CB Eli Apple
September 14, 2017
Q: (QB Matthew) Stafford again?
A: Oh yeah. He’s a great quarterback. Great arm, can keep the play alive, and he’s gritty.
Q: Does he have more receivers this year with [Kenny] Golladay?
A: Yeah, Golladay. I actually played against him in college. He went to Northern Illinois and I played against him my last year of college. He’s a tall receiver. Great deep threat. So, he’s going to be a great challenge for us.
Q: What is the biggest difference to the Lions this year as opposed to your matchup with them last year?
A: I’d say they are more healthy. Their running backs are back. [Ameer] Abdullah and [Theo] Riddick and they are great pass catchers and guys who can make people miss. So, we are going to have to take that into account.
Q: What else do you have to do to slow them down on offense?
A: Just do our job, disrupt their timing. They are a timing offense, so it is important for us to get hands on their receivers and make their job difficult to get open and then get pressure on the quarterback.
Q: Do you like playing against a gunslinger like Matthew Stafford, a guy who is not afraid to take chances?
A: Yeah, I mean for sure he is somebody that is definitely going to challenge you on the outside and on the perimeter and he is going to go deep too. He’s got a great arm, so it’s going to be a great challenge.
Q: The defense was on the field for 70+ plays, how much does that impact you guys throughout the game?
A: I don’t think it wears on us, it is just a matter of just trying to get off the field. It all comes to third down. Our third down defense wasn’t up to par and it wasn’t up to our standards so, that’s something we are definitely trying to fix this week.
Q: How different are their top three receivers and what challenges do each one of them bring?
A: Right, definitely every different receiver they have is a different challenge. They have a guy like Golden Tate who can get yards after the catch and he’s their screen guy. Their short yardage kind of. Then you have a Marvin Jones who’s like also a deep threat and Golladay like I mentioned before, he also can go deep. So, even Eric Ebron. They have a pretty great receiving core. It’s going to be a great matchup I think and we are looking forward to it.
He needs to play better.
Presume Detroit goes after him as well...