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Lions quotes: Jim Schwartz's comments from Day 2 of training camp

Quotes from Jim Schwartz's media session on Day 2 of Detroit Lions training camp.

By Sean Yuille
Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

Below is a look at what Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz had to say on Day 2 of training camp. (Quotes provided by the Lions.)

On CB Bill Bentley's charisma: "Part of his persona is talking on the field and as long as it doesn't distract the other people I think it's good. You've got to have some confidence to play the corner position, he does. He's healthy, he's having fun out here, and I like to see it. We have some other players who are the same way. It's fun to watch him and Nate Burleson teamed up sometimes because it's a lot of talking. I think they're both competing hard and that competition is going to make both of them better."

On WR Calvin Johnson's player development transition from last year to this year: "It's not about individuals, it's about the team. It's all about how many wins we get. That's the only thing we're really judging ourselves by and I think Calvin probably would say the same thing. The key to Calvin being better is players around him being better. We said it a few years ago with Matt Stafford is the more weapons we can put around him the easier it is for him to do his job. You can say the same thing about Calvin."

On what determines how starters get reps along the offensive line: "When you say starters, whoever's starting up a period, we switch those from period to period. We switch them from day to day. We try to get a good rotation and we try to see guys against different matchups. You don't always want to see them against the same matchup. Each guy has a little different skillset and you want to see how they respond to all those different things. Offensively and defensively, particularly the first couple weeks in camp we'll rotate guys quite a bit, and then we'll probably have some rotation in preseason games. We really don't have a depth chart, but there are a lot of jobs to be earned right now. They're going to get plenty of opportunities to do that. I think it's healthy if you have the players that can compete for it. It's not healthy to have open jobs if you don't have guys capable of winning them. I think in our case in a few positions, like offensive line and corner, we have some guys that are capable of winning those jobs. It'll determine how they compete through camp and how they can play in the preseason games."

On DT Ndamukong Suh liking being double-teamed: "I think it's a little bit like Calvin. There are a lot of teams that are going to double him and it's a sign of respect in the NFL when they are doubling them. I can see that point of view for sure."

On Suh's off-season: "Ndamukong's always been the guy that's been in great shape, but I think he took it to a different level this year. Quite honestly, he made a mockery of the conditioning test, he really did. I mean Calvin does that every year too. Calvin can run his times and barely even break a sweat and I think that's what those great athletes can do. Ndamukong did that. Just really responding well to playing the same scheme. There's a little tweak and technique and some of the things we're doing because of some of the other guys we have, some of the bigger ends we have and moving around a little bit and things like that. He's embraced all that stuff. He's had a couple of really good days of practice, and that's on top of the OTA's and mini-camp."

On CB Ron Bartell's shoulder: "Well, he wasn't able to finish practice. At first it looked like he was going to. He sort of landed on it a little funny. We'll get it tested today, but it's probably too early to tell. He wasn't in a whole lot of discomfort, but shoulders can be a little bit funny. He hadn't had shoulder injuries in the past so we'll just have to wait and see on that one."

On CB DeQuan Menzie's experience in the nickel position: "He has some experience playing in there. He's also played some outside corner for us. We've had Bentley playing in there. We'll probably have Glover Quin playing in there also. About 50-percent of our snaps are played out of the nickel or front. The guy that plays the nickel is technically a starter. But Menzie has a little bit of experience. There's a little bit of an adjustment coming to our scheme. There are some things that we do just a little bit different than he's used to, but he's a young veteran player and he's picked it up very quickly. He's smart and he's able to execute the scheme. It's just some technique things that we do a little bit different that he has to sort of catch up on."

On how adding RB Montell Owens allows the team to execute more two-running back sets: "It remains to be seen, but it is something that we're working. We sort of work it all the time. It's also good because the defense is going to need to see stuff like that. And that's not why our offense is doing it right now, but it does help our defense. We play Minnesota in the opener, and they're going to line up in a lot of two back sets. It's good for both sides, it gives Scott (Linehan) some options as he goes. If we can get him confidence and the personnel in it, and also the schemes that we play with it through camp."

On if Owens can play fullback: "He can, but (Shaun) Chapas also. We ran some two back stuff last year when Chapas was active. We didn't run very much of it in the game, but it was in our game plan. It's a little bit more of a development, a little extension of that."

On if the team has ever had a true fullback: "We've had a couple different guys that have played the position. I think you look across the NFL and that position has changed quite a bit. I would say that even goes back to the Bill Walsh, west coast offense stuff where the fullback was maybe not as much a lead blocker as he was a pass-catcher, pass-protector and things like that. The position has changed a lot, we've had a lot of different guys that can do it, but offensively we're going to be multi-dimensional, we're going to have a lot of different personnel groups, and we're going to try to make best use of the guys that we have available on our 53 (roster) and also our 46 (defense)."

On CB Chris Houston's comments about S Glover Quin's intelligence and fitting in with the team: "It was pretty seamless, it coming from Houston. He'd been in the league for a little bit, so that was fairly easy for him. But he got the terminology, picked up our system quickly and gained the respect of the other guys in the locker room. You mentioned Chris, I don't think Chris would be the only guy to say that about GQ."

On his expectations for Suh becoming a leader: "He's certainly developing that way, and I think that's just a natural progression. We talked a little bit yesterday about Stafford, and each year he's taken a little bit more, and he's done a little bit more and I think the same could be said for Ndamukong."

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