May 30, 2025
Opening Statement: “How’s it going? Seems like it was just yesterday, doesn’t it? So, seventh week of the offseason where guys have been here together, and really most of the guys have been here – just about all of them. And then we’ve had guys that have been working here before the offseason program started, like (Lions T Penei) Sewell’s one of those guys, which is awesome. One of our captains, our leaders. We’ve got one more week. So, this was our first week of OTA’s, and then we’ve got one more week. So, we’re only getting two. Normally we’ll go two weeks of OTA’s, then we get the vet mini-camp. We’re not allowed to do that since we’re only going to go two weeks, so they have to be OTA’s, which that’s all good. So, we’re just trying to cram in as much of our core that we can schematically. And there again, we’ve got – I wrote this down – I mean, we’ve got offensively and defensively staff-wise, either new coaches or in new positions or first time having the room, that’s 14 guys. So, that’s a lot. And so, there’s a lot of working together, everybody being on the same page, making sure that coordinators want what they want, coordinators know what I want. And so, this is the best time to do that. We’re all working through that, working through the kinks, which is awesome. It’s only been two days, but it’s been really good. Guys are in a good spot, and good energy. Turnout’s been awesome – we only have two guys that aren’t here right now. I know who they are, I know where they are at, I’ve talked to them, and we’re all good. And then just, I know you guys are going to want to know who’s practicing today or who’s not, so these guys are either out or will be limited: (Lions DL Myles) Adams, (Lions DL Brodric) Martin, (Lions DL Alim) McNeill, (Lions DL Levi) Onwuzurike, (Lions EDGE Josh) Paschal, (Lions DL DJ) Reader, (Lions DL) Tyleik Williams, (Lions DL Mekhi) Wingo, (Lions LB Derrick) Barnes, (Lions LB Jack) Campbell, (Lions LB Malcolm) Rodriguez, (Lions CB Terrion) TA (Arnold), (Lions DB Brian) Branch, (Lions CB Khalil) Dorsey, (Lions CB Gavin) Holmes, (Lions Special Assistant to President/CEO and Chairperson) Chris Spielman, (Lions OL) Miles Frazier, (Lions TE Kenny) Yeboah, (Lions WR Amon-Ra) St. Brown, (Lions WR Isaac) TeSlaa, (Lions RB David) D-Mo (Montgomery), (Lions RB Sione) Vaki, (former Lions RB) Barry Sanders, and (former Lions WR) Calvin (Johnson). That’s the list – and look, some of them are so minor. Like the rookies, they’ve been training for the Combine, all this. We’re just trying to get some of these guys right physically. We’re working with them, (Lions Director of Player Health and Performance Brett) Fisch (Fischer) is working with them – (Lions Director of Sports Performance) Mike Clark and that crew – and let’s get their bodies right, everything aligned right, and then they’ll be ready for training camp. And a number of guys – we’re just trying to be smart. We’re just trying to be smart. We’ve got little dings here and there, and so we’re just trying to make sure everybody’s good. So, this is the time of year to make sure that we’re being a little more conservative with those type of things. And they’re here, they’re in meetings, and so everybody’s locked in. And we’re excited. The message is the same it’s always been – we cannot, there’s no room for complacency. So, we’re not going to deal with entitlement, complacency – our team’s not. I love the schedule we have this year because this is the type of schedule that builds you for the postseason. Like, man, you better be on it. And we’re going to get tested early and often and all year long, and it’s freaking awesome. It’s really how you want it. So, we’ll be ready to go when the time’s right.”
On his decision to cut mandatory mini-camp: “Yeah, there was a fine line. It went back and forth. Here’s the thing, it was kind of a little unique – it was a double whammy. For whatever reason, the league year started one week later than it normally does. That, and then we have the Hall of Fame Game. So, the combination of those, you bleed the offseason into this, and then you bring them back a week early – it was just, it just didn’t feel right. I didn’t feel like it was fair to our players. So to me, it’s like, look, we’re going to cut this three days short so that you come in three days early. That’s how we’re handling it. We really didn’t lose any time. It just means that we’ve got to be on it in training camp, and we’ve got to get a lot of guys ready to play quickly in the Hall of Fame Game and make sure their bodies are ready to go for an early game because there’s going to be a lot of young guys who are going to play a number of reps in that game. And we’ll get them right, we’ll get them ready.”
On whether he has joint practices figured out yet: “We do. We do. The plan is to go with Miami a couple of days, and then we’ll go with Houston that last week for a day.”
On how Lions EDGE Aidan Hutchinson looks and his confidence in the Lions pass rush: “Yeah, Hutch looks – OTA’s – looks good. He’s moving well. You don’t see him favoring anything. He’s bending, he’s grabbing the grass, he looks confident – and there again, that’s without pads. So, there’s nothing to tell me that the guy is not recovered or going to be recovered. As far as it does with the pass rush – like yesterday. I’m glad you brought that up. So offensively, we kind of had this mid-cross, we had these two posts, we’re trying to hit this deep shot – 34 yards to (Lions TE Sam) LaPorta – it was awesome. And it took time, right? Takes time offensively to do that. And we did because we had to walk through with the front – the O-Line and D-Line. So, it’s hard to tell. We can’t go hard enough to decide how good the rush is or how do we really prep it, get it better. We’re not allowed to do that. But I am confident. (Lions EDGE Marcus) Davenport looks good. There again, it’s early too for him. And we’re not in the physical nature of the game – we don’t have pads on – but I like the guys we have in that room. And there again, training camp – we’ll make it right.”
On whether Lions TE Sam LaPorta caught the 34-yard pass from yesterday’s practice: “Yes he did. Toe tapper, 34 yards. Great throw.”
On the challenge of having new coaches and a shortened offseason: “Yeah, it’s challenging. I mean, it’s a lot. It’s a lot. But, there again, I think you – for us, it’s let’s take what we really know. The beauty of what we’ve done offensively is we’re really taking a lot of what we’ve been. (Lions Offensive Coordinator) Johnny’s (Morton) done that. Things that we’ve really majored in the last two or three years. There’s things that I know that he wants to do that he’s had a lot of success with that’ll fit us perfectly. It’s just about, hey, we name this a little bit different, we tweak a couple of formation names. But all-in -all, it’s more about, ‘This is how I want it. This is my style of coaching. This is what I’m looking for.’ (Lions Defensive Coordinator Kelvin) Shep (Sheppard), it’s the same thing. We’re trying to put a little bit more on these guys and give them more freedom in the defense, and that requires guys being on it. That requires the players taking ownership and for the communication to be on par. So, it’s challenging, but yeah, that’s what this time of year is. And I can already tell you after two days, going into day three, it’s already tightened up in a matter of days, which is awesome. I mean, guys getting on the same page, and the coaching, and that’s what you love. That’s why I hired the coaches that I did because I knew they would adapt quickly and be able to work together.”
On whether the team uses outside noise as fuel for the season: “I don’t think – we’re not there yet, as far as what do we tell. I just know this, it’s what I said, we’re not going to be, we’re not going to. Look, give us any nugget you need to. It’s all good. We’ll take it all. We’ll take all of that. So, give us every excuse and we will use that, especially when the time is right. But we’re not worried about, I’m not worried about, that we don’t have pass rush. I’m not worried about we lost two coordinators. I’m not worried about the injuries. I’m not worried about the Hall of Fame Game. I’m not worried about the schedule. I think it’s perfect. I think it lines up perfect. I think it’s going to be what’s best for us with where we’re at going into 2025. My fifth year here, the core of this team’s fifth year – I really think it’s exactly what we’re going to need. The timing is perfect.”
On whether he is worried about players who may not be at OTA’s due to contract concerns: “No. I think what’s great is that any player that I talk to, I have a relationship with, and there’s an open line of communication. Whatever I say to those players, I’m not going to say to you guys. I never will. There’s, communication that has been great, so I’m not. Listen, I’m not worried about anything. I know this, we’re in late May. Is it even June yet? I don’t even – we’re not even in June. So, life’s good. We’re going to be just fine.”
On preparing Lions Offensive Coordinator John Morton for play calling: “Well, hard to do this time of year. We don’t have enough time to get it done. We don’t have enough reps to get it done. We can’t really do a true, we can’t even – this isn’t football. This is – at least you can kind of line up across from each other and whatever. But training camp, it’ll be big. That is one of the positives of four games. You’re going to have four games to be able to do that. Just like I’ve done with (former Lions Defensive Coordinator Aaron) AG (Glenn) and with (former Lions Offensive Coordinator) Ben (Johnson), we’re going to do a ton of call-it periods, a ton of move the ball, a ton of change the situation to where you’ve got to think on your feet immediately – we will. We’ll make sure they get plenty of that to where you just, as you go, you get better and better and better – and he has. He’s called plays before. And by the way, wherever he’s been – this is not the first time. The Jets is not his first time. I mean, even when he was here, I needed – it’s third-and-12, we need a play, he’s the one who’s yelling it, ‘Here. Here you go.’ And he did that at San Fran. He’s done that everywhere he’s been, so it’ll be good. Now, this is going to be something where everybody’s going to be a little more involved in this in a good way, so the communication has got to be on point. But this is not his first time to do it, so we’ll be good.”
On evaluating the defense honestly while accounting for injuries and balancing issues that need fixing: “Man, I love the guys in that room. They play freaking hard. And look, here’s not a damn thing we can do about injuries, nobody can. I mean offensively, this could be the year. Who knows? And we got to be ready to go offensively if that happens. And so, defensively, man, we got plenty in there. I mean, we got cover guys, we got guys that can pressure the quarterback, we got linebackers that can cover and rush, attack the run. We got safeties that are ball hawks and can play in the box. We got safeties that can play man-to-man on receivers, in the slot or outside. I mean, we got some weapons. So, I feel great about it. Now, we got to get through camp, and, so, I can’t tell you anything after the OTA’s. I just can’t, you know? But I’m not worried. And the things that you would worry about are the things every team’s got to worry about. Injuries, I mean if we have another 20 injuries, yeah, that’s an issue. But there’s nothing I can do about it. There’s nothing we can do about it other than when the time comes, we add depth, which we’ve tried to do, and we got to get those guys developed and ready to go.”
On the public concern around the difficulty of the schedule and whether the Lions focus on making it difficult for opponents to come face them in Detroit: “Well I think that you take each week as it comes, but certainly, yeah, I mean, that’s part of it. And we’ve gotten to where we’ve gotten because we haven’t been complacent, and we have gone and put the work in again and done all the little things that you have to do to win games and win a division again. And so, we got to do that all over again, and yeah, they do have to play us. But I just think the challenge of it is what you really love. It’s why you love this game, you know? The NFL, that’s when it’s at its best. I mean, to be able to, not only here at home, our own division, go on the road, I mean, some of these teams, it’s going to be – I mean, it’s awesome, man. I mean, to me, by the end of the year, we ought to be just scared up, you know. We should be scared up, and ready to go, hardened for battle, and ready for the playoffs, and There’ll be nothing easy about it. You still, just to get through our own division, is going to be brutal. But it’s the right kind of brutal.”
On whether the team’s improved depth means young players will see increased preseason reps while the veterans rest: “It’s still early, but I mean, I think the thought right now is, as much as we can, get some of these young guys reps. That’s where we’ll lean first. I’ll never rule out playing the vets in the preseason, but right now, my thought is kind of, ‘Hey man, let’s see if we can get a number of these other guys reps and find out what we can about them. See if we can get them more plays to get developed, because that’s all you’re going to get with them, you know?’ You can’t, it’s hard, you do the best you can. Every team does this time of year to develop. It’s hard to develop right now. You can’t play football – you can’t do it. You got to go half speed. So, that’s really your best chance.”
On how QB Jared Goff processed the disappointment of the playoff loss and how important his role is in facilitating the transition to a new offensive coordinator: “Yeah, Jared’s a pro. He doesn’t, I mean, it’s like anything, it’s like when you lose, or you don’t play well. Man, you assess what happened, what I need to do better – we all do. And then you put in the work. And so, I mean, that’s behind him. Like, he’s one of those where I wish two days after that, you could go back to work, right? Because, unfortunately, you just can’t in the playoffs, right? Tournament time, that’s what happens. So, he’s like the rest of us. He’s ready to go. He’s put that behind him. It’s about getting better, taking ownership a little bit more of the offense and of his team, and it’s been a good transition. No problem. I think he and (Lions Offensive Coordinator John) Johnny (Morton) are going to work well together, they have worked well together. They’ve been working this offseason together, tweaking things. They talk to each other, call one another, making sure that both are comfortable with what we we’re doing. And everything we do is always going to start with the quarterback, especially Goff, so he’s going to be fine.”
On what the veteran players can draw from their past playoff exits to finally push them over the top: “Well I think, unfortunately, the more you play in big time games like that, you play in the tournament, postseason, and you don’t finish where you want to finish, that’s when your eyes get – you get really open to, man, every time you get into the postseason, it’s precious. Man, it is precious, and you got to make the most of that opportunity, because you’re not guaranteed for that to happen. You’re just not. And sometimes, you got to live that. And look, let’s call it what it is. You got to play your best football that you’ve played all year, and things got to go your way, too, you know? Now, you’d like to believe that you can make things go your way most of the time if you play your style of football and your own point. But sometimes you need things to fall in line. So, the lesson of that is, man, you make the most of every moment that you got and make sure that the young guys know. There’s going to be some young guys, you know, where we get back to where we want to go, that they think this is the way it’s always going to be. Like this could be your only shot to get in, kids. So, what are you going to do to help us win this? And get to the next one? Get to the next one? So, you learn each time.”
On what the next step looks like in the development of WR Jameson Williams: “What’s next? Oh, my God, he’s got a ton of growth left. And you know, he’s listening, he’s had a good spring, and it’s another one – I don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves in OTA’s, but I mean there’s so much versatility with him. There are so many things that we can do just with his routes on the outside. I mean, we can do things inside, but just with his speed, and he’s gotten so much stronger. His ability to stop, put his foot in the ground. Man, when you can run like you can run, and now you’re beginning to – where man, you can stop on a dime, I mean, you talk about a hard cover. So, the sky’s the limit for him. He’s exactly where we want him to be right now at this point, man. He’s been here, he’s grinding, he’s getting better. (Lions Assistant Head Coach/Wide Receivers) Scottie’s (Montgomery) freaking grinding him, it’s awesome. But we expect him to have a huge season. We really do, man. He’s going to be one of those guys that we’re going to lean on this year, and it is really going to be big for us. And all he’s got to do is just keep working like he’s working and, and we’ll be good.”
