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Lions training camp: Jim Caldwell's quotes from Saturday

A recap of Jim Caldwell's comments from Saturday.

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

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

Opening Statement: "This is typically what we do Monday after a game. Now, this one is a little bit different because we didn't get back till about 7:15 this morning. So we wanted to give them a feel about how the day goes, in terms of our evaluation of the film and things of that nature, and giving them a sense of it. And then kind of went through our paces a little bit in practice. The practice was really just kind of to break a sweat. Oftentimes guys find out maybe that they have an injury that they didn't know about. So we run them a little bit, loosen it up a little, go through our corrections and then get off the field. Give them some rest tomorrow and we'll get back at it on Monday."

On his impression of RB Theo Riddick: "I think he had maybe seven plays or so, somewhere around there. But he was obviously able to make an impact while he was in. Very, very good run, so you see he has potential to certainly gain quite a bit of yardage for us. He's a guy that is multi-talented. He can catch the ball well, he's a good route runner and he can also run it from scrimmage. So he does a good job for us and he plays special teams. He's a pretty well-rounded guy."

On QB Dan Orlovsky: "You know we expect the best from all of our guys. You know, I've been around Dan. Dan's a real competitor, and he works extremely hard at his craft. We know he has it in him to play and play well, and I think he demonstrated that last night, but we still have two more games to go in the preseason and see how things go."

On if the role of the backup quarterback extends beyond just performance on the field: "Not only with Matthew (Stafford), but with every guy in that room, Jim Bob (Cooter) and Joe (Lombardi). Everybody kind of relies on him because of the fact that oftentimes there may be certain games in the breakdown. Typically, most people put somewhere between four and six games in the computerized breakdown. Then the rest of those games are kind of outliers. So what you do is, divide it up amongst the rest of the guys in the room and then they come back and give a presentation on what they saw, if there's anything they think will give you problems in terms of your blitz pickups, things of that nature. They have to have a trained eye or develop one and I think there's a comfort level that particularly the starting quarterback gains from his wingman. (The backup) is extremely important because oftentimes, he's kind of eyes and ears. (The backup) sees around corners for (the starter) because he's focused in on getting ready for the game and this guy comes up with all the other information. We utilize our second-team guy and our third-team guy that way. We put them to work, so it's been beneficial for us through the years. There are a lot more things that are involved than just the play on the field."

On the kicking game's performance from last night: "Obviously, Giorgio (Tavecchio) didn't miss any kicks and (Nate) Freese had one that he missed, but (Freese) came back and kicked a long one into the wind, off the dirt. It was pretty impressive. Those guys are battling it out and I think they're coming along. We'll see, we have a couple more weeks left."

On the new longer extra points: "I do think it adds something to the game because you have to kind of look at it a little differently and particularly, the wind conditions. If the wind conditions are heavy in a ballgame and it's toward the end of the year, that thing becomes obviously a little bit of a thought process that you have to kind of weigh out. There are some interesting scenarios where if there happens to be a penalty on that particular play, then you could possibly move it to the one yard-line and run it, if you decide, ‘Hey, we're going to go for two and go half the distance to the goal, it goes to the one.' If you've been doing pretty well in your goal line offense, you may consider it. I think there are some possibilities there. I kind of like the intrigue. It was interesting going through that process this fall."

On if Tavecchio has to work with P Sam Martin in order to get a better evaluation on him: "I don't think so. What we've done is give him the best opportunity to be successful, a guy that only works with him. I think that's pretty good because he doesn't have to worry about a guy that's working both sides. That's all that Drew (Butler) has been doing is strictly working with a lefty. I think that has its advantages because he's comfortable with him. That's his guy and that's his battery that he's working with. I do think that's the best way to go about it."

On the fierce competition within various training camp position battles: "There's a lot of them.  All across the board, there's a real good nucleus of guys.  We have a lot of experience. Across the board, there's a number of positions like that."

On CB Chris Greenwood's development: "Well, we've had the opportunity to work with him and see him in action.  So, it's been good because of the fact that he's a guy that has length, speed, all the measurables that you look for, and to get an opportunity to see him in action, he looks good. He's developing and he's been coming along.  Every game that he plays in he appears to get better and I think he's one of those guys that has a very high ceiling. So, I'm anxious to see how he finishes this preseason out."