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Insights from Matt Patricia's Monday Teleconference
Ahead of the NFL trade deadline, Lions head coach Matt Patricia expressed via a teleconference Monday that the team's focus is on assessing corrections that need to be made and turning the page to next week's opponent in the Oakland Raiders.
Trade Deadline Routine
In regards to the trade deadline, Patricia was asked how he balances the normal weekly routine in combination with the rigorous tasks of the trade deadline.
"It is obviously a balancing act that we do every single year," Patricia said. "The great thing is I know that Bob (Quinn) and his staff are working really hard to do everything they can to understand any and all options that are out there."
He added, "Mondays are a busy day. We know how busy Tuesdays are. We are trying not to get off schedule and do something that hinders our preparation."
Darius Slay Rumors
Slay was at the practice facility early Monday, received treatment and even gave Patricia a scouting report about the Raiders.
There continues to be reports of teams contacting the Lions about the availability of Slay.
Patricia indicated that Detroit general manager Bob Quinn typically replies with a "standard answer" when opposing general managers inquire about players.
Patricia commented, "Those are always private conversations between Bob and the other GMs. And whatever the information is that comes up, that's what they discuss."
Da'Shawn Hand's Performance
Patricia expressed that he was pleased with Hand's performance, being that Sunday was the second-year pro's first game action this season.
According to Patricia, Hand played with good energy and good pad level.
There were several different blocking schemes that the Giants presented.
Naturally, those could have taken a young player some time to recognize. However, Hand was able to make some in-game corrections, and played at a high level.
The Running Game
Patricia conveyed that he was happy with the early runs in the game and at the attempts to run in a "physical" manner.
While some of the early runs were set up well with quality blocks, there were still a couple plays that the Giants were able to penetrate Detroit's offensive line on.
"I think we saw a little bit more pressure -- which was to be expected -- than maybe what they have done in the past," Patricia said. "They are a pressure defense. Saw a lot of movement up front, lot of different stems (and) different guys in the box from the Giants. But I thought we tried to run the ball. I thought those guys tried to run it, especially early. But give the Giants credit. They have a good front, good scheme and certainly felt some of the plays they did a good job of executing on their end."
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