Updates to Training Camp Week 2
On what the onboarding process is for players who are signed during training camp: “Man, they get thrown to the fire. I mean, that’s the only way you can do it, and really that’s kind of the only way to be fair to them because if you just wait until, ‘OK, you good? You’re totally good? OK, good.’ Well now it’s time to move to the next guy. So, there’s nothing easy about it, but those guys understand that when they sign here, and first of all, (Lions Executive Vice President and General Manager) Brad (Holmes) does a good job of, if we’re going to bring you in, we know you’re in good shape. You’ve been working, we have evidence to say, ‘Alright, this guy has not been sitting on a couch and he goes out there and he’s not ready.’ Now, that being said, we try to be smart with them, too. Don’t put so many reps on these guys that they’re not ready for. But we’ll give them a crash course on what we do, and we try to be smart. We let them know, ‘Hey listen, we understand you just walked in here, but at least you can function, and you can help us a little bit here.’ And that’s the best you can do with it. I mean, you try to help them, and you’ve just got to see if they can take what they get and do something with it.”
On what he continues to see from Lions WR Daurice Fountain and if he has been impressed with how he has played in the first couple of weeks: “Fountain makes plays, he’s making some plays. Like you see the one-on-one, he makes a big, high catch there, and I think we all are intrigued with Fountain. And I said that – whatever, a few days ago. We need to see more out of him, we need to see more. It’s got to show up, man, he’s got to be detailed in what he does. He’s got an unbelievable opportunity here, he knows that, and we’ve got to see it.”
On if he is aware of the internal competition between players on which rookie class has been the best and which class he believes has been the best: “I can’t – I’m not going to answer that. I can tell you this, I know the ones I’ve been around the longest. I know who those guys are, for sure. But all the classes mean something to us, and all these guys are a little bit different in what they bring, but I know this, you’ll never forget your first.”
On if it is special to him that the players take pride in being a part of a specific draft class: “Yeah, I mean – you’re just saying in general? I think it’s like anything else, it’s just another way to compete, right? It’s a different of competing as, ‘Our class is this much better than yours.’ But I think there is – to feel like you’re part of a special class, I think it’s a feather in your cap, so it’s just one more thing. I love it, those guys are – it’s constant back and forth and it’s healthy and it’s fun and it’s pretty good.”
On if he agrees with Lions Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson on the idea that this tight end room is the best that he has been around and how he feels that the room is at: “Yeah, I agree with that. When you’re talking about from the top to the bottom, I mean all these guys have got experience and it’s a mix of different abilities and that’s what fires you up. I mean it’s like, when you’re thinking right now that – certainly you’ve got (Lions TE) Brock (Wright) and (Lions TE Sam) LaPorta, and then really the other four guys are – man, it’s a competition, and they’ve all played. I mean, they’ve all got some – they’ve banked some reps in this League, real reps on Sundays. So, it’s a good group, it’s a group that you don’t worry about preseason games, the mental aspect, ‘Man, are they going to mess something up here? Have a missed assignment?’ And they’re all competitive, so that’s good, that’s a good place to be in and it gives you – that way you know you’re going to get the best coming out of that room because they can play.”
On if he got a chance to watch the Hall of Fame Game and see the new kickoff and what he thinks about the new kickoff: “So I did see the very first two kickoffs on the tube and I was going to watch it today after the scrimmage. I was going to pull it up once it’s in our system and just take a peek at it. I thought it was interesting. I know the first two kicks were – the returns were 25, 26-yard line, so I’m like, ‘OK.’ And the setup of what the Bears and Houston did was good to see. I know (Lions Special Teams Coordinator Dave) Fipp and I are pretty excited about watching it, we’re going to check it out this afternoon, so we’ll see.”
On what his expectations were for Lions WR Donovan Peoples-Jones coming into training camp and if he has met those expectations: “It was to come in here and compete for that third, fourth receiver, that’s what it was. We’re looking for – so much of it is, ‘Alright, who’s going to fill in for (Broncos WR) Josh Reynolds? Who’s going to take that? Is it by committee or is there a guy that can – is going to step up and kind of become that for us?’ And so that’s kind of what we were looking for. He’s a guy I expect more out of too, and he knows that. Now, he’s working, he works at it, man, he wants it, but we just need him to take another step here.”
On what his expectations are for Lions S Kerby Joseph entering his third year: “Kerby, I think he’s another one that just – I think consistency. And consistency from going from year two to year three because he’s – man, every year he’s grown a little bit and I think this year it’s, ‘Alright man, it’s time to become a staple in this defense and become a very consistent player every week, man.’ And here’s what I – one of the things that I’m really excited about with Kerby – I mean even when we’re doing some of these tackling drills, you see, man, one of the emphasis’ was keeping your head up, man, you see him working on it. He’s working on keeping his head up. He had one of the prettiest tackles of all practice yesterday in that tackling drill. So that’s improvement, but other – man, his disguises, he’s starting – the intellect of the position and understanding how he can manipulate the offense and the quarterback. He’s evolving and that’s good to see because that’s kind of the next step in his growth because he’s got the ability, he can track the ball, but he can understand what (Lions Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn) AG wants in this defense and how he’s able to mess with those guys a little bit. Man, the sky is the limit for him.”
On what he is looking to see out of the players today from a mentality standpoint before joint practices: “Well look, I think today is – this ought to feel like a preseason game, really. That’s really what it should feel like. I mean, this should be competitive, they should be hot, and they should be scratching and clawing for everything they’re going to get out of here. And I would anticipate – I’d be shocked if it’s not. I mean, these guys are going to go after it and so it’s who’s going to win the rep and then who’s going to do – I mean, you get put in these pressure situations or you get in these moments where, man, you’re fatigued, it’s hot and, ‘Man, I just went eight reps in a row.’ Man, who is going to be able to focus and mentally do their job? They’re not going to bust an assignment or the details of what they do, they don’t just throw it out the window. They’re still trying to – even though you’re fatigued, you’re still trying to – ‘Man, I’m going to line up exactly where I’m supposed to be, I’m going to break this route exactly where I’m supposed to break it.’ That’s ultimately what you’re looking for. The guys that don’t – man, they just – they’re unfazed. And it doesn’t mean it’s going to be perfect, but it’s clear that, in those moments where some of these things can make you mentally weak, that’s what fatigue does to you, they can focus in those moments and they can will their bodies to do what they ask it to do. That’s what we’re looking for.”
On Lions Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson’s implication that this is the toughest defense that the offense has had to face in training camp since he has been here and where he thinks it matters most as the season progresses: “I would agree with that statement, and there’s a noticeable difference in our – that D-line room up front, but also on the backend. And that’s where you see the biggest jump right now in both areas. So, man, we are getting off blocks, you even see improvement in players like (Lions DL Alim McNeill) Mac, (Lions DL Aidan Hutchinson) Hutch, just taking another step, (Lions DL) Levi (Onwuzurike), certainly (Lions DL Marcus) Davenport’s back out there now and he’s practicing. And then with the DBs, man, you feel us challenge, we’re challenging on the perimeter and they’re covering pretty good down the field, so when you do that, you can’t help but get better. And so, that – I mean, it’s only going to make you better offensively, from a physical standpoint, but also schematically. You’re trying to figure out way to beat your own defense or your – and so, ‘How do we scheme this up, how do we do some of this stuff?’ So, it forces you to think, it forces you to, ‘How do I get the leg up on those guys?’ And then they – when you’re the head coach that’s what you want. You want this constant chess match going on where you’re getting tested and you’re trying to find weaknesses in each other because that’s how you get better, you just keep doing this as you’re raising the bar. But I think physically it’s going to help those guys, it helps those guys up front. We feel pretty confident about this O-line we’ve got, but when they get tested the way they’re getting tested right now it’s only going to make them better and they can’t let off the gas. So, it’s a good place to be in.”
On where he sees Lions RB Jermar Jefferson’s progression through year four: “I almost don’t want to answer it because I feel like it’s the same thing, I say something about a guy and I feel like it’s the kiss of death because the next practice is – Jefferson is in a really good place right now. He’s in a really good place. Really good place.”
On if he has gotten a chance to talk to Giants Head Coach Brian Daboll to organize joint practices: “I have, we discussed. We’ve been talking since spring and then we talked earlier this week, communicated with each other, so we’re ready to go, the scripts have been passed, we know how we want to – we already had it kind of set up, but the coordinators got with each other and so it’s ready to go. It’s just a matter of us getting out there. But it’s going to be good. We’re going to get unbelievable work out there. I’ve got a lot of trust in Daboll, he’s somebody that I have a lot of respect for and he’s a friend of mine and I just know that they’re going to do things right and so are we. So, we’re going to get really, really good work. Excited about it.”