LIONS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR BEN JOHNSON QUOTE SHEET
December 27, 2024
Opening Statement: “Really just want to start off by saying, one of the things that surprised me a little bit coming into this season – last offseason I should say, was the fact that the whole offensive staff remained as it was from the previous year, and we had had two seasons of being really top 5 in a lot of major categories, and I thought for sure a number of those guys would have more interest of getting poached and going elsewhere, but we were very fortunate that they were all coming back. I think we’ve got position coaches that are future coordinators and future head coaches, and I think we’ve got some really good young coaches that are going to be ready to be position coaches sooner rather than later, and I’m saying all that because when I see a play like the one we had in the game last week not only come to life and get executed like it did, but get the publicity that it did, really (Lions Assistant Wide Receivers Coach) Seth Ryan, (Lions Assistant Offensive Line Coach) Steve Oliver and (Lions Assistant Quarterbacks Coach) J.T. Barrett, they’ve been in charge of our specials for not just this year, but for the last few years, and there’s a reason why we have probably a little higher success rate for those special plays, and they’re a big reason why. They have a ton of creativity, they bring a lot of ideas to the table, so I really wanted to start off here today by giving them a shoutout. They’ve been doing a great job here for the last three years, and they’re certainly deserving of more responsibility, not only here, but maybe elsewhere as well, wherever that opportunity unfolds.”
On what he means by Lions Assistant Wide Receivers Coach Seth Ryan, Lions Assistant Offensive Line Coach Steve Oliver and Lions Assistant Quarterbacks Coach J.T. Barrett being in charge of the specials: “Yeah, so every coach on staff, they have areas of expertise that we delegate on out, and they’re really in charge of it. (Lions Offensive Line Coach) Hank (Fraley)’s very heavily involved in the running game, obviously. Third down, red zone, everybody’s kind of got their own spot where they’re the expert of because there’s just so much film to watch, and as a coordinator, I’m trying to digest it all, but you can always go to that certain coach and get a good feel for the lay of the land and get you a step up before you have to dive through all the tape. So, those young guys, they’ve been in charge of those specials now for the last couple years and they certainly have some off-the-wall ideas at times, but it’s pretty cool to see it all come to life.”
On if he takes a mentor role in helping the other assistant coaches get to whatever their next position will be: “Yeah, I might not be quite as – I don’t want to say deliberate or intentional because that’s certainly a thought of mine each year in the offseason. Once you get into the season, it gets a little bit harder to think about that, your focus is solely on the players and the opponent at hand, but in the offseason, a lot of thought’s gone into developing the staff, what’s going to help them grow as coaches, the detail, they certainly – they’ve got great work ethic, they’re excellent teachers, and I think all of those guys are very demanding of their position rooms, and that’s a great starting point for all of them, but where can they grow beyond? You can only coach what you know, and so is it have (Lions Quarterbacks Coach Mark) Brunell learn a little bit more about (Lions Offensive Line Coach) Hank (Fraley) and the run game and what we’re trying to get done there, is it (Lions Assistant Quarterbacks Coach) J.T. (Barrett) spending some time with (Lions Assistant Head Coach/Running Backs Coach) Scottie Montgomery and what the backs are being taught in protection so that when he has his own quarterback room, that transition is seamless? So yeah, there’s a lot of that that does go on, not maybe during the year, but in the offseason, that professional development is a huge part of what we do.”
On his perspective on how the stumble bum play came to be: “Yeah, I mean, you’re watching tape and you see things happen and, listen, that one, honestly, I think the (Lions T) Penei (Sewell) pass is a little bit more special than that one, personally. That one – that’s a play that every team runs, and we just happened to put a little hot sauce on the ball-handling. That was really how we kind of viewed that going into it. And so, yeah, we saw it on tape and we saw they had some veteran linebackers, that particular crew, that could sniff things out pretty quickly and diagnose, and so we wanted to try to get their eyes away from what we were really trying to do, and so that was the magic behind that one, and (Lions QB) Jared (Goff) and (Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs) Gibby and really the whole group, they did a heck of a job with it.”
On how he would assess Lions Assistant Head Coach/Running Backs Coach Scottie Montgomery’s readiness to be a head coach: “Yeah, I mean he’s got a unique perspective because he’s been in that head chair at the college level, and you feel that when you’re in the meeting room. He understands how lonely it can be at the top at times, I’ve been around head coaches that talk about, ‘Man, when you get up here, you’re kind of isolated a little bit from the rest of the coaches, and I think he understands that. He’s a great bridge between us and head guy and, certainly, for me as a coordinator, I sleep well at night because he provides – he fills in the gaps wherever he sees that something might be lacking, so it’s not something I take for granted. He’s certainly ready to call plays, he’s done that in the past. Just, whenever he gets that opportunity, he’ll do that, and I think he’s going to be a heck of a great head coach one day too, when he gets that chance.”
On how far Lions T Penei Sewell has come since his first game as a rookie against San Francisco: “Yeah, I think that first year, what I immediately flash back to was less the San Fran game, it was more the Rams game, and he had a couple times where he went one-on-one with (former DL) Aaron Donald and he did not back down. In fact, they were towing the line right through the edge of the whistle, going back and forth, and so you saw the demeanor, you saw the attitude, you saw the intensity, everything that you thought you were getting with him coming out of Oregon, and from rookie year until now, all he’s done is polish up his game in terms of technique, in terms of the fundamentals, and honestly, I think it’s the leadership portion that stands out more to me than any. He really is a tone-setter for on offense, we know what we’re going to get each and every week. He’s going to drive guys off the ball, he’s looking to take souls out there.”
On Lions OL Christian Mahogany’s performance at Chicago: “Yeah, he did a great job, he did. We know he’s got an excellent first step, he beats the opponent off the ball, and then what showed up is what you saw at Boston College, which is the cleaning of the pocket and playing with a little nasty to him, which we certainly embrace. (Lions Offensive Line Coach) Hank Fraley likes to think it reminds him of himself, I don’t know about that necessarily, but Christian, I think, showed a glimpse of what a bright future he has.”
On how difficult it is for a young lineman like Lions OL Christian Mahogany to understand the responsibilities he has on screens: “Yeah, I mean, that’s a great point that you make because that’s been something that’s taken us a little while, I feel like, almost over the last, second half of the season here, we’ve really caught onto our screen landmarks and trusting those with the back, the receivers, the O-line and to see a guy that missed training camp, show up and in his first start be as in tune and detailed as the rest of the group, I thought that was extremely encouraging.”
On how often the coaches in charge of specials come to him with plays that are too over the top: “That’s every week. Those guys – (Lions Special Assistant to President/CEO and Chairperson) Chris Spielman’s the same way, he’s just all over the place, and so we’ve got to dial them back a little bit. The best part of what we do – the head coach knows no bounds, and so he wants to push the limits as much as anybody, and when you’ve got a guy leading the charge like that, the rest of us are, ‘Oh, really, you want to do that? Alright, we’ll give it a try.’”
On how he says no to Lions Special Assistant to President/CEO and Chairperson Chris Spielman: “Yeah, very gently.”
On if there are times when plays are brought to him that he knows will never be in his playbook and how he lets them down easy: “Yeah, that happens, but try to do so in an encouraging way, ‘Oh yeah, maybe next week.’ That sort of thing.”
On where he feels his creativity came from: “Oh shoot, I don’t know how to answer that one to be honest with you. What we try to do is we try to accentuate what our guys do well, and we’ve got a number of talented individuals. I mean, you take the reverse, for instance, in that Chicago game and call it right into nickel pressure and you’ve got just two phenomenal athletes with (Lions RB Jahmyr) Gibbs and (Lions WR Jameson Williams) Jamo, and they’re somehow able to make the exchange and make it work. So, when you have guys that, it seems like any time they touch the ball they understand the concept of the play and they can make things work, you can dabble on the edges and see how far you can take some things. Here’s what I know, I mean, the game’s been around for a long time, there’s – 10, 20 years from now they’re going to be running plays that we haven’t even seen yet, so millions of plays in this world and sometimes you cycle back to old-school things and sometimes you try to find what’s new and has yet to be done.”
On how in tune the chemistry is between Lions QB Jared Goff and Lions WR Jameson Williams and how long it took to get to that point: “Two-and-a-half years. I mean, shoot, we struggled there that first year, when he got healthy, to truly get on the same page, and as coaches we saw – we saw the potential and with Jared, he’s a timing, he’s a rhythm quarterback, he needs reps, just like the great ones do, I mean, he’s no different, and so it was just a matter of time and we knew it was going to click, and when it does click, man, what’s better than a two-play drive? That’s the potential that Jameson has to this offense and it’s a beautiful thing to see a post versus single-high like that. I know this, it does our offense wonders going into the end of the season here and into the postseason to put that type of stuff on tape.”
On what he thinks the upside of Lions WR Jameson Williams is down the line: “Yeah, shoot, I don’t know if you can put a number on the limit, but I know he’s surrounded by some really good players, and so when you get a bunch of talented guys together, they can do some really special things.”
On if he expects to continue to give Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs the same number of carries that he got at Chicago: “Probably – I think less in the total number of carries and more about the reps. I think (Lions Assistant Head Coach/Running Backs Coach) Scottie (Montgomery) said last week we were thinking somewhere in the 40 range, and we really nailed that. And so (Lions RB Jermar) Jefferson and (Lions RB) Craig (Reynolds) came in and we didn’t miss a beat when they came in and spelled him for a little bit, and then (Lions RB Sione) Vaki came in for the two-minute drive and did a nice job as well. So, I would anticipate a similar rotation going forward.”
LIONS DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR AARON GLENN QUOTE SHEET
December 27, 2024
Opening Statement: “Critical win last week going against a divisional opponent that we know well, they know us well. Those games are always tough, but the number one thing we wanted to get out of that was really to focus on us, and that’s what the focus was all week. And when I say that, no disrespect to the Bears at all, but man, what is our philosophy defensively when it comes to playing good defense, what is our identity that we want to put on tape every week? And we did that for the most part. When it comes to our philosophy, we want to limit points, and we got to 17 and that’s what we wanted to get to. We want to take the ball away, we did that twice, and we want to win the situations, when I say situations, I’m talking about third down, which we did a good job of, red zone, our guys went out there and really did a good job. Two-minute’s where we failed, usually a situation where a really good job in and we gave up a touchdown in that situation. But, for the most part, our guys did a really good job in that game. Going into San Francisco, a team with a winning pedigree, it’s going to be a tough match. They have guys on that team with a lot of pride that are going to come out, they’re going to play they’re asses off, but we’re looking forward to this matchup.”
On how important it was to get Lions S Ifeatu Melifonwu back with Lions CB Carlton Davis III out: “Listen, with so many guys that we have out, man, any time we get another guy back, it always helps us, and Iffy’s a guy that we can utilize in a number of packages. He can play the dime for us, he can play safety, he can play nickel, and we utilized him as a safety only in this game, there are other ways we want to utilize that player, but for him to come back and be able to use his blitz ability, his ability to cover, was really good for us, so I’m looking forward to utilizing that player going forward.”
On if he went into the game at Chicago expecting to use Lions S Ifeatu Melifonwu as much as he did: “Well, I did, and just talking to him throughout the game, he was saying, ‘Coach, I’m ready to go, I’m good.’ So, when he tells me that, I’m going to continue to push as far as I can.”
On what his keys are to a successful two-minute drill: “First off, understanding the situation. Every two-minute situation is not the same, and that’s something that our coach, (Lions) Head Coach (Dan Campbell), does a really, really good job of during the week. We’ve actually done that more in the last couple of weeks than we’ve done throughout the season, which I really, really enjoy because it puts me in a situation to have to think on the fly and be able to give the guys a call and play accordingly. So, with that, knowing the situation as far as time and timeouts, understanding what that offense is trying to do and how they operate in the two-minute situation because every offense is different. Some have set plays that they run, and if you understand what those plays are, it allows you to anticipate and be able to make plays. Some people just use their whole playbook, so we have to understand that, and then making sure the communication is on point, that’s the number one thing in two-minute that usually gets the defenses messed up, is the communication, because there’s tempo on offense, so the guys have to get the call, get lined up and be able to execute, and I think our guys do a good job of that.”
On what he thought of Lions CB Amik Robertson’s performance at Chicago: “Amik did a really good job for us. Listen, I know it was different because he’s usually playing inside for us, but the thing is, throughout his career, he’s played on the outside, so to him it was like riding a bike. So, he went out there, he competed – man, I’ll tell you what, he went after the ball quite a bit, I think he had two or three PBUs, the punchout that he showed in that game was outstanding, and that’s what we try to do as a defense. And again, we talked about that all week of making sure we hunt the football, and he was one of the guys that did a really good job of that, so I was proud of the way he played, continue to see him do the things that he did in this past game as we move forward.”
On what it is about Lions CB Amik Robertson’s mentality or skillset that allows him to play inside and outside seamlessly: “Listen, he’s had that coming out of college when you talk about the mentality. He’s a pitbull, he’s tough, he has a swagger about himself, he believes in himself no matter what the situation is, get beat, don’t get beat, I mean, he believes he can cover anybody out there, and you like that within a corner. So, he’s had so many reps on the outside from his previous teams he’s played for, playing inside was something, I don’t want to say new for him, but for our defense it was new because of the way we use our nickel, so for him to go back outside, again, it was easy for him.”
On if his message of versatility is being received by the team with Lions DB Brian Branch playing at the nickel spot and Lions CB Amik Robertson playing on the outside: “No doubt, and you have to do what you’ve got to do when you have these injuries. So, here’s the better way to say that, our guys are very selfless, and whatever they can do to help the team, they’re willing to do it. Listen, Branch was having a really good – well, he is having a really good season playing safety for us, and for him to end up going back to the nickel spot, doing something, I don’t want to say totally different because we still play him in those situations, was really selfless of him – Amik too, because there are some things that he liked about playing nickel, so then we moved him on the outside. So, man, I’m excited about all our guys because they have a, ‘Listen, whatever we can do to help the team,’ mentality – they’re going to do it.”
On what Lions LB Ben Niemann has done in practice to earn being used more in games: “Well, what you said was key, he’s been here all year, so he knows our system inside and out, and then there are different packages we want to use guys for. For example, (Lions LB Ezekiel Turner) Zeke, we’re going to use Zeke in a ton of coverage situations because that’s what he can do, and Ben can play every position as far as linebacker. He can play the SAM, he can play the MIKE, he can play the WILL, so when you have a guy like that and there’s movement that goes along, sometimes you don’t have to flip guys, you can just let guys stay there. They can be the MIKE or the WILL in one before the motion, and then when the motion happens, they can end up being in a different spot. So, those guys do a really good job of understanding that, and when you have guys like that, man, listen, you want to put them on the field.”
On who they need to prepare for from San Francisco’s offense in spite of the injuries: “List off the players that they have like (49ers TE George) Kittle, I mean, he is a weapon, and when you watch him on tape, he looks even faster than he’s been in his years. Man, he’s going up and getting the ball, he’s blocking, they’ll run the ball to him at the point of attack. To me, he’s the best tight end in the game, and that’s just who he is, and then (49ers WR) Deebo (Samuel Sr.), I mean, you watch him last week, man, he was a man on a mission against the Dolphins. I mean, as many times as they were getting him the ball in space and as many tackles he was breaking, so he was the Deebo of old that we’ve always seen. And then this quarterback, man, he’s a guy that can just – he’s surgical with the way that operates, so this is going to be a challenge for us, it really is. But I’ll tell you what, our defense is looking forward to this challenge.”
On how valuable it is to have a strong communicator like Lions S Ifeatu Melifonwu on the team when adding so many new pieces: “Well listen, I demand that out of our safeties as far as the communication part. Just like our MIKE linebacker, they’re really the linebackers of the secondary and they have to make sure that everybody’s on the same page. Listen, Iffy goes through every walkthrough, he’s been in every meeting, so that doesn’t surprise me and I expect that from him anyway, he’s a very intelligent player. Again, he plays a lot of different positions for us, so he has to be able to communicate at a high level, so being able to do that, coming back in this game, I expected that.”
On what the key is to being successful on the road: “Just play. We’re at home, we’re on the road, we can run the ball, we can throw the ball, we can play defense, that’s how we win.”
On how he expects Lions QB Teddy Bridgewater will affect practices: “Well listen, I was with Teddy in New Orleans and Teddy is one of the most vocal noise-talkers that you will ever have as a quarterback and I’m excited about that, I really am, because it really brings a value to your defense as far as pissing your defensive guys off, especially when he’s out there throwing the ball around. It was the same thing in New Orleans, he brought that mentality here. Everybody loves him, everybody, he’s one of the best leaders I’ve ever seen, and it’s something to that to where you’re not starting, but guys look at you as a leader of our team, and you don’t get many guys like that because it’s usually your play is really what some people look at as far as leadership, but man, just the way that he carries himself, just the way that he can talk to everybody on the team, from O-line, D-line, linebackers, DBs, running backs, it doesn’t matter, he has a relationship with everybody on this team, and that’s a special person, so I’m excited to have that player back. Yes, he’s going to help us in all phases of the game, and I’m just looking forward to going against him in practice.”
On what it is about San Francisco that allows them to run the ball effectively no matter who is in the backfield: “Listen, I think it first starts off with the mentality of how they go about doing things. Listen, we know they’re going to run it, they know they’re going to run it, and their mentality is, ‘Listen, you’re going to have to stop it.’ So, it’s a tough, tough system which requires tough men, which you have to be on your assignment to be able to stop it, and we know that. And if you look at the game from last year, I thought our guys did a really good job early, and then some of their guys started to will themselves into making some plays, and that’s what we really have to do this game. Our top guys have to outwill their top guys, and I’m looking forward to seeing our guys do that.”
LIONS SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR DAVE FIPP QUOTE SHEET
December 27, 2024
On what about the 49ers special teams unit sticks out to him: “I think they’re a very good group. Their punt returner is a very good player, he’s a rookie out of Arizona. I think he’s done a great job, he’s competitive, he hits the ball downhill, he’s quick, he’s got some elusiveness, he’s done a nice job. I think their kick returner’s a decent player, (49ers WR Deebo Samuel Sr.) number one, he’s a great player, Deebo Samuel. Back there deep, they play him which I respect and admire the fact that they use him back there. The guy goes back there, you’ve heard me say that he’s a great player on offense and he’s back there doing it on special teams also and he’s a weapon you have to account for. So, he’s very good. Their punter has done a nice job, they lost their starting punter but their backup guy’s come in or a guy that they picked up who we know well, he was in Chicago for a long time (49ers P Pat) O’Donnell, and he’s done a nice job for them there. They have good players, I know that (49ers Head Coach) Kyle Shanahan always puts an emphasis on the backend of the roster, they always have speed, and then their defensive players are really good. I think their defense is good, they have guys who run and hit and usually, if you have a bunch of good guys that run and hit, kind of like Houston on defense, then those guys end up being pretty good on special teams too. Any given week in this League, you always have your hands full, but it’ll be a fun game. They’re fun to watch, obviously big game, going there, Monday Night Football, so it should be good.”
On the Ravens choosing to kickoff instead of punt after a safety this week: “Yeah, I think the biggest thing with that is your most consistent play is to kick the ball off. The punter should be able to get it that far, but if he miss-hits the ball, which there’s a chance that he does, then it’s not going to get there. So, I feel like most teams have gone with the kickoff in that situation. Anyway, the guy had an incredible kick, he kicked that thing, I don’t know, was it goal line or minus two or something like that, and then they obviously had a good return, I think the guy ran over somebody and got downhill for some more yards.”
On the thought process of having Lions K Jake Bates kick a 65-yard field goal and how excited he was for him to kick the field goal: “He obviously – we’ll start with the play before. So, we obviously messed it up, we had the penalty which turned 60 into 65, so it would’ve been a 60-yard attempt. You’ve heard me say it, the closer you are the easier the kick, doesn’t matter how much closer, how much further back. So, obviously I don’t love the fact that it went back five yards. I thought Bates hit a great ball on the second one and gave us a chance, obviously probably a little short and to the right, but he did get a hold of that thing which was impressive in those conditions. He might have had a touch of a wind behind him, but with cold weather and all that, it probably really wasn’t much. So, anyway, I thought he gave us a chance, obviously, we’re trying to make the kick, but really, we hurt ourselves with the penalty before that and it was clearly a foul on us. We got down in our stance way too early, it’s just poor operation which really falls on my shoulders there. So, we took ourselves out of a chance which could be important in these games, like we talked about this morning there as a team, you have to execute all of these things, they’re not a big deal until they’re a huge deal and it costs you a game. So, we have to treat it that way and make sure that we improve.”
On if he coaches Lions K Jake Bates to kick a field goal with the same power regardless of the length of the kick: “Yeah, that’s a very good question, I do like that approach, let’s start with that. I like that approach. To me, if you can hit one kick, you have a chance to get very good at that one kick, and when I say that, I’m saying that if the ball’s on the left hash, it’s the same kick as the ball on the left hash, it’s the same kick as the ball on the right hash, as the ball in the middle of the field, as a kick from the 15-yard line, as a kick from the 40-yard line. If you’re hitting that same kick every single time, then you have a good chance at getting better and better at that. The more things that you do, one guy said it to me a long time ago, ‘If you were a juggler and I had you juggle three balls, you would probably be better at juggling three than juggling eight.’ So, if you’re a kicker and you can hit one kick, I guarantee you’re better off hitting one kick than you’re going to be hitting three different kicks. So, ticking something off and all of that to me is not great. Now that being said, I do think that there’s some players that play this game for a long time at that position and they may do a little bit of that and their normal kick is a little bit off and then if they need to wind up from a little further away, then they wind up a little bit.”
On Lions WR Kalif Raymond returning to practice and Lions WR Maurice Alexander and Lions WR Tom Kennedy fielding returns in his absence: “Obviously, you know we love Leaf and so it’ll be great to get him back whenever that happens this week or next. But I do think those other guys have gone in there and done a great job. Sometimes you don’t see it in the yards and all that stuff, but a lot of that depends on the team you’re playing against, the situation of the game, where they’re punting from on the field, the style of play that their punt team has, do they kick the ball, drive the ball down the field 50 yards and give up some return yardage or are they kicking it more or punting it more like 40 yards and trying to get a fair catch. And I feel like with those guys back there, it’s just happened to be that we’ve played some teams that are punting the ball as far down the field and trying to minimize the returner a little bit, and that’s just their style of going about the play, and so they don’t have the same numbers as maybe Leaf, but I think they’ve gotten back there and done a great job. Then, the big thing is, this time of year especially, you get outside at Chicago there, is making sure that you field the ball, making sure that you keep our team away from the ball. I was just talking to (Lions Special Assistant to President/CEO and Chairperson) Chris Spielman about it, but sometimes it’s the plays that don’t happen that no one recognizes that actually help make you play well. If we turn the ball over five times, everyone will know about it. You don’t turn it over and everyone thinks that’s what you’re supposed to do every week – which is true, that is what you’re supposed to do every week, but not every team does that every week and sometimes you take it for granted. So, those guys have done a great job. I don’t take it for granted because I’ve seen the other side of it. So yeah, good to get him back and then hopefully also (Lions LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin) Germ, hopefully we can get him back also, so, should be good.”
On if there were any stories he heard about Lions K Jake Bates when he was coming out of the UFL and if he has shocked him with his ability to kick long field goals: “It’s a good question. My only real exposure to him, obviously watching him on TV. The truth is, the first thing I heard from – I got a text message on my phone from a guy, and he said, ‘Hey man, did you see that kick?’ It was a 60-something yarder that he had hit, and I hadn’t, but I did. So anyway, that was the first time that I had heard about him and then obviously that year he had a great year and so you looked at the tape, you watched more about him and then I really didn’t know him or any of that. I hadn’t gotten a chance to work him out or any of that, but then he came in there for a visit and met with us and I got a chance to sit down with him. It was good because I was very real with him about what the opportunity was going to be. I feel like all of those guys deserve the truth, that’s really all we all want. Sometimes that’s telling them things that they don’t like, sometimes it’s telling them things that they like. But anyway, he was great because I felt like he handled it well and you could tell that he liked the opportunity and he didn’t care the fact that it was like, ‘Hey this is going to be an open competition, it’s not your job and that’s it.’ And that didn’t faze him at all, so that was encouraging and then ultimately, I mean you guys have heard me say it, but if you can go out there and make kicks, then you’re probably going to come in here and make kicks. So, he did it for someone else, he can do it here. And then I do think that he’s really improved a lot throughout the course of the season. You guys got to see him in training camp and he had some ups and downs, there were some good days and there were some days that weren’t as good, but the one thing that he has always done is when he got into games, whether it’s Kansas City in the preseason, there’s a clutch situation, he’s played big in big moments for us and that’s an important quality at that position. You can miss some kicks along the way, but you have to make the big ones. So anyway, he’s done great.”
On what happened on the false start penalty before the end of the first half at the Bears game: “Yeah, so the penalty – really what happened was we got into our stance so early and (Lions K) Jake (Bates) hadn’t even approached the ball yet or started his walk off. So, we were down there forever, so then (Lions LS) Hogan (Hatten) was standing up higher than normal, and then as he went to get down and really get set, which it looked like we were already set, but he lowered his hips to sink down to get ready to snap the ball and they moved, and so then it was on us which was the right call.”
On if it hurts a kicker’s confidence to miss a long field goal at the end of the first half or if Lions K Jake Bates’ mental makeup does not get affected by that: “Yeah, I don’t worry about that so much. I feel like for those guys, not that you ever want an excuse but it’s a long kick, but I do think the one thing that happens to him in my experience is that it gets used against him in the statistics or the numbers. People are like, ‘Oh, well he was only whatever percent that year.’ And it’s like, yeah but three of them were situations like Bates had, one of them, and some guys have none of those and you’re comparing the guy who had none of those kicks to the guy who had three of those kicks and the guy went 0-for-3 on those, so now he has five misses on the year but really he has two misses that were manageable kicks. So, those things get pulled into the same group and we look at them statistically from the same way and unfortunately, that goes against those guys. People say that all the time, ‘Well, he didn’t have a great year.’ And they’re just looking at the numbers, and it’s like well if you look deeper than that then you’d see that this guy is a pretty good player, had a pretty good year. So, it doesn’t bother me, I don’t know if it bothers him or not, you’d have to ask him, but to me, if you’re a kicker you want a chance to swing at the long ones. I’m hoping he gets a chance to swing at one of those things indoors from far back there because I know what he’s got.”
