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Below is a look at what Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz had to say after Wednesday's practice. (Quotes provided by the Lions.)
On the emergence of the offensive line and how well they have blocked while also molding together to do a good job: "Agreed on all points. We felt pretty confident going in to training camp that we had the right ingredients there. We had good competition in training camp. We looked like we had a little more depth. We even cut some guys that I think could have contributed. I really like where those guys are. They do have a good personality. They protected well. They have also opened up some good holes in the running game. Rightfully so, a lot is made of Reggie (Bush) and the yards he has gotten in the big plays. There are a lot of times he's in to the secondary without getting touched. That's credit to the offensive line."
On how Bush is as a pure runner and how has he improved: "The last couple of years in Miami that was really his role. He was a pure runner. He ran in to a lot of eight-man front stuff. He can do that. I think, I don't want to say the biggest surprise about Reggie because we researched him a whole lot, he's a very strong runner. He doesn't go down easy. I think that has served him well in any role that he is used in. We really can't worry about what pace anybody is on. It's a little bit like anything else. What happened in the past has happened. It has shown well that the combination of him and what defenses do, the plays that Reggie has made have been because of the attention that Calvin (Johnson) has gotten. Eventually teams are going to have to loosen up on Calvin or Reggie is going to continue to have big days like that. That's a good position to be in offensively."
On if QB Aaron Rodgers needs to be tackled differently because of his ability to get outside and make plays: "Yeah, he scored a touchdown on us. He's had that in his tool box, I guess you say, and his skillset for a long time. He's a guy that gets first downs and looks to gain even more. He can also create and throw and look downfield on the run. It's not just about getting pressure on him or getting him out of the pocket. You have to be able to finish that. Our d-line can go a long way to help in our secondary. I think you've seen that in a couple of the games that we have played so far. When we get good pressure on the quarterback we get the chance to get turnovers and get drives stopped. It ties in to our third down stuff."
On G Larry Warford playing like a rookie: "There are things that he can do better. He's still learning. There are mistakes that he makes. I don't want to put him in the hall of fame yet. He has done a very nice job. He has stepped in and he's had some tough matchups. He's battled in there and he's done a nice job so far. He's on a good track. I don't think we have any of our 53 guys that are perfect. He's far from perfect, but he is improving every day. He has also worked very hard to get to where he is."
On who puts together the third-down package defense: "Defensive staff. Just anything that we do offensively, defensively, special teams, everybody has input. Anything we do, whatever it is. Pass game, run game, return game that's what coaches do. Everybody gets around it to try to decide what fits our guys best and what best suits an opponent."
On if the team is built better to deal with the turf vs. grass issue: "I don't know. We're 1-1 on turf. Or 2-0 on artificial turf or 1-1 on grass. I don't know. I think elements are something that every team has to deal with. If you're in the NFC North, you're going to get a game at Lambeau and you're going to get a game in Chicago. I think that you have to be ready to deal with things like that. I don't know. Are we supposed to have bad weather? Let's save that conversation for some other time. Whether we're built for it or not, the only thing that will really determine whether we win or not is how well we play when we have those conditions. Even in Arizona, obviously it was still inside even though it was grass. Then in Washington it was a little bit windy, but not very much so we really haven't had that challenge. Then again, neither have our opponents."
On DT Ndamukong Suh being available at his position: "Well we still roll guys through. Nobody plays 100-percent of the snaps. He does take a lot of snaps. He plays at a really high level. There are some guys that you have to take some plays off to do that. Ndamukong is always in great shape. He takes a lot of pride in going out there and continuing to play at a high level even though he plays a lot of reps. You see him chasing the ball down the field and making some tackles on pass play, you can't do that without hustling. Our whole d-line has done pretty much the same thing. We rotated some guys through. We want to keep them fresh, not just over the course of the game, but over the course of the season. He has played a bunch of reps and that's a good sign."
On why the Packers are succeeding: "I think they made a concerted effort to ramp up the personnel with the running back position. They drafted (Eddie) Lacy pretty early. They drafted (Johnathan) Franklin. They got (James) Stark back from injury, he had been injured for a couple of years. Those are some good players. They spread some teams thin in the passing game. As a result, there are some opportunities in the run game. They ran the ball very well against Cincinnati. They racked up a bunch of yards in that game. It's not just stopping the pass, you have to stop the run on those guys. They have some guys that are good physical runners and other guys that are better breakaway guys. We're going to have to defend everybody."