LIONS HEAD COACH DAN CAMPBELL TRAINING CAMP DAY 11 QUOTE SHEET

LIONS HEAD COACH DAN CAMPBELL TRAINING CAMP DAY 11 QUOTE SHEET
August 8, 2022
Opening Statement: “So, today we signed (Lions T) Kendall Lamm and we’re – (Lions T) Zein Obeid is retiring, so that move is – we were already talking about bringing in Kendall, so he’ll give us some competition at the tackle position. Other than that, I thought the scrimmage was – we got a lot of good work done, a lot of different situations. I thought the guys competed well. We certainly got a long way to go, really everywhere. But it was – it’s kind of like man, you get exposed in different areas, you have to get exposed in different areas and things of that nature to really get better. So, from that perspective it’s good. It’s a good thing.”
On if he sees a trend with young players retiring early: “Yeah, I don’t – I know why you’re asking it because it is the obvious. But I just feel like it’s – everybody’s different and look it’s not for everybody. It’s not – there’s – not everything’s easy about it and it’s not just about football. So, I wish him the best of luck and he’s a great kid, he was a grinder, he worked. And so, man, on with the next endeavor.”
On if there is anything that he could do differently in the player evaluation process to limit the amount of players retiring early: “Yeah, look – sure, I mean the minute – we had the first one back in the spring, I mean (Lions Executive Vice President and General Manager) Brad (Holmes) was already looking at those things, so that’s something that Brad’s always real critical about for himself, no different than we are as coaches as it pertains to the football side. So, yeah we’re going to look at everything, believe me. He’s looking at things I wouldn’t even think about looking at, to dig as deep as we can dig and where do we get to where maybe we don’t have this issue or limit it. Now, I’ll say this, three of the four, man, they were – from the time they got here you would’ve never guessed it, something like this. It doesn’t mean – to each his own and everybody’s different, but I mean these guys did everything right and they worked hard, man, they – and it just – they felt like it wasn’t for them, all good.”
On why Lions CB Jeff Okudah did not practice on Saturday: “Yeah, we were just giving him a day off.”
On how Lions CB Jeff Okudah has progressed through training camp: “He looks good, the physical side of everything he’s doing is good. I mean, he looks good, he’s come back, like we have no concern about the Achilles. Physically he looks great. He needs reps. He needs reps, he needs to play, I mean that’s the thing that we can never lose sight of. I mean, he’s going into year three and he really hasn’t played. I mean he just hasn’t had significant playing time. So, he just needs reps, but physically he’s doing good, he’s working at it, he wants it and we’re just trying to be smart with him. But he should be back out there today.”
On what he has seen from Lions DL Demetrius Taylor in practice every day: “It’s what you see, every day he makes a play or two. Just everyday he does something to where he flashes. He gets under guys, he plays with really good leverage, he’s strong, he’s stout, he’s got a quick first step, and so, he’s a nuisance. He’s a nuisance for those guys on offense. Now, there were some things in the scrimmage where he got moved a little bit in some of these double teams which is where he’s going to have to – that’s going to be an area of where he’s going to really try to anchor in there, and he’s got to be perfect on those things because he’s not a huge guy. But I’ll tell you what you – somebody that maximizes everything he’s got, it’s him.”
On if he plans to play the starters in the first preseason game versus Atlanta: “Yeah, I’d like to – I talked to (Falcons Head Coach) Arthur Smith, I know they’re playing their starters early in this game and I’d already thought that was the way I wanted to go too. So, I’d like to get our starters some reps in this game, maybe a quarter because there again, you just can’t mimic game speed and game intensity. And the only way to get ready for a season is to simulate that intensity. And so, but at the same time I want to be smart too. And so, we’re going to meet as a staff tomorrow night and really go through this and talk about it, but that’s – my intentions are to do that right now.”
On if their approach to practice changes this week with the first game of the preseason: “No, it won’t and that’s a good question because for us, it’s still about us and we’re really not even going to worry about Atlanta until the day before. And it’ll be more of jog-through mode, here’s what Atlanta does, we rep our guys. But everything up until the day before the game is about Detroit versus Detroit. So, we still – we’re in camp, we’ve got to get better at what we do and still compete against each other.”
On what he is expecting from the first episode of ‘Hard Knocks’ and how it could change the perception of the team: “Yeah, I’m not – honestly, I’m not even worried about it. I’m not worried about ‘Hard Knocks,’ I’m not worried about winning ‘Hard Knocks.’ I’m just worried about trying to get this team better and see if we can win some games here, which is the whole point of this.”
On how Lions LB Jarrad Davis has looked in practice: “He’s a pro. He’s a pro’s pro is what he is. He does everything right. He does everything you ask him to do. And you would think he’s a second-year player by the way he comes in and handles his business, if that makes any sense. Like he’s got the hunger, and he just wants more, like, ‘Give me – I’ll take anything you got (Lions Linebackers Coach Kelvin Sheppard) Shep. I’ll take anything you got (Lions Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn) AG.’ He still believes he can get better, from the mental side of the game, and then obviously he has played, which we kind of had an idea. It was, ‘Alright, well there’s JD. Here we are, we’re in shells.’ And now all of a sudden, the pads come on and he comes to life, which we all kind of figured was going to happen. That’s his domain and that’s when he really shows up. He’s a pro’s pro, and he’s working and competing in the room with the rest of those guys.”
On Lions RB Jamaal Williams building on the leadership he showed last year: “Well look, I’d say this — first of all, he understands what winning is about. He came from a program that has won a lot of football games in Green Bay. Those are the facts. The other is he is a very competitive – he’s very competitive. He’s very emotional, not in a bad way, and his teammates feed off of him. He’s really an energizer bunny for our team. He gets us going. He does offensively, but for the team as well. And what you see is the fact that now he’s a year into the program, and the guys know him well. He knows the guys well, and so he’s very comfortable now. He did some last year, but now he’s truly embedded in this locker room, so that’s really where you see the transformation taking place.”
On how the kicker competition is progressing throughout camp: “I thought they both did a good job. But I felt really good about (Lions K Austin) Seibert. I feel like he’s, right now, if you’re asking me today, he’s a tick better. I thought he did a hell of a job in there, just kicking. His kickoffs were outstanding. Now that being said, (Lions K Riley) Patterson, Patterson’s still not banging away. It’s not like he’s not in there, and we still have a long camp to go. So, Patterson’s doing a good job, but I really like where Seibert’s at.”
On if Lions LB Malcom Rodriguez is progressing or not now that they are in pads: “No, he’s progressing. What you see is what you see. He is progressing. Every day he gets a little bit better. His awareness and his instincts, he was already a physical guy, but he runs well. But his awareness and instincts for a rookie is pretty good. And he’s just – every day he just gets a little bit better.”
On if he looks for certain things that might challenge rookies as training camp ramps up: “Absolutely. And look, it goes without saying – if you’ve got the talent and the work ethic, and then you’ve got a higher level of the awareness and the football intelligence, you can grow pretty fast in this League, just like (Lions WR Amon-Ra) St. Brown did last year. He’s a good example of that. So, we’ll see where this goes. I don’t know where it goes, but I know this, every day he’s gotten better and better, and he’s pushing now to take more of these reps against the ones, just to see where’s he’s at.”
On how they balance kickoffs and field goals when evaluating the kicker competition: “That’s a good question. I could sit in here for about 30 minutes and talk about it. They’re both vital. They’re both vital. Look, one of the areas – to be able to, on kickoffs, to depth, hangtime, and pinpoint right or left really, really helps your kickoff team immensely. But at the same token, you also want to know, three seconds left in the game, you’re down by two, that that guy is going to be able to nail it. So, I think there’s a little bit of, it’s all encompassing. Here’s what we do know, we do know we have a punter (Lions P Jack Fox) that can kick off. He’s got the leg. He did it for us last year. At least we’ve got a little insurance right there. So, I guess I’m just going round and round, but I think it’s got to be, ‘Who’s going to be the guy who can help us seal the game kicking field goals?’ When it comes time to get three, and we know he’s going to make the kicks, that’s what you’re looking for.”
On how reassuring it is to have a kicker they know can make a 60-yard field goal in an end-of-game situation: “It’s a great feeling. Sorry to shut you off, but it’s a great feeling. Because look, we’re constantly talking about offense. We get in those end-of-game situations, ‘Hey, we’ve got to get the 35, we got to get to the 30.’ If you knew – it’s one thing to say, ‘Hey, he’s pretty good even at 40,’ which that’s a long kick, 58 yards, but yet he’s pretty good at 40. Or, ‘Man, if we can get to the 42, 43, he’s got a chance to swing away and give us a chance.’ It does make life a little bit easier. Now, I’ll say this about Patterson, if you get inside of 50 yards, that kid is golden. He just doesn’t miss. So, there’s some comfort in that too.”