Head Coach Brian Daboll
August 9, 2023
Productive day. Got a lot of good work and that’s what practice is for. It was a lot of different looks, good competition. I thought it was a productive day, looking for another one today.
Q: Do you want to see your guys have a little more juice today? It kind of felt like the Lions were doing a little more chatter and a little more fire out there, do you want to see that from your guys?
A: I’m not worried about chatter; I just want to go out there and have a good practice. Our guys were ready to go, I thought we had a good productive practice, and we will try to have one today.
Q: (Quarterback) Daniel (Jones) looked like he was, at least for him, uncharacteristically off a little like some of the throws he missed he doesn’t usually. Was that just kind of a new defense he was seeing for the first time in a while?
A: Yeah, again it’s practice so we are out here competing. I thought it was productive. We will go out here and try to have another one today.
Q: What have you learned about (linebacker) Bobby Okereke in his time as a Giant?
A: Again, good person. He’s fit into our system well, he’s smart, has good leadership traits. He’s had a good camp.
Q: Anything new on the injury front from yesterday?
A: There is. (Tackle) Devery Hamilton won’t practice today and (running back) Gary Brightwell and then (wide receiver Sterling) Shep(ard) will have his normal day. Other than that, I think everything else is the same.
Q: With Devery and Gary, anything long term there?
A: No, I just think it might not be a day-to-day thing, it might be maybe a week. Nothing long term.
Q: So, it’s just three guys?
A: Yeah, three guys plus the other guys.
Q: What are the injuries?
A: An ankle, a leg. Those two.
Q: Parris Campbell looked like got banged up a little but came back. He’s okay?
A: Yep.
Q: Obviously you are watching him and monitoring Sterling Shepard. Yesterday, things ramped up a little bit, how do you think he came through that?
A: I thought he had a good day, just like a lot of guys. These practices are invaluable. The looks that you get, the different competitions and that’s what coaching is. You had a lot of plays. I’d say a lot of plays to evaluate and then you look at them and fix what you need to fix and have another one. Again. this isn’t a game right now, it’s practice, albeit against another team but it’s been productive.
Q: How do you feel about your depth right now at inside linebacker?
A: Guys are competing out there, we will let it all sort itself out.
Q: You talk about how valuable this is for evaluating guys, so when you watched the tape from yesterday, did anybody jump out that caught your eye?
A: We go back, we watch everybody. I’d say not to single anybody out, I mean there is things that stood out both I’d say good and bad like every practice. Just because you are going against another team, it happens every practice. Not to single anybody out, I think there was a lot of good and a lot of things we can improve on.
Q: (Cornerback) Amani Oruwariye had some really good seasons here, little bit of a down year last year but how is he fitting in with you guys?
A: I thought he did well yesterday. Another guy that we have in the mix, competing out. Been a good addition for us, thought he had a good day too yesterday.
Q: Some of those positions you have been kind of alternating days, what are you going to do at inside linebacker and slot corner today with the ones?
A: I think it’s just a constant revolving door, could be period to period. It’s not really going to be play to play, we will just keep rolling them in there.
Q: Where have you seen (quarterback) Tommy DeVito grow the most since you’ve got him?
A: I’m sure all the young guys – it is a little bit different; it is practice but it’s a little bit – the intensity picks up a little bit. I think he’s improved since he’s been here. He’s still a young guy who doesn’t get a ton of reps playing that position, which is always a hard thing but he’s done a good job improving every day and he did okay out here yesterday.
Q: What were your impressions of the Detroit Lions yesterday?
A: Good team. They’ve got a lot of good talent; some explosive guys and it was a good team to practice against.
Q: (Lions defensive lineman) Alim McNeill gave you fits last year. How did (center) John Michael (Schmitz) and (guard) Ben (Bredeson) hold up against him?
A: I’d say probably like a lot of our guys. There’s a lot of good things to learn from and then things to improve but it’s good to go against different guys.
Q: (Running back) Saquon (Barkley) wasn’t on the field during the redzone period. Are you managing his reps?
A: Again, that’s another – whether it’s (wide receiver Sterling Shepard) Shep or Saquon or some other guys, that’s the part of the process that I talked to you guys about with the training staff of just making sure we’re being smart with our guys.
Q: What’s your approach when you come in and know you’re facing a different defense? Are you trying to perfect the things you guys are good at or are you throwing new things in? Specifically, offensively.
A: I’d say, most of the stuff that we’ve installed through OTAs and here – it’s kind of day 11 or day 12, we have in. Obviously, it’s good to get different plays versus different looks and then coach off of those because some of the things that we haven’t seen, it’s really beneficial to get.
Q: After an up and down practice like yesterday, do you spend extra time with Daniel?
A: Look, every practice we do the same thing as a coaching staff. You watch practice, there’s a lot of good things in practice and then there’s a lot of things that you can improve on and that’s the job of a coach and as a player. Look at it, try to fix it, come out here and have a good day. And we do that day-to-day.
Q: Are there guys that you already ruled out from playing Friday night?
A: No, it’s just kind of like a Friday in the regular season. We’ll talk about that as a coaching staff tonight, tomorrow and come up with our decisions.
Q: Is (defensive tackle Rakeem Nuñez-Roches) Nacho going to go today?
A: He’s not going to go today.
Q: Who?
A: Nacho. Sorry guys, I know it’s loud.
Q: So (tight end) Lawrence Cager is cleared and (wide receiver Parris) Campbell too?
A: He’s good.
Q: With Cager, who was a New York Jet, how has he impressed you and the coaching staff?
A: We got him, he had a lot to learn. I’d say he’s still got a lot to learn. He played receiver, he was a guy that I recruited when he was coming out of high school, too. So, I think he’s developing the skills he needs to play at the position. He’s an athletic young man but he’s going to need to do multiple things whether it’s in the kicking game, whether it’s be ready to go at tight end, but he’s had the right mindset.
Q: Did you just say you recruited him?
A: Yeah.
Q: Out of high school?
A: Yeah.
