LIONS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR BEN JOHNSON QUOTE SHEET
January 18, 2024
Opening Statement: “Awesome win last week for our guys, man. That was obviously an incredible environment and fun to be a part of, happy for them and now it’s another big challenge. This is a really good defense we’re about to face so we’re looking forward to it though.”
On if the rushing play count against the Rams was intentional to slow down the pace: “No, I don’t know that to be true. I mean the one thing that we’ve been really all year long is a fairly explosive offense and maybe we weren’t getting as many explosives early in that game that we normally do, but it felt like both offenses were putting drives together and so the nature of the game, we just didn’t have many possessions as a whole. Normally we have 10 to 12 and I think overall we only had eight and the last one was a four-minute situation for us, so it was – yeah, kind of a unique deal.”
On what played into the lack of points scored in the second half of the game against the Rams: “Yeah, the first drive – we’ve been better I would say the last five or six games to start the second half with our first drive. A lot of them have resulted in points for us and so we end up getting the field goal. The next two drives, I think we had a four-and-out and a three-and-out, and really the run game wasn’t quite as effective as it was early in the game. That was part of it. And the other thing is we had some third-and-manageables that just were a little bit off. I think in talking with (Lions QB) Jared (Goff), we just went over it again because today’s our third down day, we’re recapping last week’s third downs and three-of-nine, but we had several opportunities to be better than that. We like the plays that we had and just one little thing happened to be off and so we got kind of thrown off course. And so, limited possessions, that kind of happens like that and we don’t score as many points in the second half as we’d like.”
On if the lack of rushing yards against Tampa Bay in Week 6 was due to facing a good defense or the available personnel and how to ensure they do better this time: “Yeah, it’s a combination of both. I don’t think it’s any secret that (Buccaneers Head) Coach (Todd) Bowles and that staff, they take a lot of pride in stopping the run. That’s something they’ve done there really since they got there in Tampa going back years, years. They’ve been top-10, top-5, even the top team in the League in terms of stopping the run. So, they take a lot of pride in it. They load the box up. They really condense you on in there and so it’s hard. It’s tough sledding and we did not rise to the challenge well enough as a whole unit. So, whoever we had up last time, we fell short of our standard and the good news about where we are as an offense is we can shift and we can flow, and that doesn’t shut us down entirely. If we can’t run the ball, then we have other ways to attack the defense as well. So, fortunately that was the case the first time we played them. We are still built on the run though. I think our guys upfront, they relish the opportunity to do that, and we’ve got really good backs that we need to get the ball, so hopefully we can have a little more success than the first go around.”
On what he saw from Tampa Bay’s red zone defense against Philadelphia and how much emphasis is put on third down and red zone offense at this time of year: “Yeah, truthfully, the things that won us the game the first time we played them was we had zero turnovers and we were good on third down the first time we played them. Not only – I think we were nine-of-16, but we had several explosives. We scored some touchdowns on third down. And so, that was kind of our recipe particularly with not being able to run the ball. So, when you watch them in that Philly game, well Philly couldn’t run the ball and Philly couldn’t convert third downs, and so they really struggled. Philly got a unique gameplan from these guys, something that we really hadn’t seen all year. And so, I’m sure they’ll have something a little bit different for us as well that we’ll have to be able to decipher and try to counter. But like I said, it kind of all goes hand-in-hand. We’d love to run the ball better than the first time we played them, and we still need to be efficient on third down.”
On what it says about Buccaneers DL Calijah Kancey and his performance as a rookie against good teams: “It’s like all these young guys, it’s – the more reps they get over the course of the season, they just keep hitting their stride. And so, he’s a young player that has just been ascending all year long. We knew about him the first time we played them, and he had some impactful plays on our game and you just see them flash more and more as the season’s gone.”
On how complicated it is to prepare for the Buccaneers’ blitzing formations and how they compare to other teams they’ve faced: “Yeah, it’s fun. Yeah, it’s been a challenge. Really, our secret weapon is (Lions C) Frank Ragnow. We put a lot on his plate, both run game and pass game, so he does a great job getting fronts identified for the rest of the offensive line and in the protection game with the running backs and the tight ends. So, he really is a key cog in what we do and I can’t say enough good things about him. Experienced player that’s seen a lot of football, and even when we get un-scouted looks, he can find a solution for us more times than not.”
On how Lions TE Sam LaPorta performed against the Rams compared to what he expected a week ago: “I don’t know – how many snaps did he get? Do you know? Yeah, so that’s almost might be 45 more snaps than I thought this time last week we would get. So, I tell you, man, the kid just continues to impress. It’s one way or another. It’s what he does on the field. And listen, I know he only had the three catches for a limited amount of yards, but the touchdown speaks for itself. The third-and-21 that he did everything he needed to do just to get us a little bit closer to kick the field goal. And then what he does in the run game goes unappreciated by most. So, the guy – I mean it’s incredible for a rookie. He really is.”
On his approach to learning about Lions QB Jared Goff when they started working together: “He had a really solid foundation from his time in L.A. He had played for (Rams Head Coach Sean) McVay for a long time and then I think he had one different coordinator his rookie year before McVay got there. And so, his overall football was a little bit shaped by those influences and so coming here, he’s been open to any and all ideas. He’s done a great job being responsive to some different things that he didn’t quite know was possible. And so, we sat down, we talked about things that he loved that he did best and we try to implement those things into our offense, really as starting point two years ago when (Lions Head) Coach (Dan Campbell) named me coordinator.”
On which areas he thinks Lions QB Jared Goff has grown the most: “I always think his situational football and his knowledge of the protection has really taken the next jump. He’s been excellent at throwing the football. That hasn’t changed. That’s been from day one since he got in the League. Been an excellent play-action movement quarterback. I think his drop back game, both from a protection standpoint where he can identify pressures and slide the protection into him, and then his understanding of the situation. He’s grown immensely from (Lions Head) Coach (Dan) Campbell’s installation of how we like to learn our game management stuff. And now he’s at a spot here, year three, where he can handle almost anything.”
On how he finds the time to balance game-planning for the week and preparing for head coaching interviews: “Well, the truth is, it gets taken away from somewhere and so it gets taken away from my family a little bit. And so, it’s not the easy thing to say, but normally Fridays, get home, I can pick my daughter up from school and we’re wrestling downstairs and doing whatnot, and we’ll have to skip that this week.”
On how he has prioritized the different teams that have requested interviews for vacant head coaching positions: “I’ve left that to other people. I know it’s still a very fluid situation and truth be told, we’ll find out more once the gameplan’s done. That’s been told to everybody I’ve been around. Nothing’s more important than the gameplan.”
On when he finishes the gameplan for the week: “So, I’m slow. I think the staff will get a chuckle out of that one. So, the gameplan’s never really done until probably Saturday night. And so, we’ll get probably 90 percent, 95 percent of it in by tomorrow afternoon, and then early Saturday and then Saturday afternoon I’m usually still working on that thing.”
On his relationship with newly hired Commanders General Manager Adam Peters: “I know him just very briefly. I’ve heard nothing but fantastic things about people that have worked with him directly or have met him over the course of scouting on the road. So, look forward to meeting him and talking more.”
On the approach of going against Buccaneers NT Vita Vea as an offensive coordinator: “Being very selective. I think you’re right. Everything you said is spot on. We know where he is a majority of the time and so we’ll be selective when he’s in the game to not necessarily do a couple things. I’ll leave it at that for right now.”
LIONS DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR AARON GLENN QUOTE SHEET
January 18, 2024
Opening Statement: “Happy to still be playing. Guys did a really good job last week against a really good opponent, an opponent that I have a lot of respect. Alright, man, this quarterback is really freaking good man and then we have another one that we’ve got to get ready to go play. Another, big-time receivers that we’ve got to go play, another good offense. So, we’re looking forward to it, look forward to it.”
On what he sees Tampa Bay doing differently on offense compared to when they played them in Week 6 that has allowed them to have recent success: “I see the same team, I just see the execution a lot better for the most part. It’s a team that wants to run the ball, that will run the ball. Now, are the yards per carry there as they want it? No, but the thing is they’re committed to it. If you look through the last, I think eight games, man, they’ve been running at least like 31 to 32 times a game on average, and I think that says a lot of the commitment. It says a lot about their (Buccaneers) Head Coach (Todd Bowles) and their (Buccaneers Offensive) Coordinator (Dave Canales) of what they’re trying to do. So, that’s the one thing we’re really got to stop, we’ve got to be good with and obviously, we know we’ve got to take care of the receivers.”
On what Lions DB Brian Branch brings to the defense that they did not have in Week 6 when he was out with an injury: “We have a lot of respect for (Lions CB) Will (Harris), but we know what Branch brings to the table. The thing is he’s tough, he’s gritty, he’s very knowledgeable. He does a good job at that nickel spot of understanding exactly how he has to disguise to put himself in position to go make plays. And we’re looking forward to him being out there this game, and he’s looking forward to being out there this game because he hates missing games, and he wants to play against this team because of the nature of this game and who they have. So, his ability to cover receivers is pretty damn good also. The thing is, listen, he ran this whatever time at the Combine and when you watch him cover guys, you can never tell that because he’s sticky.”
On the mindset of being aggressive on defense despite the risk of giving up big plays: “That’s all part of it. If you do it, I mean that can happen and we know that. It’s more my personality to be able to do that and our guys know it. The thing is you just have got to compete your ass off when you’re in those one-on-one situations. And football’s a game of one-on-ones, but you do it within a team concept, and our guys understand that. So, anytime they’re in those situations where we’re pressuring and you’ve got yourself that one-on-one, you’ve just got to win it, and they know it.”
On if it takes strong-willed players in the backend to have an aggressive defensive approach upfront: “In the backend you’ve got to be strong-willed no matter what because everybody sees you. And for the most part, you’re going to be in those situations at some point. Listen, upfront, when a running back goes through, you really don’t talk about that too much. When you hit the linebackers, you don’t talk about that too much. But everybody sees when a defensive back doesn’t make the tackle, or they get beat. So, you do have to be strong-willed and that’s just part of it.”
On what he said to Lions CB Cam Sutton when he was covering Rams WR Puka Nacua on the close play on third-and-14: “Did he catch it? We won.”
On if he thought there was pass interference on Lions CB Cam Sutton against Rams Puka Nacua on third-and-14: “Did they throw a flag? It wasn’t PI. Well, that’s every play. I’m just being funny, but even upfront, they say it’s holding on every play, but they’re not calling it. In pass defense, there’s always going to be jostling, something’s going to happen and then it’s just the ref’s decision if he thinks it is or not. And listen, that’s going to happen every play. Listen, Cam competed on that play, and there were other plays where you get pushed off by the receivers and they don’t call that, but at the end of the day, the ref didn’t call it, those guys competed against each other, and Cam made the play at the end.”
On Lions DL Aidan Hutchinson’s recent success in turning pressures into sacks: “Listen, he’s been doing a good job all year, and I think the numbers show that. And it was just a matter of time until those things turn around for him and they end up being sacks. We talk about that all the time. I think sometimes on the outside we get so caught up in that, that we’re not looking at how hard the player is going out there, executing and the things that he’s doing for other guys around him. Man, it’s just been fortunate for him for those to turn into sacks right now because that’s what he wants, that’s what we all want, but the pressures are what help a lot too. We’ve hit the quarterback quite a bit these last couple of weeks and we want to continue to do that because that’s an emphasis of ours every week.”
On how Lions DL Alim McNeill has helped with Lions DL Aidan Hutchinson’s recent sack success: “Anytime you have both of those guys in the game because both of those guys are pretty dominate players. And the thing is Mac was actually on fire at one point before he had his injury, and now that he’s back, now you’ve got to get himself back going. And we’re looking forward to him doing that.”
On how he balances his schedule of playing this week with potential head coach opportunities: “The main thing is the main thing just like I said last week. Man, we’re trying to beat Tampa. This is an opportunity for all of us as an organization, as a staff, as players to get a chance to compete for the Super Bowl. So, the thing we’ve got to make sure (of is) we put everything we can into winning this game right here, and for me, that’s the most important thing.”
On his time availability later this week for potential head coaching interviews with the gameplan will be mostly installed after today: “Hay’s never in the barn. I learned that from Bill Parcells way back. He hated when people said that. So, the hay’s – you can always change something because you’re always looking at tape, you’re always trying to figure out how you put your guys in the best position. So, we’re always trying to figure things out as we go through the week. Now, listen, these things are going to come up. Listen, there’s nothing confirmed just yet. I will tell you that. But when they do come up, listen, I’ll do the interview and they have a decision to make after that and I look forward to having them.”
On how he makes time to prepare for potential head coach interviews: “I prepare by being myself. Listen, I’ve been playing this game for a long time, I’ve been coaching it for a while. So, the questions that they ask, there’s a good chance I’ve got them already in my head. So, like I said, I look forward to them, nothing’s confirmed yet, but when they do happen, I’m sure you guys will know.”
On how Lions CB Cam Sutton has handled the struggle of covering some of the best players while taking criticism from the public online: “Listen, he’s handled those like a pro because the one thing – and listen, I didn’t have to deal with the social media aspect in my day. I just aged myself. But listen, everybody has an opinion. Everybody does. A lot of them don’t know what the hell they’re talking about for the most part, but at the end of the day, as a man that’s playing on that field, you have to understand who you are and what you have to do. And you go out there and you bust your butt every day to do the job that you have to do because when you play defense, people think this is happening when it’s really not. People think you’ve got help or you don’t. No one really knows unless they’re in those meeting rooms with us. The thing that he’s doing a good job of is he’s staying within himself. He’s built himself a cocoon and he understands exactly what we’re asking him to do. And listen, we’re going to continue to challenge him to be the best Cam that he can be on a weekly basis. And listen, we’re happy with him.”
On how a home crowd helped defensively against the Rams and how it will help against Tampa Bay: “Man, I’ll tell you what, coming from New Orleans, the crowd that we have there, and then the crowd that we have here, man, it was outstanding. And it’s somewhat similar. I thought New Orleans was one of the loudest stadiums that I’ve been a part of, but man, it is a joy to be able to play at home in front of these guys. And they did a hell of a job assisting us. I don’t know if you noticed, but the two timeouts, I think that had to do something with the crowd noise and him not being able to hear. And the quarterback, he knows how Ford Field is, so I’m sure he was expecting that, but man, it was outstanding. It was outstanding. And look forward to it this week.”
On how he has liked the three-safety rotation so far: “Listen, it’s good to get all those guys in. I mean there were a couple of times we had all three of them in the game at one point and we’re going to continue to do that. But man, we have three playmakers that are able to go out there and play. And those guys are understanding of the rotation. They’re doing a good job with it. And there’s no complaining, they’re all good teammates. That’s just like at the linebacker position, we have some rotations going there also. So, man, we try to put the best players on the field as much as we can, and anytime we get a chance to put all those guys on the field, we built packages to be able to do that.”
On if he needs to talk to Lions S Kerby Joseph about his physicality after receiving criticism for his hit against Rams TE Tyler Higbee: “Absolutely not. This is football. This is football. And I understand exactly what the NFL is doing when it comes to trying to – a player’s safety, and I totally agree with it. And the thing that he did against the Minnesota Vikings, he hit a guy high, and he got fined for it. So then he hits a guy low, and people are saying he’s a dirty player. Kerby plays football, and we’re going to continue to play football. And we don’t care what anybody else has to say. Listen, no one wants anybody to get hurt in this League. No one wants that. Hell, I was hurt in this League before, so I understand, I know how it feels. But I also understand I play football and when you play football, things like that happen. So, guys have got to continue to play no matter what. And it kind of bothers me that you hear that from people across the League because you know the risk you’re taking when you play this game and that’s just what it is.”
On how much more impactful third down and redzone defense is at this time of year and if they devote extra attention to them: “Yes, we do. Yes, we do. That’s something that we’ve talked about for the past couple of weeks and if you look at our numbers, that’s where we’ve improved for the most part because once you get into this situation and you’re going into playoffs and you’re trying to get to the (Super) Bowl, those two situations are vital for a defensive team to be at their best. And we’ve been pretty good on third down, we’ve been pretty good in the redzone. Now, it wasn’t our deal during the season, and we understand that, but we emphasize that. And our guys are doing a good job right now.”
On if he more so not satisfied with their blitzing execution against the Rams or if he tips his cap to the Rams for being able to identify the disguised blitzes: “I was more impressed with the quarterback. And the thing is, listen, he’s seen a lot within his career. So, some of those blitzes, yeah, we knew he was going to pick up. Well, I can’t say I knew he was, but there’s a chance that he would identify and be able to pick it up. Some of them we were actually pretty good on that we got a chance to hit the quarterback on a number of occasions. So, I mean kudos to him because he’s seen it all. I mean that’s what happens when you play a quarterback of that nature that sometimes you can try to fool them, but you’ve got to do a really good job with your disguises to make sure you can.”
LIONS SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR DAVE FIPP QUOTE SHEET
January 18, 2024
On what he remembers about the punting in their last game against the Buccaneers and what he is expecting from both punt teams this Sunday: “Yeah, both sides punted the ball, or had some good punts in the game. Those guys, obviously, clearly did, some 60-yard punts. Then we had some punts in the plus-50 area that were big, but punting will be a big part of this game too, just like it was in the last game.”
On how well Lions P Jack Fox has punted these last few weeks: “Yeah, I think the last couple of weeks, he’s really played well for us, and the punt team has as a whole. I think there’s a lot of things that contribute to it. Some of it’s some of the fakes that we’ve run in the past have helped get guys down the field a little bit faster. Our opponents have got to make sure that we’re punting the ball. And so, that helps the coverage aspect of it also. But – and he’s done a nice job with pinning those guys in. Field position’s been big, it’s going to be big this week too. And Tampa Bay does a nice job. Their punter rips the ball down the field. They’ve got a couple of fast gunners on the outside who get down there and we’ve got to hold up. So – and then on the flip side of it, for our punt team, they’ve got a good returner back there. And so, getting yards back on us. A quick guy, so we’ve got to make sure we do a good job of handling him.”
On how satisfying it is knowing that special teams executed in pivotal moments against the Rams in the few punting plays there were in the game: “Yeah, I feel like the trick of the whole thing is you’ve got to treat every play the exact same way and you don’t know what you’re going to be asked to do in any given game and you’ve got to be ready for whatever it is and that’s kind of – I think we alluded to that last week when we say you’ve got – each guy’s got to do his job to the best of his ability on every single play because you really don’t know. It’s like the kickoff, (Lions CB Khalil) Dorsey ends up making the tackle. We kind of mishit the ball, so it goes down there low, it gets in the returner’s hands fast. Had those guys just been assuming that it was going to be another touchback, or whatever, all of a sudden, he lets his guard down, the ball gets back on us faster, but he didn’t. He was playing full-speed the whole play. And the play – ultimately, the play came down to him and he was doing his job and he was in a position to make and he cut through and made the play. So, it’s – all these games now, it’s going to come down to one play and you don’t know which play that’s going to be. And it could’ve been that one. But since it was OK, no one talks about it. It could’ve been the field goal, but since it worked out, it’s not a big deal. It happened with nine minutes left in the third quarter, but with nine minutes left in the third quarter, you didn’t know that was going to be our last shot at points in the game. And it ended up being that way. So, I think ultimately, all 11 players on every play in these games, the closer the competition is, the better you’ve got to be all the way across the board. And the play is going to come down to one guy here, one guy there and the only way to be right at the end of it is if each guy’s doing his job on every single one of them.”
On what the week leading up to a Divisional Playoff game looks like for a coach: “Oh, it’s great. I mean, I said it a week ago. To me, there’s nothing like the playoffs. All we’ve got to do this week is find a way to win one game and it’s going to be Sunday afternoon at three o’clock. It’s going to be against Tampa, and we’ve just got to find a way to beat them one time. We don’t have to beat them again. We don’t – and you don’t have to worry about the last one, nothing that happened in the last one matters. And there’s nothing after it, obviously, if we don’t get through this one. So, you get to give all your attention and focus and you get everybody’s attention and focus for the every practice, every meeting, every rep. And so, to me, it’s great. This is what you live for.”
On if he is getting less sleep this week compared to the regular season: “No, no and I feel like, if you were doing that, then you were treating the other games not the same way, which is not the way we do it. You’re giving every game everything you’ve got. It’s a little bit different because you know that if you don’t win it, you’re going home and it’s over. But in terms of preparation, all that is really the same.”
On the confidence Lions K Michael Badgley gets from being trusted to kick a 54-yard field goal in pivotal moments and the confidence he has in him to kick in that situation again: “Yeah, I mean, the first thing I would say about it is, I’ve said over and over, there’s more to it than just the distance. It’s also the down and the distance, obviously it’s fourth down, but is it fourth-and-20 from the whatever, 36? Or is it fourth-and-2 from the 36? Those are obviously two different situations. What’s the score on the board? Are you in the third quarter or the fourth quarter? Now it’s where you’ve got to take advantage and get points and you can’t just play the field position game. So, I think there’s a lot to it and it’s not just the kicker’s ability or us having a desire to kick a long field goal, or not having a desire to kick a long field goal. It’s really what’s in the best interest of the football team. And it’s always been that way. I don’t think that’ll change. But making a big kick like that, obviously, helps your confidence and you can see that in him. Now that being said, I feel like he’s been striking the ball well for a long period of time and this is really why he’s playing that position for us now and we talked about that earlier.”
On what makes Lions Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson and Lions Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn special: “Oh man, well, they’re all unique. They’re both unique. They’re a little bit different in their own ways, but I would say first and foremost, man these are just – they’re incredible people. They’re great people. They’re friends of mine and I think they – I don’t know. They’re great people, they have a great approach to life. They’re obviously super talented as coaches too. Now, Ben’s an incredible play-caller. He sees the game with great vision and perspective. And AG’s a great motivator and leader and enjoyable to be around. I think, as a coach, for me, you’re trying to learn from everybody that you’re around. And I’ve learned an awful lot from both those guys.”
On if special teams benefits from the loud atmosphere at Ford Field: “I mean, any time there’s energy in the stadium like that, I think it’s beneficial for your whole football team. Obviously, special teams plays, there’s a big component of them, our energy, how hard you’re playing, how fast you’re running for the duration of the play. I think the energy in the crowd plays a part in that. I mean, it was an incredible atmosphere out there. We talked about it during the game. We were sitting in the huddle before recovering the kickoff and just say, ‘Man, this is as good as it gets.’ So, it was unbelievable. The fans were incredible. We definitely appreciate it, and it does make a huge difference to every player on the sideline and on the field.” |
