December 10, 2020
Opening Statement: “I’m sure you saw – we released that Trey Flowers is our nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year (award). Couldn’t be happier for a guy that does so much for our team in a lot of ways. I know he’s very active in his community. He’s also active here in Detroit. He’s really been a little bit more of an outspoken leader here, particularly this spring in terms of social injustices and things that were happening. I mean, he really kind of stepped forward. He’s not a man of a lot of words, but when he spoke up, a lot of the guys were listening. So, it’s great to see him get that recognition that he deserves, because he does so much.”
On why WR Kenny Golladay was not placed on Reserve/Injured this season: “I probably can’t give you all of the insight because it’s been so many weeks back. I just know where we’re at right now at this point. But Kenny, like I said yesterday, Kenny’s progressing. There’s a lot of working on the side, and there’s times that we’ll see him out there on the field trying to get work. But he’s doing everything that he can to get back. Just as far as the timeframe, I can’t give you enough information on that.”
On his memories of Packers QB Aaron Rodgers in their one season together and if he anticipated his career unfolding the way it has: “Well first, you’re probably going to think it’s easy to say, but absolutely I did. I remember breaking down the Draft that year and Aaron was my top-rated guy for us there. I don’t know how we had him rated as a team – won’t talk about that – but as far as how I had them, Aaron was the No. 1 guy. I saw him as a guy that would be able to come in and play right away if he needed to. We were so far down in the Draft (that I) didn’t think that was going to be a possibility for us, but I thought if you were a team picking early, that he would definitely be a guy that could help you. We ran a system that would enable him to play quickly, and then all of the skillsets that he has, I think they’re showing up every single day. He’s playing as well as any quarterback (has) ever played in this League.”
On if he has a mantra for the team to keep playing hard regardless of anything else: “That’s the thing that we’re trying to instill, is to do exactly that, is to make sure that you don’t measure the game. You can come out and the team can have – you’ve seen it before. You get great momentum with an opening kickoff for a touchdown, and you lose 35-7. Or you get up 21-0 at half, and you lose 28-21. It doesn’t really matter how you start, although you want to start well. But it does matter how you finish, whether that you can break it down to a play, you can break it down to a quarter, to a half, and all the way until the end of the game. So that’s what I’m trying to instill in these guys, ‘Don’t measure it.’ It helps you from avoiding the emotions that you can get caught up in in the game. It’s just play the next play, let’s go, let’s have a great time doing it, and then at the end, when that clock hits 0:00, that’s the time that you look up there and see how the game went. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
On how RB D’Andre Swift came out of yesterday’s practice since it seems to be a day-to-day situation: “It really is, and I thought yesterday was one of the better days that he had. So, I liked where he was at. Got to see how he progresses through this day in terms of all the meetings and things that we go through first, and then we’ll get him back out there on the field and see the carryover from yesterday. There’s a little bit of different things. One is obviously coming back from the illness, but also with the time that he’s had off, getting your body going again, how much soreness do you have, all those kind of things that can go into that as well. We’re just really taking that day-by-day.”
On if he anticipates RB D’Andre Swift being full-go when he returns to the field or if he will be eased into the game-flow: “I think it’s just different in terms of – if we were talking last week, he would have only had an opportunity to maybe get a little bit of reps at the very end of the week. So, I think it all depends on the day, how much practice he was able to have during that week because you put different parts of the game-plan in. If you only get to practice on the end of the week on a Friday, then it’s probably going to be a little bit more of a limited role. If you get a full week’s practice, then there’s going to be, obviously, more opportunity for you to do more.”
On CB Jeff Okudah’s status as it relates to a shoulder or groin injury: “I think the groin’s been one that he’s been battling. He also had the shoulder from – I think it was the Carolina game, if I remember correctly. That thing’s kind of subsided, but as we were doing other things, the groin kind of became more of an issue. That’s what we’re working with right now.”
On his best Packers QB Aaron Rodgers story and how his relationship with him developed: “Oh wow – best story of Aaron? It was just that first year that I was there with him, the year that we draft him. I thought it was a great experience for me – two younger guys, obviously with this veteran player that we had that was as big as the game is, to be able to watch him and be able to learn. So Aaron and I were a little bit close that way because we were kind of the, I don’t know if it’s ‘newer guys’ or whatever, but I remember bringing him in the day that we drafted him. We flew him in, kind of giving him a little tour. I thought our relationship was good. I have to be honest, I think somewhere there in the middle, you know when I left and then went to Minnesota, I don’t think the relationship was very good anymore. Understandably why, right? Obviously have a ton of respect for him, everything that he’s doing, really as I said, is not a surprise to me. I got to see his work ethic firsthand, got to see how smart he was, obviously I understood some of the skill sets from watching him on tape and then watching him practice. His accuracy, his ability to move, the way his mind is, that he thinks, he’s able to get in and out of things and get yourself in the best play, so yes, it was a great time working with him.”
