LIONS HEAD COACH DAN CAMPBELL TRAINING CAMP DAY SEVEN QUOTE SHEET

LIONS HEAD COACH DAN CAMPBELL TRAINING CAMP DAY SEVEN QUOTE SHEET
July 31, 2024

Opening Statement: “Start with the rough news, we lost (Lions DL John Cominsky) Commish. He’s going to be down for a long time here. And (Lions G Netane) Muti as well, our guard. So, both of them have injuries that are going to knock them out for a while and both will need surgeries, and I hate that for both players. Both of them were having good camps. Cominsky, certainly man, he’s been a part of us for going on three years now and he’s just a steady piece that does things right, works his tail off. So, I hate it, I hate it for him, but I also know he’s going to get it done and he’s going to do everything he can to get back and be ready. Today, two days in pads and these guys got after it. It felt like we got a little bit better here and today will be a jog-through. Ramp them back down before we go back up the next two days. So, it’s really mental work, we’ll have two fields going so that the young guys get plenty of reps, so it’ll be pretty quick, pretty fast, pretty clean and it’s all mental focus for the day.”
On if he feels good about the team’s depth at the edge spot after Lions DL John Cominsky’s injury: “Yeah, you never want to lose a player like that, but yeah, I do think we’re in position to certainly handle this. We feel pretty good about the guys that we have in there. Some of these young guys are developing, they’re coming on. (Lions DL) Levi (Onwuzurike) looks healthy and it’s the healthiest he’s been since he’s been here, and he’s coming on. And certainly, getting (Lions DL Marcus) Davenport, who’s getting more and more reps every day. So yeah, that’s – the bad news is what I’m starting with, the good news is we have pretty quality depth and starters in that room that are continuing to get better.”
On if giving Lions DL Levi Onwuzurike so much work is a stress test to see if he can take on a bigger role: “Well, I would tell you this started in the spring, we kind of mentioned him. He’s earned it, I mean he’s – it’s clear that he’s one of the best. I mean, it’s just clear, and he plays with violence, he’s stout, he’s fundamentally better than he’s ever been, and he’s shown that he has some versatility. Between the big end in base and three-technique, he can play some big end in sub, in nickel, and he’s just earned it. And so, he continues to go, he feels good, and so he’s in a good place.”
On if he notices a sense of urgency now from Lions DL Levi Onwuzurike: “Well, I feel like there’s always been a sense of urgency, it’s just he’s lacked the confidence because the body hadn’t felt right. That’s hard. When you’re doing everything you can but your body’s behind you, you’re trying to drag it along with you, that’s a hard place to be in. So, I would say the mindset is the same, it’s just, now, ‘OK, hey, these work. This works. OK.’ And his confidence is just – it’s going sky high. And look, (Lions Run Game Coordinator and Defensive Line Coach) Terrell (Williams)’s done a phenomenal job with him and that room. I mean, I feel like all of those guys have grown and gotten better across the board.”
On what he has seen from the run game after a couple of days in pads and what he expects from Lions RB David Montgomery and Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs: “Well, I think you – here’s what you see, there’s – you’re always helping offensively, you break a few more runs, you get a few more out of there, and so I think like anything we always start with a heavy load of different types of runs and you see, ‘OK, what can we really hang our hat on or get good at?’ And so really, we haven’t busted some of these out of here. The defense has done a good job, but honestly on offense it’s been one guy. It’s like, ‘Man, we get an unbelievable double team with (Lions G Kevin) Zeitler and (Lions T Penei) Sewell, but yet, man, we don’t get the back side cut off.’ And so, it’s one guy here, it’s one guy there, and the other four or five guys are doing it well. So, look, it’s a work in progress, and really, to get good in the run game you’ve got to have pads on, you’ve got to work it. I mean, we just hit day two, so I have a lot of confidence in what we’re going to be able to do up front. And with our backs, man, with David and then getting Gibbs back – look, Gibbs needs reps. He got hurt in the spring and he’s coming back off of it, he’s in a good spot, but we’ve got to push him. Man, he needs reps, reps, reps.”
On if the plan is to put Lions DL John Cominsky and Lions G Netane Muti on Injured Reserve at roster cut downs so they are eligible to come back at some point in the season: “Well, (Lions Executive Vice President and General Manager) Brad (Holmes) and I are – we talked about this last night and certainly Cominsky, that was what we talked about. Yeah, we’re optimistic and look, and if anybody can do it, anybody can come back and be ready to go late in the season, we know Cominsky will do everything he can to get back. So that’s – tentatively that’s kind of what we’re thinking.”
On if he is encouraged with the defense making plays so far: “I’m very encouraged because I can – I talk to (Lions Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn) AG, obviously daily, but I told him, I said, ‘Man, I can just – you can feel it when you’re in my position.’ And certainly, where you guys are at, you’re kind of seeing the overall picture too. Man, I can feel the defense. I feel our front. You can feel the front is being disruptive. Man, we have violent separation. The backers are playing off of them, downhill, fast, all of them. And then our DBs are challenging and they’re running well, pretty good athletes, and so we’re in a good place. And so, man, I just feel like we’re challenging each other the right way. That’s what you want, right? And you want this back and forth. And so, I love where we’re at. Now, that being said, every day you come off and you’re so happy with one group and then one group you’re not and so there’s always this back and forth. But at the end of the day, you just – you want to know that each group is testing each other because that’s the only way that you’re going to get better on both sides of the ball and I feel like we’re doing that.”
On what he has seen from Lions DL Mathieu Betts so far: “Betts, man, Betts had a good spring. We were excited to see him at the SAM position. That was not what we first thought of with him, it was more just kind of edge, the rush defensive end, and so we threw a lot at him at the SAM and he started off pretty good and then – there’s a lot in there and as the install goes, it’s a new position. I think he’s playing a little bit slower than we would like, so we’re going to take some that off his plate before we start him back up in there a little bit and just let him get his feet back under him. And I can’t say that I’m surprised with that, I mean it is, it’s just – it’s totally new and he’s a good athlete out in space. Man, he’s working at it, he’s getting better and we’re going to dial it a little bit back and get him to where he gets his confidence back up.”
On why it is important to develop a bigger role for players like Lions DL Mathieu Betts and Lions LB James Houston as opposed to locking in on rushing the passer: “Ultimately, it’s about who’s going to the game and so right now you’re developing, but I think you’re also – to me, I’m always looking out at the 46 too and it’s like, ‘Alright, does he make the team? Great. Well, if he does make the team is he ever going to the game?’ Because that has a little bit to do with it as well. And so, man, the more you can do, if he can play the SAM linebacker or certainly a backup linebacker and he can rush as a defensive end and he can play some special teams, well he’s a lock to go to game, there is no question. But if you’re a one-trick pony and you’re OK at that but you really can’t do this and you’re not really playing special teams, then what do we do with him? Then he’s just a backup that’s not going to the game, we’re going to hope that – well you’ve got him if somebody gets hurt and then it’s, ‘Is he good enough?’ So, it’s always going to be that way. The more you can do, your value goes up.”