What They're Saying: 'I Just Don't Feel Our Swagger'
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The Detroit Lions fell to 1-3, after a disappointing 48-45 defeat at home against the Seattle Seahawks.
Here is a sample of what was said following the team's third loss of the season.
Dan Campbell
On how lacking confidence manifests itself in the defense: “I just don’t feel our swagger. I mean, we knew if we could get this team in second-and-long they would go a long way and then, we would – you would need to produce, because it’s been an area where that team has not been as good. And boy, we didn’t make the most of it. Now look, they got us in a couple of third downs there late, third-and-longs that we have not been exposed to yet. And, they gutted us. They got us good. And, it was good designs by them, good play designs and in critical moments, they – it was good. It was real good by them.”
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Alex Anzalone
On why the defense is still struggling in its second year with the same personnel: “You know, I think it just comes down to being your piece of the puzzle. Stuff’s going to happen within a game. It’s the NFL. Someone’s going to make a play. You know, if you’re singled up on DK Metcalf, he’s going to make a play. It’s the mental errors, the undisciplined football, the rat ball that gets you in trouble. To be honest, that’s kind of where we are at as a defense right now. And, everyone just needs to be a piece of the puzzle every day. That’s why you get into these type of situations.”
Jared Goff
On how pivotal it is to stay together and to not get caught up in the record: “Well, that’s our only option, right? Because you know what happens if we don’t, it goes downhill quickly. And, we’ve got a lot of games ahead of us. It’s not the start we want, and it’s hard to sit here at 1-3 and say anything positive. But, there is a lot of game ahead of us, a lot of season to be played and if we don’t take it into gear quickly here, it won’t favor us. So, we have to find a way to win these games, the close game, these high-scoring games, whatever you have. Have to find a way to win them, and there will be no more excuses if we do.”
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Charles Harris
On if he sees any progression or improvement within the defense: “Oh, without a doubt. Without a doubt. Every week we go back to work. If you’re not getting better in the X’s and O’s, then you’re definitely getting better mentally, and chemistry-wise, and things like that. Like I told them earlier, as a defensive vet, you have a choice, and I think everybody on this team has to have a choice. As a man, you have a choice. That’s the most powerful thing you have, is to be able to make a choice. You can decide to keep your head down, or you can pick it up. You decide to stop working, or you can work harder. You can decide to go back and learn from it, or you can let it be a loss. And, that’s what we have to do when we come in on Monday.”
T.J. Hockenson
On stepping up while the Lions’ wide receivers struggle with injuries: “Yeah, no doubt. Going into the week, I knew it was going to be a fun one. I knew that I was going to have to do a lot. I mean, (Amon-Ra St. Brown) Saint was out, (D’Andre) Swift was out. We have a lot of guys that are hurting. D.J (Chark). So, we knew somebody was going to have to put the team on, and make sure the ball was moving. So, that was kind of my goal just coming into this game -- keep the ball moving, make plays when they’re called. I was able to do that for sure.”
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Aidan Hutchinson
On how difficult it is to lose a close game: “Yeah, you know that was a poor defensive performance. We have to do better. Your offense scores 45. I think we have to win that game.”
On maintaining confidence after losing close games: “Just keep trucking along. It’s a long season. Obviously, not the ideal start. But, this is the first quarter of the season done now, so we’re going to move onto the next quarter and keep pushing.”
Kerby Joseph
On if the result today was because of the Seahawks’ approach or the Lions’ own mistakes: “I just feel like as a unit we need to just -- got to come stronger. We need to get off the field as a defense. Offense scores that many points, we’ve got to come up with a stop.”
Alim McNeill
On how much defense struggled today: “I would say we struggled a lot, but we’re going back into work. There’s the little things that we are going to fix. (Aaron Glenn) AG is going to have the gameplan for us next week. We’re ready to go, for sure.”
Jeff Okudah
On the challenge of going against Seahawks WR DK Metcalf today and if it was a back-and-forth battle: “I don’t necessarily know if there was a back-and-forth. That’s obviously one of the top receivers in the league. And, me being a competitor, obviously, you want to win the one-on-ones when those opportunities present themselves.”
