LIONS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR BEN JOHNSON QUOTE SHEET
September 2, 2023
On his inspiration and process for developing creative plays: “It’s a collaborative effort. It’s the whole coaching staff, it’s not any one person. We’ve talked, I think in the springtime, about how fortunate we are to have so many guys from different backgrounds. Even, we lost some coaches this offseason, we brought some new faces in and that’s really critical for us as an offense to continue to evolve and push the limits of what we can do scheme-wise. And so, I think it’s all of us. I’ve got a lot of trust in (Lions Offensive Line Coach) Hank Fraley in the run game. He and I see it really the same way. We’ve been together now – this is going on year five and really (Lions Head) Coach (Dan) Campbell, everything starts with him and trickles down to the rest of us, how he wants a game to play out. So, once we get those guidelines, it’s up to the staff to get good ideas in, ‘Hey, how can we attack the defense?’ And then, we just try to narrow it down to, ‘Where can we put our guys in positions from there?’ But yeah, there might be some motions, or some shifts or some movement, some window dressing, but really at the end of the day it’s everyone all on deck and we’re just trying to find sound ways to attack the defense.”
On the wildest person or place he has gotten an idea from for a creative play: “We were – I think we were practicing against Jacksonville just a couple weeks ago and it’s the special teams period, and one of the officials walked up to me and he had – I still have the diagram in my office. It’s a piece of – he’s got 11 guys written up and he literally took the entire special teams period, it was over five minutes talking about how this play would work out, so. That’s probably been the coolest setting that I’ve been – I mean we’re right in the middle of practice and he went off on a tangent. It’s a good idea. It’s a little bit out of the box. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen it happen before, but.”
On whether or not he will tell the media if he uses the creative play an official suggested during training camp: “Yeah, I’ll let you – I have to give credit where credit is due.”
On how Chiefs DT Chris Jones’ status on game day will impact the offensive game plan: “Yeah, I mean he jumps off the tape right away. I mean you feel him out there when you watch their tape from last year. So, we do certainly if he’s playing, we have to account for him each and every play, but in terms of how we’re approaching this game, I don’t think it’s going to change how we’re going about business right now. I think going in early into a game preparation week right now, we feel really good about where we’re at in our process and we’ll continue to dive through the tape and come up with some good thoughts.”
On how concerned he is with their ability to create a deep passing game like last year: “I think that can come from a number of different positions. It doesn’t necessarily have to be the receiver spot, but I feel comfortable with what we’ve done here in training camp that we’ve got plenty of guys that can stretch the field vertically, so I’m not really concerned about that early in the season here. I think we’re going to be just fine in being selective in when we do target the deep area.”
On what he is doing when he goes to sit by himself on the bench after an offensive series: “I can’t give away all my secrets. No, I take a little bit of time – within a drive, sometimes I can get a little emotional either way, highs and lows, so before I talk to anybody I just want to make sure that I’m seeing that series as it unfolded and not necessarily a reaction that I might’ve had, good play or bad play. But it’s to collect my thought for the next series. Are they doing anything that I wasn’t expecting? Certainly, during the preseason, I kind of keep a distance and let the coaches coach. I become a little bit more active during the regular season though in terms of talking to any position group.”
On how the atmosphere of Arrowhead Stadium may impact the offense: “Yeah, I think everybody’s been embracing this opportunity for some time now. It’ll certainly be – for the guys who have never been to Arrowhead, it’s a unique experience. (Lions Head) Coach (Dan) Campbell was talking about it this morning to the unit, just about how special this place is. It’s probably top five in terms of, call it historical significance in the NFL. You feel different when you play on the road in Arrowhead. So, it’ll be great for our young guys to get out there for the first time, heck I don’t even think (Lions QB) Jared (Goff)’s played in Arrowhead yet, so I know he’s excited about that opportunity. And I think really, it’s fun, whether it’s Arrowhead or not, to go on the road and play because that environment, the adversity that you face, it is loud, there’s energy, but that’s part of the competition. I think our guys really rise up to the challenge when faced with that.”
On if there is a sense to prove something with the offense this year: “I think every week we’re trying to prove ourselves. Nothing really changes there. We can do well one week and not so well the next week. That happened last year to us. We had a couple games where we weren’t quite as productive on offense so each and every week is its own challenge. Just because we’re on the road game one, I don’t think that changes anything. We have high expectations. We want to do really well here on offense. I think we have a talented group of players that have experience and are really looking forward to the opportunity to show our growth from year one of this offense to year two.”
On how excited he is to have his top five offensive line play together for the first time in his tenure with the franchise: “Love it. Love it.”
On his level of comfort in having his top five offensive line playing together for the first time in his tenure with the franchise: “Yeah, it’s my blankey. It’s (Lions QB) Jared (Goff)’s blankey. I mean, those guys, they’re good, they’re special, they really are. They’re one of the top units in the League and I think we’ve always felt that way inside the building, this year we really need to come out and prove that to the rest of the League. And I think they understand that and they’re looking forward to it.”
On if Lions G Halapoulivaati Vaitai won the starting right guard position: “We’ve got six guys that we believe are starters, or at least I believe that. Six guys that can go out at any time and function at a really, really high level. And I’m not saying the guys that – (Lions T) Matt Nelson, or (Lions OL) Colby (Sorsdal) or some of the younger guys aren’t there because we do have confidence in them too, but feel really good about the top six and I’m not going to say who’s going to be the starter, I just know I have a lot of confidence in Big V and (Lions OL) Graham (Glasgow).”
On the possibility of both Lions G Halapoulivaati Vaitai and Lions OL Graham Glasgow seeing game action: “Could see a lot of things.”
On if he was here when they had a guard rotation: “Yes, I was here for that.”
On what he learned about rotating the offensive line in games: “Yeah, I think it is a challenge to get in a rhythm when you’re getting in and out of series, but these guys are professionals so when they’re number’s called, they’re going to be ready to go.”
On his biggest areas to grow as a coordinator and coach this year: “That’s a good question and I like to keep some of that close to the vest to be honest with you. I’m learning every single day from the people I’m around, it doesn’t matter if you’re a player or a coach. And to me, that’s what makes coming to work so much fun. I love it. I love it every day. I learn from (Lions Head) Coach (Dan) Campbell, I learn from the offensive coaching staff, I learn from (Lions Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn) AG, (Lions Special Teams Coordinator) Dave Fipp, the players, just across the board. So, yeah, we’re all learning, we’re all growing. I’d like to think I’ll be better this year than I was last year, but I know that I’ll also make some mistakes and the guys around me are going to have to compensate for that and as long as we’re a tight-knit group, which I believe we are, I think we’re going to be in great shape.”
On what the Kansas City defense does well: “Yeah, I think – not talking about schematics but personnel-wise, I think the guys that show up or flash the most on tape right away are the linebackers. They are sideline-to-sideline, they play super fast. (Chiefs LB Nick Bolton) 32’s I think one of the – probably one of the more underrated linebackers in the NFL. He’s doing a really nice job. (Chiefs LB Willie Gay Jr.) 50 shows up. Their backend has been really stingy in terms of limiting explosive plays. And so, I think we’ve got our hands – or we’ve got our work cut out for us to be honest with you, trying to find some of those explosives, particularly in the passing game, because they do such a good job limiting those. And then up front, they’re a little bit different than what they were a year ago. Some guys have left via free agency, so we’ll get a feel for them as it goes, but they have some young talent up front that maybe there’s not a ton of film on right now.”
On what Lions Assistant Head Coach/Running Backs Coach Scottie Montgomery has brought to the coaching staff: “Shoot, man, it’s former head coach experience, former coordinator experience and I think he’s a hell of a running backs coach, so. It’s been everything from presentation, to being demanding with the players, to schematic ideas that maybe I haven’t been around before, so. He is a very well-rounded individual.”
On the test Kansas City will present for Lions RBs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery playing together for the first time: “I think we’ve seen within our own setting – I think we’ve seen a lot of them and we know what we’re going to expect out of both those guys. I think they are very – yes, they are complementary backs. What (No.) 5 does well, Gibbs might not do as well and vice versa, but I think they both are very versatile, so we might use Gibbs in some ways that people don’t quite think we might or Montgomery the same way. I’m really excited to see what they can do out on the field here this week, but we’re going to use them all over the place.”
LIONS DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR AARON GLENN QUOTE SHEET
September 2, 2023
Opening Statement: “New year, new opportunity. No better place than to start against the Super Bowl champs at an iconic venue like Arrowhead. So, we’re all excited. Looking forward to the competition.”
On how long he has been thinking about the game at Kansas City: “I don’t want to say this game in general, but just getting another chance to go out and play as a defense especially with the players that we acquired during the offseason. So honestly, it doesn’t matter who we play, it’s just the fact that we get a chance to go out and play with the new players that we’ve got.”
On which areas of the defense are better now compared to last year: “I would say this, every time we go out and get a chance to practice, I feel like we get better. I think personnel-wise, we have some different pieces that allow us to do different things. So, if you want to say that’s better, I mean that’s fine, but I do know this, that we have a lot of versatility in who we’ve got. We’ve got players who’ve grown, that’ve really grown from year to year. And the new players we’ve got, they’ve really bought into what we’re doing and some of those guys I already know what they can do, so they fit exactly what we’re trying to do.”
On the strengths of each of the linebackers: “Man, obviously (Lions LB) Alex (Anzalone), he’s the field general. I mean he knows this defense like the back of his hand. He’s been with me for a long time. I would say that’s his strong point. Also, I would say in coverage is his strong point. (Lions LB) Jack (Campbell): big, strong, physical, blue-collar, hard worker, easily can pick a defense up, which he’s already done and he fits who we are to a T. (Lions LB) Derrick Barnes: explosive, fast, violent, get downhill, knock someone out type of mentality. That’s his strong point. (Lions LB) Malcolm (Rodriguez), just a bulldog. So, I would say this, all those guys deserve to play, all those guys will play. The thing is they have a role on special teams also, so that’s a good thing because you have your best players out on the field. So, man, I’m looking forward to those guys playing throughout the season. I can’t tell you exactly how much they’re going to play, but they’re going to play.”
On how prepared the defense’s communication is for Week 1: “Well, that’s always a work in progress, but I will say this, with the new guys that we’ve got – man, just watching those guys before practice in the morning. They get here at 7:45 a.m. in the morning and they’re watching film together. So, that tells me exactly how they’re trying to hone in to make sure they’re communication is down, but they’ve been doing a really good job out at practice, so I’m excited to see these guys play.”
On if the defensive backs are watching film together in the morning: “Well, with the linebackers also. So, I mean once you connect the whole back seven, I mean that’s when things really get on the same page. And that’s something that our veteran guys have done a good job of trying to get together and do, so (Lions CB) Cam (Sutton)’s a big part of that, (Lions LB) Alex (Anzalone)’s also a big part of that.”
On how the secondary needs to be on the same page against Chiefs TE Travis Kelce: “Well, we have to be on the same page no matter what, who we’re playing, so not because it’s this team. But, Kelce is a really good player. I would say this, it’s the IQ that really stands out on tape with this player, and really understanding where he has to be when it’s zone coverage and when it’s man coverage. That’s the one thing that really stands out about him and just the rapport that him and the quarterback have with each other, I mean it’s pretty special, so. You don’t see that often, only a few teams have it, but they’ve been doing it for a quite a while, so the thing that we’ve got to do a good job of is just making sure we’re on point with everything that we’re doing and go out there and out-compete these guys.”
On the challenge Kansas City presents with their ability to extend broken plays: “Well, the tough thing about that is they make a two-second play into being a four- or five-second play and for any defensive back, that’s hard to do, to cover for that long. So, our guys just have to be ready for that and it is what it is, but it also goes into our defensive line to make sure we corral this quarterback and keep him in the pocket and don’t let him get out. Now is he going to get out and do it? Yes, I mean he’s a special player. He’s going to wear a gold jacket at some point. I think we all know that, so. But we’ve just got to do the best that we can of making sure we corral him and don’t allow those two-second plays to end up being four- or five-second plays.”
On what he likes about Lions DL Charles Harris as someone who gets forgotten about externally: “Well, he’s never been forgotten about by us. We know how special he is as a player, and more than that, just as a person and what he brings to our team. He’s quiet, but when he speaks, people listen, and that’s the good thing about Charles. And when you go out there and watch him practice, man, it’s all out every time. So, looking forward to him getting back to his ’21 form and I expect him to do that. And he’s expected to do that himself. I mean he’s a guy that I talk to quite a bit as far as how does he like the plan and is there anything that he wants to change because I respect him opinion about how we go about things.”
On the versatility and depth of the defensive line this year compared to last year: “Here’s the thing that I think you guys have heard me say quite a bit, with me defensively, everything starts with the front. Everything starts with those big guys. I mean it’s exciting to see how (Lions DL) Alim (McNeill) has come from year one to year three to where he’s at, the way he’s changed his body, how athletic he is. And I’m expecting a big year from that player. (Lions DL Isaiah) Buggs, (Lions DL) Benito (Jones), those guys, big, strong, physical guys that we need to play the way that we need to play up front. (Lions DL Brodric) Martin is coming along. I mean he’s a developmental project and we all know that, but I mean he’s a big, big man and I was always taught big people beat up little people but – and he has a chance to do that. And then you just take – I mean I’m going to put (Lions DL Aidan Hutchinson) Hutch, I’m going to put (Lions DL Josh) Paschal, I’m going to put (Lions DL John Cominsky) Comish in, I’m going to put all those guys in the same boat, man. Those guys are physical, strong. They play exactly the way I want those guys to play and that’s the one thing that in training camp that we did a really good job of, of just going out there and being physical and being violent and just trying to control the front in totality. And those guys did a good job of that.”
On what can be expected from Lions DB Brian Branch in Week 1: “To be a damn good player. I mean we knew that when we drafted him, so it wasn’t a surprise the things that he’s done. We saw him do it at Alabama the whole time, so there’s a reason why we had him graded that high.”
On if having more versatility allows more creativity when developing the start of a game plan: “Well, the game plan always starts about with who they have, and to your point, you’re right, because you want to put guys in certain spots to be successful. And we as a staff know exactly what our guys can do. The thing is what their guys can do, and then being able to find the right matchups to put those guys in good positions so that’s the first thing we do when starting to game plan.”
On if increased depth presents a new challenge for him in ensuring an effective rhythm of player rotations: “Yeah, because you want all those guys to play when you start having really good players. I mean you want to get them on the field as much as you can. Only 11 of those guys can get out there, so. But the thing is, we do have different packages to get different guys on the field and like I said with the linebackers, those guys are going to play. I’m not going to tell you when, but they’re going to play because they’re good enough to play, so. Each week we try to formulate packages to make sure those guys get a chance to get out there and we’ll do that this upcoming game.”
On the challenges presented by Kansas City having a new offensive coordinator and lesser-known offensive weapons this year: “That’s the same thing they said last year, and they won the Super Bowl, so doesn’t matter with that staff, with that head coach. I mean they have a way about going about things and they always do a good job, so the Xs and Os that they have, with the pieces that they have, I mean they’ll figure out a way to do a good job and we’ll be up for the challenge.”
On his process to get Lions CB Emmanuel Moseley physically ready to contribute early in a short timeframe: “Continue to practice, continue to see where he’s at. Hopefully as he continues to go about it – man, he has shown that he is ready to go play, so when that time comes, he’ll be on the field.”
On the opportunity this game presents with the national platform for the defense to showcase itself: “Here’s what I talk to the defense about and I’m talking about it all the time and I take my coaching hat off and put the player hat on – listen, when you take this job, as a player or coach it doesn’t matter, there’s two things that you can’t get away from, those are expectations and criticism. And it’s really easy, when you’re doing good, they talk good about you, when you’re doing bad, they talk bad about you. And that’s just what it is, and our guys understand that. So, whatever we do, however we play, those guys don’t care, they just want to play because I trained them like that. So, it doesn’t matter, we just want to go play.”
LIONS SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR DAVE FIPP QUOTE SHEET
September 2, 2023
On the value Lions CB Khalil Dorsey will bring on special teams: “Hell, we’ll find out. Making the roster is one thing and then being active on game day is another, so it’ll depend on who those 48 guys end up being. But he did a great job in the preseason. I thought he played well as a gunner. I thought he did a good job of blocking on kickoff return, even though he’s a little bit of a smaller body type. He had the kickoff return out there, so that was positive. But did a bunch of things. I think he made a difference for us and obviously did enough to make the team and it was great to see him. I’m excited for him. He’s a guy – he’s a very reliable player. He’s got some speed and suddenness. He’s very detailed, diligent, urgent, the way he goes about his business so, fun to be around.”
On how happy he is with the roster’s ability to play on special teams: “Yeah, overall, definitely really excited about the group that we have. I feel very good about them. But, at the end of the day, we’ve got to go out and execute. We’ve got a huge challenge in front of us with this Kansas City group. These guys have a bunch of really good players on their roster at all positions, linebackers, tight ends who can run and cover, wide receivers who can run and cover, wide receivers are going to carry the ball, running backs are going to carry the ball, explosive ball carriers in the return game, good blockers. Their corners and safeties, good players for them on teams, so it’s a really talented group that we’re going against. We’re excited for the opportunity and looking forward to playing these guys, but we’ve definitely got our hands full.”
On the challenge of not knowing who the special teams personnel will be leading up to the roster cutdown deadline: “Yeah, I think there’s always several questions, I think, or usually there’s several questions going down into the end of it. The better this staff is, or the organization is in communicating, the easier it is and I would say we’re very good at that, which is very beneficial for me and very helpful throughout the whole training camp process, so you’re starting to get a feel for what it looks like and each week you’re kind of getting an update on what it looks like, so you can start to kind of develop some ideas and then at the end, you have probably a handful of question marks and you have plans and then contingency plans if this guy makes it and this guy doesn’t, or if this guy’s active on game day and this guy’s not and what will it look like and then the final cuts happen and it all gets real and then it’s like, OK, now we’re down to that and now you’re looking more at the 48 in a gameday and that whole thing and do we bring anyone up from practice squad? Do we not? So, there’s that element too. And then ultimately, how can we put together the best 11 players on each unit, so we can play the best.”
On how he thinks the new kickoff fair catch rule will impact teams’ strategies: “Yeah, it’s a very good question. I think, now that we have some more information than we did, the preseason is not super indicative because a lot of people are working return game and they’re returning the ball no matter where it goes and they’re bringing it out of the endzone when they wouldn’t in the season, stuff like that. Teams are laying it up, trying to get returns, so they can get coverage for it. But there was a handful of squib kicks out there and I think we have more information on what that looks like and those plays that we think are good ideas. I do not think that it’s going to change it as much as some people think, I think I said that in the offseason. I think it’ll look fairly normal. Now there may be some teams that are a little bit more, ‘Hey, let’s take a fair catch and just give the ball to the offense at the 25-yard line.’ So, I think there’ll be a few teams that are a little bit more like that. I think there’ll be a lot of teams that aren’t. It’s never been a great idea to return the ball when it’s kicked deep in your endzone, so I don’t think like that’s going to change. If the ball’s deep in an endzone, you’re probably going to see more touchbacks taken in that, just like it’s always been. I do think that there’s a couple situations that are going to change. For example, if they’re kicking off from the 50-yard line, I think the return team, if the ball is kicked in the field of play past the 25, I think the return team’s going to – and it’s in the air, obviously, I think the return team will take a fair catch on that. That’s one. I think late in the game, if you had maybe your hands team out there and the other team was thinking of kicking an onside kick, but there was enough time on the clock where it’s like well, maybe we try to pin them back there and play field position, we did that two years ago against Minnesota. Or maybe we try to pin them back there and play field position and take advantage of the fact that they’re in a hands-look with all these guys up near where the ball’s placed. And I think, in that situation, if you kick the ball in the air, there’s a good chance they’re going to just fair catch that and take it at the 25. So yeah, there’s some situational stuff and then where the kickoff might change a little bit more is when you’re looking at kicks with like whatever, 10 seconds, 12 seconds left in a half, maybe in the second quarter and it’s like you’re trying to burn some time off the clock from a kickoff standpoint, so that your defense isn’t going out there with 12 seconds on the clock and the ball’s at the 25. You’d rather have them go all at the 25 with whatever six seconds off of that, so whatever that is, 19 or whatever. I’m not a math guy. But anyway, so yeah, I think there’s some different situations that are out there that change, but I think just traditional play, I don’t think it’s going to change a whole lot.” |
