| May 14, 2022On what they are hoping to accomplish during rookie minicamp this weekend: “I would say we’re trying to get them acclimated with what we’re doing schematically, so an introduction to our schemes, offense, defense and special teams. Then, we’re trying to assess their movement skills and their shape. What kind of shape are they in? What do they really look like as athletes now that we’re around them? So, we’re testing them a little bit with just their lateral movement, hips, flexibility, change direction, all those things. Just to be able to get our eyes on them is really—I’d say those two things are the most important things right now.”On Lions WR Jameson Williams’ participation in rookie minicamp as he works through injury recovery: “Yeah, he’s already asked about doing JUGS. No, he’s good. We’ve got him watching right now. (Head Athletic Trainer) Kevin Bastin was with him a little bit yesterday, he and James Mitchell both. They’re both coming off the ACL. They’re out there, they’re watching, then once that’s over we have them doing a couple things just to assess where they’re at. We don’t have them involved, that’s not the point. But mentally, they are very much involved.”On if Lions WR Jameson Williams is mentally engaged: “Oh, he’s engaged. We put him out there on the grass and that’s his domain. He’s very much engaged. You ask him questions, he’s got the script, he’s on it. In meetings, he’s very engaged. He asks good questions. For where he’s at and for what you want—I know we’re only one day in, but that’s what we’re asking out of he and James (Mitchell) for that matter. The mental side of it, be in tune, know what you need to know, listen to all the little details and then give it back to us, and he’s doing that.”On how soon Lions WR Jameson Williams can be ready to play: “We’ll just take it as it comes.”On if he measures Lions WR Jameson Williams’ progression based on retention: “Yeah, right now with all of them it’s, ‘How fast can they mentally pick up what we’re giving them?’ There again, we’ve got a walkthrough out there. It’s only team stuff that we’re doing is walkthrough, and then we have an afternoon walkthrough. That’s without helmets or anything. So much of it is the mental side, so you’re trying to teach those guys, ‘This is what we do. This is how we do it.’ We walk through it, they mess it up and then you just want to see improvement. You teach them and then when you go back out in the afternoon, let’s see if they learned. They get a lot of the same stuff, they get some new stuff, and that’s ultimately like what we’re looking at is just the mental side of it and the ability to learn, take what you’ve been given. Are you coachable? Those things. They’re doing that. We’ll see how they do today. They’ll be a little bit sore.”On how the offense may look different based on what he and Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson are installing this offseason: “Well, I would say that—he’s doing a great job, by the way. He really is. I’ve been impressed with what he’s doing, what he’s implementing inside of what we’re trying to get done here. I would say this, we’re going to be much more efficient just with how we get things in and out of the huddle. The ability to change our tempo will be big. Some of that just comes from verbiage alone, believe it or not. I just feel like everything is just going to be so much more streamlined. The ability to, shoot, get on the line if we need to and, one word, one call. Whether that’s with high tempo or not, could be we’re just back on the line. No tempo, we’re not huddling, which that in itself puts stress on the defense. Just getting our guys comfortable with that, so we’re getting our rookies some of that stuff right now. That’s what we’ve been doing with the vets as well. But he’s been doing a great job. Everything is, everybody’s on the same page. So much of this, as simple as it is, is just having the staff on the same page with what I want. Ben’s doing a great job of that and using his creativity with it.”On the tempo they are establishing and if they want to be able to go no-huddle if necessary: “We want to be able to do everything and anything we can at any given time. I feel like what we’re implementing will allow us to do that. All we ever want to—you just want to get to the point where you know that, offensively, you can do anything and everything in your arsenal to put stress on the defense. We don’t want to feel like we’re ever limited by what we’re doing offensively, schematically, verbally, verbiage, communication, anything. Our limitations should come from, ‘Well, this player doesn’t do this well. This player does this well.’ We don’t ever want to feel like we’re the ones holding our offense back as a staff, let’s put it that way. We feel like this is going to enable us to do the most that we can do.”On how he would grade the culture fit of the additions they brought in this offseason: “Listen, I can’t say enough great things about everyone here that has been involved in this process, but certainly (Executive Vice President and General Manager) Brad (Holmes). I couldn’t ask for more as a head coach than what Brad has done, last year and this year. We share the same vision. We said that from day one. But we’ve always said we’re going to get the type of guys that match what we’re about, and that is a gritty group of guys that love ball. And by the way, they’re explosive athletes. I think when you get that combination of those types of players—we were talking last night, we are trying to avoid floaters. We don’t want to draft floaters. A floater is a guy who gets here and he’s just kind of, there he goes, he’s just in the open ocean. We want guys that are highly competitive, and they love ball. They’re not going to be perfect. They might not always say the right things. They mean well, but boy they love ball. They’ll do anything for it and do anything for their teammates. In that regard, I’m elated with the guys that we have and the vision, keeping the vision with where it’s been and where it’s going.”On his reaction to the 2022 schedule that was released Thursday: “I’ll be honest with you, I haven’t even digested it that much. I looked at it last week when we were getting ready for the rookies. Just from a glance, I have no arguments. I think it looks great. I didn’t think we would open with Philly, I guess that was—we always do those things upstairs like, ‘Alright, who do you think we’re opening with? Who are we playing on Thanksgiving? Are we home or away?’ I wouldn’t have guessed Philly, but it doesn’t matter, it’s good.”On if they are conducting joint training camp practices with any other teams: “We’ll be with the Colts. We’re going out to them for that week.”On what they can get out of joint practices: “Well, I just think you get two really good—first of all, it’s a change in intensity because you’re going against another opponent. Sometimes, even as intense as you try to make your own practices, just to be able to go against a different opponent, it just levels the stakes. It levels the intensity, which you need that. Their bodies need that, the competition, just to raise the stakes a little bit goes a long way for your guys. To be able to get two really good days against them, and then certainly the preseason game, I think it changes up training camp but it also, there again, it raises the intensity and competition. Especially different competition, it’s always good. That’s what it does for us.”On why Lions DL Aidan Hutchinson is such a fit for the team and culture: “I mean look, everything was predicated on Jacksonville. We were prepared for whatever move happened, but as you guys all know, we couldn’t get the call in fast enough once we knew they didn’t take Aidan. It worked out great; it was perfect. He’s a perfect fit for us. I mean, he really is everything that we’re about and he matches us perfectly and I’ve said this before, but it just so happened to be that he was in the backyard. It wasn’t because of that, but that’s icing on the cake there, that he was right down the road. I just feel like it was meant to be. He belongs here and when you’re going to pick guys, particularly that high, they better fit everything that you’re about, and he does that.”On why the Lions were interested in bringing in so many rookies with Michigan ties: “Look, I just think that they understand what it’s like being around here. They understand, I think, the community, they understand the weather, they understand – whether they have directly or indirectly, they kind of understand this organization, somewhat, albeit from afar. But I think there may be a little more of a level of pride to it, potentially, with those guys, because it is kind of home-base. I don’t think you just pick guys because of that, however, man, if they line up and you’re looking for a jump ball, you’ll take that jump ball. I would.”On his first impressions of Lions DL Aidan Hutchinson’s first few days as a Lion: “Look, there again, we’re a day in. I know this, he’s happy to just be playing ball. I know that. There are so many things that come into this, especially when you’re where he’s at. These guys are getting ready, they’re taking the visits. You’re going through all these things that have nothing to do with football and nothing to do with being on the grass. I know that he’s just happy to be here and he’s in a classroom learning football. He’s out there, he’s working with (Defensive Line Coach Todd) Wash, and he’s with the guys in the locker room. I can tell that’s his domain, and he’s just happy to be doing that. I think this other stuff, he knows he’s got to do it, but that’s not what all this is about. It’s about ball.”On if he has decided if he or Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson will be calling plays this season: “Look, I promise you this, if I don’t call them, Ben will. I’ll promise you that right now.”On the most important thing off the field that the rookies are learning this week: “For any rookie, it’s the fact that you’re not in college anymore. Some of these things that you were posting on Twitter or your social media or whatever, or what you’re doing in the locker room and you take a photo – I told them of something that happened where somebody took a photo one time and it’s of me, but here’s my buddy’s locker right here and he’s got something in that locker that probably he doesn’t want America to see. And now he gets put on display. Just little things like that. I think the big message for these guys is, there’s been so much of it – and it’s not their fault – but everybody tells them what to do, and you go here, and everything is catered to them. Our big message to them is, ‘Grow up.’ You’re an adult now, and we’re going to treat you like an adult. You’re about to go into a locker room with a bunch of men, and a lot of these men have kids, they have wives, and they’re serious about their business. Nobody’s going to hold your hand here. We’re not. The schedule’s going to be posted; look at the schedule. Handle your business. The faster they can learn that, and they can grow up and fend for themselves and handle their own business, the better off they’ll be and the faster they’ll acclimate to what we’re about.”On if he has changed his approach to rookie minicamp in his second season as head coach: “I would say not necessarily. I know this, we just have to still be careful with how much we do. Yesterday was pretty good. I felt like we were dead on. We did have a seven-on-seven period, and we still have a special teams (period). But really, that’s the only difference between last year and this year; everyday we’re doing a seven-on-seven, whereas last year, we didn’t do it until the last day. Of course, we’ve got a quarterback now. Last year, it was (Tight Ends/Passing Game Coordinator) Tanner (Engstrand) out there throwing, so that helps. I think so much of it is still just getting them acclimated, getting them in the system and then letting them move around a little bit. I think you’ve got to be careful doing too much with them. And they’re getting acclimated with the vets next week, now. They’re staying here and they’re rolling right into the next group. There again, I think it’s an introduction to what we do and be careful of wearing them out too soon, that’s all.”On his reaction to the Lions being the only team without a primetime game in 2022: “It’s awesome, 1 o’clock games. It’s awesome, 1 o’clock. You knock them out, you go home, you get ready for the next opponent. You’re not waiting all day in the hotel, all night, and then you go up and now you’re on a short week it feels like. I’ve got no problem. And by the way, you can get flexed (Weeks) 5-15, so who says we can’t get flexed?”On his first impressions of rookie Lions LB Malcolm Rodriguez: “Look, there again, it’s day one out there. I know this, he looks the part. I mean he is in excellent shape, and he’s been training. Now, those guys have been training for the Combine, all of them, so they’re not in the greatest football shape right now, but you can tell he’s been working, and he certainly looks the part, seems to be pretty smart like we thought he would be. We’ll see where it goes.” |
