Following the Detroit Lions' final pre-Cleveland Browns game practice, Jim Schwartz met with the media. Below is a look at what he had to say. (Quotes provided by the Lions.)
On players that aren't competing in Friday's preseason game against the Cleveland Browns: "I'll get you a list probably tomorrow morning. Get you a list of anybody that is definitely not going to play. Anybody else, you know, just be game time (decisions). There will be some people that we'll hold out but I'm not going to announce them now."
On DE Cliff Avril: "He's in very good shape and you can see just what he's doing now - he's a professional. He just had a good practice and he's going out and getting his body ready. So you know, if he needs to, he'd be available."
On S Amari Spievey getting limited reps during practice today: "Just don't read too much into what you see. I mean, we have groups that we run, a lot of different things that we work, and that's about all I'll say when it comes to you know, how we use guys in practice."
On if there is an increase in energy from the younger guys due to Friday's preseason game: "I think everybody's excited; veterans, young players. Regardless of how much training camp has been cut down its still training camp. We're still in a routine of going out and practicing against their own guys all the time and you know, when you got an opportunity to play in the game everybody's excited, but probably more so for the rookies. First chance they have to put an NFL uniform on and play in Ford Field."
On using exhibition games as a yardstick: "Yeah, we're not trying to judge ourselves and anybody but ourselves and have that kind of urgency. We want to execute well, we want to go out and play well; we want to try to win the game. Each week in the preseason there's different agendas as far as play time and you know, different things that you're doing with how many reps certain guys are getting and all of those different things. It changes each week in preseason. The No. 1 thing is trying to perform well; trying to operate efficiently offensively, defensively, and special teams and do enough to win the game. That really doesn't change from week to week."
On the importance of players putting their performance on film: "Well, I mean, that's always an old adage in the NFL, you know, you're not just trying to make a particular team, you're trying to make a good impression on the whole league and everybody in the league gets their film. But you know, the best thing to do is impress your own coaches, impress your own teammates and you do that by playing within your scheme and showing your ability that way. I think we're a little too early in camp for anybody to be looking at roster numbers and you know anything else and having any objective other than going and playing well within our scheme."
On S John Wendling's camp performance: "It's the same thing we've liked about him, No. 1 he's smart -you know, he hasn't gotten any smarter. He's moving well, he's always been a very good special teams player and a spot player, but he's had a very good camp. He's knocked down a lot of passes, he's been in the right spot all the time and he's playing safety well for us. It's not just special teams with spot play; he's doing a good job playing the safety position."
On CB Bill Bentley facing other receivers: "I don't know if it's a big advantage seeing Calvin every day in practice. You know, you sort of look at it like: let's get some fresh meat out there and some new guys. We have some pretty good wide receivers here that he competes well against so I don't know that he needs an increase in competition because the competition is pretty good here. But, I think you do have a point with all the sudden not being familiar with what an offense runs and what a split means, so it makes a little truer reaction when you're not as familiar. But, like I said, he gets really good work here. We're pretty good at wide receiver and we got a lot of good players competing here."
On WR Ryan Broyles still recovering from Sunday's swelling: "Yeah, you know, we're just trying to take it day-by-day with him but also put him in part of a big picture. Like I said, with not just Broyles but all our guys, if they have any soreness we don't want to push them through a training camp (practice). We want them to practice as their bodies responds or as their bodies ready and we don't want to get them in a cycle where, you know, they're going out when they're already sore. He's still a little bit sore. But again, it's nothing that we didn't anticipate and there's nothing we don't have a plan for. So I think we're in a pretty good spot with him. We've been taking it slow, using him here and there and we'll continue to do the same thing."
On how far behind CB Chris Greenwood is due to lack of practice: "Yeah, you really have no idea. You know, there's no way you can gauge where he is and everything else because he' not practicing. He's done a nice job in our meetings; he's attentive and he's done all those things, but physically you don't know. He might be pretty good right now, but since he isn't practicing you don't know. So when he's ready, I know mentally he'll be ready. He's done a good job there; he's done a good job conditioning on the things he can do and he's got a lot to learn, like we talked about Jonté and Bill Bentley. Rookies have a lot to learn, particularly in the secondary; he's no different, he's just missing it on the field."
On if Greenwood is expected to return during the preseason: "I don't know. We'll see."
On the kicker and punter rotation: "They'll alternate within games. We won't have situations where one person is doing an entire game and somebody else is doing another. We'll do it differently probably in different games."
On Philadelphia Eagles Head Coach Andy Reid: "Obviously our hearts and thoughts and prayers go out to the Reid family and also the extended family. The Eagles are part of their extended family. We all take refuge in some way in the game of football. It's a very, very difficult situation for not just Coach Reid but also for the players. I think that some of them can, you know, maybe find some comfort in the game, the consistency of the game. It'll never go completely off of their minds, but it gives them something maybe to devote some of their work to. It's a game that's not just work for us; we've devoted our lives to it. It's a vocation; it's not just a job.
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