| May 27, 2021 Opening Statement: “We are really entering day three of OTAs. This was week one for us, and so today will be the last day and then they’ll have off this weekend for Memorial Day weekend. But look, we’re excited to have all these guys back. Myself and the staff, we have 80-plus players here, which is encouraging. Our plans are to have – there again – we’re at the end of week one of OTAs. We’re going to go (with) week two of OTAs next week, then we will have the vet mini-camp (in) week three. After that, our plan is to work with the rookies, the young players or any vets that want to stay and get extra work. We’ll use that for the fourth week of the Phase Three. Up to this point, it’s been good. It’s been good to see all these guys face-to-face.” On his early impressions of RB D’Andre Swift: “There again, we’ve only had two days of this. Now, he was here Monday as well. To watch him in our Phase Two day, we did a little bit of work out there and to get these guys moving around, I would say his twitch and his quickness definitely shows up. It was a breath of fresh air to see it. Look, I said this from day one, we’re excited to be able to work with him. We think he’s got a lot of talent, and he’s got so much room to grow. To have Jamaal (Williams) in there with him, I think will do wonders. But obviously, to be with Duce (Staley) – I think Duce is going to pull the best out of this kid. He’s going to really grow, so we’re excited about him.” On his dialogue with the team to come to an arrangement to have these off-season practices: “Look, there were things that I was already going to do anyways before this came up. I would say this, I talked to players and I talked to some of the leadership on this team, some of the guys that were here and some of the guys that we had brought in as free agents. The best way to put this is, look, what do we want this to be? Not just them, but us. What do we want this to look like? What are we willing to do? And so, I would just say, man, almost all of them are here. To me, that sends a message loud and clear that at least they’ve taken the first step. They’ve taken the first step and that tells us as coaches, like, they are committed. This is something that they want to do, and they chose to be here because it is, it’s voluntary. There were things we were already going to do, and look, there’ll be things you’ll see today that are very much like the vet mini-camp. There’s a lot of stuff, we’re really not doing any team work. We are doing walk-through against each other, but really, for the most part, the only thing we have true competitive nature (wise) against each other is seven-on-seven at the end of practice. This day, we will go full speed for basically 10 reps, and that’s it. Everything’s been up to this point – the seven-on-seven of day one was kind of a jog-through, and then we jogged through half of the seven-on-seven yesterday and then ramped up the last half, and then today will be full speed. We just worked ourselves into it and just getting these acclimated, getting them used to our system, the scheme, working at each other. Just to myself, get around these coaches, around Anthony Lynn and (Dave) Fipp and A.G. (Aaron Glenn) and to be able to – man, let’s start to build a relationship. Let’s start to mesh. Let’s start to figure out how to work together. All I can say is this is the first step. These guys were willing to take the first step, and to me, that speaks volumes. It does. So, this leadership and these players, they wanted to do this. They wanted to be here and they’re here.” On how he makes sure players are having fun while working: “I think we’re just being ourselves. I think everybody that I’ve hired here, they’re just being who they are, man. They know how to demand a lot out of the players, but they also know how to tell them when they’re doing a good job. I think that’s what they do well. The trick is always how do you get them to work where they don’t even realize they’re working? Well, you make it as competitive as you can, but yet still be smart about it. Just about every player that’s up here – if you’re at this level, you’re probably pretty competitive. And so, you put them in a competitive environment, even as small as it can be, man, they can’t help themselves. The juices start flowing and they just want to be better and they don’t want to be the guy who gets beat by somebody or – it doesn’t matter what the competition is. I think there’s small things in there – even Dave Fipp’s drill, some of what he does. You’re rounding a bag. The first one to round the bag, five yards, and come back. It’s a punt return drill or it’s a punt cover drill, but it’s nothing like you’re running 50 yards downfield. It’s just small, competitive, small-area. I think that stuff makes it fun, and guess what, they’re getting work out of it. They’re getting better.” On if the team is committed to a full 10 offseason practices: “Look, we had talked about all this, and so, there again, the best I can tell you is that they want to be here. We’re having four weeks of this and there again, we’re basically having three weeks – two weeks of OTAs and then the vet mini-camp, and that last week, the focus will be on the young guys, rookies and any vets that want to stick around.” On if the players asked to limit the OTAs from 10 practices to three: “The players didn’t ask for any of that. Like, ‘Ah, we only want to be there two weeks. We only want to be there five days.’ They didn’t ask for that.” On how Lions QB Jared Goff has been around the team and the importance of him being here: “It’s been big. Any time you can get your quarterback here around all your guys, the offensive line, the receivers, the backs, the tight ends, and let him work the system – not only get used to the system himself, but then how he’s going to run the system and for those players around him to get used to it – it’s been huge. Look, there again, we’re only one week into it. I can tell you this, he throws a pretty ball. That’s for sure. But I’ve liked his mannerisms, I liked his command in the huddle and I would say, man, he’s progressing right kind of where you want him to progress at this point. We’re not in team, we’re doing these walk-throughs, but the first live seven-on-seven yesterday, just watching him throw and some of the things that come out of it, it’s baby steps right now. It’s good to have him here.” On how advanced the offense is in the playbook and the value of QB Jared Goff working with guys on his own this offseason: “It helped a little bit, it certainly did, because he had part of the system back in L.A. and he had those guys come out. So, they had already began to implement it a little bit. It wasn’t 100% starting from scratch, that on top of the fact we’ve been doing these Zooms. But it did, it helps. It at least gives you a jumpstart into the first week, basically. You’re not coming in here and having to just stop and literally just teach every small thing and go as slow as possible. At least you have an understanding of, alright, here we go. Now all we need to know is how is the cadence going to go as far as it works for the offensive line and those things. But it did, it certainly helped. You can tell that they had an idea walking in of what it needed to kind of look like or what we were calling things. It did (matter), and that’s a credit to him and those guys. I mean they’re willing to go out there and work with him out on their own time. There again, that says a lot, I think, about the guys we have on this team.” On why he arranged the fourth week of OTAs the way he did: “I just think it was – for us, of course I’d love to have them the full four weeks. But I think it was, for me, it was a way to, hey man, let’s get them in, get them an introduction to what we’re doing. We can be smart, but we’ve got so many young guys on this team that need so much focus as well that, to me, it just seemed kind of logical. It’s like, look man, if we can get three good weeks out of these vets and then we go with the young guys or anybody that wants to stick around, let’s do that. When everything first happens, you just don’t want to lose out on everything. To me, it was like look, what can we get accomplished in three weeks? If anybody wants to stay for a fourth week knowing we’ll have the young guys, let’s do it. We’re putting in our whole system. It’s going to be a crash course in three weeks for these vets, so we’re throwing the book at them right now and seeing what they can retain.” On how he evaluates the offensive line without the physicality this week: “Look, I think with those guys, honestly, my first thought with those guys is – and really, with the interior d-linemen too – is man, they’re like training together. Knowing they’re working out together, they’re lifting weights together. That’s one, and two, it’s being in there with Hank (Fraley). Being in there with Todd (Wash). I kind of throw those guys in the same box – I’m talking about the o-line (and) the interior d-line. And so, to be in there and they’re getting the system together, they’re getting the calls, what we’re wanting to call them between A-Lynn (Anthony Lynn) and myself and then some of the carryover that Hank’s had in there. And then, to be able to work together. For example, somebody like (Penei) Sewell, it’s one thing to be able to get him out there and get him his reps, his one-on-one reps fundamentally, his individual time. But to be able to work with those other guys and watch how they do it and to train beside them, and then to be able to work with the right guard, to be able to hear Frank (Ragnow) and his calls, where we’re mic’ing, where we’re going to. Is Frank working my way? Is he not? Does the guard got me? I think those things are huge. I think more than any other group, I think the faster your offensive line can learn to mesh with each other and work together, I think you’re able to solve a lot more problems that much quicker. I think it’s big. To be able to work together and do fundamentals is huge for those guys up front.” On how Lions T Penei Sewell has looked: “Look, he looks like a rookie. He looks athletic. I will say this; I never thought Sewell could look small, but when you see him next to (Taylor) Decker, he doesn’t look quite as big. But he’s a big human being. He looks like what you would think he would look like. Man, he’s got talent, he’s hungry, he’s aggressive. Man, let’s just center back, calm down, watch how everybody does it. Watch the flow, watch your footwork here, take your steps, watch the cadence, listen to these things. Even in three days, you see him improving already. That’s all you can ask for right now. It’s good to have him here and to be with those guys, it’s exactly what you want.” On how WR Amon-Ra St. Brown is looking: “I know you guys are getting tired of hearing this, but we’re only three days into it. But look – good. Good. Man, he’s all business. For a rookie, he’s all business, and you can tell he’s very focused. He’s very detail oriented for a rookie. He listens to what (Antwaan Randle) El is telling him. I feel like he knows the playbook pretty good to this point, and there’s just things about him and you see it and you’re like, ‘OK, there again, he’s a football player.’ He definitely has taken this serious and we know he’s got some ability. I would tell you he’s growing, he really is. And not just growing in the receiver room, there’s things he’s doing in Dave Fipp’s area of the field, the special teams, that you’re like, ‘OK, this is pretty good.’ I think he’s right on track. Just keep growing and small steps every day. But it’s been good. It’s been a good week for him.” On if the mindset of WR Amon-Ra St. Brown is rare for a rookie: “I hate to call it rare, but I don’t think you see a lot of it. A lot of it – it’s not anybody else’s fault, sometimes they just don’t know. They don’t know. They don’t even know what it takes. They don’t know what it’s supposed to look like. But this kid, you can tell, some people have shaped him the right way and have taught him these things and he’s taken it to heart because he does, his approach is just a little bit different. There’s a little bit more of an edge and seriousness about him and look, I kind of like that.” |
