Transcriptions from Saturday, September 16:
Head Coach Ben McAdoo
Q: B.J. Goodson appears on the injury report today. Can you describe what happened and when it happened?
A: He has a lower leg injury.
Q: Would he be probable under the previous injury report guidelines?
A: You would have to check with Pat on that one.
Q: Did something happen yesterday at practice?
A: It's something that has been bothering him over the last couple of days.
Q: Why wasn't he on the injury report previously?
A: It happened yesterday. It got sore as practice went on. We pulled him out.
Q: D.J. Fluker the same thing?
A: Yes, late in practice.
Q: Do you anticipate Odell being a game-time decision again this week the way he was with the pregame workout last week?
A: We will see how it goes. We will get in there and do a little bit of work this morning. Then tomorrow we will go in and have our launch day. Take a look at him tomorrow and see how it goes.
Q: What determines if any player is ready to go?
A: It's a medical decision. We're just seeing his level of confidence and where he is sticking his foot in the ground.
Q: Are you watching him or listening to him?
A: It's both. Communication is a two-way street. It's visual and verbal.
Q: Bobby Hart is good to go?
A: Bobby Hart is improving.
Q: You expect him to play on Monday?
A: We will see how he does tomorrow.
Q: He's not on the injury report as limited. Does that indicate that it would be a coach's decision if he plays or not?
A: Yes. He got through yesterday.
Q: Will that decision be based on health or performance?
A: Bobby got through practice yesterday. He did fine out there yesterday. We will take a look and see how he does tomorrow.
Q: How close does Odell have to be to 100 percent for you to put him on the field in any capacity?
A: That's tough to say. The biggest thing is you don't want to put a player out there that is going to do any harm to himself or injure himself any more than he is. It is an injury. It's a tough injury. He's fighting through it and doing everything he can to get back, but we're going to be smart with him.
Q: Does part of you say if this guy can give us 12 plays, he gives us a spark teamwide, because he does?
A: We're going to do what's best for the player.
Q: What more does Orleans Darkwa have to show or prove to you to get more carries?
A: We didn't have very many carries last week to begin with, so we need some more rushing attempts.
Q: Both Eli and Evan Engram both said that in going over what happened last week you can't be sensitive and can't take it personally. Was that part of your message because it sounds that maybe you did deliver some tough love?
A: We don't have time to handle things with kid gloves here. We're going to be open and honest with our communication. We're critical with ourselves as coaches and we expect the players to be critical of themselves. That's the best way to improve. Especially from week one to two but every week.
Q: What was Monday like? Was it one of the harsher film reviews that you've had here?
A: It was Tuesday. It was point blank. Everyone was on point. We came in looking to get better. That was the point of the meeting. Every time you watch the film, whether it's practice or it's games, you want to be on point, find a way to grow and find a way to improve.
Q: Anything you are willing to share of your own assessment of yourself?
A: We didn't find a path to victory. That's my number one job. I have to do a better job there.
Q: How much have the Lions been using Golden Tate more in the slot and what type of challenges does that present?
A: He's dynamic in there in the screen game, three-step game and down the field. He has speed, quickness and he's strong. He doesn't get credit for the strength that he has. He's a dynamic player.
Q: Is that a challenge to your cornerbacks to have a guy as physical as him?
A: Yes. Corners, safeties and linebackers the way they use him in the middle of the field.
Q: You've had no problem using younger guys, rookies, and throwing them right in. Goodson was the guy you didn't do that with really. What was the thinking behind that and why did you wait?
A: B.J. had a lot of reps on special teams. He was a core player for us there. We were very confident in the players we had on defense last year. We felt that he picked it up and improved as the year went on. He has made a lot of progress for us since then, but he was a valuable special teams player for us. Don't underrate that. Offensively we see tight ends and running backs the same way. They have a lot of versatility and value as do safeties on special teams. If they can contribute there and make an impact there, we will play them a little bit on their side of the ball and on special teams.
Q: How would you characterize your satisfaction or dissatisfaction since Tuesday with how the guys responded?
A: We had a great week of practice. Yesterday was a tremendous day. Our tempo was good and the energy was good. We had some physicality and we had some things to clean up like we always do after practice. The players and coaches were on point.
Q: Would you tell us if you had a bad week of practice?
A: I think you can learn and grow from each and every practice that you have out there. If it wasn't a great day of practice, we would address it inside.
Defensive Line Coach Patrick Graham
Q: How do you think DT Dalvin Tomlinson played on Sunday?
A: He had a solid game, had a solid game. We're just worried about Detroit right now. How we practiced this week and just getting ready for Detroit, but that game is behind us now.
Q: What does DT Dalvin Tomlinson need to work on to get better?
A: To get better – I think, I mean, at this point in the season we all have a lot of stuff to get better at. Obviously, we have to do a better job. I have to do a better job coaching, we have to do a better job playing, whether it's against the run, feeding blocks, getting off blocks, getting to the ball carrier, transitioning the pass-rush. This point in the season and this game we're getting prepared for, there's so much we have to work on right now. Nobody is where they want to be right now, I don't think.
Q: Could DT Jay Bromley be more effective once he's healthier?
A: All the guys are. Everybody is a factor now. Period. They're getting ready for the game. I mean, everybody is going to play a role in however we see fit in terms of pointing those guys out there on the field, whether it's Jay, Dalvin, Rob (Robert Thomas), JPP (Jason Pierre-Paul). Everybody has a role and what we're trying to figure out is how to beat the Lions on Monday.
Q: What's holding you back from rotating DE Jason Pierre-Paul and DE Olivier Vernon more?
A: I can't speak for Spags (Steve Spagnuolo). I can speak for myself. Everybody is going to play. Everybody is going to play. The number of snaps they play – that's all dependent upon the flow of the game, what's happening during the game. I can't really speak about last week or last year. Nobody cares about that. So I know for this week coming up, the guys that are going to play are going to be the guys that are going to play and I feel comfortable with all the guys in my room playing in the game. So we'll just see how it plays out.
Q: Are you comfortable with DE Jason Pierre-Paul and De Olivier Vernon playing all of the snaps?
A: I'm comfortable with getting a win. So, however we feel, however they feel in terms of what we need to do to win the game each week, and that's all we worry about, one week at a time, that's what we're going to do.
Q: Do you ever get to a point in the game where you have to force guys who haven't been playing as much into the lineup for a series, kind of like basketball?
A: Well, I've never coached basketball, but I can talk about football. In terms of just when you get into the flow of the game, you're just trying to get guys in for certain situations sometimes. It can also be based on a fatigue factor because a game you play a lot of snaps, you want to get guys in there. There's also just to get guys to get a flow of the game. You don't want it to be the fourth quarter their first time getting in the game and they haven't really gotten a flow of the game. So, it's all based on each individual game and how we're performing and how we see their role being.
Q: How has DE Avery Moss been doing?
A: Avery has been working really hard. He's working really hard in the classroom, on the field, post-practice. He's doing a lot of good things in terms of just improving himself as a student of the game, being a professional his first year here. Then also, just the skill element, whether it's the pass-rush, whether it's the run game. He's doing a lot of good stuff there trying to work that. I'm real happy with his progression so far.
