August 2, 2019
Opening statement: “We’re very excited to be here tonight. Have a little bit of Friday night lights down at our stadium with our team and our great friends. We’re super excited to see everybody. I know the team has had a great day in anticipation of this. For us, it’s another great opportunity to get in to our stadium – feel the energy of the fans. Another great opportunity for us to compete. Like I mentioned the other day, we’re at a point now where I think we’ve installed a lot as far as the game is concerned. A lot of different situational football – first down, second down, third down, two-minute, regular down-and-distance, run and play actions, drop backs – all that stuff is in. Try to get as many repetitions as we can as a normal game. It will be controlled though. It will be something we are going to try to set up different situations and put as much pressure on everybody as we can, and just keep pushing towards getting ready to play a real game next week. We’re excited to be here tonight.”
On if the atmosphere is similar to a joint practice: “The energy definitely ramps up, especially with our fans being in the building and just being in our home stadium. Any time you walk into this stadium you can feel the excitement, the energy, and that’s what everyone is looking forward to.”
On what this practice means for FB Nick Bawden: “I think it means a lot to a lot of the guys. It takes everybody a long time to get to this position. I think Nick is unbelievable. He loves this game. He’s passionate about it, and when you go through something like that, it’s definitely a reminder of how difficult this is, and he appreciates that every day. He’s just got to keep working to get better and grind it out, but it’s certainly good to see him out on the football field. I know last year – it’s long but he approached it the right way and had his head down just grinded it out and trying to learn as much as possible.”
On the decision to activate CB Darius Slay from Non-Football Injury list: “Those situations with guys that are coming back or working through things – we have a protocol in place that we go through, and there’s certainly still protocol to be had with the whole situation. You never just kind of throw someone right out there. You have to think about everybody that’s been on the practice field, how much more involved they’ve been with different drills or different situations and guys’ movements and things like that. It’s just good to have him get out and do some drills and things like that and be able to see him. We certainly are going to do everything we can to have him out there as much as we can, but also be smart about the entire situation because we know it’s a long year.”
On if a player will play next week if they are not active by today or tomorrow: “It’s not necessarily a situation where we won’t use them. It just depends on what the drills are, what the – it’s not all of it’s going to be just team period. There will be some individual periods, there will be some group stuff, where we’re working just with ourselves. We’ll be able to get some of those drills in. We might have a guy that might take some of the individual specific fundamental work against another team, and you might ease him into some of the team work or not. It just depends on all the individual cases.”
On what it means to have CB Darius Slay back on the field: “It means everything anytime we get anybody that’s on our team that isn’t out there practicing. They come back, and they’re excited to be out there, and we’re excited to have them. We’re just always focusing on the guys on the field and trying to make sure they are improving. It’s a great team game, and it’s all about having everybody out there working together.”
On if it’s certain that CB Darius Slay is an important part to the defense: “I think everybody is important. It all has to work together. That’s why football is football.”
On if there is a certain criteria he is hoping to see from the team tonight: “Yeah, when we go back and evaluate it, I think there are certain things that we’ll hopefully set up that we’re going to look for and certainly from the standpoint of execution and communication – that will be a big part of it for us, and making sure we are executing at a high level with those things. I think some of the situations can stress the team out a little bit, and that’s what we’re trying to do because the more we can simulate that in practice then hopefully the better we respond in the game.”
On if it’s good timing having a scrimmage tonight: “Yeah it’s actually worked out great. It’s been good for us. I certainly enjoy doing this on a Friday as opposed to any other night. Everybody has an opportunity to come out so it should be a good weekend event.”
On what his best story is about former New England Patriots CB Ty Law: “Ty Law is awesome. I know Ty really well. He lived in the New England area, was around all the time (when) I was with him. Obviously early on in my career. Extreme competitor – he’s an unbelievably tough guy. Someone to me that was just one of those guys that was around that really just dominated his position. Dominated a game. Some of those plays he made and some of the biggest moments just shows you how clutch, how key, and what a critical player he was in those big games. He’s just an even better person. Like I said, I’ve kept up a really strong relationship with him since. He’s always asking how my family is and asking how things are going. Just really involved in each other’s lives. Super excited for him. So happy for him, and just a great example for everybody.”
On if he will be able to go to Canton, Ohio for the 2019 Enshrinement Ceremony for the Pro Football Hall of Fame: “I unfortunately will not be able to get to go. We’re going to stay here and concentrate on getting ready for next week, but I’m certainly thinking about him all day.”
On if there is anything, he doesn’t want the players to do on the new turf: “I think it actually is a good point – another reason for us to come down here tonight. There is so much to get use to with different field surfaces and different footwear that we can use in it. I told the guys, ‘We’re going to bring all the footwear that we have. Find something that is comfortable.’ I wanted to try to get that done before we get to next Thursday. Every field is different no matter – ‘This is the same turf as another stadium,’ but it’s not. It’s all about the fill and how much – how it’s installed. There are so many little details to the surface that we’re just trying to get familiar with it.”
On if he had any influence in replacing the turf: “It was just in progress.”
On the importance of getting the rookies acclimated to Ford Field: “100 percent – especially at home. Even just our locker room. We have a game day routine that we try to go through from a standpoint of getting ready, getting warmed up. It’s going to be different here then it is at our facilities. Whether it’s the hot tubs, the cold tubs, the training room, the area where we stretch guys out and get warmed up. It’s really important for them to get down here and get a visual of the stadium itself. Where the clocks are. Where’s the play clock? That’s important. These are things that we usually do when we go to opponent stadiums. We go out early and we check out the lights. Certainly, being indoors, but all indoor stadiums have different light structures how they affect the ball when it’s in the air. Some of them, the lights just themselves – the glare that comes off them from that standpoint. It’s just another opportunity for us to get comfortable in our home stadium. Especially, like you said, for the guys that are new that haven’t had an opportunity to play here before. This is exciting. This is new. This is great. They’re going sure be wide eyed for a little while, then we’re going to have to dial them back in and make sure they are paying attention to what’s going on on the field.”
