Quotes and Updates from the Lions after Sunday's practices!
Sunday'S NEWSÂ
- The Lions had a full-squad practice in helmets and shorts today on the outdoor fields at the team's practice facility in Allen Park.
- The team announced today that they have waived rookie free agent FB Matt Bernstein. Detroit signed Bernstein (Wisconsin) May 4, following the 2006 NFL Draft.
- Lions Head Trainer Al Bellamy informed the media that TE Casey FitzSimmons has a fractured wrist and will be further evaluated by a hand/wrist specialist.
- TE Dan Campbell, LB Teddy Lehman and WR Scottie Vines remain on the PUP list and did not practice today.
- TE Casey FitzSimmons, DT Cory Redding, DT Shaun Rogers, RT Barry Stokes, RT Rex Tucker and RG Damien Woody also missed practice today.
LIONS HEAD COACH ROD MARINELLI
Opening statement: "It was a good start again today. We're just starting a new week. We looked quick today; I liked our tempo out here. We looked fast coming off a game I guess you could say. I'm enjoying it; I'm seeing it; we've just got to increase the tempo this week and get ourselves ready to go for another game week.
"Tomorrow, we go back to fundamentals. We won't worry about an opponent. We'll just get back to (a training camp) schedule and we go right back to work and just start grinding fundamentals tomorrow."
On whether they're looking for another tight end: "I want to just wait and see. (We'll) have (FitzSimmon) see the specialist tomorrow. So there's (not speculation), let's just find out exactly what needs to happen. Then we'll (go) from there."
On what he was able to see from the first preseason game after looking at the film: "I really liked the tempo we played at. We played with good pad level; we were low on both sides of the ball. Both lines, on offense and defense, I thought really came off the ball well against a fine running football team and a fine team at defending the run. Our offensive line played extremely well - especially in the first half. The run-blocking, something you can't see as you watch it, but the details I thought was very good. (It was) a very, very solid start.
"On defense, the penetration and the tackling were very good - though it was sloppy at the end. (Tackling) was something that we emphasized. We went in with the idea that: run defense, tackling and controlling the perimeter; we wanted to run the ball and be efficient offensively. It's a work in progress."
On whether he was pleased with the way the defense handled gap responsibilities: "Yes I was, for the most part I very happy. We (allowed) one long run - 15 yards on a draw. Other than that, we controlled the run pretty well."
On whether QB Jon Kitna's scramble in the first quarter made him uneasy: "I told him to just get a neck roll if you're going to do that."
On whether WR Roy Williams is injured: "He's got a little contusion on his ribs."
On whether LB Teddy Lehman is getting close to coming off PUP: "The thing there, you've just got to make sure he's right. If you take him off PUP and he's not (ready) then you've got problems. So we've got to make sure everyday that we're pushing him more and more. I just want to be a little patient - as long as we can, lets be patient with it."
On whether he's considering letting WR Scottie Vines remain on PUP to start the season: "I just want to see day-by-day with that. I don't like to project when I don't know. We've just got to wait and see day-by-day and see how these guys progress."
On whether Vines starting the season on PUP makes it easier to decide which receivers to keep: "Again, the biggest thing right now, I'm just looking how they're improving day-to-day. We'll find out from there."
On being please with the defensive performance despite being without several projected starters: "You can go out and play sometimes with guys that are just really hustling and doing all those things. You play your gap control and do all those things exactly right. You may be able to play, at times, with lesser talented guys that are really disciplined. Then, you can stop the run. You may have to (game-plan) to get pressure on the quarterback or blitz. But if you do the basic concepts of containment, run, gaps, a guy that's just wired in can do that. Now, the more talent you add - when we get some of our big guns back - that explosiveness, now you're not just playing your gaps, now you're starting to penetrate and create havoc for them in the backfield. We created some havoc in the backfield with these guys, I was really impressed with that. It all starts with the discipline. Then the talent issues come into play. To have the talent and not discipline, it doesn't work. The defense doesn't work."
On whether there comes a time when you need to get the most talented players on the field: "When (they're) healthy. If you bring (them) out there and (they're) not healthy, then you're in trouble. You re-injure guys. I don't want to do that."
On how many of the injured players are legitimate concerns: "I feel good about all of them really. I think by game-week (first regular season game) they all should be good. We're counting on all of those guys: (Rex) Tuck(er) and (Damien) Woody; Shuan (Rogers); Shaun Cody should be up this week ready to go. Boss (Bailey) is healthy; it's our determination of how much I want to play him right now."
On how bad of a loss FitzSimmons would be: "It's hard, but we move on. I don't worry about it and how big a loss it is. I just put it (aside), we all do, and now we just go straight ahead. That's all we can do.
"You just can't live that way - with the losses. We've got to move on. It's (injuries) going to happen all during the season. Things are going to happen and it's how we react to it and how we respond."
On how he'll arrange his quarterback rotation this week: "We'll see as the week goes on. Later in the week, we'll make those decisions."
On what he thinks of the battle at the backup quarterback position: "It's great; it's awesome' it's fabulous. Nothing is more healthy for a football team than guys competing everyday for work - guys are competing for work. I appreciate that about our game and I think these men do too because we're trying to make sure everybody gets equal opportunities and shots and all those things to prove themselves. It's been good."
On whether QB Dan Orlovsky is further along than the coaches thought he would be: "I think we all felt he would be like this. That's the first time I've got to see him in a live situation and he was very impressive."
On why RB Brian Calhoun didn't play: "A lot of it was: we had 46 snaps on offense; we had a lot of guys to look at and the game went fast. Those things happen."
On what grade he game himself for his first game: "Not good enough. You're never good enough. I'm just working hard every night at it - situations, situations. It's fun - it's a ball. You've just got to work at those things and be on top of if. It was a fairly smooth game."
On whether he wishes there would have been more adversity: "I want those things to come along - the last part of the game was interesting. They probably would have went for two at the end of the game. All those things would have been fun."
On whether he watched the DVD Thursday night like he said he would: "Oh yeah. You just see situations and you see the timeouts and stuff like that. You get the length of a timeout. Sometimes, you have a DVD going or something and you just see that it runs but you can't replay it. I just try to get to get a feel of replay in my mind. Like anything else, you just work at it and try to simulate game-like situations for yourself."
On how often he got to watch NFL games from start to finish: "I couldn't tell you. I like being in the playoffs. I've been in the playoffs a lot so I work (them)."
On how it was having both Henderson and Martz on the headset: "Good. That was really good. Those guys are pros and on it. All three of those guys are really good; Donnie (Henderson); Chuck (Preifer) and obviously Coach Martz. They're real pros. That was good."
On whether he'll use this week again to determine which quarterback will play second: "Yeah, we'll talk about it during the week. We're just trying to see different situations, get everybody looks. You've just got to roll to the end of the week. You don't want to make decisions this early in the week for a preseason game. Right now, we're back in training camp. We're in training camp; tomorrow morning is training camp again. We'll get our pads on; run drill; good stuff like that. Just go back to work and do the basics. I don't want to get away from the basics and talk about games. Fundamentals, that's all I'm talking about."
On what they're looking for from Orlovsky: "Decision making - all of those things. Decision making, leadership, accuracy, all those things are big. He's come along; it's just one week. I don't look too far; tonight and tomorrow morning is as far as I'm going."
courtesy of the Lions
