Detroit Lions Training Camp: Jim Caldwell Quotes From Day 5
As always, Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell took the time to speak with the media following the wrap up of practice. Here is what he had to say following day five of training camp.
Opening Statement: “We had a number of different situations that came up, a little bit of two-minute, a little bit of red zone. I thought the guys practiced well in terms of effort. Certainly, at this stage of the game we keep working on trying to get our sharpness. Not quite there yet, but that’s why we practice, but I think we’re making good progress. I’ll open up for any questions.”
On how having his family in town breaks up the monotony of camp: “It’s a lot of fun. I don’t get a chance to see them as much as I like. They’re down in North Carolina so they get up during camp and run around a little bit. Then they come up during the season for some games when it doesn’t interfere with school. It’s a lot of fun.”
On balancing the two-minute drills on both sides of the ball: “Well, we try to in both cases. Sometimes we put the offense in a little bit tougher situation, which we did today, but they have to be able to function in that situation. We give them no time outs and in 1:30 have to drive the length of the field and get a score rather than a field goal so we try and create those all the time. We mix them up, so sometimes we put one team with the other at a little bit of a disadvantage and make it as tough as possible and sometimes they overcome it, sometimes they don’t. But, there were a lot of good things done during that time.”
On how much he’s looking forward to RB Joique Bell returning: “Obviously, we certainly are looking forward to that. I think he’s looking forward to it more than we are because he had to deal with the pain. But, he’s one of those guys that’s extremely tough, he battles through a lot of difficulties, but his training has gone well. I think you can see him out here running, that he looks better and better every day, so hopefully we’ll have him back before too long. It’d be great to get him back when he’s feeling good.”
On T Michael Williams: “I think the understanding of the system is certainly sinking in. The transition that he had to make from the position which he was playing down inside, it’s a different world in there. I thought that the adjustments that he’s made are pretty good. Yesterday, he functioned well. The other night, the other night practice, he did a nice job there. I will have to look at the film today and see all of the details, but he’s making good progress.”
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On how serious of a candidate Williams is for the right tackle spot: “He’s encouraging, what he’s doing right now. He’s certainly showing up day after day, so we will see.”
On if there are college programs that prepare players better than others: “You know, I think they’re all well-coached. That’s one thing you know coming from that system, but this country is blessed with a number of great college teams, a number of great college coaches, so we benefit from that. We have a lot of guys that have a real good base and foundation, but no one at this point in time has sort of cornered the market on any one position. There were times where it was ‘Linebacker U’ and this place or that, but nowadays, it’s spread out quite a bit I think.”
On reminding WR Calvin Johnson to stay on his feet: “When we have pads on it’s a different thing. You know, with pads it’s not as much of an issue, but we still, anytime that he’s on the ground, that’s an issue for me, but he’s so competitive. You know, he lays out for balls and particularly, in some of those competitive situations that we have, where he is trying to score points, it’s understandable. But we try to keep him up as much as we possibly can.”
On LB Stephen Tulloch playing in Thursday’s preseason game: “You know, you may not see him much to be honest with you. You might not see him out there very much. Typically, we don’t play our starters a whole lot. We play them some, but the amount varies, so it’s time. We know what he can do. It’s not a mystery, it’s not a young guy that we haven’t seen, hasn’t been working. For example, like Alex Carter, we don’t know as much about him on our field as we do Tully. Tully has been around a long time. So, we want him to get his health back where he is moving and operating extremely well, which we think he is, but we also want to make certain that we are prudent with how we use him as well.”
On G/C Manny Ramirez’s leadership: “You know, there’s certain guys that have an impact on a unit even before they get on the field and he’s certainly kind of brought that influence along with him. You can see it in the meeting rooms, you can see it just in terms of the guys working together out on the field. What he does is he adds a lot of experience to that group on the interior. Larry (Warford) has been around obviously, Swanny (C Travis Swanson) is kind of learning the ropes, Manny has been through it all and just to have that kind of voice in the middle of that operation is helpful.”
On DE Devin Taylor’s creative pass rush technique: “I think it’s helpful. One of the things that we try and do is we celebrate authenticity and uniqueness and he indeed is unique. So, he has a different style altogether where he can do some things that maybe some others can’t and we encourage him to do so because in some cases, that’s what is going to get him free because he’s long, he’s got pretty quick movements and he can work inside as well as outside. Pretty versatile guy.”
On Taylor getting more serious in his approach to football: “I didn’t know him before, but I’ve always known him to be serious. As a matter of fact, it’s hard to get him to smile, to be honest with you. But he’s a serious guy.”
On the importance of Tulloch mentally moving past his injury: “Everybody is different, you know. They manage those things different ways, and some of them are superstitious. I’m not superstitious, but I like a routine. But some guys just don’t like talking about injuries and things of that nature, or coming back from injuries, so on and so forth. But he’s done well, and I think you’ll see he’ll be fine.”
On his expectations for C Travis Swanson this season: “Well, really, we anticipate he’s going to a very, very vital part of what we’re doing up front. Right now he’s the apex of our offense, and that’s a very, very important position because he sets everything for us. Echoing maybe the calls by the quarterback, but then also making adjustments quickly as well. He kind of handles that whole operation. He certainly has the intelligence to do it, and now we just need to add the experience level along with it as well. He played quite a bit for us last year, so he’s had some experience both at guard and at center, so that’s helpful.”
On the assurance that K Matt Prater provides in special teams: “You know, to have a veteran guy who has performed extremely well in this league for a long time certainly makes you sleep just a little better at night.”
On if Johnson still makes catches that surprise him: “No, no. He’s got a repertoire that’s pretty amazing. I’ve seen him make some catches against us when I was on the other side, and I’m glad he’s on my team now so we can enjoy it a little bit more.”
Nate Williams is an editor and columnist for FanSided and SideLion Report. For continued Detroit Lions news, rumors and analysis, be sure to follow him on twitter at @NateWilliamsFS.
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