LIONS HEAD COACH DAN CAMPBELL QUOTE SHEET

October 11, 2023

Opening Statement: “Got a big week ahead. Tampa is playing good football right now, 3-1. I’ve coached with (Buccaneers Head Coach) Todd Bowles at Miami, known him a long time. I think he’s an excellent coach. He’s doing a great job out there. Playing good defense, they’re committed to the run on offense. (Buccaneers QB) Baker (Mayfield)’s playing good football. They’re plus-seven in the turnover ratio, which has been big for them. They’re converting on third down. Defensively, they’re stingy in the red zone, so we’ve got our hands full. This is a damn good opponent, so. But we’re looking forward to it, we’re looking forward to it. Our guys will be ready to go, and this is day one.”

On what he believes has allowed Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield to be successful this season: “Look, I just think, honestly, number one, I think what they’re asking him to do and the scheme really suits him well. They’re making a true commitment to the run. There’s a lot of boots that are involved, play-action pass and when you’re playing good defense too, man that’s right in his wheelhouse. He’s very competitive, like he’s always been, and he’s finding ways to make plays if it’s not there. He’s able to move in the pocket, eyes downfield, finds a throw, he breaks contain and then, look when he is, he’s not going down now. He’s not going, taking a knee. He’s looking to run somebody over, so he is a competitive sucker, man. So, they’re doing it right. They’re playing it right and they present a nice challenge.”

On how much overlap he sees between Tampa Bay’s offense under Buccaneers Offensive Coordinator Dave Canales and the Seahawks offense that Canales came from: “I would say the runs and the – the runs, play-pass boots, there’s a lot of similarities. I would say there’s not near as much drop-back as what Seattle’s doing with (Seahawks QB) Geno (Smith). Doesn’t mean they don’t have it, they still use it. But I would say there’s a lot of core principles that are very similar.”

On the challenges the Buccaneers defense presents up the middle: “Yeah, (Buccaneers NT) Vita Vea is, man this guy is a – I mean he is something else in there. He’s a big, powerful man. He’s hard to move. He can push the pocket, so it does – I think just in the run game, it starts there with him and then they’ve got length inside. That’s – (Buccaneers Head Coach) Todd (Bowles)’s always wanted to be able to do that, take away everything that you’re trying to run up the middle and then keep everything bookended with your outside backers or OLB, D-ends and then let your backers run. Cap it off and your backers are fast, they can run (Buccaneers LB Devin) White and (Buccaneers LB) Lavonte (David), so it’s a challenge, but we’ve got (Lions C) Frank (Ragnow) too, so that’s a good thing. But I think that a number of things that they do, look Lavonte David, for over a decade now or whatever that’s been, I mean he’s got to be up there for takeaways. I mean punch-outs, strips, he’s as good as you’re going to find. I mean his turnover tape over his period of his career is – you’re going to be hard-pressed to find somebody better, so he’s a takeaway machine. (Buccaneers S Antoine) Winfield (Jr.)’s a takeaway machine. And when you have guys that do it, they all start doing it, so. They’ve got long, athletic corners outside. This is a good defense.”

On the ways in which he has seen the team mature this season: “Yeah, well I just think we’re still – look, when you have a young team like we do, that you feel like is handling its business. It means they can have a good time, but when it’s time to lock in, they lock in. And so, there’s an energy about it, but yet, there’s a focus. And so, I just think that man, when it’s time to go, our guys lock in and they go and when it’s time to focus, we go. When we say that we’re going full speed, we go full speed. When it’s time to back off, it’s mental focus, they’re there. So, I think they just – they understand what it means to handle their business and I think that’s a credit to a number of guys we’ve had here, honestly. It’s not just this year, but I think that having (former Lions DL Michael) Brockers here was a big part of that. I think (Saints RB) Jamaal Williams was a big part of that. Certainly, (Lions QB Jared) Goff and (Lions T Taylor) Decker and (Lions C) Frank (Ragnow). I mean we’ve got enough core guys here that understand – (Lions LB) Alex (Anzalone) – what it’s supposed to look like.”

On any updates he has on Lions LB Alex Anzalone’s parents being stuck in Israel and what it was like for him to play through their situation Sunday: “Yeah, I mean I really was unaware until after the game. That was the first time and I actually – I didn’t – we went through the whole deal and then I call him night after the game, I didn’t even realize I’ve been in this cocoon. That’s a tough deal out there. I have not heard anything new on that. I don’t want to elaborate on anything, but he felt they were safe. It’s just finding a way out, but that can’t – I know it’s not easy. I know it’s not easy. And I know it weighs on him heavy, so that’s a tough deal out there, man.”

On his assessment of Lions LB Alex Anzalone’s performance this season: “Yeah, look, he’s versatile. He can play MIKE and WILL and you can say, ‘Well, maybe he’s better suited for the WILL.’ Look, he’s suited for MIKE too. But I think to be able to put him over there and let him go a little bit, he’s taken off, but I would say he’s had two good years here. And he’s on year three and I think – I feel like every year, he’s played his best ball and here he is in the third year with us, and I feel like he’s taken it another step, so he's an asset for us. He’s a very instinctive player. He’s an energy guy for us and he’s playing as aggressive as I’ve ever seen him and that’s a credit to (Lions Linebackers Coach Kelvin Sheppard) Shep, it's a credit to him putting the work in and it’s a credit to the room, really. I mean all those guys. We’ve got a lot of faith in every one of those guys. I’m talking about all six of them from playing on defense, to special teams, I mean there’s – it’s a great room.”

On if they expected Lions RB David Montgomery to be this much of a bell cow when they signed him in the offseason: “Yes, we did. I mean that was the reason for that. We always – to me, that type of guy is always going to be your – he carries the load. And the other one is the change-up, he’s going to get plenty of touches, that doesn’t mean those are carries, though. That could be in the pass game, that could be gadgets, that could be – but, to me, you always want a guy who you know – man, he can, if you need it, he can take on 20, 25, 30 carries. And he has been all of that and then some. He is a workhorse and he is dependable, he is tough, he is quick, he’s explosive and he’s a finisher, so I’m glad we got him.”

On if Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs is expected to play against the Buccaneers: “Yeah, we’ll see. He’s day-to-day. There’s a number of these guys. He and (Lions DB Brian) Branch are day-to-day. I feel a lot better about (Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown) Saint. I think Saint will be out there practicing, should be a little bit. But we just have to take it day-to-day.”

On the challenges that Buccaneers WRs Mike Evans and Chris Godwin will present to the secondary: “Yeah, look, they’re – I think they’re even different than what Seattle was, and those were good receivers, but Evans is – Evans is a guy (Lions Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn) AG and myself are both very familiar with, being in that division for as long as we were, but he’s a true jump ball guy. He’s got enough speed to get downfield, but then with that length, reach, he’s got radar, so he can locate these balls that are back shoulder, high, jump. So – and (Buccaneers QB) Baker (Mayfield) will throw it. Baker will throw it. If it even feels like it’s a one-on-one, he’ll lay it out there and give the guy a chance to go make a play, which I think is – that’s huge. So, anything down the field and he’s a problem. Any time they get a one-on-one to be able to do that. And then Godwin’s playing – to me, Godwin is back to what Godwin was before his injury, like you can see it. This guy is – he’s back to playing really good football and he’s playing a little more outside, which I think suits him well. He’s versatile, he’s tough. He’s tough in the run game too. So, the one-two punch of those guys, it’s something – we’re going to have to be able to challenge these guys. We can’t just let them run down the field. But our guys are competitive, man. (Lions CB) Cam (Sutton) and (Lions CB) Jerry (Jacobs) on him, I like it, I do. But I think it’s all encompassing. Got a challenge there, but we also – we’ve got to continue to do what we’ve been doing. We have to close this pocket in on Baker and because there’s so much play-pass, man we’ve got to transition into rush from run quickly, because this ball gets out quick.”

On how much fun the team is having with winning right now: “Yeah, I mean any time you win, it’s fun. It makes everything a little bit lighter. There’s a little more peace to it in the moment. So yeah, everybody’s enjoying it. But I think what you really enjoy – because you feel like you’re putting in the work and it’s paying dividends, so – and so yeah, I think, for us, it’s every week you come in and you want more. You want to just continue to try to stack them up and get better than you were and so it’s a good thing right now.”

On what it is like to hear conversations about teams being interested in Lions Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn and Lions Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson becoming their head coaches next season: “Yeah, honestly, I’m not even – I haven’t gone there yet with that in this moment. I mean I’ve thought about that before. I mean I thought I was going to lose (Lions Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn) AG twice and (Lions Offensive Coordinator) Ben (Johnson) last year once, but that was certainly at the end of the year. So, I don’t – I haven’t really gone there in that moment. All I can tell you is they’re both very vital to us and our success and everything that, to me, that we’ve built and that I envisioned with players, to coaches, to staff, to everything, everybody’s got a piece. Everybody’s got a piece, everybody’s got a job to do and you want them to be the very best at what they’re asked to do and I feel like we have that. So, when you don’t have that, you have to – you’ve got to find the right guy that you put in those places when the time comes.”

On if the conversations about teams being interested in Lions Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn and Lions Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson becoming their head coaches reflects what this team is accomplishing: “I don’t – I mean. Look, I think they’re outstanding coaches and candidates and this is – we’ve got a good program going here. I’m not putting that on me. This is – we’re doing some good stuff here and everybody’s got a hand in it.”

On if Lions TE James Mitchell’s injury will be long-term: “I mean, probably not. He’s another one I’d say day-to-day. He’s probably lesser than those other two we were talking about, (Lions DB Brian) Branch and (Lions RB Jahmyr) Gibbs.”

On when Lions CB Khalil Dorsey and Lions DL Josh Paschal will return from their injuries: “They’re day-to-day. We’ll have to see. We’re talking about starting both of their clocks, hopefully sometime this week, but we’ll see.”

 

LIONS QB JARED GOFF QUOTE SHEET

October 11, 2023

On what makes the Buccaneers’ defense so effective: “Yeah, extremely well-rounded, extremely well-coached, have got a lot of veteran guys there and have done a good job at running their stuff for a long time now. It’ll be another big challenge for us.”

On how Buccaneers NT Vita Vea affects the quarterback position: “Yeah, he’s one of the best players at his position in the League and can move the pocket, can push the pocket, can play well in the run game as well. But yeah, he can get in the backfield and cause some problems.”

On one of his teammates saying opponents are now going to give their best shot against the Lions: “I don’t know, I think in the NFL you’re always getting a team’s best shot. And every week’s tough no matter who you are or who you’re playing, what team you’re on, they’re all tough and this will be no different.”

On how the team’s emotional maturity is stacking up to that of the Rams team that went to the Super Bowl: “Yeah, I don’t know. They’re all different, every team is different. It’s too hard to make that comparison. Every team’s different, but yeah, I guess early on we’ve got good maturity and have handled success up until this point pretty well and still so early in the season. So, a lot of work to do, but feeling good with where we’re at.”

On what the key is to a good play-action fake: “Yeah, well, it’s kind of everybody. It’s the O-line making sure they’re coming off the ball, making it look like a run. It’s myself and the running back getting a good mesh, is what we call it, making sure the ball is in his belly and he has a good pocket where it looks like a run. And then through the fake, show, snap, shrink is kind of the coaching point for it. And yeah, show, snap, shrink is what I’ve been told in the past. It’s a coaching point for show, snap, shrink. It’s a coaching point for it, but I think more than anything is making it look exactly like it does when you do hand it off whatever that is whether it’s show, snap, shrink or some other version of your mechanics. But yeah, making it look exactly as if you were handing the ball is the best way to describe it.”

On the times he still does a play-action fake despite an empty backfield: “Yeah, well he’s aborting for protection based on the pressure and yeah, I’ll just do it because that’s what I’m expected to do on the play and he goes the other way to pick up the protection responsibility and doesn’t get the fake. That happens sometimes.”

On if the play-action fake is an undervalued art form: “I don’t know. I think it’s just discipline. It’s just focusing on it, making it matter and putting emphasis on it and putting detail on it. And I’m very aware of it and just like every part of my game though, I don’t know if it’s something that I’m doing more than anything else. But it’s a part of my game that I am very aware of and me and the running backs are constantly trying to do our best to make it look exactly like the run. And yeah, it helps, it helps pull the defenders up and get those plays in the end.”

On what he has learned about Lions RB David Montgomery this year: “He’s a stud. He’s a stud. He’s fit in just perfectly with us and does such a great job every day. And obviously, you guys see him on gameday, the stuff he does, but his leadership, his ability both in the run and the pass, his attention to detail in protection I think is pretty special for a running back. Not all running backs typically care about that, they want the ball, they want to run. He’s very adamant on making sure I’m protected and making sure he’s doing his responsibility, which is nice to have a guy back there like that. It makes me feel good so, he’s been doing his thing and hope to continue to do it.”

On what he learned early in his career about the play-action fake: “I think in high school and college, I did almost exclusively shotgun dropback, and coming to the NFL and learning play-action, I had to learn how to turn your back to the defense. They’re going to move around, they’re going to be in a different place when you probably turn your head around. So, I have an idea of what they’re going to be in pre-snap, what covers they’re going to be in and then when you turn your head around, either confirming that or understanding that you’re wrong and finding out what it is very quickly. So, yeah, that part of the processing of it was probably the main challenge early on in my career. And as I’ve gone on, I’ve got a better grasp of the game and it’s become a little bit more practical every day. That’s something that I do to recognize the coverage, but yeah, that’s probably the hardest part early on.”

On the play he was sacked after turning his head around in the Carolina game: “Yeah, that was a keeper is what we call it, so I was getting outside the pocket. And they run a pressure, I’ve should’ve seen it and I just didn’t.”

On if recognizing the pressure on the play he was sacked in the Carolina game is a pre-snap identifier: “Yeah, oh yeah. I should’ve – I just didn’t see it. It was on me.”

On if Lions OL Colby Sorsdal had anything to do with the direct snap to Lions RB David Montgomery play idea in the Carolina game: “No, I don’t know – I don’t think Colby had anything to do it. I’ll give a shoutout, (Lions Assistant Offensive Line Coach) Steve Oliver, one of our assistant coaches here found it, very quickly. I don’t know if it was his idea or (Lions Offensive Coordinator) Ben (Johnson)’s idea or somebody else’s but he was the one who had the clip of it and Colby just happened to be in the clip, so.”

On if there is a joy element when putting in trick plays: “Yeah, it makes it fun. I think that’s a credit to Ben and what he’s done. Obviously, 99 percent of our offense is very focused and detailed and – but here and there, he’ll throw in something that’s just fun and doesn’t really have a complete rhyme or reason necessarily, but it’s something that we expect to work. And we practice it enough that it does work and that was one of them. It’s just duo is all we ran, the run duo. And on third-and-6 are you ever going to run duo? I don’t know, you can, but we ran it with a little bit of a wrinkle on it and were able to pick up the first down based on something we saw in them in certain situations and yeah, it’s fun. It makes it fun, it makes it light. We’ll have wrinkles here and there and it keeps it light.”

On when he watched the direct snap play to Lions RB David Montgomery in the Carolina game back on film: “Thought it looked great. Thought it worked perfectly. I thought it was a great snap, it didn’t hit my legs, I ran off to the left and David broke a tackle and got the first down. It worked perfectly.”

 

Lions head to Tampa Bay to take on Baker Mayfield and the 3-1 Buccaneers

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