July 28, 2023
Opening Statement: “Alright, obviously we had the day off yesterday, we’ve got pads today. First full-padded practice, so this is good. This is always the exciting time of the year, and this is really where we find out physically, the guys that can play some ball a little bit, or at least where it begins. So, this is good. We’re ready.”
On the severity of Lions G Halapoulivaati Vaitai’s injury that kept him from practicing on Wednesday: “Yeah, he actually took a shot in the back more than, ‘Oh I got torqued,’ whatever. He kind of got a – so he was just a little sore. He’ll be back out there today, see what he does. He’ll have some limited reps, but he’s back.”
On when he expects Lions DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson to return from injury: “No, not yet, he’s improving. I would say that for really all three of those guys he, (Lions WR) Marvin (Jones Jr.), (Lions WR Jameson Williams) Jamo, they’re improving it’s just – I know they won’t be out there today and I think it’s kind of day-to-day at this point.”
On when Lions CB Emmanuel Moseley will report to training camp: “He’ll be back Monday. He’ll be back Monday.”
On if Lions CB Emmanuel Moseley had a successful surgery: “I don’t want to answer that.”
On what he is looking for from the players on the first day of pads: “Yeah, I think – really, it’s all the things that we’ve been teaching in individual, the group settings, the fundamentals, techniques. You’re doing all that without pads and you want to see – nothing should change now with the pads, I guess is kind of the point. So, they’ve been taught the foundation, alright, well now you’ve got shoulder pads and honestly, that’s the biggest difference is shoulder pads. Yeah, we wear pads in our pants, that’s for protection, the pads, though, up top is to be able to use those a little bit. They’re protection, but you use them too. You’re just looking to see that fundamentally, are these things carrying over into pads I think that’s – or is it just all it doesn’t look anything like what they’ve been taught over the spring and in the first four practices because now it’s become more intense and more physical.”
On how exciting it is to see the rookies in pads for the first time: “Yeah, but I think – yes, always, because you want to know what it looks like with better competition and how they react to it. But here’s the thing, the bar is very low for the rookies starting today. It just is because this is the first time they’ve been in this level of competition in full pads, so I anticipate some of those guys not looking as good, which is fine because tomorrow they should be better and then the next time they should be better, better, better. So, this is their first taste of that, but I think also just any of these young developmental players, the guys that were here last year that were young players man, you want to see growth. You want to see that they look like they belong, so I just think, I think this is good. This is what football is. You play the game in pads, so.”
On when Lions DB Brian Branch will return to practice from his injury: “Yeah, he’ll be back out there today.”
On the severity of Lions DB Brian Branch’s injury: “Oh, he’s just got a foot. I don’t feel like it’s serious. I don’t feel like it’s serious.”
On the progress he has seen in Lions LB Jack Campbell and how he thinks it will translate into wearing pads: “He’s growing. He’s growing. Mentally, there’s just little details to the game that you see from spring to the first four practices. His details have gotten better. His communication’s gotten better. He does not make the same mistake twice. So from that standpoint, it’s good. I think – so he’s growing and getting better. I think, to that point, I would anticipate – look, he’s going to be plenty tough and physical enough, but now here you go, man, first day of pads, you get in there with the ones a little bit, he and (Lions LB Derrick) Barnes sprinkle in and out where you’re going against (Lions G) Jonah (Jackson), (Lions C) Frank Ragnow at a second level, so that’s going to be a little different. It’s a little different than playing Indiana. So, but there again, it’s day one. So, but he – there is growth, and you can see it, we can see it and there’s nothing that would tell us that just because we put pads on, it’s not going to continue to go that way.”
On his expectations for the development the defensive line: “Yeah, I think more than anything, D-line, do your job. The fundamentals, the technique need to show up. It’s one of the reasons why we’ve got (Lions Defensive Line Coach) John Scott (Jr.) here. I think everything starts – when you start talking about up front, everything starts with the fundamentals of how you play the position inside-out and stopping the run. And then you go from there, you build from there, as it pertains to pass-rush. But I think the fundamentals need to show up, our hands, our pad level, our strike, our shed, the violent shed, I think – that’s what I’m looking for, inside-out, period. All those guys, do your job, do what you’re asked because if we do that, we have enough right now, I believe that. It’s early, I’ve got it, but we’ll see.”
On what he remembers about his first day in pads as a rookie: “There’s a lot going on. There’s a lot going on. I think rookies burn at such a higher rate, I know I did because you’re trying to prove yourself. You’re new and you’re just trying to figure out, alright drill-to-drill, now we are in pads and you’re trying to make an impression, but you’re also trying to do what your coach tells you to do, so there’s a lot of times – and I know for me, I was a little out of control. I was a little out of control. I was on the ground a couple of times and so everything that I thought I was doing was actually making it worse, right, so you’re just, you’re trying to do so much that you leave the field and you’re like, ‘I’m awful. I will never play in this League.’ But I just remember that – and I remember the speed of everything because that’s the thing, they’ve gotten spring and then really these first four days was a different intensity than even spring and now today is going to be, for the new guys, it’ll be a totally different level of intensity, so it’ll get on them. It should. But, there’s nothing like it though.”
On how long it took him to realize that he was capable of playing in the League: “I don’t know, four years? No, it takes a couple of weeks. It takes two or three weeks. It did for me, anyway, to be like, ‘Alright,’ – because there’s so much of it from this physical, but the mental too. You’re trying to absorb and digest the gameplan and all these installs that go in it and then the fundamentals, the details of each play and what you’re – and so then you think too much about all of that stuff, then you forget – you’re taking the right step and you get your head knocked off because you’re, ‘I’m taking the right step,’ but you forget to be physical and just cut it loose and go and it’s all part of it.”
On what he has seen from Lions DL Brodric Martin and his expectations for him: “Yeah, he’s young, he’s raw and we knew that when we got him. He’s young and he’s raw, but there again, we see improvement. He’s got to drop his pads, he plays too high right now, but you can see a guy who’s working through it. He’s working, his footwork’s getting better and this will be another level of growth for him today, this will – you play high without pads, then you play high in pads, it’s going to be even worse, but he knows that and he’ll just – we just keep hitting him on it, but he’s no different than any of these rookies, really. I’ve seen some growth from spring through the first four practices, but he’s raw. He’s got a long way to go.”
On what Lions DL Brodric Martin has done to earn him first-team reps so early as a rookie: “Well, I think he’s no different than what we just talked about. We see a guy who – we see a level of growth. And then with his size, his length and his strength, you want to see if you can get him to come along a little quicker, potentially. I think that’s what it is. If we saw a player that up to this point was not growing and you’re afraid he’s going to get somebody hurt by being in there, we’re not going to do it. Like, we know he’s going to go in there and he’s going to get trucked every play and rolled-up and somebody else is going to fall over him and then that guy is going to fall over – you don’t put him in there, but I think we feel like he can begin to at least get a little work in there. Because the faster he can get work in and have to go through that and the more that early he gets trucked, or gets worked and gets moved, man it’ll be so good for him, for any of those guys. That’s the best way to grow, is to get exposed, is to get exposed and then you learn from it.”
On the growth he has seen in Lions T Penei Sewell: “Yeah, he’s – and look, I can’t say enough great things about Sewell I mean he’s – there’s a reason why he was the first pick we had two years ago because we wanted to build around a guy like him. He’s our foundation. He’s one of those pillars that we talk about. But I mean he is something else. He’s a man on a mission. I feel like we’re a team on a mission, but he is a man on a mission and you talk about being wired right, a guy that comes in every day, puts in the work and he’s got so much ability, but he’s got the right attitude too and I think that’s what makes him dangerous if you’re the opponent, so he’s right where he needs to be. If he loses, it bothers him bad, and that’s what you want. You want a guy who believes that there’s no way he should lose any rep, no matter who he’s playing and – so he’s shown up, he’s in shape, he’s lean, he’s mean and I’m glad he’s ours.” |
