LIONS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR BEN JOHNSON QUOTE SHEET
October 27, 2023
On if he has a story to tell like Lions Special Teams Coordinator Dave Fipp did during his press conference: “Well, here’s what I didn’t realize, I didn’t realize he was talking about Luke Combs last week and little do you know that Luke Combs went to my high school. He was a freshman or sophomore when I was a senior. Not the only country music star to go through A.C. Reynolds in Asheville because one of my best friends growing up was Chase Rice, so we’ve got a little rhythm going down there.”
On if he has any Halloween stories: “No I don’t. Let you down again.”
On how much he blames himself for the numerous three-and-outs the offense had early on against the Ravens: “Yeah, we all look in the mirror. Clearly, I wish I had different plays in the opening script, ones that would’ve worked a little bit better, so. But that’s about it. Felt good going into the game with the plan that we had and had to deviate from that plan pretty early based on the situation, probably shouldn’t of. Felt like we had a good one, should’ve just stuck to our guns in how we wanted to call that game, but a lot of good lessons to be learned from that game. I think we’re going to be a better crew for it.”
On the areas of focus for the offensive line after the Ravens had so much success with the blitz: “Yeah, I think across the board, that whole group would tell you that we gave up too many sacks and too many pressures. They’ve been – I mean heck, the week before we threw it as many times as we did and they held firm throughout and listen, the drop-back passing game, that’s now where we want to live and that’s where we ended up living the majority of last week. So, we’ve just got to do a better job executing what’s called and hopefully we’re not down 28-0 in the second quarter, we’ll be alright.”
On if he changed the script after the numerous three-and-outs they had at the beginning of the game against the Ravens: “Yeah, no, I – going back and forth, just last week, we had the nine plays, the three runs that we had were OK. I think we had a four, four and a three-yard gain there in the run game. And in the passing game, we had timing off, we had some protection issues. One of them was a completely terrible call, certainly for the defense that they had, the sack, shouldn’t have done that. And so, like I said, it’s – the blame goes across the board last week and we learn from it and now we’re moving on.”
On if he changes the script in the middle of a game when the plan is not going their way: “Sometimes, sometimes, yeah. I mean, it’s kind of what I’m feeling too. You look up and we’ve got certain guys that are spark players for us that can help get us back on track and it’s on me to make sure those guys are getting the ball.”
On if he lets himself be a fan during a game when high caliber players like Lions T Penei Sewell and Raiders DE Maxx Crosby get to play against one another: “I’ll appreciate it after the game watching the tape. But in the moment, that’s not where my mind’s going to be at necessarily. I mean there’s – we’ve got to account for him at all times. I think (Lions Head) Coach (Dan) Campbell has already alluded to how big of an impact that guy can have on a game. So, we need to know where he’s at. Like you said, majority on the right, but they move him around enough too that we’ve got to be really sound with what we’re doing. I know Penei’s really looking forward to the challenge, though.”
On the biggest challenges Raiders DE Maxx Crosby will present for the offense: “Nonstop motor stands out first and foremost but this guy’s slippery now. He’s strong, he’s quick, hard to get your hands on him, has an array of moves and he’s given a lot of tackles, a lot of tight ends fits so far this year.”
On how he has to replace former Lions WR Marvin Jones Jr.’s leadership for the young players now that he is no longer on the team: “It’s experience and professionalism. We’re still – I still feel like we’re a young group overall on offense and so he brought a demeanor and an approach. He knew how to prepare, that we’re going to miss. I have a history with him so even though he wasn’t necessarily getting all the reps in practice, I knew come game day what we were going to get from the guy and so a huge reliability factor went into it and that’s where these young guys, they’ve got to step up now and prove on a day-to-day basis that they can fill that void.”
On what he has seen from Lions WR Antoine Green and how he wants to see him grow: “He is playing faster. That’s the thing that stands out is he’s thinking less, not processing as much and he’s a fast guy, when he plays fast, he’s an effective player. And we see more of that in practice right now and I think it’s translating on over to the game also. The other guy that we don’t mention enough, I don’t think, is (Lions WR) Josh Reynolds. This guy is playing lights out and I’d be remiss not bringing him up. It’s like every time we throw him the ball, it’s a big play almost. So, probably shouldn’t have brought it up, just keep letting that fly under the radar but, no. That whole group man, (Lions WR Kalif Raymond) Leaf, we talked about Leaf last week. I mean the whole room is – they’re doing a phenomenal job.”
On Lions QB Jared Goff’s ability to bounce back after tough games and what he expects to see from him Monday: “That’s one of his superpowers I think, is the ability to be resilient and when criticism or poor play occur, he’s able to just learn from it and move on quickly, quickly. He’s got a short memory that way. And so, he’s approached this week the same as every other week. He’s been very much studying the tape and preparing like he normally does, and confident that we’ll get the train back on the tracks here.”
On why there was a disconnect between Lions WR Jameson Williams’s targets and production last week: “Time on task still. And I know it’s beating a dead horse by saying that, but some guys take longer than others to develop a rapport with and we just – we frankly aren’t there yet. So, we’ll continue to work on it and it’s going to come and when it does come, I think we’re all going to be pleased.”
On if WR Jameson Williams’s ball-tracking skills or hand ability are factors in his dropped passes: “Yeah, it’s repetition, time and time again. He – I think I’ve alluded to it before with him, consistent days, stacking up, back-to-back-to-back, and that’s really all we’re focused on, us and him. So, we’ll continue to see improvement from his play as he continues to get more reps.”
On if there is a trust factor needed for Lions QB Jared Goff to have success when throwing to Lions WR Jameson Williams: “There’s no doubt. Throwing the ball down the field to him is completely different than anybody else that we have on this roster.”
On if there are more ways Lions WR Jameson Williams can get involved beyond the passing game: “Sure, yeah. I mean, listen, this guy loves football, so the more we can get him involved, the better off I think we’re going to be.”
On what he has learned these last few weeks about the team’s red zone offense: “I feel really good about the plans we’ve put together the last couple weeks, probably a couple different plays calls would maybe result in different results. I mean that’s all I can look back at right now. Next week we’ll dive deep into our self-scout, and we’ll find out, but I know the staff, (Lions Head) Coach (Dan) Campbell’s involved, the offensive staff, we come up with sound plays and we’ll take a look at really why we haven’t scored the last couple weeks then.”
On if there is value in tough losses to show where there is room to grow: “There’s no doubt. You’re either getting better or you’re getting worse. (Lions Senior Defensive Assistant John) Coach Fox just told me earlier, and I know we’ve all heard that before, but I mean that was an example of it last week I felt like. We didn’t necessarily get better last week, and we faced a good opponent on the road and got our butts kicked. So, it wasn’t a good feeling, but we did learn a lot from it. Offensively we talked about that, shoot, we watched the film plenty of times and like I said, we learned from it and we’re ready to move on.”
On if he watched the Baltimore game film more than a typical week to process it: “Some people have said, ‘Hey, it would’ve been a great week to have a Thursday night game,’ just to move on from it. And because it was a Monday night game, it felt like, it’s once by myself, once with the quarterback, once with the head coach, once with the staff, once with the players – it just kept piling on, but it’s the medicine that we all needed to taste this last week, so it’s good.”
LIONS DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR AARON GLENN QUOTE SHEET
October 27, 2023
Opening Statement: “Obviously, this wasn’t one of our better games overall as a team and more importantly, defensively. It’s always disappointing when you have one of these types of outings and the one thing that we have to do and what we did do is look at it, see how we could all get better and move forward from it. Alright, because we have a good team coming in our house before our bye and we’ve got to do a good job against this team.”
On if there is a change in how he coaches the team coming off a tough loss against the Ravens: “Man, I think the first thing you have to do is identify the issues from a coach and a player’s aspect and we watched the whole game together as a defensive staff. And man, it was tough to watch, alright, it was tough for all of us as coaches and as players. And you have to immediately correct the mistakes because you can’t go into the next game without identifying the issues that you had and being able to correct them as a coach and then being able to move forward. That’s exactly what we did.”
On the snowball effect of players making up for each other’s mistakes causing them to be less productive with their own duties: “And that usually happens because we have a team of guys that really care. We have a team of guys that really try to show up for each other and sometimes at the end of the day, man you’ve just got to do your job and you’ve got to do it well and that’s across the board and I’ve said this several times, man this is a partnership between coaches and players, so we as coaches have to make sure that we give them everything that we can, so they can operate the best way they can. And then players, you’ve got to go out there and execute at a high level. And we’ll continue to say that, we’ll continue to do that and that’s our job as coaches and that’s their job as players.”
On if giving receivers too much cushion against the Ravens was due to players not listening or if it was coached: “No, I don’t want to say that because if that was the case of not listening, then we wouldn’t be – our performances before wouldn’t be the way they were, so that’s totally off base. I think it’s more or less of, man this was one of those games where our guys just struggled and I would say our coaches, we all struggled. This was a damn good team and I would say this, I was glad to be a part of it because it lets us know as an organization, if we want to be one of these elite organizations, man we have to always have that standard of playing a certain way, so – and Baltimore is that standard, like a couple of other teams that are in this League. And everybody wants to be looked at that way organizationally and as an identity as a team. So again, we all have to do our part. I have to do mine, the coaches have to do theirs and the players have to do theirs.”
On if the margin of error is minimized for the defensive line when the defensive backs give more of a cushion: “Look, the one thing that I talked about more than anything is the greatest example of team defense is pass defense because rush and coverage, it all works together. Now, there were several times where – I mean, the guys were covered and man, we did not get a chance to get to the quarterback as best we could and then there were times when we got to the quarterback and we weren’t as tight in coverage as we should’ve been. And there were some times where we just flat out just missed our coverage. So, I know in a couple of maybe 100, damn near 200 yards, I mean, (Ravens QB) Lamar (Jackson) just dumped the ball off and there were a lot of yards, so. But those are things that we can easily, easily clean up from a coach’s perspective and from a player’s and they knew it right away, we knew it right away. And man, we look forward to getting on the field and playing this next game, so we can get right back on track on who we are.”
On bad games happening to elite teams as well: “I mean, absolutely. I mean, yeah, you do that. But you also, and this is just me, you also look at the legit, you also look at the elite, say what are they doing that you can copy, or what have they been doing, especially if it fits into what you’re doing. To me, I mean you’re not going to look at the teams that don’t do anything. I’m going to look at the elite teams, see how they operate. But you’re absolutely right, I mean there are games across this League that happen. I mean, no one thought that San Francisco, the Vikings defense would get 500-something yards put on them. But I told you guys last week, this is the NFL and things like this happen, so I don’t know where this notion comes from that everything is going to be just roses every time you go out there and play. Man, I don’t care who you have on your team, each week, you have to be at the top of your game and that’s another thing that I think Baltimore does a really good job of and they understand that because they’ve done it so long. I mean, you take a picture of it, they’ve done it so long. You might have your ups and downs, but the identity of that organization and franchise is man, listen, we have to be on top of our game and we’re on our way there, I’ll tell you that right now. And I’m talking about on both sides of the ball, so, including special teams and I look forward to the go forward with us.”
On the value of each rep that Lions LB Jack Campbell gets: “Man, we all love that player to death because every little thing matters to him and every mistake, he takes it to heart and you really try to get that player to get on to the next play because he cares so much. There are some things in this game where he made mistakes at and the good thing is, is man, you’re in the NFL and these things are going to happen to you, but you have to understand things beforehand and what does the picture tell you before, so you can allow yourself not to get yourself in those situations. So, you’re right, every rep that he takes out there on the field, man a great learning experience for him. And I try to tell him listen, ‘Yes, you can look at it as a failure, but you also have to look at it as a way to learn on what not to do.’ So – like that player has to play as much as possible because he’s a damn good player.”
On if learning how to process more pre-snap is a learning curve for young players coming out of college: “Absolutely, man the college game is so much different than the NFL game. And there are some things that the colleges do that he might understand a whole lot better than us because the college is coming into this League. Exactly when we played Kansas City, there’s some concepts he’s like, ‘Oh yeah, we see this here all the time.’ And he was able to talk us through how they saw it at Iowa. But in this League, there are some things that he has to learn also and he’s doing a good job of learning that and listen, he takes every rep, he takes it personally and usually, good players do that. And he’s going to continue to be a good player for us. He’s going to continue to get reps for us.”
On if Lions S Kerby Joseph is frustrated by his lack of turnover production this season: “Yeah, listen, I think any player that’s used to getting their hands on the ball and it’s not happening for you, has a level of frustration. I think when you look at it in totality, I don’t know what the number – I know we were up there as far as explosive plays and one of the reasons why was because of that. He wasn’t getting a chance, or the ball was getting up-field and he was getting a chance to go make those plays. But what he has to do is just be patient and they will come. And they come in bunches, they come in bunches just like sacks, just like interceptions, just like fumbles. And we’re trying to keep him to just, ‘Man, do not get out of character and don’t go try to do anything outside the defense. Go make these plays because these plays will come to you.’ But I thought this past game, that he had a pretty good game, to be honest with you. There were some tackles that he made that saved us – that gave us another chance to play. And that’s our mindset, for the most part. Get the ball down and get us another chance to play and he did a good job of that.”
On what jumps out to him about the Raiders offense despite what the statistics show: “To me, I’m looking at the players more than the numbers. They have a running back that led the League in rushing. They have a receiver that’s All-Pro. They have a quarterback now you do look at this, you look at his record as far as wins and losses, it’s pretty damn good. They have another receiver in (Raiders WR Jakobi) Meyers who I think is very underrated. He kind of reminds me of (Lions WR Amon-Ra) St. Brown because they use him a lot as far as going to dig these guys out and block and then his body control and his way to – his ability to catch in traffic. They have a tight end that they drafted high who our players know this player and he put a lot of yardage on one of our players in a bowl game. So, you just look at all that, then you look at exactly how they play when you take a look at this O-line. Man, they’re gritty, they’re tough, they’re going to run the ball, so I think I damn near just went over their whole offense, let’s you know exactly who they have, so this is – it doesn’t matter. In the NFL, there’s no cake walks, man. This is going to be a tough game for us, alright. But I will tell you this, our guys will be ready for it, I do know that.”
On the number one thing the cornerbacks will have to do to contain Raiders WR Davante Adams: “Patience, because he is very patient and he’s going to force you to make a move because he has this knack with most of the quarterbacks that he’s played with to understand exactly how he plays. It’s almost like he’s playing basketball. I remember a guy that played in Buffalo, (former Bills WR) Steve Johnson, I don’t know if you guys remember this player. But man, he kind of reminds me of him. Probably not the 40-yard fastest guy, but man, the quick twitch within the movements of his routes off the line, you don’t see a lot of guys with that and he is a – he’s one of kind, I would say that. He is one of a kind.”
LIONS SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR DAVE FIPP QUOTE SHEET
October 27, 2023
Opening Statement: “OK, I’m fired up, Monday night, it’s unbelievable. I won’t tell any stories. No, but actually there was – when I say that, Monday night when I was a kid, man, I’d get to stay up for the Monday night game. I’d say, ‘Please, can I stay up a little bit late?’ And I was on the west coast, so totally different. Gosh, on the east coast, it was way past my bedtime, but even now. Anyway, no, we’re fired up.”
On if his parents would let him stay up to watch Monday Night Football as a kid: “Yeah, man, it was great. There was nothing like Monday Night Football. There’s two things about it I remember. One is, we always had – for some reason we didn’t do Tuesday night tacos, we did Monday night tacos. God, I love Mexican food. And so, we had tacos and then we’d finish dinner and the game was probably going. I think it was like – the game started out there at like five. So, the game was going, we’d finish dinner and then I’d go get to watch the game and they’d let me stay up for the rest of the game. It was great.”
On if there was a Monday Night Football game he remembers watching as a kid: “No, I don’t really remember any of the games. I just remember watching football and loving it. When you’re a kid, you’re jumping into the couch like you were trying to score the touchdown over the top of the arm of the couch, dive into it. I had a twin brother, two brothers, so we’d always be wrestling around, pretending we were playing. It was good.”
On if Monday Night Football still holds the same special feelings as a coach as it did when he was a kid: “Yeah, so for us – no, I think it’s definitely still big for us. There’s something special always about it. And I think some of it is you’re drawn back to those days or those memories of what it meant to you then. So, it still means something to you now. But I would say that definitely these games, more of them run together the longer you do it, the more it is like, ‘OK, the next game.’ When you’re in my shoes, all you worry about is the next play really, so.”
On what the Raiders do well on special teams: “Yeah, you hit on it. This is a really good group. Have got a lot of respect for them. They’re an interesting group. Their (Raiders P AJ Cole) punter is just – I mean he’s a great player. He’s punting the ball 50 yards down the field, they’re outside the numbers, both ways. He gets a lot of width on it which makes it difficult for the return team, helps the cover unit. So, he gets a lot of width on the ball. He doesn’t outkick the coverage either necessarily. He puts it, like I said, about 50 yards down the field. He stretches the returner out, he makes that guy run right and left to catch the ball. He can look like he’s going right and go left, and look like he’s going left and go right, and still get the ball out there with a lot of width. So, really good player, and then – so that’s kind of them on their punt team. Their kickoff team – I mean and don’t get me wrong, they’ve got a bunch of good core players in there on their kickoff team. (Raiders LB Kana’i Mauga) 43, this guy runs down there, he’s going to go hammer you, and he’s a factor. And they’ve got a bunch of other good players, (Raiders DE Malcolm) Koonce, 51, (Raiders LB Luke Masterson) 59. They’ve got a bunch of speed guys, (Raider RB Ameer Abdullah) 22, (Raiders S Isaiah Pola-Mao) 20. They move guys all around. So, those guys have done a nice job, but their kicker’s also hung the ball up there really well with a lot of hang time. So, he presents a challenge and their present a challenge there. And then their return game, their returner, you guys know, I’ve talked about him before as a guy I love. Just a great story in this League, he’s a great person, really talented player, he knows who he is, he competes. The reason he’s there is because he’s just such a competitive player. He catches the ball, he’s a super quick starter, he hits everything full speed, he believes he’s going to make a play every time he touches it and he is downhill in a hurry and ripping it right back at you. So, it’s hard to get him down in kickoff coverage, hard to tackle him down inside the 25 because he just gets started so fast, and they do a nice job blocking for him. And they’ve got some nice plays that are built around his strengths really. I think (Raiders Special Teams Coordinator Tom) McMahon, their coach over there, does a real nice job with them. So, yeah, it’s a good team all the way around. We’ve got our hands full.”
On if he saw Browns DE Myles Garrett jump over the line to block a field goal last week: “You know what, I did not see it yet. Well, I guess that’s not true. I think I saw it on something real quick, just flash through. But I saw him go over the top and I then I saw or heard someone say something about box jumps and I’m like, ‘I told those guys that was the key to the whole play, so.’ You already knew it was coming when they were talking about his box jumps. But, yeah, impressive play.”
On if anyone on the defensive line has the ability to jump over the line to block: “Yeah, like I said before I think it takes a unique player. We’ve got some bigger guys, but.”
On if he is not going to reveal which player has the highest box jump: “Yeah, I don’t actually have that. I need to go get it. Usually it’s one of those things you hear and then you’re like, ‘OK.’”
On Lions S Ifeatu Melifonwu and his value to special teams: “Yeah, his role obviously depends on defense and all that. So, he came back, he wasn’t playing as much on defense. He’s done a nice job. I think he’s really grown through his time here and I feel like he’s a lot better today than when he got here. Special teams wasn’t something he had done a lot of at Syracuse, he had done a little, but not a lot. And so, I think he’s really developing as a player and I feel like he’s gaining a lot more confidence as a player too for us, so that’s positive. We need him.”
On if he has any Halloween stories: “Halloween? There’s this thing – Halloween stories, I have a lot of those. I can’t share most of them. I mean there’s some good ones, but no, this one time, at band camp – I’m just kidding. Oh, man, my wife and I used to always joke with each other about that. It must have been some movie that came out a while back. I’m not a movie guy. ‘American Pie’? Yeah, so I’m more like ‘White Fang’ and ‘Hoosiers’, ‘Days of Thunder’, ‘The Natural’ is a good movie. All of the current stuff I’m out.”
On the type of candy he gives out on Halloween: “The boss, my wife, she takes care of that. I don’t know. I hope it’s a full bar. You know what? It’s crazy, I feel like not as many people come through anymore. I don’t know, man, when I was a kid, we were trying to get as much as we could get, but it’s a great holiday.”
On what Lions WR Kalif Raymond means to the special teams unit despite his stats not being as high as last year: “Yeah, we love him. He’s similar really to their returner. He’s a downhill, quick to get started guy. He does a great job catching the ball. He’s got great range. He’s a very, very trustworthy player back there. He’s one of these guys that when you have them, you don’t worry about a lot of things. As soon as you lose him, you realize how much the guy did for you. And I’m not talking about with the ball in his hands after the play, but just the communication, keeping our own players out of the way, still fielding the ball and keeping our guys out of the way, the decision making, when to field, when not to field it, when to press it and really go after it, when not to. But, yeah, and then obviously his ability to make guys miss. I mean he makes the first guy miss most of the time. In his mind, he should get 10 yards and make two guys miss every time. So, he’s really competitive with it. But, yeah, outstanding player. The numbers don’t really bother me that much, and part of that is last year we had a touchdown return. Anytime you have that the numbers get inflated. I would say I feel like he’s still playing at a high level for us.”
On Lions WR Kalif Raymond’s ability to read the coverage: “Yeah, I would say a lot of those qualities you’re born with. So, yeah, I would say it’s hard to teach a guy a lot of that stuff.” |
