LIONS HEAD COACH DAN CAMPBELL QUOTE SHEET
October 16, 2024
Opening Statement: “What a test we’re going to have this week. These guys are playing really good football. Five-and-0, at their place, 1-0 in the division for these guys, active opportunistic defense, ball hawks, 11 takeaways, they’re just playing at a high level. Pretty good personnel, (Vikings LB Jonathan) Greenard and (Vikings OLB Andrew) Van Ginkel have been excellent for them. (Vikings LB Blake) Cashman and then certainly (Vikings DL) Harrison (Phillips)’s still back there and (Vikings S Camryn) Bynum’s coming on and (Vikings S Joshua) Metellus I think a lot of, and (Vikings LB Ivan) Pace (Jr.) is doing a hell of a job. A lot of good guys are active back there, (Vikings Defensive Coordinator Brian) Flores is doing a great job with them. So, active defense, it really starts with them because these takeaways are really kind of fueling this team right now. Then offensively, as we all know, (Vikings WR) Justin Jefferson. He carries a big hat for them. They’re going to find a way to get him the ball. He gets explosives, he’s got run after catch, he can run the whole route tree. We have firsthand experience with him. Just because you double him doesn’t mean it’s over. You have to find a way to body him up and that’s what we’re going to have to do, we’re going to have to put bodies on him because he’ll eat you up. Then don’t sleep on (Vikings WR Jordan) Addison over there. (Vikings RB Aaron) Jones, I think, makes this team different, kind of just brings a different element to them. His style of running, he’s a receiver out of the backfield, kind of a slasher, I think he’s been really good for them. Running the ball more, downhill runs, trying to create an identity. Then certainly the quarterback’s playing well. (Vikings QB Sam) Darnold is doing a good job. So, (Vikings Head Coach Kevin) O’Connell’s got them humming. This is going to be a huge challenge for our guys, but we’re looking forward to it.”
On why he changed his tune on the type of player that he wants on the defensive line to replace Lions DL Aidan Hutchinson: “I don’t know if I changed my tune, and I certainly didn’t mean it to sound like that. I think what it means – look (Lions Executive Vice President and General Manager) Brad (Holmes) knows the ins and outs of what it would take to acquire somebody. I don’t know all of those, but I know enough to know that if it’s somebody who is highly productive, they’re 6’6, 285 pounds, run a 4.4 and 35 inch arms, those guys don’t just fall off trees. You’re going to have to – do you want to trade (Lions DL Aidan Hutchinson) Hutch for that guy? Some of it is – it’s certainly trade value, it’s also a contract. What does that contract – how does that have a bearing on our future and who we’re trying to get signed moving forward? Speaking of that, fired up for (Lions DL Alim McNeill) Mac. Man, he earned that. He’s a pivotal piece here for us and he’s one of our pillars here. No different than these guys that we’ve signed back, so we’re fired up for him. He’s playing at a high level and he’s going to have to continue. But so, I didn’t want to feel that way. We’re open to anything, Brad’s working through it, we are not going to be in a hurry. Brad would tell you, he’s doing his homework, the crew’s doing their homework, they’re looking at everything. But we’re not going to just make a move to make it, it’s got to be right. It’s got to be the right guy and the pieces have to fall in place.”
On if they will wait until the trade deadline to make a move when the market is more active: “Yeah I don’t want to say that it’s more about that, I think literally it’s about doing your homework. You’re digging through things, not just what’s on the tape but what else is out there that you don’t quite know about. You check on somebody and it’s like, ‘Well I may be open to it but you’ve got 24 hours.’ OK, something’s going on. Brad’s on it, he’s looking at everything, nothing’s off the table, but we’re just not in a hurry. We’re not in a hurry.”
On how much he is consulted on a player before signing them to the active roster during the season like Lions DL Isaiah Thomas: “When it comes to those, they’ve got a really good – he’s got a database of these guys that they’ve already done their homework on, that are on other practice squads. And most of the time, it’s guys that we liked coming out of the Draft, and you kind of – you’re keeping tabs on them. And then sometimes it’s guys that have had production one way or another but now they’re not on a roster or they’re on a practice squad, and so usually when these come up, (Lions Executive Vice President and General Manager) Brad (Holmes) will come in there and he’s like, ‘Hey, you remember so and so?’ And I’m like, ‘Oh yeah.’ ‘Well, he’s up.’ And he kind of just gives me the ‘This is what’s taken place since that time.’ So no, this is more – I trust Brad on what he says and he knows that. I’m like, ‘You tell me it’s gold, it’s gold. If you tell me it’s not, then it’s not.’ So this move felt right for us. We liked him, we’re glad he’s here, and there again, he brings in more competition. We get somebody else to look at, he’s part of the mix, and the more competition you bring in, the better you find out and those guys kind of go after it a little bit. It doesn’t mean we’re done, it just means that’s where we’re at.”
On why they get ahead of signing players to contract extensions like Lions RB David Montgomery and Lions DL Alim McNeill: “This is something that we’ve wanted to do for a little while now. Ultimately you hate getting these done in the season. I mean, it’s good, but it’s like you’re trying to focus on football. They are, we are, but yet sometimes you start working on these and it just takes a minute and it kind of bleeds into the season. It’s something we wanted to do and we knew we wanted Mac around here long term. I just go back, he’s one of the original, that original ’21 class. He’s a part of that corps with (Lions WR Amon-Ra) St. Brown and (Lions T Penei) Sewell and those guys. So, I’m just glad we got that done and he earned it. Everybody loves Mac, so it’s good to have Buttercup back.”
On what are the keys for the offense to identify on the Vikings defense when they have half of the players rush and half drop back: “Calm down, calm down. This is what we did a pretty good job of last year. Now, their personnel is better and now they’re two years into this system and so they’ve got a pretty good grasp of what they’re trying to do. Their disguises are much better. But I think that’s – look you even see that over these first five games. There’s a little bit of everybody’s not on the same page and they have capitalized off of that, and not just made plays, they have been critical plays in Minnesota’s favor because we didn’t target it right, it’s a run and now it’s a seven-yard TFL because, simply, we just didn’t block the guy. They turn the defensive end loose or the WILL linebacker, or we’re in protection and it was like, ‘Oh I thought it was.’ And they do a good job of putting the linebackers on your backs in protection. So, they don’t want your backs getting out in routes and they try to chew them up and isolate them. That’s where some of these one-on-ones come into play, is the rush and protection. So look, it’s that, it’s (Lions QB) Jared (Goff) just same thing, everybody calm down, composure, make an identification, let’s all be on the same page and if we’re all wrong, we’re all right if it comes to that. So I think that’s a lot of it, because they don’t make it easy and that’s part of this defense. They’re trying to stress you out, they’re trying to strain you, the clock’s running, this game we’ll be on the road, and they’ve – it’s worked. They’ve gotten on some people. They’ve gotten on all these offenses and they’ve been able to play their game. Offense, defense, and really because of the defense because they’ve gotten up. These multiple score games, they’re up two scores, they’re up three scores early, and you are out of your offense so fast that you can’t – now you’re totally playing into their hand.”
On if Lions DL Brodric Martin’s return is accelerated with Lions DL Kyle Peko being placed on Reserve/Injured: “Brodric’s doing a good job. Certainly, he’s somebody that (Lions Executive Vice President and General Manager) Brad (Holmes) and I talked about yesterday. I don’t want to say it’s accelerated, it’s we like Brodric, we like where he’s going, he’s still a young, developing player, but we also have (Lions DL) Chris Smith, we have (Lions DL Pat) O’Connor, we have options. It’s why we have those guys here. So, we don’t feel like we’re pinched, we feel pretty good in that regard. And by the way, I’m glad you said that because some of this kind of got lost. I hate it for Peko. Peko was kind of – it falls under because of what happened with (Lions DL Aidan Hutchinson) Hutch, but we lost Peko for the season and Peko’s been one of those just kind of silent producers for us. Does all of the dirty work and he’s the one who frees up (Lions LB) Alex (Anzalone) and (Lions LB) Jack (Campbell) and (Lions LB Malcolm Rodriguez) Rodrigo and those guys to make the plays that they make. He held down the fort until (Lions DL DJ) Reader got back and then he’s a rotational guy, so we hate it for him. We’re going to miss him too, but no different than the other, we’ll adapt. We’ve got – that’s why we have those guys that we have on the vet squad, Chris Smith and O’Connor.”
On if Lions CB Carlton Davis III will play this week: “Yeah, I feel good about it right now. There is a small chance that maybe not, but I will know a lot more tomorrow on this. I don’t see him practicing today, but I feel optimistic.”
On if he had a situation in his playing career where his team lost a significant player on their roster and how they rallied to achieve success: “No, nothing that necessarily comes to mind, to the forefront. I will say this, as a coach at New Orleans, we lost (Saints WR) Mike Thomas early in the season. We tried to get him back late, and that’s really kind of the injury that he’s been dealing with since then. And that was, from the outside, that looked like doom and gloom, and we adapted, we adjusted. We just spread the ball around, we spread the load. (Saints RB Alvin Kamara) AK took on some more, and (Saints RB) Latavius (Murray) and (Saints TE) Jared Cook and (Lions WR) Tre’Quan Smith and those guys, and so we were just fine. We had (former Saints QB) Drew (Brees) back there humming it and the O-line, so we adapted, we were good. My last year in New York, we were feeling pretty good and (Giants TE Jeremy) Shockey was a rookie, we had (Giants WR) Ike Hilliard, (Giants WR) Amani Toomer, and we lost Ike. And Ike was a huge part of what we did. He was one of our – third down conversion, he was up there. He was kind of our staple, and we lost him and that was a gut shot. But we adapted and you just spread the load out. We had a good run game and guys stepped up. It’s not the first time this has happened and unfortunately, it’s life in this sport.”
On how Lions DL Aidan Hutchinson is doing after surgery and if he will be involved in the team while he is rehabbing: “Yeah, I talked to him yesterday and he’s doing good. Now, he’s trying to process everything, it’s still pretty new and so just exactly, ‘What is this? Where do I go?’ Which you would expect, I mean he’s laying in the hospital room with his leg up, but he’s back and I know that he didn’t want to be a stranger. I know he talked about being back a little bit when it made sense, and he knows he’s welcome here anytime, and we would love to see him. The whole team would love to see him. He’s a huge part of what we are and we hate it for him, but yeah, so we’ll see.”
On if Lions DL Aidan Hutchinson is back in Michigan: “Yes.”
On if he thinks an edge rusher that they may sign can slide into the position quickly: “I do. I think if it is somebody that makes sense that we’re looking at, I think that’s the idea. ‘We need to get this guy in as fast as possible.’ And if it wasn’t, it would be more – well look, I think we’re going to find a way to get this guy in immediately. I was going to say some of the terminology, well even if it’s limited, I think you’re trying to get that player going as fast as possible. But I don’t want to tell you, ‘Absolutely, they would walk right in.’ But I think that would be the idea.”
On if Lions CB Carlton Davis III is suffering from a concussion: “It’s not a concussion. He’s good.”
LIONS QB JARED GOFF QUOTE SHEET
October 16, 2024
On how much of a mental game it is for him and Lions C Frank Ragnow when facing a defense that sends a lot of pressure at them like Minnesota: “Yeah, there’s our work put in throughout the week that we’ll certainly do and there’s a lot of similarities to what they were doing last year and a lot of different things. I think it’s year two of this defense and you can tell they’ve added some things and done some things a little bit different, so yeah, it’ll be a challenge as it always is, but it’ll be fun, and I can’t wait to get going.”
On if things that he does not anticipate always come up in a matchup like Minnesota: “Of course, yeah. And that’s not just these guys, it’s everybody. Every week they’ll have something. Certainly, they’re coming off a bye, I’m sure they had some time to get ready, watch maybe a little bit more stuff on us, and they’ll have something that they think will give us issues and we’ll adjust from there.”
On if film helps give them tells for the defense when faced with teams coming up with unique things to throw at them: “Yeah, you just look at the film and you come up with a gameplan and get ready to go. I’ve got a lot of respect for (Vikings Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores) Coach Flores and obviously (Vikings Head Coach) Kevin (O’Connell) and those guys. They do a good job of getting those guys ready and I think what I’ve noticed, they’re extremely ball-aware – their defenders, they are. They know where the ball is, they’ve got their hands on the ball a lot, they’re putting their hands up at the line of scrimmage, they’re trying to knock balls down, they’re trying to bat balls up in the air, so it’s a challenge and it’ll be fun.”
On the importance of not turning the ball over against a team like Minnesota that creates a lot of turnovers: “Yeah, that’s typically going to be the difference in a game and those guys have been thriving off of it. So yeah, we’ve got to do a good job taking care of it and, like I said, they are extremely ball-aware, they’re trying to take it away, you can tell, and we’ve got to be even more aware this week.”
On if he can tell that Minnesota’s defense is more comfortable now: “Yeah, their personnel’s better and they’re on version two of this defense, so it’s definitely a tough unit and we’ve got our hands full, but it’s something that we’re getting ready for now and it’ll be a good one.”
On what the organization rewarding players like Lions DL Alim McNeill and Lions RB David Montgomery does for a locker room: “Yeah, it’s awesome, it really is. I mean, guys like that, that – now I feel like an old guy, but I’ve seen Alim kind of grow up from a rookie to his second year, now his third year and so on, but it’s awesome and they’re rewarding the right guys and that’s what good teams do, and I think, like you mentioned, David and Alim, and it gives everyone else in the locker room like, ‘Hey, you want to be rewarded, you want to make a ton of money like these guys? Just watch these guys practice. Just watch (Lions WR Amon-Ra) St. Brown, (Lions T) Penei (Sewell), all these guys. Just watch them work.’ It’s an easy thing for them to do for them upstairs, I’m sure, to reward the right guys, but it also feels good for us in the locker room.”
On where he has seen Lions DL Alim McNeill grow the most: “Oh man, I mean, every day at practice is a challenge against him and you’d have to ask those guys up front, they get it up close and personal. But I’ve seen him grow in maturity, I mean, these guys are young coming into the League and, I was the same way, but you see them grow up and become a leader and become a guy that you can rely on every down and become a guy that’s as important to our team as anybody. So, it’s extremely exciting for him and his family, but he deserves it and I’m happy for him.”
On if he takes anything away from games where the team does well like against Dallas: “Yeah, what we took away – I mean, yeah it was kind of a full-team game and it was the first time, I think, since I’ve been here that it was starters out in the fourth quarter at some point because of the lead we had. So yeah, it was something that we hadn’t done before, but it shows what we’re capable of and I think now it’s, ‘How do we respond to that, how do we come back to work today and put the foot on the gas again like we just did and come back in tomorrow and Friday and continue to do it?’”
On how he digests that this upcoming game against Minnesota is important this early in the season: “Yeah, it is. It’s important because it’s a division game and they’re at the top of the division and that’s why it’s important, but if we were playing Green Bay or Chicago, it would be equally as important. But yeah, it’s a division game, it’s our first division game and it’s one that you definitely want to win.”
On how much he keeps tabs on the division at this point of the season with every team in the NFC North being 4-2 or better: “Yeah, I know the Bears and Packers are 4-2 and I know the Vikings are 5-0 and that we’re 4-1, so it’s a pretty good division.”
On where he and the offense can get better: “Man, a ton of places. I thought I did miss a couple things in that game. I was able to hit some of the big ones, but missed a couple guys you normally feel like you do hit and sometimes that happens, but I was able to hit the big ones and make up for it. So yeah, just continuing to get sharp and more and more on the same page, especially with these new guys and feel good.”
On what has factored into Lions WR Jameson Williams’s increased production with him: “Work, a lot of work, a lot of repetition, a lot of reps, a lot of time together, communication. What does he like, what does he see, what do I see, how do I want him to do things? He’s been incredible, he really has. He’s growing a ton and continues to get better.”
On how important Lions DL Alim McNeill, Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown and Lions T Penei Sewell have been: “Yeah, they’ve been incredible, that’s kind of been a big part of our team and foundation for our team and I think that Draft – I’ve got a bad memory, I know that those guys that you named are in there, but I know there’s a few more that were a part of that that have obviously been a big part of our team and yeah, it’s been fun to see them grow.”
On how he navigates deciding whether to go to a hot read or not when facing Minnesota’s pressure packages: “Well, pre-snap – yeah, well, that’s where all the work right now we’re doing is trying to figure out what’s the best way forward and then pre-snap you’re making a lot of decisions and then post-snap you’re making a lot of decisions on where the ball should go. So yeah, there are a lot of tight, minute, millisecond decisions that you’re making, but that’s my job and I try to do it well.”
On if Minnesota is doing anything different things with their blitz packages: “Yeah, sure, they’re doing different things. They’re not going to roll out the same defense they had last year. They’ve grown, they’ve improved and it’s a good unit.”
