| LIONS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR BEN JOHNSON QUOTE SHEET October 6, 2022 On how the offense was able to execute the gameplan against Seattle so successfully: “I think it’s really a testament to what we built in the springtime and over training camp both with the players and the coaching staff, just they all understand what we’re trying to do scheme-wise, and so, if their number is being called, it’s just business as usual, really. A lot of guys stepped up last week, and it was good to see. That’s our expectation, really every week for whoever is out there.” On his evaluation of Lions QB Jared Goff’s performance so far through four weeks and if it is sustainable: “I would say he as well as everybody on the offense, we’re all looking for ways to improve. That’s me as a play-caller, that’s him as a quarterback, that’s our offensive line, that’s across the board. So, we’re four games in, there’s plenty where he can still improve.” On Lions WR Josh Reynolds filling into different wideout roles on offense and being able to produce in multiple roles: “A lot of guys played well last week, but I would say that whole group, the whole receiver group I was really proud of. He probably took the biggest burden of it just because he was bouncing around more than everyone else, but those guys did not miss a beat. (Lions WR Quintez Cephus) Q unfortunately went down when he did, and we didn’t have to change what we were calling because of it. (Lions WR Maurice) Mo Alexander got in for a couple of plays and he didn’t even know, so, which is a good thing, when the quarterback doesn’t even notice that some of these guys that he doesn’t have necessarily the most reps with, doesn’t even notice them in the game, so it’s good. It’s a good thing.” On the importance of having multiple gameplans to combat Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick taking away what teams do best: “This whole week really started with knowing ourselves more so the opponent, and so we do have experience here with the New England way of thought. OK, we’ve got some coaches that were a part of it. We’ve got obviously (Patriots Senior Football Advisor/Offensive Line) Coach (Matt) Patricia was here, so we have an idea how they like to develop their gameplan on defense. So with that being said, we did look hard at us. What have we put on tape the first four games? And we’ll kind of work off of that, but no there’s a lot of thought that goes into this week because (Patriots Head) Coach (Bill) Belichick is one of the best and his staff, they do a phenomenal job taking away what we do best.” On if they focused on knowing themselves more than usual this week: “No, I wouldn’t say that. I think every week we’re looking at it, but certainly, there was a heightened awareness all across the board, players and coaches.” On what he can learn about the matchup from his experience with Patriots Senior Football Advisor/Offensive Line Matt Patricia and the way he coached: “Yeah, I think where I’m lacking, I was never in a defensive meeting with him or those guys, so I don’t know exactly what was said, but I do know what practices were like, what was being emphasized in meetings at times, our unit meetings. So, yeah, there’s a level of, ‘Hey, kind of have a feel that they could do this or that.’ But at the end of the day, I’m in Miami for seven years. We faced New England twice, and whenever you think they’re going to zig, they zag. I mean it’s hard. It’s hard every time you face these guys, and that’s why they’ve been playing at a high level for so long, so it’s going to be a big challenge for us this week.” On an example of a time when the Patriots showed something new that caught him off guard in a game: “I think every week they show something that they haven’t shown that year, so. They’ve got 10-plus years of things that they can draw back on, I mean there’s something, not to divulge too much, but I saw in the Pittsburgh game this year that I remember they brought out in 2016 against us in Miami. So, they have a huge library that they can always go back to, and so it makes it hard. It makes it hard to come up with a sound gameplan.” On if there is an opportunity to surprise the Patriots with a different gameplan than they are expecting: “Potentially. Yeah, I mean we only have four games on tape for them to study. Certainly, they can dive back into last year with our personnel. I think that’s always where it starts for them. They want to know our players more so than the scheme, and so yeah, I’m sure we’ll have some wrinkles for them that they haven’t seen on tape, but overall, it’s going to be a good game for both sides.” On Lions WR Josh Reynolds comparing the Lions offense to the Rams offenses he had been a part of early in his career and if he sees the Lions offense similarly: “Number one goal for us is to win games and we haven’t done that. So, whatever it takes to win games. That’s where it starts, that’s where it finishes. The yards, the points, all that stuff that’s great, but at the end of the day we need to find a way to win a game. That’s all we’re concerned about right now.” On if there is anything he can do as a coach to help Lions QB Jared Goff through mistakes like the interception touchdown against the Seahawks: “You could hand it off every single play. Yeah, we have a lot of confidence in him and like I said, he’s got some areas that he wants to improve over the first four games, that would be one of them. There’s some decisions that he would like to have back right now. So, we’ll continue to work with it, we’ll continue to address it and he’s getting better, he really is. We’ll keep pushing the envelope.” On if there are any updates on offensive players that may be back this week: “It’s all in-flux. You have to ask the (Lions) Head Coach (Dan Campbell) for that, but would love to have everybody back this week. We’ll find out.” On his personal feelings seeing Lions WR Tom Kennedy work his way back onto the active roster: “He’s a guy that had to take the humble road. He’s battled, always compare him to (former NFL WR) Danny Amendola. I had Danny in Miami, and then was lucky to have him – be with him for a couple of years up here. And Tom picked up a lot of his game from Amendola. Selfless, balls to the wall every single play, it doesn’t matter practice or in a game he’s getting after it. And so, I have – I’m very excited for him capitalizing on this opportunity to be on the active roster and see more playing time. That’s good.” On if his bond with Lions QB Jared Goff has grown at all in the face of adversity through the first four games of the season: “We have a great relationship. I feel like we both challenge each other on a daily basis. He brings ideas to me, I bring things to him that maybe are outside of his comfort zone and we’ve both been very receptive to come into an agreement. And once again, going into the game I think he feels really good about everything that we’re calling right now.” On if there is extra stress on the offense knowing the Patriots will try to limit their possessions: “I probably don’t look at it that way. I think the (Lions) Head Coach (Dan Campbell) sees the big picture and once again, on Fridays and Saturdays we’ll sit down and we’ll talk about anything specifically if we need to call the game differently. But always from my perspective is every time we have a possession, we’re looking to score a touchdown, point-blank.” On how the offense is able to be successful despite injuries: “Good players and good coaches. (Lions Offensive Line) Coach (Hank) Fraley’s amazing, (Lions Assistant Head Coach/Running Backs) Duce Staley’s amazing, we have an excellent offensive line from one to 10 and all of our backs run hard.” On if he is surprised that so many of the offensive players are hungry to score more despite the offense already leading the League in scoring: “No, there’s plenty of room for improvement for us and that’s all we’re focused on. Each players as an individual and us as a unit, that’s all.” LIONS DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR AARON GLENN QUOTE SHEET October 6, 2022 Opening Statement: “Good morning. I wish I had a lot of positives to start like I usually do, but there are no positives, really by the way that we played. But the only positive I will say is we got a chance to practice yesterday which was really, really good and get a chance to play this week.” On how significant some of the defensive personnel changes are this week heading into Sunday against the Patriots: “Well, I think that’s something that you’re always assessing as a team, the person that you’ve got and how you want to utilize him. We all did a deep dive, and I will let (Lions Head Coach) Dan (Campbell) actually tell you guys about some of the personnel change. I think that’s his responsibility. But we are and we’re tweaking a lot of things and we’re looking at a lot of things. And when you play the way that you did play against this team, you do have to take a look at yourself. You have to take a look at your players, you have to take a look at your coaching staff, alright and make sure that we’re doing the things we have to do to be successful.” On if he feels any pressure after the loss on Sunday and how he views the security of his job: “Man, I feel pressure just by being a coach. That comes with the job. The one thing I don’t worry about is job security. I’ve been blessed to play this game for a long time and I’ve been blessed to coach it for a long time. And every day I get up, I enjoy doing what I do. I would say this, even though me and (Lions Head Coach) Dan (Campbell) are friends, this is a job and I’ll look at it like that too. That I have to perform just like everybody else has to perform, he has to perform, the players have to perform. When things are not going well, you have to answer to that and I’m not a – I’m not blind to the fact of that.” On what bothered him the most when he saw the clashes in multiple areas of the defense on Sunday against the Seahawks: “There are things that – some fundamental things that we’ve got to really get better at. Obviously, is the tackling, being able to execute in situations that continue to happen over, and over again. Even on our side as coaches, being able to make sure that we put every player in the best situation where they can be successful. And we have to always assess that and that’s something that we’ll always do. So, those are the things that are disappointing to me and we have to continue to look at those things.” On the internal pressure that he puts on himself to fix the defense and what that has been like for him this week and if anything similar happened to him when he was a player: “Man, that’s a great question because that’s what I fall back on. Especially, being drafted by the Jets in the media capital of the world, man, there’s so much pressure that I’ve been under playing the position that I’ve played that it is what it is. It comes with the job, and I guess you can say that I’ve been built and I’ve been hardened to be able to handle things like this. It’s funny because after that game, so me and my wife we go and eat somewhere and I’m just (explicit) about everything. Excuse my language, but after I finish she’s like, ‘Are you done?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah.’ She said, ‘Well go be AG. Go be AG. Man, you’re built for this.’ And she’s right. And that’s what – that’s what I’m excited about. Like, this is a great opportunity for me. Great opportunity for my staff, great opportunity for some of these players who are going to get a chance. So, that’s what excites me because I know me. I know how I respond to things like this here. And man, I can’t wait for it.” On a low point that happened in his career as a player and how he bounced back from it: “Yeah, I can go back to – it was in ’97, we were playing against Seattle, damn. And I was matched up against (former Seahawks WR) Joey Galloway and that was the first time I ever in my career gave up two touchdowns. They were two bombs. (Former NFL Head Coach) Bill Parcells was the coach and just like as a coach, just like as a player, I mean, when you’re playing well, you’re the hottest thing ever. When you do something bad, I mean you’re the worst thing there is. And so, I understand that. So, at that point I’ve become a Pro Bowl player to the worst corner that ever played the game. The thing is, man, you just have to go back to your fundamentals and have faith in who you are and what you’ve done and your background and your history tells your story. That one to two plays doesn’t tell your story. That one game doesn’t tell your story. So, I look at this like this, I mean these couple of games it doesn’t tell my story. I mean, my track record speaks for itself and I’m going to continue to let that speak. So, we’re going to get this thing fixed. We’re going to get this thing moving forward. Our guys are going to respond, our coaches are going to respond and things are going to be alright.” On tweaking the defensive scheme in the offseason and why it has not worked so far: “Well, I think it’s a fine line in saying that. When you say it hasn’t worked, if you look at us in totality as far as the things that we fixed, the things that we tweaked, our interior is actually doing a pretty good job. It’s the perimeter that we’ve got to start to focus on now. So, once you fix a problem there’s always something else that comes in and now you’ve got to identify that. And now, you’ve got to start hone in on that. So, just from our secondary and our support players, man, once we have this honed down, man, you guys got to get ready to feel also. Because once we do that and get that honed in, which we worked on a lot this week, alright? I think you’ll start seeing the whole thing start to come together. Listen, I wish I could have a magic wand and this whole deal will be fixed right now, alright. But that’s just not reality. So, there’s things that we still have to get right in this defense and we will get it right. And our guys clearly, they clearly see it and they clearly see how it all works together. And that’s important for those guys to see that and understand that.” On if there is a danger in doing too much in terms of defensive personnel changes in a short amount of time: “Well, I think we let you guys take it so far as far as the scheme, it’s going to be change. So, we’ll let that continue to ride as it is. But there’s always little small things that you want to do. I don’t think we’re going to go out and just be a whole other team because there are some things that we’re doing well. Just like I said, the interior as far as the run defense is doing pretty well. I think (Lions DL Alim McNeill) Mac and (Lions DL Isaiah) Buggs are doing a hell of a job. It’s just now putting everything together, and then showing to our guys, they’re seeing the big picture and everything works together to make sure we do that. And that’s one thing we have to continue to do as we go on through this journey.” On how much injuries on offense and defense affect the team: “It is what it is. I mean, it is what it is. I mean, injuries are the biggest equalizer in any sport and when you have them, other guys have got to step up. Just like we were saying some personnel changes, other guys are going to get a chance to play and show what they can do. And that’s a good thing, that’s a good thing because I think it keeps everybody accountable and that’s what we’re trying to do.” On what Lions DL Demetrius Taylor can bring to the defense: “Well, I will say this, Meech, we call him Meech, he did a really good job in training camp. And the reason he’s still here is because he stood out. He’s a really good penetrator, he has leverage because of his stature. And he plays his butt off, and so at some point in time he was going to get his opportunity to come in and play for us. And this week he will, now in what capacity, we’re still trying to get that figured out. The thing is we just want to make sure we have a good player, he’s got a chance to show what he can do. So, but he’s excited. I think he’s going to do a good job. Listen, let’s not build it up to more than what it is. I mean, he’s going to have his issues just like every young player, but he’s going to get a chance to play.” On what he tells the players to go back to and look at in terms of fundamentals: “Well, you know what? When you look at some of the issues that we have, it goes back to understanding the totality of the defense and what we’re trying to do. This is how you fit, this is how you make sure that you’re supporting on the edge. As a player, man, what got you into this League? Why were you drafted? Why are you still here? The things that we try to do for the most part is tell those guys that as they continue to go through the journey from training camp – to OTAs really, to training camp, to now. You fall back on those things, those are the things – that’s the reason why we want you to be a part of this team and then, we’ve got to continue to improve on that. Then, I also look at like situations that happened to other teams. For example, you take Kansas City, that’s a really good situation actually. You take Kansas City, at the beginning of the year, the first five games the Super Bowl Champions of – you have the best quarterback some people say that’s playing the game, their defense was averaging 33 points a game given up. They were the worst in the redzone, they were the worst on third down, we fought – one through five, and then at some point, those veterans, the leaders of that team put stakes in the ground said, ‘This is not us.’ So, Week 6 through 14, they averaged 10 points a game. They were like 45 percent in the redzone, third down they were under 50 percent, so at some point this thing’s going to change. But you’ve got to have the mindset, you’ve got to have the guys, you’ve got to have the coaches that’s able to do that. So, listen I understand how this thing works and when you’re down, you’re down, right? But when you’re up, you’re up. And everything changes, all the bad writing about you changes to all the good stuff that they used to say about you. But I understand how this thing works.” On who the veterans are on the defense that need to step up to incite change: “That need to make that? I think it’s the whole defense, including myself. And that’s one thing that we did to – Wednesday, in our defensive meeting. And we’ve just got to continue to believe, I’ll tell you what that’s a powerful drug is belief.” On what he has to do to make sure that the defense matches the performances the offense has been producing: “Man, the only thing that we’re trying to do is get better every game and that’s the pressure that we have is how do you get better? How do you improve? Listen, this is not an offense against defense deal. This is the defense trying to make sure they improve and that’s what it is. I wish I could say something that has more meat to it, but that’s really our only goal. Each practice, each day, each meeting, each staff meeting, man, how do we get better to make sure that we’re doing the things that we have to do to make sure we help this team win? And that’s the focal point.” On if the defense has a vocal leader or if their leaders lead by example: “We do have lead by example guys. And listen, here’s that advice that I’ll tell – because I get asked by a lot of our guys about leadership and here’s the one thing that I tell them, and I try to focus on is leadership is not what you say. Leadership is how you serve. And how do you serve the player next to you? How do you serve the defense? How do you serve the coaching staff? That’s what leadership is because you put yourself behind everybody else to build somebody else up. And when they ask me that it really answers their question because if it’s – if you’re trying to lead and it’s only about you, that’s not leading. But if it’s about the team, then you’re leading. So, whatever you have to say just make sure it’s about the team and not because you’re pissed off at something. And for the most part, that answers a lot of their questions. So, when they want to say something, they know it’s to serve the players on this team. And we have guys like (Lions DL Michael Brockers) Brock, we have guys like (Lions LB) Alex (Anzalone), obviously (Lions S) Tracy (Walker)’s hurt, but Tracy does call a lot of the defensive backs that we have, and I think they take that, and they run with it because they understand it. And that’s just my definition of leadership.” LIONS SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR DAVE FIPP QUOTE SHEET October 6, 2022 On Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick being complimentary of Detroit’s special teams unit and Lions LB Chris Board’s contributions: “Yeah, I will say this before I even talk about Chris, but I would say at the end of the day, Bill Belichick’s incredible, man. What he’s done on special teams through his career, I have as much respect for him, and special teams play as anybody in the National Football League. I know he has a heavy hand in what they do. He’s had a number of different coaches throughout the years, but they always play at a really high level. He takes the roster, and on their roster, they devote like at least three guys who are just hardcore special teams players for them. They’ve got (Patriots S) Cody Davis, number 22 out there, is a 10-year pro. He’s just played special teams. I think in New England, I don’t even if he’s even taken a defensive snap yet. They’ve got (Patriots WR) Matthew Slater, number 18. He’s out there, he’s played for 15 years. He’s obviously been I think five times in the Pro Bowl, an incredible player. When I was Miami, it seems like forever ago, he went to his first Pro Bowl, I think it was in 2013, and he’s the only player I’ve ever written a letter to. I just said, ‘Man, what an incredible performance, and congrats to you. I really enjoy watching you play the game.’ So, obviously, I’ve got a lot of respect for him, and they’ve got young guys coming out here, (Patriots S Brenden) Schooler, who was at Texas a year ago and he was just a special teams player, number 41, and it looks like he’s kind of the heir apparent to all these guys who they’ve had, and they’ve had a number of great players in the past who aren’t there now. But they always play at a high level. They challenge you in every area. Their punter’s been to the Pro Bowl. Their kicker’s been to the Pro Bowl. They’ve got great players on that side of the ball, so obviously these guys are really good. They challenge you a lot. They do a bunch of different things. In my time against them, they’ve hit a drop kick against us. They’ve run a reverse against us. They’ve brought the corner blitz off the edge in the Super Bowl against us. So, you really have to be prepared when you go into the game with these guys. I would say on the flip side of it, it’s like one of my favorite things to do is play against them because it’s always a challenge. And I think, as a professional, your goal is to earn the respect of other people, and I would say he would be up there at the top of my list in trying to earn his respect. I’m hoping one day he’ll take me fishing on his boat. We can talk special teams in the offseason. But that’s really – I say that like half-joking, but I’m actually like 99 percent serious about that. So, anyway, we’ve got our hands full this week. I know our guys are excited. When you talk about Chris Board, obviously, he’s got – he’s been a really good special teams player in this League, and I know he knows that. He played in Baltimore, I’m sure they saw him when he was in Baltimore, and he’s done a good job for us. I would say his role is a little bit different for us. He’s playing a little bit more defense, which obviously takes him off some units. We backed down his role a little bit a week ago, but he’s been great for us. I think the world of Chris. I know he’s a great player, and he’s done a good job. But really this game’s going to come down to the execution of all 11 guys who are out there on the field for us, and so we’ve got our hands full, but we’re excited about going out there and finding a way to get the job done.” On what he knows about Patriots WR Matthew Slater: “Well, he was a kid who came out of UCLA, and he didn’t really have a position. I mean, they called him a wideout when he first got there, they call him a safety now, I think. He ran really fast, but he competed really hard. He obviously – he had a high standard probably to uphold. His dad played in the League for a little while and was a great player. He’s a son of that, and I mean he was just relentless. When I went to Miami, I was the assistant special teams coach, and my job was really coaching a lot of the corners, the guys on the perimeter. Well, he plays on the perimeter, and I mean we just always knew we had our hands full going against him. And so, it was fun competing against the guy. I respect his story. I love the way he worked and competed on game day. And I was happy for him that he made it to the Pro Bowl, and now here we are, whatever, a lot of years later, and he’s still going, which is incredible. But he’s a great player. He’s seen every block. He’s gotten blocked every which way you can. He’s defeated all of them. He still runs great on the outside. He’s super crafty, savvy, knows how to hold a guy up, block him at the last second, block him early, block him late. Like just a great player. Fun to watch.” |
