Here is everything Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell said after the team's 26-7 loss to the Houston Texans in the fourth and final preseason game.
“To start out, a number of guys – just respect all the work they put in since spring, and some guys even longer potentially, that have been here with us. I just appreciate everything that they’ve given and that they’ve brought to the team, but also themselves. And I told those guys they should be proud of themselves, and this will shake out in the next 72 hours. No matter what happens, they should be proud of themselves and just keep pushing forward. That’s what this is, it’s hard. It’s hard this time of year. And you hate it for some of these guys, because of what they do, they lay it on the line. As far as the game, we put a huge burden on the defense there. We go one-for-seven on third down and 0-for-two on fourth down. That’s a major strain on the defense. Would have liked to have gotten some three-and-outs on defense, that helps alleviate something there, but just not good enough in that regard.”
“Yeah, well, if it is, it would have to be somebody who’s doing dirty work. That you’re not going to just – won’t necessarily pop, you’re going to have to go watch the tape because I don’t disagree with – I don’t feel like anything else really was very glaring in a positive manner if you will.”
“I thought Kyle did a good job again, this is three games in a row, and practice too, you can’t ever forget about these practices. He’s really – you know, look, you got some errors in that Chargers game to start the season out, and really from there he’s just gotten better and better and better. Today was just evidence again of him really stepping up. I thought he did a good job. That drive was outstanding. The third down was a really good throw, TeSlaa took the time to win. It was a very composed route. It was a very detailed route, which, that tells you that he’s taking the coaching and he’s growing. And then the fade was just a beautiful ball, beautiful route, beautiful catch, so I was pleased with both of those guys. It’s good to see Kyle really take it to where he’s gone. Feel very comfortable with him. And then TeSlaa, he just continues to get better and better. Every time he makes a play, every time he does something, you gain the trust of everybody around you. The coaches, but also your teammates who are watching.”
“No, I feel pretty good. I mean, look, he gets those guys in one-on-ones, he gets them in practice a little bit. And our two corners, they’re good players. This isn’t like we need to go find somebody that – he’s taken reps with the ones, he’s been in there with (Jared) Goff, he’s had to run on good versus good. He’s no different than any young player. He’s just going to have some growing pains. He’s going to continue to get better and better. But, I’m very pleased, we’re very pleased with where he’s at after six weeks of camp because that’s really what it’s been. We just finished six weeks, so I’d say, if you took most receivers, he’d be in the upper echelon of those, as far as development. He’s – it’s pretty good. It’s not easy to develop as a receiver in this league and be ready to go, and I think there’s a place for him to help us early in this season.”
“Yeah, I mean, I think there’s going to be a couple of areas where we have to decide what we want to do. I think most of it feels pretty good. We have a pretty good feel, pretty good idea. We know what the vision is for the player, where they belong, but there’ll be a couple that’ll be difficult. I think some of it too is, really like the player, but no different than what other teams do to our roster. You know, (Lions General Manager) Brad Holmes -- we’re looking for, if we can upgrade in some areas can we upgrade. And are they better than somebody we may be talking about keeping. Those are the hard things. So, we’ll see. We’ll see where that is.”
"Look, it’s always going to be how much development do you believe there is. Because look, we are talking about Hooker right now. How much development do you believe there still is? Sometimes does the player need a change of scenery? What about our own depth in other areas? I mentioned this the other day, relative to that – all right, maybe there is room to grow. Is that worth it for the depth we need at O-Line, D-Line, receiver, DB? And so those are all things you have to weigh. Look, I wish Hooker, and I know he does – would’ve had a better outing, but you have to take it with a grain of salt. It’s not like he was playing with our first O-Line out there, or first team skill position – all of that. So you take that all into account as well. I thought he was prepared. I thought he was ready – looked pretty calm, just circumstances didn’t work out today, that’s all.”
Detroit Lions quarterback Hendon Hooker (2) walks off the field after the 26-7 loss in the preseason game at Ford Field
Detroit Lions quarterback Hendon Hooker (2) walks off the field after the 26-7 loss in the preseason game at Ford Field / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
“Well, they made plays, right. I thought both of those guys when there was a play being made that really stuck out – those were the two guys that were making them, and that was good to see. I did think (Nowaske) Now played at a high level today. You could see the physical, but I thought, man, he was in it mentally – like he was pretty locked in. I thought he – which look, some of that is raw for him playing the stack-backer, and he was running the MIKE, middle linebacker – making the calls. And I just thought he played a pretty cerebral game too, which is good to see, which means he’s growing and developing. And then certainly (Strickland) Strick, he’s a ball-hawk. He finds the ball and he did that again, man – two big plays there in the red zone were good to see.”
“Look, I’ve said this before – I kind of like Saylors, and I mean that in a good way. There’s something about him, he’s kind of a football player. He’s pretty crafty, pretty nifty. He’s got detail to what he does – the runs, the landmarks, the check downs. There’s something there and we like him, and it was good to see him go back in there and play a little bit. I think he’s a football player.”
"Well, what did I not like? Thank God it’s here - almost. It's time. It’s time to get ready for the season and this opener - get ready to go to Lambeau (Field). I love where our teams at. There again, we just finished basically six weeks, five weeks of true work on the grass, and we’ve gotten better and better every week on both sides of the ball. I feel like we’ve really progressed. We’ve gotten two different looks from other teams, too, with Miami and Houston this week, and I just think we’ve gotten a variety of work. I think we’ve tested each other, I think we’ve grown from it, and I think we are going to be ready to go. I’m fired up right now. We’re going to be good.”
“Yeah, Graham should be good. Vaki – we’ll see. That would be a tick longer, but it’s not a major thing.”
“Yeah, that could be tough. We’re getting tests on that, but that was a significant injury, it looks like.”