Detroit Lions players meets with the media on September 3 | 2024 post practice availability

it's hard you can simulate it in practice a little bit and you can simulate it with the crowd noise but it's uh you know when the bullets are flying out there it's it does you do you know lose a little communication but in the end it is worth it you know um I but I think we do we do we're doing the best job we can to ensure that the comms the comms stay up how difficult is it with maybe a little bit of the uncertainty that they have doesn't look they're their left tackle right tackles in the mix Jonah might play center when when you go into an opponent that's kind of undecided up there does it change anything for you at all do you maybe smile a little bit knowing that there might be some backups there just how do you approach a week like that with so much uncertainty yeah you know I think it uh no I was just being an idiot um no it's uh I I think it's one of those things that I think it helps that we played them last year so you know you already have a good grip on kind of Their Own Line and some of their core guys that they have and as far as you know injuries and the the dude just got suspended it's like um I'm just I'm just going to be out there whoever they put in front of me you know it's it's I'm not I don't really care so that's that's that's always been the mentality and that will that will be the mentality on Sunday speaking of mentality coach mentioned yesterday about shelving the Super Bowl talk and just focusing on the journey to get there how do you guys get prepared to just go through these on out the season to make it to the Super Bowl just taking it one week at a time that's all it is if you had to write a storyline for this week what would it be a storyline for this week um I don't know Stafford coming home home 2.0 maybe if I was if I was a reporter just keep jumping on that train yeah it feels like that's a little bit kind of sub subdue considering what you guys did to them last year but how how much is this just a whole new task yeah it's it's uh it'll be interesting you you wonder if they'll they'll kind of change what they want to do um and but you never really know these week one games are always a little hard to prepare for cuz you don't really have any film to work on and maybe they want to change their mentality this or that but at the end of the day if we just stay true to our rules and what we have going on on defense that's that's all we can control they have a new running back you're familiar with what do you expect how much do you expect Blake cor how much do you expect that kid to be involved in what they do and and how will he improve that offense um you know Blake he was he was tough going against in practice in Michigan it's it's it's always funny getting to play against you know your old teammates and he's he's such a I mean he's a Michigan alltime Legend so um he's a great player and I'm looking forward to it you know I think all those backs kind of have that similar build um similar play style so uh I mean I wish him the best but probably not week one talk Taylor Decker yesterday I think it was just asked him about the defense what he saw all training camp the first thing he talked about was just the improvements along the defensive line with some of the guys that you added and some of the improvements guys like just a beam of may just how impressed have you been with with your unit particularly through this spring how ready are you guys to make a difference going season yeah you know I think we we've gotten a lot better Personnel wise and and we've upgraded in that department and I think a lot of our our young players also have gotten a lot better you know myself Mac like like you know you you have years in the same system and um you bring in a great D line coach and it's it's a it's a formula for a lot of success so I think um with all those things being said I I think that uh we're going to have a lot of success this year and then once DJ even comes back it's it's uh we're gonna have a unit out there what's your favorite part about week one my favorite part about week one um my favorite part about week one is after we play the game and it's all overhyped and then you realize you have 16 more that's that's probably my my my favorite moment of being like damn here we go all right we're in it now you know just the excitement level of finally being bad game planning for somebody and looking forward to a real opponent yeah it's fun you know you go against each in training camp so often for so long and you kind of get sick and tired of it but uh yeah now we get a real opponent and it's fun exed not to go against Darren yeah that's a that's definitely a win he's a obviously a Hall of Fame player and um was a center point of their defense and someone you always have to plan for and be aware aware of and um now it's not to say they don't have good players filling in for him so um it'll still be a challenge game planning for week one is always a little bit difficult but especially nowadays when a lot of stars don't play in in the preseason and they've got a lot young guys along that defensive line that you know haven't played either is it you find it maybe a little bit tougher I know you played them last year but are they a little bit different is it tough to game plan this early yeah you never know I mean they'll have their own wrinkles and and as will we so it's it's always different um you know new coordinator and obviously he was in the system has been there for forever coach I have a lot of respect for and schula but um yeah you never know what they're going to do on defense and and we'll uh we'll have our plan and adjust accordingly cuz I feel like this one is a little different I mean last year there was so much build up in the hype the you against the Rams the Matthew Stafford turn and now it just kind of feels like monoa mono football is it yeah I don't know that's that's up to you guys it feels like the first game of the season for us and against a really good opponent and um at home in front of our own fans and it'll be a lot of fun how excited are you to get back in front of that crowd I mean just from what you saw from these yeah the preseason game was fun too yeah yeah the postseason was obviously incredible but we could get a little taste of it in the in the preseason there and um they're going to bring it we know that it'll be fun was your offense maybe a little bit different than the last time we saw you on the field I know a lot of the same pie are back but is there maybe one thing that you're excited about a little different yeah yeah uh jeez give you all the secrets um no there there's little wrinkles of course there's there's new things there's things that we um were getting better at last year that I think we've gotten a lot better at through the offseason through training camp um there's things that we're trying that are brand new there's there's different um all sorts of different things so yeah we'll we'll unleash some of them and um but we know what our identity is and and we'll stick to that how important is it to maintain that kind of growth and not kind of stand still from where you were last year extremely important and I think that's where um Ben's done a great job every year now is innovating being creative um doing things maybe um that haven't necessarily been done before we haven't seen on film but trying it just for sake of trying it and for sake of he thinks it's a good idea and sometimes you know it works at practice sometimes it doesn't we shelf it and try it again later but um yeah that creativity and that Innovation is so important to um stay on The Cutting Edge to the fan base a little bit I mean you look at the evolution in this fan base you first got here it was a completely different situation now you going where it's like the hottest ticket around the league man like being at the Forefront of that and seeing that you know you've experienced everything from chance to rules to everything how's it been to see that kind of evolve in this short am time you know it's been what we you know I know certainly what iow always kind of hoped um we could we could build here as far as a culture and a um you know our relationship with our fans and and how passionate they are and um yeah like you said we've been through the the ties and the lows with them so to be in a place now where where they're so supportive and um obviously are so loud at games and changing games for us it's it's it's certainly a lot of fun to play for and um hope to see it continue to grow what's your favor uncertainty you never know there's so much up in the air everyone thinks they know who's good and who's not and um what teams are going to win what teams aren't and and uh truly nobody knows it's all a mystery and um team who works the hardest and uh makes the least amount of mistakes usually wins Dan said something yesterday kind of to the effect of like as much as they trust you you trust your teammates you know that much or more can you just explain how that's evolved like over your careers like when you come in are you a guy who you know you kind of think you have to do everything even though you have good people around you and then you come to realize like wow you know we I I can lean on everyone or have you always been you that guy that trusts yeah I well I think as a quarterback like trusting your receivers is going to be like the number one thing certainly for me and I would say most guys is you know I don't care if you how fast run or anything like if I trust you and know where you're going to be and um you know I'm happy to throw it to you and um yeah I think trusting that um to answer your question better trusting that you know if if the checkdown is where the ball should go that you know the next play is still going to be a good play and so check it down and move on and get to second and five and run the next play but yeah uh yes it's it's taken you know years to get there and I think when you're younger you try to make the big play more often um and then you get older and you try to make the right play more often thank you you excited for the opener and I guess how you feel and you're ready to go yeah I feel good you know I'm confident in the offense you know coming to New Year to uh you know know knowing the offense more and being more confident and um it helps overall with you know performance and you know so I feel good as far as a confidence level a comfort level how different is it for you from year one year two uh it's way different you know it feels way better since like you could prepare different like you know last year I know like expect coming in so you until the first game but this year you know I know it's I know it's coming so knowing what to expect what do you anticipate from the crowds this week and especially playing a team that you guys beat in the playoffs last year you know last year was pretty crazy that game so pretty sure it's going to be the same thing probably more so I'm excited we got a couple rookies on that that D line how do you prepare for them you know not a lot of tape on them from from the uh probably preseason uh coaches though go over like what they do well like like or what they didn't do well based off college so were you were you a better football player going into week one that maybe you were talking to us this time kind of get ready for that first game not knowing what to expect where would you put your finger on I'm definitely a better just I think just understand the offense overall just in a hole so um yeah pretty much that it really feels like this team I mean as much as there's hype in anticipation for the season it's kind of business as usual does it feel that way for you guys going into kind of a continuation of last year yeah I mean it's nothing crazy we don't look at it like um we're not overhyping it just taking it one game at a time I mean we we know what we're going to do what we're capable of doing so how are you feeling healthwise health I'm good yeah I'm good appreciate it when you when you miss time during Camp just as a young guy like is there any catch up you have to do now what do you you know feel like you you miss anything I mean when I first got back you know had to get back in football shape uh first day was rough I ain't going to lie but other than that it was good so where's your second L for this offense you return a lot of the Court pieces obviously jm's going to be a big part of that's going to stretch the field a little bit open maybe some things up and now your comfort level just overall where this offense could be how good this offense yeah I feel really good about it especially Jam like you said uh I can't wait to see him he's been you know lights out throughout the whole offseason and coming into uh practice today you know so I'm excited to see him how much can sorry how much can you sense this offense growing with the growth of you in s pora and then if you want to throw J in there too yeah I mean I'm going back to say it again uh understand the offense better you know uh you know me J and Sam you know cuz you know J that was his first year uh know really playing so all three of us you know um understanding the offense and just clicking on all cylinders I think it's going to work out perfect so same understanding the offense how does that allow what does that allow you to do maybe more better whatever when it comes to the football field probably just just think faster play without thinking so just reactionary yeah you guys surprise people based on what you did last year I mean it seems like nobody's you guys aren't going to sneak up on anybody but how can you guys surprise people I don't know I mean we scored a lot last year so I mean playing on scoring a lot again so uh hopefully that surprises yeah I don't know but could the defense be maybe that element defense team as a whole yeah okay I thought talking about just offense but defense yeah they man they different I ain't going to lie it's hard playing against them every every day so I'm happy they get to hit somebody else so yeah you were you were working on your your receiver skills kind of earlier in Camp you feel like you got to see that through uh with with the injury and the time you missed uh I mean it definitely hurt you know missing you know the practices and weeks that I did so um hopefully uh got the game plane and you know the rest of the season it can get can get more involved in it and stuff so how do you expect this back field to evolve from last year with you Ando uh guess you know getting things uh rolling early you know last year we started up like it was kind of we got it rolling late so getting out to a fast start and just consistently doing that every week and if that happens what does that what does that mean statistically or you know for the success of the team or or anything I guess uh I mean we run I mean we uh rely heavily on the Run game so I think it evolves heavily through us and what we do consist on a consistent basis so he being consistent every week and you know doing um just doing good every week uh following our landmarks you know what we're supposed to do I think uh after that everything will take care of itself so