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Below is a look at what Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz had to say after Saturday's training camp practice. (Quotes provided by the Lions.)
On LB Stephen Tulloch claiming the team is tired of playing each other in practice: "That's training camp. Full padded practice. We got some good work in and we had a lot of different situations in practice. We had run periods and two-minute periods, a lot of different stuff. I thought the guys worked well through it. First time since the first day we had been practicing in the afternoon also."
On if he was pleased at the intensity today: "No. I thought the players did a good job of controlling it. It was spirited and they were competing and it was physical. There were a couple of times where guys were sort of pushing, but it never got beyond that. I thought that was a very good sign from them."
On how important situational periods are: "A lot of those situations you might practice during training camp and it never comes up again. There are all kinds of different things that come up. Today we worked on field goal with no timeout. We worked some two minute situations. We generally have situations in every single practice. You never know when they're going to come up. It might come up in December, the first game, or it might never come up. We put in hands teams today. We're usually doing those situations, but we start adding a little bit as we get a little more into camp and closer to preseason and regular season games."
On S Louis Delmas not practicing today: "There's no real update there. We knew that we were going to have to manage it through. There's no difference from when we first opened up training camp. We knew there were going to be sometimes where we were going to manage it through. We'll just play it day-by-day with Lou."
On if camp's routine is any different with preparation for the first preseason game: "We haven't even talked about the Jets. The Jets aren't on anybody's radar. It's training camp. We have another practice tomorrow, off on Monday, back on Tuesday with a padded practice, and then probably on Wednesday we'll start doing some preparations for the first preseason game. We don't game plan very much. We want to see our players compete. We want to see them execute our schemes. We really don't even know what they'll do since it's the first game. They have a different scheme on offense this year than they did on last. There won't be a whole lot of game plan. We'll let them go out and play. Training camp will be training camp up until a couple days before the game."
On DT Nick Fairley's sack performance last year and how he needs to maintain it this year: "Nick's had a really good beginning to camp. He made an outstanding play today where he had a great chase play. He's been available for practice each day. He's been rushing well. He's been playing the run well. We're really looking forward to what he can do in there this year. We still have a long way to go, but it's been very encouraging to see what he can do. We always knew what he could do, but it's just going to have to be a consistent time on the field. That's been the thing in the past."
On Fairley taking on a leadership position on the defensive line: "It's a little different situation on that D-line. We've had some veteran players like Kyle Vanden Bosch and Corey Williams, even younger vets like Cliff Avril, that aren't there anymore. I think Ndamukong (Suh) has really stepped up his leadership and has taken charge of that group. I think we have seen some growth from Nick in that area too."
On if DT Ndamukong Suh has transformed to take on Kyle Vanden Bosch's role: "Our D-line has really put effort into running to the ball. That only comes if all the guys buy in. When a guy like Ndamukong is doing it, it's easy for everybody else. We said those things about a guy like Kyle Vanden Bosch. The answer's yes."
On if Corey Williams was not brought back due to Suh's presence: "No, every decision we made was a football decision. I think that was just a byproduct of that decision. But it wasn't made with anything like that in mind."
On DE Ronnell Lewis' performance today: "He had a good day yesterday. Went out and made some plays. He started behind everybody else because he missed some days, but he made it up pretty quickly. Ronnell is another guy that availability has been his issue. Since he's been back he's been able to get through and make an impact on the field. He's rushed well and he's played good on special teams. He still has a long way to go, but he has made a lot of strides in just the couple of days he's been out there."
On if he has narrowed any options for the return game: "No. We still have a long way to go. Practice makes a big difference then preseason games. Once we have preseason games then we'll start narrowing it down, second to third weeks."
On what he looks for in the return game: "Ability to catch the ball is most important, obviously. You're looking for fundamentals and things like that this time of year. There's nobody bearing down on them. We want guys that can run the scheme and break a tackle. Probably number one is the availability to make a secure catch and protect the football."
On the fan support: "They're excited for the same reasons we're excited. It's just a great day in Michigan. Beautiful day for football, fans came out and they enjoyed it. Our players enjoyed it. I think there's no coincidence that our spirits were up during practice. Our tempo was up as a result of having all the fans out here. I think that helps our guys push through days in training camp."