LIONS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR BEN JOHNSON QUOTE SHEET
November 7, 2024
Opening Statement: “How about that defense, huh? They’re rolling right now. They did a heck of a job the other day. We definitely feel them when they give us a pick-6 like that, that makes life a lot easier on our end, so (Lions Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn) AG’s doing fantastic, and those guys are really rolling over there right now. Proud of our guys and how they handled the elements there last week. Didn’t turn the ball over, caught the ball when it was thrown to us, and (Lions QB) Jared (Goff) handled it really well, getting us into the right play and distributing the ball. So, took care of business, just like we set out to do, and this week is just kind of the same story. It feels like every week right now, a different defense, but we’ve faced some really good ones now over the last few weeks and this is a challenge just like all the other ones have been. Different style, we really haven’t seen a team quite like this this year. The wide-nine front, they’re attacking, they’re penetrating, they’re really disruptive and they’re really well-coached.”
On if the lack of drops for the team even in the weather at Green Bay is due to the personnel or if it is point of emphasis from the coaching staff: “Yeah, we felt like a big area of improvement for us last year was that, the fundamentals of catching the football. I believe if you looked at number of different stat sites, we were on the bottom five on a consistent basis a year ago in terms of catching the football, we had a number of drops. And so, highlighted that in the springtime, made it known to each position group. They were all at fault, receivers, quarterback for ball placement at times, tight ends, running backs, it was really everybody. And so, we’ve made it a big emphasis and so far, we’ve seen some results from it. But that particular game, I was kind of coming out in pregame expecting to see us struggle a little bit more, but they, between wearing the right shoes, not slipping, focusing on the football, securing it after we caught it, I mean, I thought they did a phenomenal job.”
On if he feels like he has been able to get a better grasp of details like wearing the right cleats in his time in Detroit: “Yeah, I mean, there’s little things like that. Certainly, in this division for as long as I’ve been, (Lions Offensive Line Coach) Hank Fraley’s been, (Lions Head) Coach (Dan Campbell) now, his fourth year, and then just as a play-caller feeling it, there’s things that – like Dallas, I’ll bring that up as an example, different because we’re inside, but we knew that the sun was going to be a factor that game because of that time of day, where it was going to be. So, for me, it’s selective on knowing when we want to throw the ball down the field, but make sure it’s not in our receivers’ eyes. So, little things like that, we certainly calculate in terms of how we’re attacking our opponent and we’ve got some smart players that have been around. They’ve played at Lambeau now and we’ve seen when guys don’t wear the right shoes, the consequences of that and how it affects the team. So, we’re all on board and our captains lead the charge on that.”
On how good the Houston interior defense has been in complementing their edge players and how tough it is to deal with them: “Yeah, it’s front, it’s linebackers, it’s secondary. They’ve got talent all over the place right now and this scheme seems to elevate some guys up front for them. I mean, they are just raging off the football. It’s hard to simulate in practice. We’re going to try to get our show team to do it over the course of the week, but unless you’re in it for an extended period of time, it’s really hard to do and give us the right look. They’re really good at it, they disrupt the quarterback, they make it hard on offensive linemen, they make it hard on tight ends with the defensive ends going right through the V of their neck half the time, so it’s a lot going on and, just like you said, the edge guys get a lot of attention, but interior, they can push the pocket and get on the quarterback’s lap in a hurry. So, I think a testament to that would be third-and-7 to 10 this week, I’ve got, call it 27 clips on my cut up, only three conversions and eight sacks. I really haven’t seen anything quite like that, so they’re doing a phenomenal job, not just on third down, but really throughout. This is a team that thrives on creating negative plays, and it starts up front.”
On how difficult it is to complete passes at the rate and style that Lions QB Jared Goff is completing them: “Yeah, I think I’ve mentioned to you before, a guy that I had in college named John Shoop was one of my mentors, really the reason why I got into coaching. I still remember him when I was a quarterback at Carolina, he said, ‘Man I don’t know if you guys can go 18-18, but I know you can go one-for-one 18 times.’ And it feels like that’s what’s going on with Jared and (Lions WR Amon-Ra) St. Brown right now, their connection particular, but just Jared as a whole, he’s just – each play is its own play and he knows where to go with the football, he’s putting it in a good spot for our guys to not only catch it, but also run after the catch. And so, I think he’ll tell you, he’s just playing disciplined football and distributing on out, and for me as a play-caller, it just makes me want to call more and more passes right now. The issue has been, we just haven’t gotten many plays. The last five games we’re only averaging like 58 plays a game right now, and normally we’re over 70, so we’re not able to get to all of our good stuff at the moment. The three-and-outs, that’s what getting us right now, that’s what we’ve got to clean up.”
On if being on pace for historic offensive production makes him proud: “No, we’re only at midseason and some games we’ve shown up and played really well, other games we haven’t put together a whole 60 minutes. I mean, last week, the first four drives we really did a nice job. We scored touchdown, we needed to punt, we got a field goal, and then we came back out with a touchdown, and then the next few drives it’s a three-and-out, three-and-out, six-and-out. And so, would like to just see us play at a consistently high level throughout the game, that’s really what we’re striving for right now and whatever – it feels like every week there’s a new tidbit or record that’s popping. I had no idea about the St. Brown and Jared connection and that’s all – that’s great, man, it’s awesome. We love all that stuff, but for right now, we’re just focusing on playing good, consistent football. And like I said, we’ve really got to clean up these three-and-outs right now, that’s a big point of emphasis for us this week.”
On how he has been dividing up the snaps for Lions RB David Montgomery and Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs: “Yeah, I mean we certainly have certain plays that go to each guy, but for the most part, they just have their series. (Lions Assistant Head Coach/Running Backs Coach) Scottie Montgomery will tell me, ‘I’m going to start with Gibby this series,’ or, ‘I’m going to start with D-Mo this series.’ And, truth be told, I don’t know what the numbers say if you look at our self-scout entirely, but I don’t call the game that much different for either guy. I feel just as good about D-Mo perimeter-wise or splitting them out on routes as I do Gibby running inside the tackles. I mean, it’s really – that doesn’t influence me very much, it’s just the flow of the game and what we’re doing, and that’s because both those guys, I view, we view, as complete backs. They really – they can do anything. They’re both dangerous when they get the ball in their hands as a runner, but also as a receiver. I don’t know – we’ve had numerous explosive checkdowns this year between those two guys. And so, the confidence is at an all-time high, and you’re right, they just thrive one after another, who’s going to make the next big play.”
On how rare it is to have two elite running backs like Lions RB David Montgomery and Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs on the same team in the NFL: “Yeah, it’s rare. You don’t see it that often. I think teams will do the running back by committee approach, but it’s certainly not a 1a, 1b like we have here where they both – if they went to, call it 28 other teams, they’d both be the number one back on all those teams. So, huge luxury for us, it makes my life easier as the play-caller, it makes our O-line’s life easier as they’re blocking for them up front, and as we like to say, they just elevate their teammates, elevate the people around them.”
On what challenges Houston’s secondary presents to them: “Man, they bring confidence, they bring swagger, this is group that flies around, lot of respect for their nickel. There’s a reason why they play nickel more than anybody else in the League right now. They don’t want to take him off the field, (Texans S Jalen Pitre) number 5, Pitre. I mean, he’s all over the place, great cover guy, great run defender, they’ll blitz him. I really – I think he’s kind of a guy that pops off the tape early in the week. (Texans CB Derek) Stingley (Jr.)’s playing really good football, (Texans CB Kamari) Lassiter, for a rookie, is playing really good football on the outsides, and then their safeties are all over the place, making plays as well. So, they mix it up, quarters, spot-drop, man-to-man, I mean, they do it all on the backend. (Texans Defensive Passing Game Coordinator) Cory Undlin’s coaching those guys back there and I think the world of him as a coach too. So, schematically, we’ll have our hands full trying to find some nuggets on him, but then, personnel-wise, they’re really good.”
On how much of an emotional boost it is to have success on fourth down against a team like Green Bay: “Yeah, it’s awesome. Each week we go into it, we know our head coach is aggressive on fourth down, and so, we spend probably more time than most teams game planning that down and distance and so far, this year we’ve seen some good results from it. But our guys certainly feed from it. That scenario there, fourth-and-3 from the three, those two guys (Lions WR Amon-Ra) St. Brown and (Lions QB) Jared (Goff) made phenomenal plays and we know in the back of our heads that if it doesn’t connect, then we’re putting our defense in a great spot there, backed up as well, and we’ll get the ball back with good field position at a minimum, if not a safety. So, there’s a lot going on there that (Lions Head) Coach (Dan) Campbell puts into account for that stuff, and we’re just trying to do our part on our end, having sound plays and featuring our playmakers.”
On if he knew Texans Defensive Passing Game Coordinator Cory Undlin before he coached for the Lions: “No, but the year that he was here, got close with him. (Lions Special Teams Coordinator) Dave Fipp knows him really well, he’s just a great man, great ball coach.”
LIONS DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR AARON GLENN QUOTE SHEET
November 7, 2024
Opening Statement: “Really good win last week against a really quality opponent, divisional win. We know any time you get wins in your division, there’s some coaches that say that counts for two, but, man, it was really good to get that win, especially in the conditions that we had because it really shows exactly who we are as a team and what our players – how they go about operating. It doesn’t matter, rain, snow, or sleet, it doesn’t matter what surface that you’re playing on, those men are ready to go out there and play and compete and play at a high level. I’m happy about the defensive performance. Again, our guys got a timely takeaway, and we finally got a chance to get a score, and (Lions S) Kerby (Joseph)’s doing a heck of a job at playing this position and understanding exactly what we’re trying to do as a defense and he’s playing accordingly. I’m going to go ahead and knock this out because I know the questions are going to be about it. Man, really happy to get (Lions DL) Za’Darius (Smith), obviously he’s not with us at this moment, he’ll be back with us on Friday, and we’ll see exactly where he’s at. I can’t promise you he’s going to play or not, and that will be up to (Lions Head) Coach (Dan) Campbell to make those decisions and him to say exactly where he’s at. But I am excited about having that player. Listen, I’m not going to compare this player to (Lions DL Aidan Hutchinson) Hutch. It’s hard to compare anybody to Hutch, but he has his own traits and skillsets that we’re going to take advantage of, and the more I get to know the player and the more we get a chance to watch him, we’re going to try to put him in position to be successful. But man, I’m looking forward to this week. I get a chance to go to my hometown, which is always exciting. A team that I played for for about three years and against a quality coach that I know, who I think is doing a hell of a job with that team. This is a team that’s fast, they’re physical, they have explosive players at the receiver spot, their running back (Texans RB Joe) Mixon’s doing a heck of a job. It seems like he’s gotten there and found new life the way he’s running the ball and in the passing game, some things he’s doing with them. I think this offense creates a number of issues that we have to be really, really careful about, going about operating against them. Obviously, it’s the San Francisco system, but you see some things that he’s put his own stamp on, so we’ve got to be good with that.”
On if he could see out of his glasses during the game at Green Bay: “Listen, this thing is really getting out of hand. I am not a social media person, I’m not, but I have three kids and they’re grown and my wife of 28 years – and let me say this first off, she told me I was so much better up here last time because I smiled, so I want to make sure she sees this. Alright, I want to put that out there, but man, for all the memes or whatnot that people have been sending me about that, and I had no idea, I really didn’t. Man, I was just locked in trying to call the best game I can, knowing that was a quality opponent. The best one I’ve seen was the one that (Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown) Saint put together where he had his Green Bay shirt on or whatnot and he put my face on his. But this thing is getting out of hand, fellas. But it’s cool.”
On what it is like standing on the sideline in rainy conditions: “It’s hard for me to say that because the only thing I was thinking about is, ‘What’s the next play, what’s my next play-call and how I can put guys in positions to be successful.’ And once (Lions DB Brian Branch) BB had his altercation and he was out, now I have to just refocus on doing some other things and making sure that I get everybody in line with what we have to do because that was a transition in itself. Because there is a lot of things we do as far as our gameplan to put him positions to go make plays and when he left the game, we had to transition to some other things. I thought our coaching staff did a really good job of understanding exactly what I was trying to do and helping those guys get in positions.”
On if Lions DB Brian Branch was meant to blitz on the play where Lions S Kerby Joseph got an interception at Green Bay and how much it speaks to the fact that he can play in the box: “Well, let me address the – BB thinks every blitz is supposed to be for him, so I would say that first and foremost, but the thing is we – Kerby has skillsets that we want to tap into and obviously he’s really, really good in the deep part of the field, that could be deep-half or deep-middle, but if you look at the body type, man, he’s a thicker-built safety. He weighs about 210, 212, so his ability to go in there and cause havoc as far as a blitzer is something that we’ll continue to take advantage of, too. And plus, listen, we want those guys to be interchangeable, we want those guys to be able to do everything they can to be a top-notch safety in this League. So, do we blitz him all the time? No, we don’t. But there are times we want to make sure we put him in those positions to do that. So, it was a great play by him, we’re steady going to look at that, being able to send him and blitz him, but we also put him in coverage and man coverage also. So, those two guys are doing a hell of a job for us, and the thing is, they’re not even close to where they’re going to be, and when I talk about that that’s just understanding the game as they get older and understanding the things we’re trying to do with them technically, that they have to do a better job at.”
On what it was like to be one of the original players for the Texans: “Listen, I was leaving the Jets that I had an eight-year run with and listen, that was tough to leave that place because I really enjoyed playing there, but I really looked forward to going home and playing in my hometown, to be able to play in front of my family and friends. And I really took that as an opportunity to, ‘Man, how can I put my stamp on this team?’ Knowing it was a knew franchise. So, I wanted to do everything I could to lead by example, and I thought I did that because I know that me and (former DL) Gary Walker were like the first two guys to make a Pro Bowl from an expansion team, and I was really proud of that because I felt like I did exactly what I wanted to do, put my stamp on so guys could actually follow and understand what we’re trying to do to be a really good team. Listen, the record wasn’t what we wanted, but I thought defensively we did a pretty good job.”
On Lions S Brandon Joseph’s play after Lions DB Brian Branch was ejected at Green Bay: “Listen, he’s been doing that since he’s been here. There were other games that he came in and he played for us when guys went down, and I have all the trust in the world for B-Jo. He’s a very smart player, he understands what other people on the defense are doing, and that’s one of his strong points. So, listen, we’re very comfortable putting that player in the game whenever there’s a time that we need him in.”
On the skills that Lions DL Za’Darius Smith has that fit in the defense: “Listen, the first thing that everybody sees with this player is the edge presence that he has. He’s tough, he’s been doing it for a long time, he’s tough in the run game, he can set an edge, which we really look forward to seeing him do, but then he has a knack for really going inside and being able to capture an edge on third down against guards. So, listen, (Lions DL Aidan Hutchinson) Hutch can do that, but you see Z and the body type he has, man, he’s really good at doing that, and then you actually see it on tape of him being able to make plays in that situation. So, the more that we look at him and see what he likes as a player, we’re going to use him in those situations.”
On if he believes the team can get back to crushing the pocket when Lions DL Josh Paschal and Lions DL Za’Darius Smith return: “Well, the mindset was to never get away from it, the mindset was always to utilize the players that we have and what they do best, and I know I continue to say that, but I think that’s the number one thing a coach is supposed to do. But you’re absolutely right, that’s a strong point for both of those guys, but again, I don’t just see Za’Darius just always on the edge. We’re going to use him in a number of different spots, somewhat similar to the way Cleveland used him because I thought he was pretty successful in that system of being able to come inside and make some plays also. But his ultimate spot will be on the edge. He is a big man, he is a strong man, and he does have long arms, so what you just said was exactly right, what we want to try to continue to do is put him in there so we can be ready to crush the pocket.”
On how challenging or fun it has been for him to have to adjust to players being injured and having to come up with different ways to win: “Regardless of that, I really enjoy my job. I know the pressures that come with this job, I know the criticism that comes with the job, but I also know, when things happen on the other side that is going well, the noise that you hear from that – but I try to do everything I can to keep my focus on the players. I try to do everything I can to keep my focus on the team and how I can I best utilize even my staff to make sure that we’re on the up-and-up as far as playing good defense. But it is a fun situation to be in, especially when you’ve got the pieces that we have. And no one’s the same and everybody’s different, and that makes it fun to be able to utilize each player to their own unique qualities to put them in those positions. Obviously, we’ve got (Lions S Ifeatu Melifonwu) Iffy and (Lions CB Emmanuel Moseley) E-man that are staring to practice, so now we’ll get a chance to utilize them and see what they can do, if they can help us or not. But we’ve all seen what Iffy has done, the thing with E-man, we haven’t been able to have chance to see that in live action, but I’m looking forward to seeing how he operates.”
On if facing Lions Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson’s offense in practice allows him to show that he is creative on defense: “Well, I try to be. The thing is, like I said, it’s always fun to be able to have different coverages, to be able to have different structures as far as front structures and to attack people. And I say this all the time, I’m always looking at the tape and saying, ‘How can I attack?’ And that’s from a structure perspective, and the coaching staff does a really good job of helping me, of understanding exactly what I’m trying to create and going to teach the players what I’m trying to create, and the players do a good job of going out there and executing.”
On what challenges Texans QB C.J. Stroud presents: “Listen, obviously he’s growing into one of the better quarterbacks in this League. He’s a big man, he has quick release, he’s effective when he gets outside the pocket of making plays. He’s not a true runner per se, but he can run to create plays. So, the thing that we’ve got to be careful of is, man, these receivers that he has and the running backs that he has, of not allowing him to be able to just dice us up, getting the ball out to these guys, because they can really make some plays. Listen, this is a good offense, fellas, it’s a really good offense. We’ve got our work cut out for us, but we’re up to the challenge.”
On if he can sense that the vibe of the Lions’ sideline has a different vibe than any other sideline in the NFL: “Listen, to me, I don’t know if sense the sideline is the correct way to look at it, but I do feel like there’s a confidence with our players, that each week we feel like we can go out there and we’re going to give ourselves a chance to win. And that’s different from some teams I’ve been a part of that – I don’t know. These guys, each week, feel like, ‘Man, we’re going to win, and we don’t know how we’re going to do it, but we’re going to do it.’ That can be a close game, that can be a blowout, that can be an end of game situation, and the reason why they think that is because we go over so much during the week, and you’ve got to credit our head coach for that. So, any situation that comes about, we feel like we have an opportunity to win the game because we know exactly what to do and how to do it. And again, you give the credit to players in that situation because they know exactly what we’re trying to coach. But yeah, there’s a confidence with every player on our team, offense, defense and special teams. They’re going to go out there and they’re going to execute well.”
LIONS SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR DAVE FIPP QUOTE SHEET
November 7, 2024
On the challenge of going into a matchup missing key players to injury: “Yeah, that’s a good question, I think the biggest thing is if you have a bunch of good players then everybody can kind of share the load a little bit. I talked about that last week, so that helps. It’s an opportunity for somebody to come up and play, last week (Lions S Loren) Strickland came up, we played (Lions DL James) Houston a little bit more, (Lions DL Pat) O’Connor a little bit more, so some other players maybe play a little bit more, (Lions TE Shane) Zylstra, obviously, is playing more for us than he was. And then I think for us, we’ve been focusing, we’ve had a lot of depth on the roster and these guys have been here so even if they haven’t been playing, they’ve been practicing and doing a lot of things that we ask them to do on game day now. So, it’s not like they’ve never done any of it.”
On what jumps out about the Texans special teams unit: “Yeah, it’s a great question because I’m higher on these guys. I feel like every week it’s going to be a challenge. I mean if you look at our schedule, we play a number of teams in a row here that are very talented on special teams and so it’ll be a reoccurring theme. This group is very explosive. They have a bunch of quick, fast athletes, their returners are very good, physical kick returners, punt returners very explosive players. They have a lot of experience in their group. Their linebackers run really well, they run and hit. Their safeties and their corners can fly on the outside, so their gunners are really fast, their jammers are really fast. Overall, a very talented group. There’s a lot of influence I think from the (former Patriots Head Coach) Bill Belichick, New England Patriots era with their general manager there and that goes to the backend of the roster being high level special teams players, or you’re not on the team. So, this team’s let a bunch of good players walk out of there. We got a couple of them, (Lions LB) Jalen Reeves-Maybin, they let him go, they let (Lions LB Ezekiel) Turner go, they had him this year and we just picked him up, but they let him walk out of there, this guy’s been a high level teams player. So, they have an abundance of talent over there on that side of the ball. So, it’ll be a really good matchup, and we’re excited just like always. I think I said it last week, I think, but that’s really why you play the game, you want to go against great players and great teams, and you want the challenge to really elevate your game. I said to (Packers Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator) Rich Bisaccia last week before the Green Bay game, I love going against him because every time I play against his group, he forces me to get a little bit better too. So, I think as you play good teams, it helps you as a coach get better because the challenge is bigger. So, we’re excited about it.”
On how proud he was of a mistake-free special teams game when dealing with the weather elements at the Packers: “Yeah, to be honest with you, the wind blowing down the field was a little bit more than I anticipated. Going into the game, we knew what the elements were going to be, but a lot of times the wind blows a little bit left to right or right to left and not as much straight down the field, and it ended up being pretty straight down the field in that game. I thought our specialists did a great job handling it. (Lions K) Jake (Bates) I thought did a really good job. The snaps weren’t perfect in the game, (Lions P Jack) Fox as a holder did a great job of getting the ball down. The holds weren’t perfect, and he ended up making all those kicks and not really flinching or blinking. And I think I’ve said this to you guys before and I’ve certainly said it to our guys but to me, that’s what NFL players do. Everything’s not perfect, but you still go out there and execute and play at a high level and make your kicks or get the ball down on a bad snap or overcome the obstacles that are out there. I think great players do that, I think great teams do that, I think people in life who end up being successful do that, and there’s no excuses for what goes on, so I was proud of those guys for handling that.”
On if New England’s special teams has influenced Houston because of Texans Special Teams Coordinator Frank Ross’s time there: “Yeah, I would say a little bit. He grew up in that system, he grew up kind of underneath (Browns Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Ray) Bubba Ventrone and Ventrone played up there and then obviously coached there and then has gone on to coach in Indianapolis where he brought Frankie Ross with him to Indianapolis, and then when (Texans Executive Vice President and General Manager Nick) Caserio, or however you pronounce his name, got the job in Houston, I think those two guys went to college together. So, then I think Caserio brought Frankie to Houston. So, they know each other well I think and yeah, there’s a lot of influence of New England Patriots stuff.”
On what the Patriots’ special teams ideology is: “They’ll try to put the pressure on you in a lot of different ways, whether it’s different punt rushes, bringing corners off the edge, that kind of stuff. But I’m really putting a lot of detail and emphasis on special teams both from the roster and schematic standpoint.”
On if he has gotten any closer to his goal of fishing with Bill Belichick: “I wish, I kept on thinking that he’s going to call me, but I guess I got to call him. No, but you know I think the world of the guy.”
On if there is any concern with Lions LS Hogan Hatten’s faulty snap at Green Bay: “No, yeah, I don’t have any concern at all with him, really. He didn’t handle the conditions perfect but no, he’s actually had a great week so far. Yesterday’s practice was outstanding. He’s been really outstanding for us. I think I’ve said that a number of times. I mean really, the success of our kicker, he’s been a huge part of that because of the velocity on the snap, the accuracy, and how tight and catchable the spiral he rifles back there, that’s really made our kicker a better player this year. So, no I feel great about him, it just was a tough game with tough situations, and I think he’s probably learned from it and grown a little bit too, and some things maybe we do a little different next time around. But no.”
On if there is anyone that is performing at a higher level than expected: “I don’t know if I would say a higher level than I expected, but I think (Lions CB Kindle) Vildor’s done a really good job for us as one of our gunners. I mean everyone focuses on (Lions CB Khalil) Dorsey and he gets a lot of attention, but because of that, Dorsey gets the double teams, and then if you can single the other guy, well then, it’s a tough day for you in coverage. But Vildor’s been able to show up for us on the backside when he’s got the one-on-ones and really helps us out. But I think the best thing, honestly, about our group is I feel like they play very complementary football. They all play together as a team or a group of 11 players out there, whether it be punt coverage, punt return, kickoff, kickoff return. I think they’ve played their role, I think they’ve embraced their role, and we really play team football, and when you play that way, I think everybody gets a chance. We have a lot of guys with tackles on the team, we have a lot of guys with blocks on the team, we have a lot of guys with critical blocks, so I think they’ve kind of shared the load and passed it around together and I think – I said to you guys before, the most important thing to me is how we play together as a group pf 11 guys on the field and it’s not about really any individual performance, but about the group and I think they’ve done a good job.”
On the difficulty of coming from a background like Lions K Jake Bates’s and converting every kick so far this season: “Yeah, he’s done a good job. I think (Lions Head) Coach (Dan) Campbell’s done a good job of also managing him. I think we’ve put him in good situations. It’s like their kicker, I think he’s kicked – he’s 10 of 12 on 50-plus kicks, we don’t have that many 50-yard kicks, and it’s really not because we don’t think we can make them, we haven’t been in that situation a whole lot. It’s not like we punted from there either or gone for it in an unmanageable go-for-it situation. But anyways I think he’s been managed well. We tried to get him a lot of confidence going into the year, we try to manage the kicks, we try to get him a lot of repetition early in the year in training camp and get him more confident. He’s got such a big leg that even with wind and weather and all that stuff, he really just has to hit one ball, and if he can just hit that one kick and just hit it right down the middle and just get very consistent at that, he’s going to have a lot of success and be consistent. So, a lot of his success is because of his talent. He’s so talented and he strikes the ball so hard and powerful that it’s going to go straight no matter what the conditions are, as long as he hits it right and he’s just gotten better and better at that. We’ve kept kind of his focus very narrow, and he’s done a good job of focusing on that. So, a lot of credit to him but also a lot of credit to the group of guys around him. Those three guys get along really well, they work really hard at it, they’re very, very competitive and very prideful about their performance. So, yeah, he’s still got room to grow but we’ll just keep it going.”
On his coaching points for covering long field goals: “I think I said two weeks ago or something, for us, we focus on what we do and obviously not what they do. But for us, we put some good pressure with our field goal block on the other teams’ field goal. I think you try to apply as much pressure as you can force them to execute and if they do, then they got a chance to make it through, but if you do then you have a chance to either block it or pressure them into a bad kick.”
