Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell Training Camp Day 15 Quote Sheet and Photos from Lions Pre-Season Game vs Atlanta Falcons 8-12-22

Head Coach Dan Campbell
photo credit: Michael Alberts Photos

LIONS HEAD COACH DAN CAMPBELL TRAINING CAMP DAY 15 QUOTE SHEET

August 15, 2022

Opening Statement: “So, really everything is – postgame, we cleaned it up the other day, then players had recovery yesterday and today will be shells. It’ll be a little longer, but just good competition against each other, and then we’ll have a walkthrough with the Indianapolis Colts – for the Indianapolis Colts. Tomorrow we leave, and then, man, we get real good work against those guys. So, we’re looking forward to that, but everything really is working to that these next two days to have really good work. That’s what all this has been about postgame.”
On what they can get out of joint practices with the Indianapolis Colts: “It’s just – you can almost get – it feels like you’re getting two games in a week, two games in two days. You won’t have all those reps, but yet we’re going to get over 30 reps with our starters against very good competition, full pads and it’s structured between (Colts Head Coach) Frank (Reich) and myself. Man, we’ll get all the looks we need to get, all the situations, it’ll just be good. And that – they’re a good team over there, they know how to win, it’s a winning program. (Colts General Manager) Chris Ballard and Frank do it right, and that team, man, they’re tough. So, this will be great, it’s going to be great for us. I can’t wait.”
On if he has been a part of joint practices as a player or coach and what he learned from those experiences: “Yes, both. It was – as a player, you learn how to fight back in the day when I was – where you learned, you learned you always get involved that’s one, and two is you learn to keep your head on a swivel. But – now, that was early in my career, when I got to Dallas I remember we were getting ready to – we were going to practice against the Texans. I remember (former NFL Head) Coach (Bill) Parcells stood up in front of the room and was like, ‘No fighting, anybody fights, you’re done.’ And everybody believed it, so we didn’t have one fight and got great work. So, we just have to make an emphasis of that. I know they will, we will. We’re not out there to fight, but we’re going to compete and have good work. So, I would say most of the experiences I’ve had have been really good, really good.”
On if any player caught his eye in the first preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons: “Well, look I would say (Lions S) Kerby (Joseph) showed up. I would say Kerby – didn’t quite know where he was going to be at or what it was going to look like, and we’ve been on his rear in practice. I mean, we’ve been pretty hard on him and now he’s needed it. But he showed up. I mean the lights came on, and he did some things on special teams and on defense that is extremely encouraging. I would say (Lions LB Malcolm) Rodriguez didn’t disappoint. He’s got a lot of room for improvement, but yet you can tell it’s not too big for him which is good. I think those are two guys that really kind of come to mind a little bit. There was a number of guys that I thought played pretty well and showed up. Certainly, (Lions DL Aidan Hutchinson) Hutch made some plays there. I thought (Lions DL Alim McNeill) Mac did a good job, stepped up and did pretty good. So, now I think the first one that came to my mind was Kerby.”
On how Lions CB Chase Lucas played in the first preseason game: “Listen, he’s a tough, he’s a tough – pretty smart, pretty aware, high-energy type player and he did, he got out there and mixed it up. I think with Lucas, man, he just needs – he needs to be in the program a little bit and what I mean by that is man, get a little bit more – just a little more bulk and strength to him which will come in time. But he’s got something about him. There is something because he gets things in a hurry, he’s highly competitive, I know he was sick to his stomach he didn’t catch that pick that would’ve sealed it. But yet, he did everything that he was supposed to do to that point. They did a great job with the disguise, he did. They got the quarterback to kind of bite on it and threw it to him, so we were in position, we just got to finish it. But he – yeah, I like where he’s at, he’s doing some good things, but some of this is just him continuing to develop physically that’s going to take time once he’s in our program.”
On how Lions CB Jeff Okudah played in the first preseason game: “Listen, he did some good things. It was encouraging. We came out of this game encouraged with Jeff. It was like, ‘OK, this is pretty good.’ Just to see him get up there and press a little bit, challenge, and then, man, he’s getting involved in some of these tackles, and so I would say we were encouraged. That’s the best way to say it, it was encouraging.”
On how Lions TE Brock Wright has looked throughout training camp: “He’s stepping up. He’s made big strides. I would say – it’s almost – spring we were actually hoping for a little bit more of a jump than we got. He did a good job, but man, we get him in camp and now the pads come on, and he’s really growing. And he’s really growing and he’s somebody that man, his just – the run blocking is getting better, the pass protection is starting to show up, and then I swear that guy it’s like man, when you need a play in the pass game it just kind of – he’s where he’s supposed to be, he shows up, he makes the play. It might not always be the cleanest catch, but he catches and he makes it. And so, I like him, man, when you – my vision for a wide tight end is him and that type of player that can mix it up and do the dirty work, but he can make a tough catch, he’s got to be able to catch in traffic, he’s got to – when you need it he’s got to be able to kind of play big-boy ball. So, I like where he’s going. I like his progression.”
On why it is difficult for young tight ends to adapt from college to the NFL level from a blocking perspective: “Yeah, well I think it’s – man, it’s the type of athletes you’re going against, for one thing. And I would say most tight ends lack length relative to the guys they’re blocking. A lot of times if you’re playing most of these defensive ends now, they’re 280 pounds and they have 35-inch arms, 36, and you’re probably – if you’re lucky, you’ll have 34-inch arms, that’s if you’re lucky. Most tight ends are probably 32-inch arms, so the length is already – you got your – you don’t have the size, you don’t have the length, and so man, if you’re not perfect with your technique to get into them, you’re going to struggle, and it’ll be hard to get movement. And so, it takes a ton of fundamental work.”
On what his expectations for Lions DL Aidan Hutchinson are after his preseason debut: “Yeah, just continue to progress. We’ll see what’s next. He – we’ve said it every day he’s been here, there’s just been – he’s just improved a little bit more each time, and he got into the game and did some good things. Now, let’s see how he does against these guys. These are good players now he’s going to be going against, so let’s see what happens out there.”
On why he picked the Colts to conduct joint practices with and if it had to do with Indianapolis’ run game: “Honestly, I think – I think for me, what I was looking for more than all of that right now, that will – that definitely pops into your head like, ‘Man, this will be good to get us something different, a different look than what we’re used to.’ But I think more importantly, you want to trust the partner you’re working with, and I have a ton of respect and a really great relationship with (Colts Head Coach) Frank Reich and (Colts General Manager) Chris Ballard. I’ve known them for a long time, and I just think they do it right, and they’re like we are in terms of, ‘Man, we’re going to do this the right way.’ And we’ll be able to work together and get great work out of this and be smart about what we’re doing, so I think that’s the most important. You can go somewhere and if you don’t exactly what they’re thinking or what they’re doing, and you just go, I think that’s where you can get the all-out brawls and then you spend hours just breaking up fights or fighting. And I’m too old for that, I don’t feel like doing that anymore.”
On how he got to know Colts Head Coach Frank Reich: “I just know him through the League, man I – when I had a chance to I guess reinterview, or interview for the head job at Miami full-time, he was one of the first guys I called. He was at the Chargers, and he was in – things had kind of transpired out there for them. I mean, hell, he had the number one offense, but wasn’t able to keep the job, and so shoot, I called him. We talked for a long time, and I just knew from afar that I had a lot of respect for what he did, what they ran, and then we just kind of talked through over the years. I interviewed for the Colts job with (Colts General Manager Chris) Ballard, and certainly Frank got that job, but we talked about – so I’ve just known him – I’ve known him a long time, kind of through the grapevine, and just have a ton of respect for him.”
On why Lions RB Godwin Igwebuike saw few touches as a kick returner in the preseason game: “No, because we know exactly what he is, and we feel like – and that’s a good thing. We know what he can do, we know what he’s capable of, now let’s get a look at some of these other guys. That’s why we wanted to get a look at (Lions WR) Trinity (Benson) and see if there’s anything else in this building that can do some of that stuff. Same deal with punt return, that’s why we didn’t use (Lions WR Kalif Raymond) Leaf. We know what Leaf can do. And so, let’s see if somebody else can do some of this stuff.”
On if he liked what he saw from the return game against the Falcons: “We did, we really did.”
On if Lions FB Jason Cabinda will be ready to play by Week 1: “It’s tough to say. It’s tough to say right now. It’s certainly going on a little longer than we anticipated, but I – it’s hard to say. I mean I think it’s highly unlikely we see him at Pittsburgh, so what is that window? That’s the best way to probably just say it.”
On what kind of injury Lions FB Jason Cabinda is dealing with: “Ankles.”
On Lions DL Levi Onwuzurike’s injury status: “Same thing, he’s – we’re going a number of guys back this week who we know won’t be ready to practice and just continue to treat them, get them ready, and see if we can get them going for Pittsburgh next week or that week of practice. So, they all kind of fall under the same bucket, I don’t really have a timeline on him.”