LIONS HEAD COACH MATT PATRICIA
(Opening Statement) “I am really proud of our players. I thought they came out and played extremely hard. [We] handled a lot of adversity on the field. We definitely had some things that came up in the game that we had to change and adjust. I thought our guys did a phenomenal job of that. They played hard. They came out and executed the game plan. We knew we were going to have a big challenge in front of us, but just give credit to our guys. I thought our guys handled the last two weeks really well. They ignored everything and went out and played aggressive. It was great to see. I am just happy for our players.”
(On the offensive line changes) “I don’t know if I have ever been in a game where we have played all eight offensive linemen – that was a little bit unique. I thought it was great of those guys just being prepared. It was a great lesson for us. I think our guys do a phenomenal job of this every single week of just being ready to go. You never know when your number is going to be called and when it gets called, you have to go out there and perform really well and I thought they did. Just give credit to the offensive line. They did a good job of communicating and helping each other on the sideline being ready to go. I am proud of that crew and everybody got out there and played. That was awesome to see. Quite honestly, you are looking at the different [players] going in and out, you are trying to evaluate it, but I really thought everyone gelled and communicated really well, which is the biggest thing and I thought it was great.”
(On the ability to stop the run today) “I thought the front did a good job with the linebackers and the d-line and some of the DBs down in the box. We have a couple of different looks which I thought was good. The guys played aggressive. They did a good job. Jacksonville has a good run game. We know that, we talked about it all week. It was a big challenge for us, so I am just happy. Credit to the players because they put it on the field, which was great.”
(On blocking out the noise today) “It’s something we talk about all the time. We have talked about this before. I am not really a social media guy and up to date with that stuff, but I know that our guys are on it and it’s something I am always conscience of. A couple of years of ago, I had a great conversation with a young player on how important that is to him. I think for us, it’s just a reminder of what we have to focus on [and] what we do in this building. We have to do our jobs. We have to focus on what we need to do each week, which is try to get better and improve. It’s what we really mean when we say that. Put the binders on and let’s go to work and I thought our guys did a good job of that.”
(On D’Andre Swift’s performance and the role he had today) “Obviously, give him credit. He did a phenomenal job behind our o-line. I think he ran really hard. I think he ran physical, which is great to see. We know what a great player he is and we have been talking about it for a while. There are things he can do that will give opponents problems. It was brought up to me to take the bye week to really look at some plays we had and how they all fit together. I thought Coach [Darrell] Bevell and his staff did a great job of getting a good run-game plan to the offense. They went out and executed it really well.”
(On if Swift did enough to earn more carries moving forward) “We have a great running back room with all of those guys. If we can hand off the ball three times at the same time, that would be great. We will give it to all of them. We’ll also give one to [linebacker/fullback Jason] Cabinda. We have a big room so we will give it to all of them.”
(On if Swift’s emergence will give them more flexibility with Adrian Peterson) “I think for us, we will go back and look at the tape. I am proud of the guys for winning today. I am proud of the guys for doing a great job in the game. We are not going to go bigger than that right now. I think we all had a long conversation, probably a couple years ago, with Kerryon [Johnson] earlier in the year and what he was doing well. I tried to explain that it’s a long season. It’s a long season for rookie running backs and the looks they get. From that standpoint, we are going to keep trying to do what we can do to get the run game going. When you talk about the run game, you can talk about the running backs and obviously they are the ones that carry the ball. There is a lot of work being done up front. There is a lot of work being done by the tight end group. There is a lot of work being done by the o-line group, the wide receivers and those guys coming in blocking down the floor so that is what is fun about the run game. It’s just a great team effort. I am proud of those guys. I am proud of those players.”
(On going back to rotating on the offensive line) “There are guys that we like and want out there. I am thankful that we did roll everybody through. We played eight offensive linemen today and it was great for everyone to get out there and play.”
(On if he plans to rotate more moving forward or if it’s because of Dahl’s injury) “Again, I think it was what we were trying to get done for today.”
(On getting his guys to play fast and if he pulled that from past experience) “Through my coaching career, I have been in that situation when you get to the end of September and you take evaluation of where you are at and what you are doing well. I think the guys played fast. I can’t necessarily say that everything was simplified from a game [plan] standpoint, but from coaching schedule standpoint, maybe from the responsibility standpoint, maybe some packages with less rotation that way. We felt whatever bricks we could take off their plate and do that. Again, you have to give credit to the players. I thought they played hard. You know I am going to see the film and there will a lot to correct. There were some penalties in there I didn’t really like, but we will have to do a better job of that and critique and correct them. We will try to do a better job next week and get ready to go.”
(On the pass rush today) “They are complementary in the run and the pass game. That is true. Give [Gardner] Minshew credit. That guy got out of some tough looks. He is a great player. He is really difficult to play against. He made some really phenomenal escapes and extended some plays. We have to do a better job and we missed some opportunities there. We missed some, but give him some credit for the athlete that he is.”
(On if sending more blitzes in the pass rush was a game-specific plan) “I think some of them came clean and some of them came again the pass game, which is some run pressures, you really can’t tell. Sometimes we had them based on looks. We got a couple of the looks that we thought we would get, and we got some pressure off those certain looks. That all changes week in and week out. Apparently, we understand when we have the ability to pressure how much that will help us open up with the coverage and everything behind it. We don’t have to give up those big plays. I think some were good and I think there were some that weren’t so good.”
(On how humid it was due to two players leaving for hydration) “It was pretty humid down here. It was pretty hot. We might have more than just two that will have to get IV’s and stuff like that. Sometimes that happens. I have to do a better job of being ready to go with that stuff. Florida in October is still warm. Again, I am proud of everybody stepping up and being ready to go when they had to.”
LIONS QUARTERBACK MATTHEW STAFFORD
(On keeping and building on the lead in today’s game) “I think it was total team ball. Obviously, our defense did a heck of a job today, held them down, stopped the run, turned it over a couple times for us, and then we ran the ball really well. Obviously, [RB D’Andre] Swift and the boys back there did a great job. The guys up front, [I] can’t be more proud of those guys. Obviously a lot of moving parts throughout the week last week and obviously on game day today, and they overcame it all and kept the line of scrimmage in favor of us, which was awesome and it really helped us out today.”
(On being 2-0 on the road against the Jaguars and if he plays better at certain away stadiums) “I don’t know. I [don’t] feel like I played all that great today. I missed a couple and wish I had a couple of them back, but it’s nice to win. There’s no question about that, especially on the road. This is our first game this year with a significant amount of fans in it so it was fun to have a little bit of juice out there and be able to keep them quiet all day. There were a couple Lions fans which we’re happy to see some Lions people out there cheering for us, which was fun.”
(On if how it felt to get the statistic today of throwing a TD pass against every other NFL team and if he was thinking about it during the game) “Not really. It was entirely too hard to score down there on a couple of those. I was trying to throw another one to Hock [T.J. Hockenson] earlier and [LB/FB Jason] Cabinda thought it was coming to him and he knocked it out and it was a tough series to get it in there, but it was nice to score. [I’m] just happy that our team got in the end zone, run or pass. Obviously, we got a couple rushing touchdowns today, which was awesome, and I know the guys up front loved that. The guys on the sideline loved that. It’s awesome to watch us run it in and so I was proud of the guys up front for doing that. But as far as I go, I just wanted to score. [It’s] cool that we got the touchdown, nice that I had the stat. I’ll just keep it moving.”
(On if they were forcing the play to get him the stat) “I don’t think that was the case, surely wasn’t talked about. I think more than anything we ran it in earlier. We thought the play action would be there. I think that was more the thought process than anything.”
(On being more dressed up in today’s postgame press conference) “[I] just don’t have anything to carry my suit back in other than my body, so figured I’d put it back on my body.”
(On the development of RB D’Andre Swift this year) “He’s done a nice job. Obviously he missed some practice early on in training camp but got healthy and has been doing a really nice job. Just whatever his role is, he’s trying to do it the best that he can. There were some really great plays out there today, a couple plays I’m sure he wants back. There was one miscommunication between he and I in the pass game that we’d like to have back, but the thing I like about him is just nothing really fazes him. You know, he made a mistake like that and just keeps it moving and knows he going to make great plays later in the game. He’s got a lot of confidence in himself and his teammates. We have a lot of confidence in him, really all the guys on this team, so he’s just another big part of it and [has] done a really nice job as a young guy.”
(On what having a dual threat player like RB D’Andre Swift does for the offense) “It’s awesome. Obviously I thought the guys up front did a great job of opening holes and he was hitting them with authority, making guys miss, running people over. He did a nice job. I thought all of our backs ran it really well. I’ve got such a good view. I hand it off and watch those guys do their thing. I thought all of them ran it really well, got what was there and then some. So he’s definitely a talented player, a guy that we can get the ball to handing it to him and throwing it.”
(On blocking out the outside opinions on Head Coach Matt Patricia and getting a win today) “That’s our job. Our job is to go out there and play. It’s not to pay attention to all the other stuff that’s going on. We don’t live in a bubble, not yet at least. I think all that stuff is around or whatever, but it’s our job to play at a high level. That’s what we concentrate on doing and it was just nice to get a team win today.”
(On if today showed the offense at its best) “I still think there’s quite a bit out there. We definitely try to spread the ball around. We try to get everybody involved in the game. Sometimes guys have more big plays, more yards than other guys, but we have a great unselfish group. We all just want to do whatever we can to get the ball in the end zone and help our team win games. Kenny [Golladay] had a great game. [It] helps [when] you get a free play, launch one up, and it gets a 50-yarder on that and some other big plays throughout the game, but I thought our guys did a nice job on the perimeter, getting open, and making some plays.”
LIONS DEFENSIVE BACK TRACY WALKER
(On if he paid any attention to the talk about head coach Matt Patricia’s job being on the line and the importance of a win) “In that sense, it was definitely important because there’s a lot at stake right now, but also, our season is at stake. Right now we’re fighting to bring our season back. We’re fighting for that playoff spot right now. Right now, we’ve just got to take it one week at a time and control what we can control right now. That’s the outlook we’re taking.”
(On if it’s tough to block out the talk surrounding the team) “Honestly, not really because it’s just a love of adversity. We face adversity every day in everyday life. So, honestly, it’s just a little more adversity that we can handle. I’m a firm believer that God puts things in your life that you have to work through. He would never put something on your plate that you can’t handle.”
(On the importance of getting a win to try to get on a roll with the upcoming schedule) “Like I said, all we can do right now is control what we can control and take one day at a time, one game at a time. Like I said, as long as we continue to keep up what we’re doing right now, the sky is the limit. That’s the outlook we’re taking right now.”
(On playing close to home in Brunswick, Ga., and how meaningful it was to have a good game in front of friends and family) “I had a good little crowd. I had about 22 (people), my whole family, come out to the game, so that was a blessing in itself. I know a lot of my friends from home, so to allow them to watch me play live, especially with this whole COVID thing going on right now, like I said, that’s a big blessing. I’m thankful for that opportunity. Like I said, we got the win and that makes it even better.”
LIONS RUNNING BACK D’ANDRE SWIFT
(On having good vibes in this stadium, either college or pro) “I love this field (laughs). It felt good to go out there and get a win, especially on this level. I like this one more.”
(On the 54-run yard run) “The O-line (offensive line) did a great job so it was easy for me. We have to keep running, though.”
(On making the most of his opportunity today and being comfortable) “It comes during the week with preparation, allowing them to see me run the plays that is called. I’m happy with this win and hopefully we can get this thing going.”
(On what this does for his role moving forward) “If it comes to me, I’m going to be really productive.”
(On the rotating offensive line and how they performed) “It started with this week. We had something. I knew whoever was going to be in there was going to get the job done.”
(On what confidence today’s performance gives him moving forward) “Believing in myself. I know I have the ability, so believing in myself. We’re going back to work every day so whenever my number is called, I will make the most of my opportunities.”
(On if he prefers running over people or out-running people) “Whatever the opportunity allows me to do. I can do either one.”
(On being unfazed by it all) “Yeah, I know that is not me as a player. I’m showing everyone else that because I know that.”
LIONS S DURON HARMON
(On simplifying the defense and not overthinking as much this week) “Like you said, I think we did a good job. Coaches, players just simplifying our calls and just getting our guys out there and playing fast. When we did it, we had the talent and we’ve seen what it could look like. Obviously, it wasn’t perfect. There are some things that we all need to clean up as a unit, but anytime you go out there and played the way we played today, forced some turnovers, keep them under 50 yards of rushing, it’s a great day.”
(On his interception and the hit he got later in the game) “Well, just trying to be a good middle to the safety, read the quarterback, just trying to get a good break, and just high pointed the football. I’ve seen him go up there, put some air under it and knew it had a chance to get there. The high point, it got it. [I] tried to turn around to see when [DJ] Chark [Jr.] was and right when I turned back around, actually he was right there with his helmet underneath my chin and I mean, that was a good hit. I told him that, good hit, but it was a good play for our defense, and I was just excited to make a play for the team. [I’m] glad I was able to get up, just keep playing.”
(On having a better pass rush in today’s game) “I think we just did a good job of having good rush and good coverage. I mean when you have those two going together, it’s a good recipe for winning football, especially on the defensive side. Those guys did a great job upfront, getting after the quarterback, making it tough on [Gardner] Minshew [II], and then I think we did a pretty good job in coverage the whole day. Whether we were in zone, whether we were in man, I think we did a good job mixing it up. We had a couple plays obviously that we want to get back, myself included. Just that long one, I have to try to find a way to get it on the ground. That’s piss poor on my effort. I’m a better football player than that and I have to play better than that. But overall, we just did a good job just combing two [elements], good rush, good pass coverage, and when we do that, we can beat them.”
(On the statement the defense made today despite criticism in previous weeks) “Not necessarily a statement. I mean we just knew we could play better, and we just needed to find a way to play better and I think we did that. I wouldn’t say statement because doing it for one game means nothing. I mean we have to find ways to be consistent and that’s what we have to do now. We have to be a good defense this week, next week, and just keep finding ways to get better because, like I said, we watch the film. There’s going to be some things that we wish we did better and played better and that’s a good thing. We still have another week, and we’ll enjoy this one right now, but at the end of the day, we all have to be better.”
LIONS DEFENSIVE END TREY FLOWERS
(On what was clicking today regarding stopping the run) “It was definitely our practice and focusing on our fundamentals, especially on the defensive front, pad level and head placement. We knew it was a test coming into Jacksonville. They were a running team so we knew it was going to be a challenge and we stood up to the challenge throughout practice and here today.”
(On getting more pressure on the quarterback due to successfully stopping the Jaguars run game) “It definitely allowed us to control the game. Obviously, like I said in the past, if they can run the ball, why would they pass? We got them one dimensional by stopping the run and now we can pin our ears back. Like you said, we did not get the sack numbers but focusing on the rush and making them throw it fast, it affects the quarterback.”
(On the strip-sack play and how good it felt to recover it) “I went into power and then it was a power-to-edge move. So, you sit them down and then you go around them, like the edge. He [Gardner Minshew] had a good game going on the inside so I didn’t allow him to step up and so he had to stand there and throw it and I just went for the ball. Going into the 2-minute defense, that was big for us.”
(On how this win can springboard the team toward success down the road) “Yeah, we definitely see the equation, when we put four quarters together. We can get a lot better, but we need to keep attacking throughout the game. As for us, being able to do that, we see the equation so we know we have to go back to the drawing board and practice and put the focus on the little things that we did throughout the week that resulted in this win and just keep playing. A lot of people probably discredit us, but it is still hard to win in the NFL. That is still an NFL team and they got a lot of great skill guys, especially on offense and defense, so it’s hard to win and this win is a win.”
(On how hot it was on the field today) “Yeah, it was definitely a little more humid than we’re used to. That’s what you expect coming into Florida, but hopefully we can get back hydrated.”
(On what he is thinking about when he sees the opportunity for a strip sack) “You want to go for the ball but obviously you want to make sure that you secure the tackle because all the time guys go for the ball and miss the ball and miss the sack. When it is out there like that, it does kind of slow down and you know you can get the ball and make a good play.”
