, I think certainly it would be that, to find out who we think could solidify those last few spots for us. We’d like to still try to get everybody in if possible. I mean, we want to get everybody an opportunity to put tape out there, and either if you don’t make it here for us, you’re able to make it somewhere else. It doesn’t always work out that way, but that’s kind of – that will be our intent if we can.” On what Lions S JuJu Hughes has provided at the safety spot stability-wise through training camp and how he has grown: “Well, I mean he’s to this point here, he’s been classic – your classic case of durability and dependability. That’s what he’s been, and he certainly has made a case to take a spot for us, to earn a spot for us. He’s made that argument. He’s improved since he’s been here, and I mean I thought he was another guy who had a really good week last week. And really his camp has been good, but I thought last week, he really even progressed even more, so he’s a steady player back there. You don’t have to worry about him doing the wrong thing, he’ll be where he’s supposed to be. He’s going to make the right calls, and he’s a player that I think everybody trusts – has a lot trust for right now.” On how he has managed Lions RB D’Andre Swift to keep him healthy throughout training camp: “Yeah, I feel like we’ve done a really good job because he’s – we haven’t had any setbacks with Swift. He’s been available when we’ve called upon him, and I feel like he’s in a good place right now. So, I think the plan that we had, I think it’s worked to this point. So, we kind of did what we wanted to do with him.” On how the amount of open roster spots compares to last year and how it defines the state of the current roster: “Yeah, I mean it’s – I’ll just say it again – we’re a lot farther ahead than we were last year. We’re much more competitive. The talent has been upgraded, and it’s tough. It’s going to be – it’s hard. It’s hard because you’re going to be doing the – (General Manager and Executive Vice President) Brad (Holmes) and I went through it again last night. I mean we – you go through these scenarios but you’re doing the bouncing. You’re juggling the durability, the dependability, the – all these, ‘They do it right, but yet are they good enough? Are they truly good enough versus the talent, flash player, can’t trust them?’ And it’s – but you know they’ve got the talent to do it if the light comes on, and so, it’s hard. It’s hard but that’s the task that we’re given.” On what would be a tiebreaker for a roster spot in a close positional battle: “No, I think ultimately, you just – well, always the tiebreaker is going to be special teams. That’s the first, and I mean if it’s close at all, it needs to be somebody we know can help us on special teams. Other than that, certainly, it’s hard. You’re just going to have to – we have to weigh it. I mean, look, dependability and – look, trust is a big deal with me, but I’m also a realist too. I understand that you can have a team full of those guys, and if you don’t have enough talent, you’ll get beat. So, it’s a juggling act that (General Manager and Executive Vice President) Brad (Holmes) and I have to do here and sort through.” On what he is hoping to see from the starting defense in the first half against Pittsburgh: “Yeah, I think you want to see us take another step forward like from the Indy game, is what I would say. I think these guys will – they’re a little bit different scheme-wise. This isn’t the old Pittsburgh offensively like it used to be, where they would line up in true double teams. There’s a little bit more gun-runs, things of that nature, but they’re still going to – they’re still built off of a mentality of toughness, and they’re going to test you. So, I just think we need to see – I think we need to see improvement even from last week is what you’re looking for. We’re – we got a step in the right direction, and now can we take it another notch? I mean, that’s ultimately what you’re looking for.” On the team’s pattern of sticking with bottom-of-the-roster players they initially chose for the team and not looking for as much outside help: “I mean I think that’s – look, I – you say that, you could very easily start doing more of it if it becomes available, but I think that’s a little bit of (General Manager and Executive Vice President) Brad (Holmes) and myself, just – if they meet the criteria, which that’s probably why they’re here, that we know what they’re about, and they love ball, and they’ll go in and compete, and they’ve got enough talent to compete. And if you don’t feel like you’re finding better in the moment, why would you – why mess with it? Because they – those guys have a relationship with those teammates and we get used to them and you kind of build trust and one day, you may need them. They make it, or they make the practice squad, then they’ve been in the system, and they understand it, and there again, their trust – their teammates trust them. So, I think there’s a little bit of that. But that doesn’t mean if better talent comes available, that we’re not always looking.” On how many positions on defense are still ongoing competitions: “I mean, so much of it is – look, our linebacker position is still in-flux right now. That’s an ongoing battle. Certainly, some of our backup positions. You guys brought up (Lions S) JuJu (Hughes), but the backup safety position is big right now. And as it relates to special teams, the backup linebacker, forget even these guys are jockeying for positions as starters, but also the backend of that, relative to the halfbacks. Who’s going to help us more on special teams? The receivers, relative to the DBs. The tight ends relative to the linebackers or running backs, like who’s going to give us the most bang for our buck on special teams plays a lot into it. So that’s why I say – like there’s going to be some guys here potentially, I’m looking for a couple of guys on special teams to really – I want to see them light it up and if they do, it may not have anything to do with how good somebody does on offense or defense. Like if they show up the way I think they can on special teams, they’re going to earn a spot. So, that’s just, that’s kind of where we’re at. And that’s why a lot can happen between now and Monday or Tuesday.” On how difficult it is to construct the roster while considering players that may return from injury: “Yeah, it’s not easy, but there again, I think we’ve got to weather that storm. We have to weather it a little bit. And – because those guys, there’s no setbacks. They’re getting better and so I think we just – we do the best we can with what we have in the moment and then knowing that we got reinforcements coming.” On how he evaluates Lions TE James Mitchell through his slow start returning from injury this training camp: “Yeah, he’s another one. He’s a tough one because he is – he’s coming off the injury, and we’ve given him more every week, and he’s continued to get better. But like, to be able to say you’re going to have a true evaluation of that player, it’s impossible to say right now. The best we can say is that he has improved every week and every day, and we love where he’s going. That’s really the best I can say about it.” On if there are less developmental roster spots this year as the talent level becomes more competitive and deeper: “Yeah, I mean that’s – listen, that’s all part of the conversation. There’s a number of those guys in the backend, I can think of two in the back of my head right now that I’m like, ‘Man, a year from now, I could really see something special, but right now, it’s not there.’ And those are hard. Those are hard.” LIONS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR BEN JOHNSON TRAINING CAMP DAY 21 QUOTE SHEET August 26, 2022 Opening Statement: “Always a tough time of year here where we’re kind of getting down to nut-crunch time, obviously. But it’s been a good week for us offensively just being able to – getting a little bit more of a game mode and go through that process for our young guys especially. So, excited about that. ”On how play-calling has gone for him in training camp so far: “Yeah, I mean – I think it’s been a balance of still trying to evaluate our guys, put them in good spots, so that we can get a feel for them with the lights on them. But from my perspective, there are a couple calls I think over the course of both games that, ‘Hey, I wish I would’ve done this a little bit different.’ I think that’s part of my own process. But you talk to play-callers around the League, I think a lot of them kind of say you’ll always have one or two each game kind of like that. So, that’s part of it. But for me I felt comfortable. I feel like I’m getting the plays in quick to the quarterbacks, they’ve done a nice job getting it to the offense. And I think we’ve played with some of that tempo that we’ve talked about just in terms of breaking the huddle and being to go up and execute. So, been pleased about that.” On how confident he feels in Lions QB Jared Goff’s abilities so far in training camp: “I think he’s had a great camp. He’s displaying a lot of confidence within this system right now and once again, we’re trying to tailor it to what he does best. And I think that’s going to come to light once we start kicking off and getting into the regular season here.” On how Lions RB D’Andre Swift benefits the offense when he is at his best: “In a number of ways. For us, I mean he’s an explosive playmaker, so each week it’s, ‘How can we get him the ball? How many different ways can we get him the ball?’ So, we’ll always explore that, and then there’ll be times too we’ll use him as a little bit of eye candy and get the other guys the ball. But I mean, he’s going to open up the rest of the weapons on this offense because we know anytime he gets the ball in his hands he can make a good play great and score touchdowns. So, I think our offensive line responds to that, I think our skill players respond to that. They know they have to finish every single play because they don’t want to be that guy that, ‘Hey, the play went longer than it normally does with Swifty, but my guy ended up making the tackle.’ So, I think they know when he gets his hands on the ball it could be special.” On how much he looks ahead to the season opener against the Eagles to unveil what he has built with the offense: “Yeah, I think – we talk offensively about being multiple, being able to attack in a lot of different ways and our groups really embrace that. You see that a little bit the other night, we did the night practice, and so our unit was able to – we were able to try a few different concepts that over the course of a scripted practice are challenging to get in sometimes. So, I’m excited about the fact that our group has been very dialed in mentally. They’ve been focused, they’ve been professional, they’ve been able to take adjustments that we throw on them at the last minute and apply them and make it work. So, from that regard I think there’s a lot of promise in terms of where we can potentially push the envelope here on offense. And conceptually, I think the sky’s the limit there. We can do a lot of different things with the way these guys have embraced everything. So, not to divulge too much, but feel good about what we’ve put on tape so far from a fundamental standpoint upfront being able to evaluate our guys that way, and where it can go potentially once we get into the regular season.” On how the talent on an offensive line opens up the entire offense: “Yeah, we can do so many things from a scheme perspective. I mean, I think you talk about, ‘What’s your identity on offense?’ I don’t know that we’ll know that right away, it might take a few games before we figure that out. (Lions Head) Coach (Dan Campbell) and I were actually taking about that. What schemes do we lean on when it’s really time to get to the gritty of it? And so, the beauty about our offensive line, they are smart, they’ve been around, they’ve played for a while now, and so we’re able to do a lot of different things with them. And they’re able to adjust on the fly really quickly as well. So, from a run game perspective we’ll be able to be multiple, and then in pass protection, hopefully we’ll be able to get more receivers out on routes and not have to stick in the seven-man protection world.” On if he has learned anything about Lions WR DJ Chark that he did not know when signing him this offseason: “I think everything we saw in him on tape has shown up – the vertical speed, the ability to separate at the top of his routes. I think what I didn’t know, but I’ve come to appreciate is just how detailed he is in the meeting room. He’s a great teammate. I think the guys have really rallied around him and I think he’s a great addition to what we’re trying to do on offense.” On what he looks for when evaluating the backup quarterback position: “That position as a whole, I think it always comes down to three things. Doesn’t matter if you’re a starter or a backup, it comes down to decision-making, accuracy and toughness. And I think when you look at all those guys, including (Lions QB) Jared (Goff), not just the backups, they have over the course of the preseason shown ups and downs in each one of those facets right there. And I think for that backup spot we’re trying to figure out, ‘Hey, who’s the most consistent really at the end of the day with the accuracy, with the decision-making, who we can trust the most when – if given the keys to the car?’” On how much playing experience factors into who the backup quarterback will be and who will start against the Steelers: “No, it factors in a lot. I think we’ll start (Lions QB) Tim (Boyle), I think (Lions Head) Coach (Dan Campbell) has already said that. But it’ll be a great opportunity for him with the first O-line, and the first receiving group that he hasn’t had yet. So, he’ll get a great look at evaluation right there. I don’t know if (Lions QB David Blough) Dave will get in with that same thing, but we’ll kind of see how that plays out, but I do think this game plays a big part of the evaluation process for them.” On how Lions RB Justin Jackson can climb up the depth chart despite being brought into training camp late: “Once again, he’s still part of the discussion, right? He’s made it – he’s made that decision even more difficult, and so this game will be important for him. We’re going to try to showcase him a little bit in some ways just to see what he can continue to bring to the table for us, but I think as (General Manager and Executive Vice President) Brad (Holmes) and (Lions Head Coach) Dan (Campbell) kind of go through this thing, it’s part of my job to just kind of tell them how I – my vision for them within our offense and just make that crystal clear, and as they’re evaluating special teams aspect and the whole totality of it, that they’ll come down with a good decision for the – what’s best for the team.” On if he has called anyone about not being featured on ‘Hard Knocks’: “Have I not been on there? No? No, I haven’t followed it very much, but that’s OK. It’s not about me. I’ve always flown under the radar, so all good.” |
