LIONS HEAD COACH MATT PATRICIA
Opening statement: Obviously, not a very good game for us there. We’re all disappointed. I think al three phases had things on the field they’d like to do better. Obviously defensively, we have to do a better job – we have to coach better and play better. Special teams – there were some plays out there where we need to do a better job too. Offensively, those guys are trying really hard. I think they battled through a really good defense – certainly some plays out there they wish they could have back, too. But just in general: A disappointing day for all of us. We knew on a short week we’d have to come out and try and play well, play together and do everything we could to win. I thought the guys worked through the course of the week, but obviously (it) didn’t show up here today on Sunday. We just need to go back, go back to work, improve, try to get better, get everybody on the field that we can, and try to get ready to go this week, too. It doesn’t stop. It’s still early in the season, but we have to start getting it going. Let’s just take questions.”
On the biggest issue defensively: “Obviously they just did a great job of running the ball. They knocked us off the line of scrimmage. We have to get it coached better and play better. (We) definitely have to tackle. There are some situations there (where) we didn’t finish the plays off. He’s a great running back; he’s a strong runner, we know that. We know he can do a lot of things on the field. We know how dangerous they are in the run game. When you don’t get that settled down, then the play-action game and the balls downfield – those are really hard to defend. We have to do a better job of it all the way across the board – starting with me – then we’ll go from there.”
On his expectations of the run defense heading into this season and his current thoughts on its
performance: “Most certainly it’s not where it needs to be at all. I have to be better. We have to be able to stop the run and just try to do everything we can to be consistent with that, week in and week out. We had some really good plays where we get some negative yards, then we stopped the run from that aspect of it. Then some plays where we obviously don’t (stop the run), create some big seams and gaps in there that they’re able to exploit. Until we get that fixed, we’re going to keep seeing it.”
On if he’s going to look at personnel or schematic changes on defense: “We’re going to look at all of it. We look at all of it. We look at all the coaching, look at all the scheme. We have a lot of different scheme in that we can go to. We
look at the personnel, we look at the technique – we look at everything. We look at every aspect of it. We just try to settle down and make sure that we can get better at the fundamentals – that’s really the biggest thing. We have to start with better fundamentals all the way across the board.”
On if he thinks it’s the level of talent on his defense: “No, again, let’s just start with trying to be consistent in what we’re doing. I think that’s the biggest thing. So we have to coach that that way.”
On why the fundamentals aren’t there: “It is, it’s the bottom line. You have to play with good fundamentals. I would say for us – we’ve talked about it a lot, our pad level, things like that, hand placement, coaching points of it, all have to improve. We have to be consistent. I think that’s the biggest thing for us. There’s just a lot of inconsistencies all the way across the board – whether it’s just our technique or the time on task or whatever it might be. We have to do a better job.”
On why fundamentals, like proper pad level, hasn’t stuck: “Again, I would say the consistency part of it. We got some good plays in there where the pad level was good and the hand placement is really good, and the coaching of it is really good – then some plays when it’s not. That’s the part where just have to put more emphasis on to be that consistent with it.”
On if he expected the defense to come out with passion given the loss at Green Bay: “I don’t know if that would be the narrative of it. I think whatever happened on Monday was a disappointment for the entire team. We have to do the best we can to regroup and get ready to go – certainly from that aspect of it. I think what we have to do is stay focused on the task at hand and make sure we stay focused in the moment. We can’t let any frustration build up from previous games or previous situations. We can’t let that biol over from coaching to playing. We just have to move on – that’s the biggest thing from those situations. We’re going to have to get this film corrected, and we’re going to have to move on and get ready for the Giants. We just have to always do everything we can to get it fixed or corrected or taught, and then do everything we can to go out that week and prove it, then get to the next game and not let one game affect another.”
On if it would be beneficial to let players get emotional, instead of treating games week-to-week: “I don’t think the frustration or any of the emotional part of the game is ever wiped out. I think there’s emotion that’s carried through this game from year-to-year, play-to-play, week-to-week, decade-to-decade – if you’re in it that long. You’re always emotionally invested in football – that’s the great part of it. But from a rally cry or anything like that – you just want to make sure that you’re not focusing or paying too much attention to the wrong thing. You want to make sure you’re paying attention to the details for that particular week.”
On allowing a large chunk play late in the game: “All of those are really difficult, but we get on to the next drive in that situation, and just stop them on the next one. I think for us, it’s never a situation where we’re in a game and say, ‘Ope, that’s it.’ You know? We’re going to compete all the way until the end, and we’re going to finish it off – which these guys do. This team wants to try to compete all the way through, which is great.”
On the explanation he received on CB Justin Coleman’s pass interference penalty: “So what they told me, obviously we’ll take a look at it, but that the ball had just left the quarterback’s hand. So therefore, that’s when the contact was made. So if it was still in his hand, then it would’ve been all right.”
On clarifying that the penalty did not apply to a possible receiver stepping out and in bounds again: “No. From the explanation that I was told, was that – again, when a quarterback moves in that sort of manner, and we’re able to jam those guys or move those guys, as long as he has the ball – which he didn’t because we jammed him out. He didn’t have the ball, it had left his hand. That’s what they told me.”
On the breaking down the fourth-down conversion play call: “I mean, they played it well. You know, they played it well. Certainly in that situation, you have the option to put them on a long field or try to go for it – and at that point in the game, just thought that offensively, we were doing a good job and wanted to put it in that avenue. It’s only a good call if it works. You can second-guess it: Maybe we should’ve kicked it, put them on a long field, or whatever. But in those situations, give them credit. Give them credit for making plays when they needed to in those moments.”
On Vikings WR Stefon Diggs 66-yard reception: “He’s obviously an extremely fast player. We’re committed to stopping the run in that situation. We have to make sure they don’t run the ball. We’re trying to do everything we can to get the ball back. The quarterback faded away just enough – we did have some pressure coming there. He just kind of launched it, and (Stefon) Diggs was able to run to the spot. We obviously have to get on him, get to the quarterback faster – whatever that situation is. We were definitely trying to make sure they didn’t hand it off.”
On if he was trying to draw Minnesota offsides when LS Don Muhlbach false started: “That one where we punted? That might’ve been a situational thing that we were looking at there. We were just trying to see what we could do there.”
On the defensive strategy giving a up 66-yard reception to Vikings WR Stefon Diggs late in the fourth
quarter: “That’s a clock situation there, as far as the end of the game, time management stuff that we’re trying to do to make sure we were maximizing as much time. Certainly in those situations, second down, it’s always a tough one. You’re alert, ready for them if they do throw it. There’s a couple different passes that they run in those situations that we were ready for, but it was a one-man deal – all or nothing on that deal.”
On the decline in stopping the run game: “We talked a lot about it here. Again, let’s coach it better, let’s play it better, let’s do better with our fundamentals. That’s what we did last year – it’s the same thing. It doesn’t really change. We just have to execute on the field better and keep committing to trying to get that done because we have to do it.”
On the lack of blitzing on defense: “We do what we have to do to win each and every single same. I think if you take a look at this game in its entirety, you’ll see a lot more of what you’re talking about then probably what we’ve done in the past. Did it work, did it not? We lost – that’s all that really matters.”
On how concerned he is with RB Kerryon Johnson’s knee injury: “We’re always ready with Ty (Johnson) and J.D. McKissic. Those guys work really hard in practice. Kerryon – we’ll see what that looks like tomorrow from that standpoint. I saw him as he was walking out, just asked him if he was all right as he was going home. So I’ll talk to him tomorrow.”
LIONS CB JUSTIN COLEMAN QUOTE SHEET
On the last deep reception by Vikings WR Stefon Diggs late in the fourth quarter: “Just made a play. He was able to get the ball off and Diggs made a great catch.”
On if he expected a run on that play: “I was expecting anything. They were able to execute a good play.”
On what the official explained to him about his pass interference penalty in the end zone: “He said I pushed him
when the ball was in the air.”
On if he felt the Vikings wide receiver had gone out of bounds on his own on the pass interference penalty: “I’m not sure. I wasn’t able to watch it (the replay).”
On if the defense is able to be a top unit that it was expected to be entering the season: “Definitely fixable. I feel like we are getting better every week. Teams are looking to expose certain coverages that we play, that’s why we have to execute better, go out there and finish the game.”
LIONS DE TREY FLOWERS QUOTE SHEET
On why he feels the defense has struggled against the run: “We just have to work harder. I wish I could tell you some key things. A lot of time, you watch film and you point some fundamental things out. Obviously, tackling, sometimes they’ll seep thru. We’ll have them in the backfield and we couldn’t wrap up. Or just run fits, as far as playing techniques, things like that. So obviously, you’ve got to watch the film and see what it is to fix. We’ve got to fix it, simple as that.”
On if he feels the defense is blitzing enough: “I’m not the DC (defensive coordinator), so whatever the call is it’s up to the players out there to make it happen. It’s up to us to play the technique right, it’s up to us to make a play and stop it.”
On why the pass rush has not been there for the defense this season: “Today, it wasn’t a lot of opportunities because like I said, we didn’t stop the run. Anytime you don’t stop the run, they run a lot of play-action, now it’s like you try to stop the run, but now it’s a play-action pass. It’s tough to get there on the play-action pass, obviously it’s still our job to get there, but I think we’ve got to start out by stopping the run. That’s one of the big things we’ve got to fix. We’ve got to earn the opportunity to rush the passer.”
On if he was hoping the result against the Packers last week would result in an angrier defensive performance today: “It is what it is. You don’t really stand on emotions. You stand on fundamentals and hard work. So, whether emotions were high or low today, it all goes back to the fundamentals that you prepare with. It all goes back to the technique and things like that. It’s just one of those deals that whatever happened last week, you can’t let it carry over to today, whether that’s anger or sorrow. We just have to prepare for that week, for that game. We didn’t do a good job executing.”
LIONS WR MARVIN JONES JR. QUOTE SHEET
On if having a four-touchdown game still means anything to him despite a loss: “No, not right now. You know, I still don’t even think about the one I had way back when – I’ll think about that when I’m old.”
On how difficult it was that the offense slowed down in the second half: “It’s just us, you know. We have to get out of the way of us and we’ll do that. Obviously, we know we started fast and had some good plays and responded and stuff like that, but I just think we fell short. But all we can do is just work, go back to the drawing board, just fix what we need to fix and play a complete game.”
On what was working well for him today: “I think we had some success going down the field, especially when we needed it. When we needed it at times, we went in and punched it in. But you know, it just was what it was.”
On the possible frustration of scoring 30 points and still losing: “Well the NFL is tough and we know that. We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. We know what type of game it is and we just have to execute. If we do that and we control what we can control, then we’ll be in good shape. But we have to do that for four quarters and I think we will.”
LIONS LB DEVON KENNARD QUOTE SHEET
On why the defense has struggled to get off the field late in games: “I’ll have to go and look at the film from today, but they scored 42 points. I feel like they had their way with us defensively. It’s very frustrating, disappointing and nobody is coming to save us. We have to bond together on defense and figure this thing out and find ways to stop these offenses.”
On what has been going on with the run defense versus last year’s success: “I’m not worried about last year. It’s a completely different team and all that. I can’t put my finger on what exactly. It’s not necessarily one thing that is or isn’t being done, collectively we aren’t getting the job done and that needs to change.”
On if he feels the defense is having struggles with run fits and pad level: “Yeah, definitely, especially if the head coach is saying that. We’ll see if that’s the case for today. Regardless, like I said, they ran for almost 200 yards. I don’t know what the exact numbers are. That’s ridiculous.”
LIONS QB MATTHEW STAFFORD QUOTE SHEET
On what was working with WR Marvin Jones Jr. today: “It just kind of happened that way, you know? We just go play the game. I try to throw the ball where I think it needs to go. Marvin is doing a great job of making some plays. His first touchdown, by no means when I cut it loose was I going, ‘Oh yeah, touchdown,’ he made a great play. He caught a couple in there tight, some contested catches which is awesome. I was really happy for him. I wish I could have done more.”
On the touchdown before the half: “It was big. Six seconds left, they know we have to throw it in the end zone, to be able to get it done is kind of an uphill battle for the offense, and that was a big play for us. Obviously, it evened the score back up and we just weren’t able to hold it”
On Vikings LB (Anthony) Barr’s hit late in the second quarter that resulted in a flag: “I mean, I have to go look at it on film. I know what it felt like, I don’t know what it looked like. I’m good now. It was a good hit. It was a good hard hit – high.”
On the offense’s performance against a good defense: “Yeah, that’s a really good defense. I thought we did a nice job, I thought the guys up front played really well. We have to score more than we did, and we didn’t get it done. There is a drive or two early on where I wish I would have been a little bit better, and obviously in the second half we needed to score more, and we didn’t.
On WR Marvin Jones Jr.’s performance this season: “He’s been great. Marv is a true pro, comes to work every single day, runs, does everything we ask him, shows up on game days and makes plays. He is a great guy in the locker room, everybody loves him. I’m just happy he is a Detroit Lion, my teammate.”
On what is it like being four games out of the division lead: “Yeah, I’m not measuring it. I’m not measuring it. I don’t measure the game when we are playing it, you have to go out there and try to score every time that you touch it. Every time I step out on the field, I am trying to win the game. So, I’m not measuring where we are at this point. Obviously, we want to win more games than we have, but at the same time the biggest game is the next one. We have to go win the next one.”
On the failed fourth down play in the fourth quarter: “Yeah, we tried a little play-action pass to the left, they played it
really well. Kind of covered number one, number two and number three, I tried to sneak one in there to J.D. (McKissic)
and it didn’t work.”
On why he said the loss was on him: “Because the way the game was going. The way the game was going we needed to score more, and I wasn’t able to get it done. Whether it was another one late, or maybe one earlier that keeps it a little bit closer later in the game. That’s just how I am as a player. If we lose a game there is a throw out there that I could have made that maybe helps us, and there a few out there today that I obviously could have given us a chance.”
On if the frustration of last week’s game against Green Bay carried over: “I thought we were pretty clean on our side of the ball. I know our defense got a little feisty out there at the end of the game. It’s a division rival, this is a team we see twice a year, every year. It’s like the same guys every time, so everybody knows everybody. I felt like it was good after the game. Sometimes in the game it gets a little heated.”
On why the running game is unable to get to the next level: “I think we were close on a lot of them. Kerryon (Johnson) was a little dinged up at some point during the game and we had some guys step up and do a nice job. I think the run game was decently efficient, but in order to have what everyone wants to call a great run game you have to have some explosive ones. Those help the average, you know you are going to have some twos and threes in there, but if you have a 30 in there or a 25 or a 40 or something like that, really helps the average. We just didn’t get that done today. By no means did I think that our run game was a minus for us today. It picked up a big third-and-short with J.D. around the corner. There were some plays that we really needed in the game, some second-and-longs that got us into third-and- manageable, and we were able to run the ball well, which was huge for us.”
On the fans booing the refs: “It doesn’t have any effect on me. I don’t think it does for the guys on our team either, you can ask the refs if it affects them, I don’t know, but I think they are pretty used to it probably, too. I think that we just have to go play the game. I understand people are upset, certain times for whatever reason, but for us, what we can control is scoring and not letting them score, and we didn’t do a good enough job of that today.”
On WR Marvin Hall’s performance: “He has done a great job, I mean that catch he made today was great. It looked really good from a long way away. I saw a close up picture of it, and it was a great catch. Contested, over the shoulder, way down the field. I was happy for him. He has done some nice things in practice for us and it showed up on game day.”
LIONS DB TRACY WALKER QUOTE SHEET
On the number of yards given up today by the defense: “Yeah, I mean those guys came out with a great game plan and they executed very well. Obviously, our game plan didn’t stick very well when we tried to compete, but I feel like, my teammates, we came out to compete. I feel like they fought until the end, you know, there was a lot of effort out there. There were just a lot of plays that we left out there. We’ve just got to go back and we’ve got to make the corrections, we can’t continue to make these mistakes. I know that I keep sounding repetitive, but we really have got to get control.”
On the Vikings run game wearing the Lions down: “We couldn’t stop the run. The main thing is, I can’t really go off of what – honestly, what you all saw and what I saw is two different things. So, when I go see the film, I maybe see what was going on or what was the problem, but right now we’re just going off of that we lost and I just have got to make the corrections when I see the film.”
On the missed tackles in the backfield: “It is definitely frustrating because we work all week trying to get the guy down, tackling. We work technique all the time, so it’s very frustrating when we have a day like this. Like I said, we can’t sit back and be down about it. We’ve just got to learn from it.”
