Lions training camp: Jim Caldwell's quotes from Day 4

Below is a look at what Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell had to say on Day 4 of training camp. (Quotes provided by the Lions.)

Opening Statement: "After last night's practice coming back out today we kind of anticipated that we change it up a little bit just in terms of time period in which we're practicing and hopefully we can stack good practices on top of one another. Today's practice was so-so, wasn't glaringly terrible, but nevertheless not quite as sharp as we'd like. So, we've got to improve a little bit more tomorrow. I'll open up for questions."

On if the mantra for the defensive line has been to take a different approach this season: "One of the things that we try to do is we celebrate uniqueness. Not everybody's the same.  They all have different talents and I think that sometimes collectively you look at them the same way, so that we may have to do some things a little bit differently because their talents lend maybe to do a little bit more from a particular design of a scheme that we use. It's a little bit different group, but I think without question it should be highly effective as well. That's what we anticipate."

On how RB Theo Riddick established trust last season and how it has carried over to the present: "It's consistency. He has shown that obviously he has some real proficiency in some areas where he can catch the ball out of the backfield. He's a good route runner, he's real solid in terms of his assignments and things of that nature. But, I still think he's growing and developing and you can see just his ability to run inside and out keeps growing and developing and I think that certainly has created, obviously some trust because he's highly productive for us. "

On if anyone has ever tried to change Riddick's catching style: "Not as long as it works, and it works for him."

On if having children changes the mentality of the players: "In some cases, yes. Obviously, children change you in a number of different ways. The feeling, the sense of added responsibility. I think sometimes you can sense that with these guys, but that happens to everyone, every father and mother and grandparents as well. But, nevertheless yeah, you can sense that. Then also, it adds sometimes a little sense of urgency, which is helpful."

On CB Quandre Diggs' development: "You know, he's learning the system, getting a feel for it. He's a quick guy who's tenacious and loves to compete. We are excited about where he is right now. He's certainly doing well."

On the next step for Diggs: "Well, the big thing is, what we see him do out here, obviously we had pads on yesterday, so here in the next couple days, we'll get a real good feel for him. We will have to see how he develops from a one on one standpoint, the kind of physicality he's going to bring and obviously, we will certainly evaluate that through the preseason games."

On the offensive linemen wearing knee braces: "You know, several years ago, when we were in college, it was a big issue and where they did a lot of studies on them. The studies will give you the answers. The studies tell you that it's not conclusive that they prevent injuries. You know, so up until that time, when I was in college, we made everybody wear them because we believed that they would certainly prevent them, but the fact of the matter is, they do not. So for these guys, it's a comfort level. Some guys that have had previous injuries, they wear them for protection, but we don't mandate them."

On TE Joseph Fauria leaving practice: "He's got a little tweak and maybe it will take him a couple of days to get back."

On how frustrating it is for Fauria to have to battle injuries: "It's the nature of the game. It's just kind of how it is. Once you get pads on, you start banging a little bit, you start carrying those pads around, you're going to get some nicks here and there. So there will be a few guys that will miss a practice here and there and then back at it."

On what he's seen from LB Kyle Van Noy: "You know, he looks like he's running obviously better because I think this is the first time that he's felt completely healthy and you can see it. His break on the ball is a lot quicker, he's running a lot more effortless, I should say.  He's always had a decent grasp of the system. He's a smart guy. He studies and he learns, but you can see his movement is better."

On what he's seen in Van Noy's pass defense: "He's a guy that can cover. You've seen him go out and play some one on one. He had a decent day yesterday doing it, but he can cover ground, he's got length and we just have to continue to work to develop those guys just in terms of their understanding of matching routes and things of that nature, so that's not an easy feat to learn, but he's moving in the right direction."

On players with a similar playing style to Riddick: "I think you find more of that today. There are some guys that can do a little bit of everything. Nowadays, we do have guys that maybe there's an area in which they excel, maybe perform a little bit better than others. When you have that, you utilize it. When you have a guy that can do everything, you utilize his talent as well."

On the defensive coaches working with players from other positions: "It's nothing unusual, it's circuit training. Oftentimes one guy is running a particular drill in his area and he'll rotate the rest of the guys through. It has little to do with position-oriented stuff, it's just kind of a rotation of a certain group of drills. We do those quite a bit, circuits from time to time."

On OT Corey Robinson's development: "Well, you know, the big thing with him is that he has the physical abilities to do it. He's highly versatile. Any guy that can bounce back and forth, most of the offensive linemen can, but he does it rather easily. He's a really good athlete. He runs extremely well for his size. He's got length and he's showing an ability to catch on quickly. He's a smart guy and it's going to be fun watching him develop."

On DT Jerel Worthy fitting into the defensive scheme: "He's got a lot of catch up to do, but he's obviously got a background in a similar front and similar things that we do. They were pretty multiple over there as well, so that'll help him also. But he seems like he's a guy who has a great understanding of the scheme and concepts. It's just translating now, the verbiage, but I think he's certainly up to that task."

On LB DeAndre Levy not practicing today: "Yeah, he just had a little bit of a tweak so we backed off a little bit. There'll be some guys you see from time to time that'll happen. It's nothing serious, we don't think it's serious I should say."

On the scrimmaging today in preparation for the preseason game: "Same thing. It's a mock game, is what we call it. So we go through all the different situations in the kicking game, and then we just kind of play a game against one another and just kind of let the game happen as it may. If it's three and out, we'll punt just like in the normal flow of the game. What it does is it kind of sets the stage for next week when we are playing the game, and we typically do it the first Saturday after we get started, so it's customary for us."

On WR Andrew Peacock's progression and his chances of contributing this season: "Well, one of the things that he's been doing that we preach to all of our guys is consistency. I think Emerson said, ‘Consistency is a hobgoblin of little minds' or something like that, but in our particular case we love consistency. And the consistency of catching the ball well, which is what he's doing. The consistency of running his routes nice and crisp. He's got a great feel for things in that regard, and he just keeps getting better from the way he hustles. He never stops running, and he's quite a competitor."