| Opening statement: “How’s everybody doing? Good. Really, I think only one thing on the roster from a standpoint of practice, Kerryon (Johnson) will be out at practice today. So we’ll get a chance to see him a little bit today and work him back in. We’ll obviously take our time as far as that’s concerned and get him back out there and get him playing football again. We’re excited to have the opportunity to do that. Other than that, we’re into Minnesota. We’re trying to dive into this team and learn what they are and who they are. Really, since last time we’ve played them there are definitely some changes. (Adam) Thielen being the big one on offense, he hasn’t been out there, but they’ve definitely filled in those spots with Irv Smith (Jr.) and some of the different packages that they’re running. You can see a lot more of the stretch run, which is still obviously the number one thing that they do really, really well, and they have some great players in the backfield to do that. Certainly, on the defensive part of it, that team is playing at a very high level on defense. They do a good job with their coverages, their coverage disguises, and they have some great players in the front. Those guys have been playing together for a long time, and I think you really see that through the communication and some of the things that they’re doing from the standpoint of disguise. They’re able to kind of exchange rushes and do some things on the field that are pretty impressive. (It’s) a big challenge in front of us. They’re a really good team, so we have a lot of work to do this week. What do we have?” On the consistency of Vikings QB Kirk Cousins’ play this season: “Yeah, I mean consistency would be the biggest thing from that standpoint. I would say they’re doing a great job of calling plays that fit right into his strong points. Obviously, the run game sets up a lot for the play-action, and the move-the-pocket sort of plays that they’re able to kind of get him out there and get him in space. They have great skill players, they have a lot of speed and he has a strong arm so he can get the ball down the field to those guys, and you see those dynamic plays every single week. I just think he’s doing a really good job. They’re doing a great job of preparing him every single game and putting him in situations where he can make those plays. Those guys are kind of rallying around it, so I think they’re operating at a high level.” On how valuable game reps are for RB Kerryon Johnson and if he and RB Bo Scarbrough complement each other: “I mean, I think it’s always important to play football and practice football, and do everything you can as much as possible, especially if you’re a young player and especially if you’re a player that’s missed some time. I think it’s great to get back out there and have that opportunity to get back to work while we have them because there is a lot of time during the season where we don’t. So, we have a great opportunity in front of us to get better at football, and certainly from Kerryon’s standpoint, that would be great for him to do that. We’ll take full advantage of that as much as we can. You know – look, I think in the run game and in the backfield, you need to have talented players back there, and it’s more than just kind of one guy for the job. I think a lot of teams, and certainly us, we’ll use multiple backs, we’ve used multiple backs, and I think that’s a good thing to have. It puts a lot of pressure on the defense to really try to understand who’s in the game from that standpoint. We always try to have as many good football players as we can.” On how important it is to see RB Kerryon Johnson in practice ahead of next season: “I think it’s just vital for right now. Where we are next year, no one has any idea. I think right now for us, it’s what does he look like today? What does he look like tomorrow? What does it look like next week? We’ll go from there. So I think that’s what’s important for the team and for Kerryon, and again like I said, that practice opportunity is so important. No matter when it pays off, it doesn’t really matter, but anytime you can get out on the field and have those opportunities, it’s important.” On the timeline of when RB Kerryon Johnson could be activated off the Reserve/Injured list:“Yeah, I believe it’s like the last two (games) or whatever that is, something along those line. The exact date is like from the time of activation and all of that stuff.” On how valuable it has been for the Vikings core defensive players to play with each other for several years and the challenges that presents to opposing offenses: “Yeah, I would say kind of all of that is absolutely correct. When you have guys that have played together for a long time in the same system, there are little things that grow on the field from that standpoint, and little nuances that you see that really make things a lot more complex for offenses to try to defend against. They have a great clip – it’s probably one of my favorite clips of (Eric) Kendricks and (Anthony) Barr when you watch the tape. I believe it’s the Dallas game. They’re both walking up into the B-gaps, the tackles are in the A-gaps, and you can see the offensive linemen calling out protections, and they’re pointing to the slide. It’s just subtle, little things that you catch on film – one guy points to himself, like ‘Hey, I’m going on this one.’ The offensive line changes the protection, and then they kind of look at each other, and you know they’re switching who is blitzing on the next play. Dak (Prescott) comes up and he changes the protection entirely, and they just kind of look back at each other and you know they are just switching back-and-forth between which guy is going based on the protection and how they are attacking. That sort of stuff, those subtleties without huge amounts of communication, that takes a while to build that kind of trust, that confidence and things like that. Certainly, those two guys have been playing at a high level together for a long time, so those things are really impressive when you watch on tape. I think from the standpoint of certainly defense and the cohesiveness of a defense, when guys play on the same unit for a long time, a lot of defense is playing off of each other from that standpoint because not everything really fits exoculate how it’s drawn up or exactly how it’s diagramed. In some cases, you really have to know the strengths and the weaknesses of the guys playing next to you. You may know that, ‘Hey, this guy right here is going to have this chance, this opportunity to make this play, and he may take that shot, and I’m going to play off him over here because you’re just used to it at that point.’ It really becomes second nature. I think the other part of it that is really interesting, and I think maybe we’ve talked about this before is just communication in general. When you’ve worked with guys for a long time, you can hear their voice in any crowd at any decibel at any level, which obviously defensively, communication is the biggest thing. It’s critical for us, and those guys I know that with that sort of communication, both verbal and non-verbal, they’re able to kind of get in good position, use the disguises, and kind of trust each other to be there. I think it’s a huge advantage from that standpoint.” On how they can combat the experience of the Vikings defense: “It’s difficult. We have a couple of things that we try to do to combat that, but then they layer on top of what they already do from that standpoint. I think first and foremost, when you play great defenses or great teams, you better have really good fundamentals and better be really structurally sound. Otherwise, they are going to exploit that weakness, maybe that hole or that space that you’re leaving there. They’re going to see it and take advantage of it pretty quick.” On how important it is to be successful against divisional opponents and if the last two games against divisional opponents can carry into next year: “I think for all of us we know how important the division is, that’s the first and foremost, but within each week that game is the most important. It’s a critical game because it’s our next game. That’s certainly how we approach it and things for next year always change. You can’t predict what’s going to happen as far as next year is concerned, from your team to other teams and across the League. What’s most important for us is this week.” On if he is surprised that Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph has had a bounce-back season: “Yeah, great observation. I’m not surprised because he’s a really good player, but I would say you can see how his role has now really grown from that. I think he took that opportunity earlier in the year, where maybe he was doing some other jobs that he hasn’t done in previous seasons, and he took that time to really grow in those roles and get better in those roles. On top of it, and kind of back to where he normally is in the passing game, I think he’s actually made himself a better player overall. I think in general all of that has just turned him into a guy that is critically important to their offense and someone that you can really see the quarterback trusts. The system is built around the tight ends specifically, those are key components of this type of offense, and I think Rudolph is doing a great job. He’s really come a long way.” On former Lions S Glover Quin’s comments about the team: “I didn’t see any of that. I mean, I think our guys fight really hard. I think they fight really hard, and I don’t think there’s really any question about that whatsoever. I really appreciate this group, I appreciate how hard they work. I think everybody that’s in the building right now knows those guys are engaged, they’re working as hard as they can to get better, and we’re a few plays away from being a lot different right now. But the fact is we have to make those plays, that’s really the bottom line. We talk about it all the time, whether it’s coaching or playing, we’re just going to keep fighting through all of that and get better and break through that as soon as we can. Big challenge for us with Minnesota, and we’ll attack it the best we can. They have a good team.” On the play of Vikings TE Irv Smith Jr. in his rookie season and how he has been used in two-tight end sets: “They do, and (Tyler) Conklin has been in there quite a bit, too, so they’re mixing in the ‘13’ personnel with the three-tight end (sets) and stuff. Irv, like I said before, someone we really studied coming out, especially coming out of Alabama, and knowing the ties that I have, and we have down there with that organization. I think he’s really just done a great job of learning the routes and learning the nuances of man coverage in the NFL. It’s a little bit different than maybe college and what you saw coming out. I think his top of the route movement, and how he is able to kind of create separation and leverage from the man-to-man coverage that he’s seeing – a lot of safety, a lot of linebacker coverage that’s a little bit different than what he saw before. I think he’s doing a great job of it. I think they’re putting him in good positions, too. They run a lot of the over routes and the sail complements with the three-level patterns on the outside, and he’s doing a great job of finding that space in both the zones, and then recognizing the leverage of the man coverage and beating that. That’s usually a pretty big part of kind of your first year as a skill player in the NFL. I think he’s doing a good job of that.” LIONS QB DAVID BLOUGH QUOTE SHEETOpening statement on the cause he selected for the My Cause My Cleats campaign: “I wanted to honor Tyler Trent and his life, obviously a good friend of mine. (It’s) a really cool deal – some guys put this together for us, so I thought it’d be sweet to be able to honor Tyler and his life with that. Pretty sweet.” On watching himself on tape for the first time in an NFL game: “Yeah, I think your first performance I think there is a lot to learn. I definitely did some things well, but when you go back and look, there are for sure some things that I wish I had back. Things that I could improve on and I look forward to over whatever the rest of the season holds. A good start, but definitely a lot to improve on. It was fun to see the guys have my back and lifting me up.” On what he specifically would like to improve on: “Yeah, I think we were explosive. I think there were some big plays that we were able to capitalize on, but I think there were some things that obviously teams will see in the future. They saw that maybe I struggled with some of the protection stuff and it cost us late in the game, and that’s on me as a player to be able to understand those things. Going forward those are things that I look to improve, and the guys and the coaches have done a great job of having my back and making sure I know what I need to.” On how difficult it is to understand the game plan and improve as a player: “Yeah, I think as a player you want to improve in everything you do. I think since Week 1 that’s been my goal since I’ve been here. I’ve had great people to look from. Matthew (Stafford) has been incredible to just follow his lead and his example, and that’s a kind of guy you want to emulate. Then learning the game plan every week and being specific and that has been great. The coaches have put me in a great position to succeed.” On what he could have done to avoid the third-down sack in the fourth quarter: “Yeah, there are ways we make calls, and I made the wrong one in the instance. Those things fall on you as a player, and it’s good to learn from going forward.” On if he anticipates it will be more difficult playing against teams now that they have tape on him: “Yeah, I think people will see what you do well and what you don’t do well, and they try to play to your weakness. It’s critical of myself to evaluate myself and see how I’ve done and know what to expect going forward. I think that’s in every level of football, and now it’s fun that it’s going to be up against some great coaches on the other side. I look forward to improving every week and giving my best and helping the team win.” On facing the Vikings defense: “Those guys are some of the best around and getting to play against them already once definitely helps, but they’ll have something in for us. They’ve been fantastic all year, so good players all over the place, and we’ll be looking forward to the challenge though.” On being able to highlight Tyler Trent and play in his cleats: “You know, I think I said it, maybe almost five or six weeks ago, I didn’t even know if I would get to wear them in the position that I was in. Now to be able to wear them after last week with all the attention for Tyler is just special. It brings light to his legacy, his life, his story, what he stood for and I hope with my actions and play that that can be well represented.” On the attention he received after his first start: “Well, that was just a lot of friends and family reaching out. It was fun, obviously, it would have been a lot more fun if we would have won. That’s the goal and at the end of the day that’s your job as a quarterback, and so that would have made it more special than it was. I hope to get that started soon.” On how many new friends he made: “It was just a lot of text messages from family and friends. I’m incredibly thankful for the support that I have had over my career, and still going forward, it’s pretty special.” On how his debut was viewed back in his hometown in Texas: “You know, I think I grew up as a kid, Thanksgiving at the cousins, football is on whether it was the Lions or the Cowboys. Every Thanksgiving that’s what I grew up with, and so I know they were watching, and they said they were ecstatic. Obviously, the first quarter when things were going great, everybody was so excited. We’re just thankful for the opportunity. I am, and I don’t take it for granted. I’m planning to give everything I’ve got.” On how different this week of practice is compared to last week: “It definitely helps. You get all of those reps with the first-team guys and just last week kind of going through the week, the walkthrough, things like that. This helps as you get comfortable with (Danny) Amendola, and ‘Marv’ (Marvin Jones Jr.), and all of those guys and Kenny (Golladay) – just some more comfortable you can get, the more reps you can get, the better it gets. It’s been good.” On if anything about his first NFL start surprised him: “I mean, the pocket was incredible. I remember sitting back there thinking – it had to have been a couple minutes left in the first half, and I don’t think I had even been touched yet. I remember sitting there thinking – ‘Man, this is Khalil Mack!’ I’m thinking how great (Taylor) Decker and Rick (Wagner) and those guys were playing, and that was cool. Those guys – going back and watching the tape how they graded it out, it was fun to be able to stand back there behind those guys and know they had my back.” On if he was more or less nervous than he anticipated in his first NFL start: “Probably about what I expected, but you get on the field and all of that stuff kind of fades. Obviously, that first one to hit and you get excited and then you come back down to Earth a little bit, and you realize you have a long way to go left in the game. It was special for sure, but now you get to build on it.” On if more of the playbook is open to him now after playing in his first game: “I think we’ll use our full inventory and playbook. We think our game plan is going to work for Minnesota and (Offensive Coordinator Darrell Bevell) ‘Bev’ has done a fantastic job all year playing to his players’ strengths. Whatever he thinks is best is what we’re going to do, and he completely understands that if I’m not comfortable with something, then he doesn’t want it to be in. He’s a big believer in the quarterback needs to be comfortable with what he’s calling, so we have conversations about that. Matthew (Stafford) does, Jeff (Driskel) does, all of the guys do. Yeah, we’re excited.” On if his cleats for My Cause My Cleats were planned out or if it was last minute: “Yeah so, set up through my agency and there’s – True Blue Customs made them. I think they’re out of Kentucky. They did an awesome job. This one is (inaudible) the other one is with the tribute to the V Foundation. Everything that’s raised through it will go through Tyler’s endowment through the V Foundation. I’m pumped. I’m really pumped. His parents are. It’s been really cool to be a part of over the last year.” On the challenges that Vikings LB Eric Kendricks and LB Anthony Barr present and the back-and-forth nature of changing calls at the line of scrimmage: “I think with how long they’ve been able to play together. They have a great chemistry and understand some of the calls that we try to make. They’re smart players. They make their own calls based off of it. We’ll be ready for that. We had a good plan for it the last time we played them. We need to take advantage of our opportunities just like, we hear things on the field and the same as if they hear things on the field – try to get us. That’s something that they’ve done to everybody. The instance with Dak (Prescott) is pretty funny. If you watch it on tape, they go back-and-forth a couple times. I think, we have to be comfortable understanding what our responsibilities are in each situation.” On if he enjoys the changing strategies that happens during the game: “Honestly, I think that’s my favorite part of it – being able to compete at this stage is the strategy. I was a kid who grew up and you love the game, and I’ve kind of really enjoyed the being with the highest level of thinkers. (Lions Head Coach Matt) Patricia in the Super Bowl. (Offensive Coordinator Darrell) Bevell in the Super Bowl. You go and game plan, and they can tell stories of great players and great plays that have been made and the strategy that has just evolved over time. That’s what I enjoy about the game. I’ll be excited to go up against (Vikings Head Coach Mike) Zimmer and (Defensive Coordinator George) Edwards and just give everything we have.” On if he is aware how badly the team wants to win: “We understand. Every week we’re going to give everything we have to go and make sure we win for the city and for each other. We fight for one another, and that’s what this whole brotherhood and team is all about.” VIKINGS HEAD COACH MIKE ZIMMER CONFERENCE CALL QUOTE SHEET (WITH DETROIT MEDIA)On QB Kirk Cousins’ consistency this season: “I think he’s played very well. Each week he seems to continue to build on everything that he’s been doing. He’s taking good care of the football; he’s making some great throws. I think the things that we’re trying to do with him helped with his game, and he’s really bought it in to everything we’re trying to do.” On QB Kirk Cousins’ consistency this season amongst teammates’ injuries: “Yeah, and that’s kind of how he’s been all season long, just focused on what his job is and how we can move the ball whether it be through the air or the run. But he’s been very focused on, really everything that he has to do and not kind of worried about all the outside things.” On RB Dalvin Cook’s shoulder injury: “Yeah, we’ll see.” On CB Trae Waynes’ progress this season: “I think Trae has become much more aware of really all the little things that the corner has to know. The down-and-distances, where his help is – initially it was just, ‘I’m going to go out here, and I’m going to do this,’ and now I feel like he’s a lot more aware of his help, the weaknesses in the coverage, the strength in the coverages, formations, all the different things that you get – what the good corners do.” On if he and WR Adam Thielen had an issue with the close proximity of the endzone stadium wall at Ford Field due to Thielen’s injury that occurred there: “No, I don’t have an issue with it, and I don’t think they’re going to move the wall for us.” On if WR Adam Thielen blamed the close proximity of the endzone stadium wall for his injury at Ford Field: “He never said that to me, no.” On if RB Alexander Mattison has played better than expected as a rookie: “Yeah, probably. We thought he was going to be good when we drafted him. We didn’t know probably how good he was, I guess. We feel like we found one there. He runs hard, he runs with his pad fully. You kind of know those things, but you don’t really know until you see him against NFL people. He’s done a really good job. He’s been on point with protections and other things that he has to do. He’s been a really good kid, has taken good care of the football, runs hard, and we’re happy that we have him.” On what he liked about Offensive Coordinator Kevin Stefanski to keep him on the staff when he was hired as the Vikings Head Coach and how he has progressed: “Kevin had a lot of good recommendations when I got here. His dad is a GM, so he’s been around sports all the time. He’s very smart. He’s an Ivy League guy, very hard worker. Then as his time has grown, I’ve given him different responsibilities, whether it would be the running backs or tight ends or quarterbacks, now offensive coordinator. I think he sees the game kind of how I see it. Then he’s done a nice job of mixing the calls in, and also, I think (Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Advisor) Gary Kubiak has really helped him understand more about just calling plays, more about game management and things like that as well.” On his impression of Lions QB David Blough: “I thought he did well against Chicago. He threw the ball well, he scrambled to make plays. One of the guys on our staff coached him at the East-West (Shrine) Game and talked about how smart he is, talked about his arm, talked about a lot of those things. We’re trying to do as much homework on him as we can, but we have a lot of respect for him just like we do every other NFL quarterback. They’ve all won a lot of games in their career, and we’re just hoping that we play well on Sunday.” On his impression of Lions RB Bo Scarbrough: “Yeah, he’s done a nice job. He runs hard. He has good bounce to the perimeter, goes between the tackles well. I think he’s done a good job of protection as well. Then I talked to a guy this morning that saw him at Alabama when they were recruiting him, so again we’re trying to do all the homework we can on every one of these guys. But I think he’s added a lot to their run game, along with (J.D.) McKissic. I think he’s done a nice job getting first downs and moving the chains as well.” On if they have created an offensive blueprint to face the Lions defense and if he sees something that the Lions defense is struggling with since they last played them: “No, not really. I think they have really good personnel, especially in the back end with – well, I think they have good personnel everywhere, but you talk about (Darius) Slay and (Justin) Coleman and (Tracy) Walker and (Tavon) Wilson, those guys are all pretty good players. They’ll get up in your face and challenge you. I think every game is different. I don’t know that we ever started anything. We might have hit some plays on them, but I think they’re pretty good. When you look at Slay as one of the best corners in the League and Coleman has really improved and gotten better all the time. He’s doing a good job. We have a lot of respect for them.” On if he has to refocus his team when they are playing a struggling opponent: “No, I don’t think so. It’s a division game, it’s important to us. We lost last week. We have to win games, and we have to go out and execute and do the things we have to do to win games. Trust me, we have all the respect in the world for the Lions and what they’re able to do and the players that they have.” Detroit Lions Communications222 Republic DrAllen Park, MI 48101 Click here to manage your preferences or to unsubscribe. |
