Dan Campbell: “Yesterday, day one, I thought it went really well. You always gauge it off of the ones, the first group. I thought they did a good job. They were in it, intensity’s right, but there again, it’s just the first day. It wasn’t long., certainly not that physical, no pads, but a step in the right direction.”
On the size of the podium and if it was built with him in mind: “It’s pretty big. That’s the obvious. Apparently, this is a hot topic, right? It has a good base to it, that’s for sure. I don’t know, I don’t know what to tell you about this thing. On another note, just because I know it’s probably going to come up, (Lions OL Christian) Mahogany is dealing with an illness right now so that’s why he’s not out there. As he heals up here, we’ll get him out here and get him going but that’s what’s going on there.”
On the players activated off of Active/NFI: “Yeah, they’re good, ready to go.”
On how the conditioning test has evolved since he was a player and what they need to do to get on the field to start camp: “You just want to know that they are in shape. Bottom line for us, you have to pass the test. That’s all it is. Back in the day, (Former Cowboys Head) Coach (Bill) Parcells, we ran three 300-yard shuttles. I mean that was – you were going. It was long distance, and it was endurance, but I would say it’s changed a lot since then. Ours is more change of direction, short distances, 20, 30 yards with a change of direction in the middle and then a quick turnover for rest time. That’s really it. Everybody’s required to meet that criteria and it’s all good. Those guys are back, they’re ready to roll, everybody’s passed it, so we’re good.”
On what he thought of Lions DL Marcus Davenport and Lions DB Brian Branch at their first practice back and what he likes about Branch’s skill set at the safety position: “I think that’s a lot of the – we knew that they were not going to be 100 percent, walk in, day one, doing full practice. But to be able to keep them off of PUP, NFI, any of that so that they can do the walkthroughs, maybe a little bit individual, I think that goes a long way. It’s good to have them out there. They’re both doing well. Branch is a guy that’s got a lot a lot of flexibility and versatility in what he can do. Certainly we know he can play the nickel position, but just safety, you know – look you can make a lot of plays at the nickel and produce in this defense, but safety is, I mean you’re talking about – you’ve got a lot of freedom within the structure, within the system to really – I mean you talk about making plays, you can make some plays there. We just feel like Branch, it can suit him well and give him a chance to see where he can go with it. But you know, we talked about it before. That’s what this is. We have options now and we got some guys that we think pretty highly of in the secondary room and it’s all about finding the best combination of who’s certainly outside, nickel, safety, and so we’re just going to keep moving them and mixing them in. We had (Lions CB Emmanuel Moseley) E-man out there at nickel yesterday. We know (Lions CB) Amik (Robertson) will be back out there today working some nickel. (Lions S Ifeatu) Iffy (Melifonwu) is in competition at safety. We’re going to find our four or five best DBs that are going to go on the field.”
On how nice it is to have competition at secondary positions: “That’s what every team would hope for. You want that at every position, you know the ability to have guys that do multiple jobs, that do have versatility. The more you have guys that are a little bit different, different skillsets, actually is, I think it’s better. Offensively we talk about it all the time. Now would we take two (Lions WR Amon-Ra) St. Browns? Absolutely. I mean who would not? But to have guys that have a little bit different skillset, you have speed, you have possession, you’ve got run after catch, you have the muscle, the one-on-one, the big boy down in the paint. It’s no different on defense and that’s what we have right now. It makes our life a lot easier as a coaching staff.”
On if he likes the players having a goal of winning the Super Bowl or if he tries to not have them get too caught up in that goal and have them enjoy the process: “I think more than anything, all I care about is the work. As long as I know, man they’re in it, and their attitude is right, and there’s an urgency about what we do, and these guys are handling their stuff like pros, and you feel the work out there, then I’m good. Because that’s what matters. The other stuff that comes out of their mouth, no problem. As long as we’re doing what we need to do out there, we’re good to go.”
On if renovations around the building can be motivating for the players: “We’re never shied away – (Lions Principal Owner and Chair) Sheila (Ford Hamp) and (Lions President and CEO) Rod (Wood) have never shied away from, ‘What do we need to do to help these players? What can we give them? What kind of updates can we do?’ So, man, our training room is outstanding. We just revamped that whole thing. I’m telling you what, it’s top notch. No different then when we brought in (Lions Director of Player Health and Performance) Brett Fischer last year and his crew. It’s all about, how do we help these players and give them the very best? You want them to feel like, ‘I don’t have to go somewhere else to get the best treatment that I can get or the best training I can get.’ We want it all in this building, and we are committed to do that. So yeah, I do think it goes a long way. I think they know that it is for them. That’s one of the things we’re about here.”
On what players like Lions WR Isaiah Williams that face an uphill climb need to do to stand out more to him: “I told them day one, consistency. Consistent production. It’s somebody that just, every day they’re making some plays, and I’m not talking about the flash plays. They’re just where they’re supposed to be when they’re supposed to be. They’re either making the play that’s there and they just every day get a little bit better. I call it just good, steady, boring production. I love that, we all love that as coaches because you know exactly what you’re going to get out of those players. I would tell you that’s going to go a long way.”
On what he has seen from Lions LB James Houston year to year based on what he is asking of him: “Well I know this, he’s in shape. He knows he’s got to be able to handle the SAM linebacker position for us, and no different than what we just talked about, consistency. We have to be able to trust that he’s going to do what he needs to do and that whatever defense we call, he’s going to handle it mentally and we can trust that. We anticipate him taking another step forward. Then on top of that, the sub game. He goes in at defensive end and some of the rush, and just continue to work on his counter moves in the rush game. This will be a big camp for him. He knows that. I know this, he’s in good shape, he looks good, he feels good, so we’re excited to have him back out there.”
On if he liked Lions WR Jameson Williams’ ability to catch with speed or rally quickly after getting sick on the field more: “Well both really. As long as he keeps making those plays, he can throw up all he wants. There again, it’s day one, but man it was good to see him out there running. That was a hell of a throw by Goff, he went and got it, ran it down, which is great. There again, he’s only going to get better. Every day, he’ll just keep putting it in, but it’s good to have him out there and he’s got the right mindset.”
On how important it is to have Lions QB Jared Goff, Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown and Lions T Penei Sewell at training camp after their contract extensions: “That’s part of our core. We talk about it all the time, these guys have been here. We drafted them and then certainly traded for (Lions QB Jared) Goff when we got here, those are core pillars for us, so you know it is big. It’s big. Those are the guys that are going to help us get to where we need to go.”
On if he has already seen dividends paid by hiring Lions Run Game Coordinator/Defensive Line Coach Terrell Williams: “Yeah, I have already. There again, without pads on I don’t want to go too far, I just know fundamentally I already feel a difference in what we are doing with our D-line, where we’re striking and our ability to shed is starting to show up. I feel like we’re – just these little things that we emphasize, that he’s emphasizing are showing up so yeah, I do see it.”
On where he sets expectations for Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs and Lions TE Sam LaPorta in year two: “I think they’re not different than anybody else on our offense. You’ve got (Lions WR Amon-Ra) St. Brown, you know we’re talking about (Lions WR Jameson Williams) Jamo taking another step, LaPorta taking another step, Gibbs taking another step, so you know everybody has got a place in this. (Lions RB) David Montgomery, and so it’s on them, there again, become more consistent. You’re going into year two and get a little bit better at your craft. And all those guys, I said it the other day, are jockeying for opportunities for production. The guys that we can trust and count on are going to make plays for us are going to get more opportunities to make plays for us, so those two fall into that boat.”