Jim Caldwell's quotes from Wednesday

Below is a look at what Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell had to say on Wednesday. (Quotes provided by the Lions.)

Opening Statement: "It's a great day for preparation for us. A little cool in the air, feels like fall. So, our guys are certainly ready to get prepared to play a very, very difficult team and a team that's playing extremely well. They're red hot at this point in time and have a lot of talent across the board: offense, defense, kicking game, well-coached."

On how the Cardinals offense changes with QB Drew Stanton instead of Carson Palmer: "It really doesn't for the most part, from what I can tell. Obviously, there's always going to be things within their structure that perhaps, an individual might like a little bit more than others but from an overall concept, nothing has changed in that regard."

On if there is any update on G Larry Warford and how long he could be out: "He's still healing, making progress. I don't have an idea, really, to be honest with you. He's making progress."

On Warford being optimistic that he will be back this year: "I can tell you for certain that if we have a guy that's not going to be back for the year, we're going to tell you, we're going to let you know. Every time it's happened to us I think we've let you know that. We're not trying to hold something like that back, that makes no sense. He's not in that category at this point in time, so if he ever does get in that category or anyone else, we'll absolutely let you know"

On how beneficial it was playing QB Ryan Tannehill last week now that they face Stanton: "Mobile quarterbacks, they all give you a problem because of the fact that they just don't sit in the pocket. They can move their feet very, very well not only stepping up in the pocket to buy time but then also, once he escapes the pocket, particularly if you're playing coverages like man-under where you turn your back on the offense that this guy can get through the gap and give you some problems. He has a real good feel for what they do offensively, so he knows when those opportunities are going to come about and those are the kinds of players that are really dangerous"

On if there is an update on DT Nick Fairley: "Like I said, it isn't certain that he's out for the year or anything of that nature and he's still making good progress."

On the locker room being loose: "One of the things we preach is, when you use the term loose you sound as if it's a derogatory, but we try to use it in a positive sense. We say loose and aggressive and I think often times you'll find that looseness in our jargon for the most part when people describe has a negative connotation to it. But, in this particular case, I do think that a team can't play well uptight. That's always been my philosophy. I like a team that when you're loose, I feel that you're very, very confident and you know what you're doing. But, it takes practice to do that. I think our tea's been loose because of the fact that there's been some things that we've done and done well. George Washington, I was reading the book ‘1776' some weeks ago, and he told his troops to be cool and determined. So, I think that was just an early way of saying exactly what we're trying to say in terms of loose and aggressive. But I think our guys have bought into that and understand it. They know it's not something that we just do a lot of messing around or things of that nature, there's some focus involved as well but I think it comes from preparation. Our preparation is going good."

On encouraging players to hang out away from the building: "Camaraderie I think is extremely important. I think guys have to get to know one another extremely well. I think there's some caring in that process also. Coaches and players alike, that's one of the reasons why we went out to dinner with all the positions during the spring to get to know them, to get a good feel for them. I think once they begin to have a real good feel or sense for one another, there's a bond there that can't be broken. That's the special thing about this profession. Team-oriented sports in the long run, you'll find that once you leave this environment, it's going to be very, very tough for you to develop the same kind of relationships you had in the locker room. I think coaches that have retired, players that have retired, that's what they miss. I want them to understand that's special."

On what it does for the young guys to be able to have dinner with WR Calvin Johnson or QB Matthew Stafford: "It does a number of different things I think. Often times it's a great way to kind of usher guys in the league with guys that certainly know how to prepare, how to do things the right way. Their conversations probably drift form things that they're interested in socially to back to football. I think that's the bottom line. When those guys open up their homes, Golden does the same thing, a number of guys do it, they get together, they talk, they have camaraderie, they play games and whatever it might be. I think that's all helpful."

On if he's not surprised by the type of season DT Ndamukong Suh is having: "Certainly. It's all he's ever done and obviously, those of us here in the building didn't express the same kind of concern, I guess, that was swirling around out there publically. He is a true professional. He does everything he's supposed to be and he did everything he supposed to. He didn't break any rules. He was here when the rules say that he should be here, he was not here when the rules said he didn't have to be here. But when he was away from the building, there's one guy you don't have to worry about in terms of what he's doing, what kind of shape he's going to be in when he gets back, what kind of performance he's going to have week in and week out, it's that guy. One of the all-time best in terms of preparation. He's smart, he's tough and he looks at this game as exactly what it is. He's professional and not a dilatant. Dilatants kind of dabble into business every once in a while. They think about it occasionally. It's his life and with that kind of guy, you don't worry a whole lot about him."

On how much the penalties held the team back on Sunday vs. Miami: "Too many, there's too many. We just have to overcome that. We have to be more consistent in that area. That's one of the areas that we have to improve upon. It's bogged us down, slowed us down and in particular, when you go from first and 10 to first and 20, those are difficult to manage and overcome. But we have been able to do it in some cases, but consistently, that's difficult in this league."

On his best Bruce Arians story: "We do go back a while. I think most of us that have been coaching for a little while, like Bruce has, we'd bump into each other here or there. But one of the things I can tell you is that the guys that have spent an extended period of time with him, he was the head coach at Temple when I was at Penn State, and Clyde Christiansen, a guy that I know well, worked for him at Temple. And then not only that, obviously everybody can see the work that he was able to do in Indianapolis when he took over the interim job when Chuck (Pagano) was sick. But he's always had just a knack for play calling. He's been innovative in that area. He has a unique sense that a lot of guys don't have. There's a few guys in the League that do an extraordinary job of head coach and calling plays as well. Sean Peyton comes to mind, as well as him (Arians). It's a unique grasp, but that's the big thing that jumps out at me. Every place that he's gone to the offense has been productive."

On the unique challenges of a team that blitzes as much as Arizona: "They can cause you problems. One of the things about a team that puts that kind of pressure on you is that they're going to make you look bad sometimes because once in a while they're going to bring more than you can block. They're going to create some problems for you. In the pass game and also the running game, so you're going to have to make certain that you're aware of it and are able to function to where to go when they do blitz and those kinds of things. They can throw you off. You can see there was some games when they really bottled teams up pretty well because of that threat. What you just have to do is understand that, but also you have to make certain you're able to execute well versus the blitz also."

On capitalizing on big plays when the Cardinals do blitz: ‘'There's a risk and reward, obviously. You've got guys that can get there fast, it's not so much of a risk, and they've got guys that can get there fast. But then also you've got to leave some guys in one on one situations. So, there's always the pros and cons."

On Arians' ability to adapt to different quarterbacks: "No matter where he's been, I think he's been able to kind of look at a quarterback to see what he does best and then adjust accordingly. Do the things that make sense for that particular individual, which I think often times, coaches kind of get caught up in their own system and don't really look at the player and what he can do, but Bruce does that extremely well."

On if it is difficult to scout a Bruce Arians coached team: "Just like anything else in this league nobody ever does the exact same things all the time all the time. They are always looking at ways to try and innovate. If you have a tendency on them, there are a couple of teams, for example they may show they're going to play man to man in a certain situation a bit majority of the time. All of a sudden you play them and they're playing all zone. Same thing from an offensive standpoint, if you expect them to run picks and crosses on this particular down and distance and you end up playing zone and all of a sudden they're running a zone route or something of that nature. They look at one another, they look at themselves, they make adjustments, and they're very tough to get a beat one."

On what he thinks is the trademark of the defense: "Smart, fast, and physical. It's our DNA, it's our trademark."

On his impressions of RB Theo Riddick's game-winning TD catch: "Both of them were top of the line and fairly extraordinary. Matthew (Stafford) moving to his left and throwing it across his body and Theo with only a very small margin to catch that ball and low to the ground those are easy to drop. I think on both parts there was very extraordinary effort. Even more so when it happened, crucial time, very tough situation, and I think it was pretty special."

On how close the team is to establishing an identity on offense: "It's constant you know what I mean. Even on defense we got to prove it every week. It's not something that we can count on and say, "Hey this is going to happen. We're going to shut everybody down." We go out and act as if we're playing, which we are this particular week one of the best teams in the entire national football league, with the best record. We better be on top of everything so we work at it. We work to try and develop that each week. We access and see where we are and then try to get better. You got to get better every week in this league."

On if he wants the offense to be smart, physical, and fast: "That's our DNA. That's when you talk about our entire team. We anticipate and expect to see that each and every time the ball is snapped."

On if it is tough to have the best record in the division at this point from a motivational standpoint: "It's not tough because we haven't done anything yet. We played nine games and you don't get any awards for being 7-2. We got a lot of work to do and I think our guys understand that. They haven't been laud to sleep by some of the positive press that they get. What was that John Wooden says, "If you hear the positive and or the negatives in both cases you're in trouble." Our guys try not to deal with either one and focus in on what we can control."

On if the Cardinals' fourth quarter play factors into the game plan: "They're a good team all the way around and what we have to do is make sure we keep them at bay. In this kind of game you're going to have to be at you're best in almost every phase. Not going to dictate if you're going to call plays any differently because of that. I think you have to do what you do best."