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Interview seems hedging to not go. Could be deception but seems too honest. They could use him back.
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AAL - Glover Quinn -
Dan Campbell's press conference today:
"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken LComment
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Well, get ready folks, here's a little tidbit you won't like. The officiating crew for this game led by Brad Rogers has called the most DPIs in the NFL this year.... 26. By sheer coincidence, guess what team has benefitted the most from DPIs committed against their O this year?
HINT: They have purple uniforms.Apathetic No More.Comment
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I'm sure this is not lost on DC. Perhaps he will bring this up in pre-game discussions with the crew?Originally posted by dsred View PostComment
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and the Lions have benefitted from PI once for 5 yards iircOriginally posted by dsred View PostComment
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A locker room Q&A with Lions CB Amik Roberson ahead of one of the biggest regular season games in NFL history
Justin Rogers
Jan 3
Allen Park — Every trip into the locker room is a little different. Most days, I have a focused agenda, trying to gather quotes or intel for a specific story I’m piecing together. Sometimes — less these days than in my previous roles at the newspaper — I toss my recorder into a group of reporters talking to a player. Other times, a topic organically develops from a casual conversation.
On Friday, while most reporters were talking to running back Jahmyr Gibbs, I wandered over to cornerback Amik Robertson. I had some follow-up questions about the upcoming matchup against Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson and Sunday’s matchup for the No. 1 seed in the conference. The plan was to use Robertson's answers to shape my weekly "Three Things to Watch" that runs the morning of that week's game.
Will Burchfield, my esteemed podcast co-host was on the same wavelength, so we snagged Robertson at his locker together. If you’ve listened to the pod, and I hope you have, I feel we work well together in these situations, and Robertson is one of the easiest players in the locker room to chat up. Instead of producing a traditional story, we split up the transcript from the interview — which eventually swelled to include additional reporters after Gibbs wrapped — and thought you might enjoy a raw Q&A.
Question are paraphrased:
Q: What make’s Jefferson great?
Robertson: “For me, his creativity. He’s in a good scheme, too, man. It kind of puts the DB in a bind. But it’s OK, man, we got a great scheme, we got some great coaches, they’re going to put us in position and put whoever’s on him in a position to make plays and limit him. He’s explosive. He’s Jets, man. He’s going to do a little something, but it just can’t be too much.
Q: When you say great scheme, you're talking about their route combinations?
Robertson: “Yeah.”
Q: And what do you mean by creative?
Robertson: “Being able to create space. Angles, levels, and he’s got a good feel for the game and he’s got a good quarterback, great offensive coordinator. And that’s why they’re playing well.”
Q: How much does having a field stretcher like Jordan Addison playing opposite him help create some of that spacing?
Robertson: “When you got another wide receiver that can also give you some help, it always balances it out. But we got some good guys here, man, I think we’ll be aight.”
Q: (Joking) Did you ask AG if you could shadow Jefferson this game?
Robertson: “I mean, whatever he decides to do, man. Nah, we haven’t talked about traveling, whatever side, whatever, we haven’t talked about it. … I’m a competitive guy, why not? But I don’t think that’s something we’re going to do.”
Q: How do you feel you’ve been playing since you got moved outside?
Robertson: “The thing about it, man, I know how this league is playing corner. I always think it’s levels. Yeah, I’ve probably been playing well, but I know I can play better. I just try to get better each and every week, try to work on little things and if I make mistakes at practice, try to fix them in the game. I’m an open book. And I know in this league, man, cornerback, you can make 1,000 great plays, but the one moment you mess up, everybody, ‘Oh, he’s a …’ you know what I’m saying. I know how this goes. That’s why I keep my head level.
Q: Where do you think you could be better?
Robertson: “Getting a motherf______ ball, man. Getting the f______ ball. Because the game is about the ball. I just gotta capitalize because I might not get too many (opportunities) or whatever the case may be. When it do come, I just gotta take advantage of it, continue going after it like I’ve been doing.”
Q: Do you find it easier to get picks playing man or zone?
Robertson: “I would say zone, man, because you got your eyes on the quarterback. Some of my picks were deep ball picks because the QB liked the matchup, but I think it’s easier to catch ‘em in zone. Because in man, your eyes are on the guy. You gotta be able to turn around and track it. It’s tough. That’s why everybody can’t do it.”
Q: You’ve been close on a couple this year.
Robertson: “Yeah, man, I’m trying to figure out — that’s why I’m saying, I don’t know if it’s the size or it’s just — I gotta be better. I’m leaning to the side that I gotta be better and I gotta capitalize on those opportunities, because I never know when it’s going to come back. Because when you’re playing sticky coverage, the quarterbacks in this league are smart. Usually I try to have, not a mismatch, but I try to guard bigger guys so I can get hat opportunity, but you got tight coverage sometimes, they just don’t throw it.”
Q: Does anything change with your approach knowing this team draws more pass interference penalties than most and this officiating crew flags that frequently?
Robertson: “I’ma be honest, man, I go into the game with no negativity on my mind. I go out there and play the game of football. One of my coaches told me, ‘It’s a game within a game.’ I just go out there and all I think about is making plays, positivity, and if some bad shit happens, I’m built to have that resilient mindset. I don’t know where it came from — God-given — but I have that mindset of next-play mentality. So I don’t worry about the referees, none of that, just go out there man play my style of football, do my job and try to do whatever I can to help this team win.”
Q: Tell us a little about those matchups with Jefferson in high school?
Robertson: “We beat them my freshman year of high school. We were the first team to go undefeated in the history of my high school. Then we almost beat ‘em again to win Districts. It was going to be the first time we ever did it, for varsity. Me and him battled. That time I shadowed him. Great matchup. And then camps, of course we battled. We was biting (at) each other. They had to separate us, which, you know, he’s a dawg, it’s all respect. And then in college, LA Tech, went against him my sophomore year and we battled.”
Q: Did you know Jefferson was going to be a dude when you matched up against him in high school?
Robertson: “Yeah, he had a different kind of wiggle to him, man. Some guys can’t keep it up with it. He’s a special guy, man. I remember when I came out they projected me and him going to the Saints, he was quoted like, ‘Amik a dawg.’ It’s all mutual respect. I’m not going to say we’re the biggest rivals in the NFL, but we know each other, man, and it’s all mutual respect. When we’re out there, we gonna compete. And when it’s all over, we go out there, shake hands, ‘I’m proud of you,’ he said he’s been proud of me. That’s what it is. But of course, if we ever match up or whatever, it’s going to be fun to watch.”
Q: How much did you think about matching up against him twice a year when you signed here.
Robertson: “Of course, but it was a lot other guys, too., it wasn’t just him. Me and Keenan (Allen) have history from when I was at the Raiders. So it’s like, I knew I was going to face some good receivers, man, and I just wanted to come here, compete and do whatever I can to help this team get over the hump.”
Q: Do you like playing nickel more now that you spent most of this season playing it?
Robertson: "Whatever I can get. At the end of the day, I'm blessed. I thank God. I'm blessed to be able to step foot on that grass. One percent make it, especially at 5-8. I'm blessed. Wherever they put me on the field, I'll do my best to be myself and make plays."
Q: If you catch a pick Sunday night, are you making Carlton Davis do push-ups on the sideline?
Robertson: "I don't think he's gonna be on the sideline, but I definitely will -- I'm going to text him -- but I'll definitely get TA (Terrion Arnold). If I do that, I'm going to have the cameraman. I'm going to grab the cameraman myself and tell him to get TA doing push-ups on camera."
Q: How do you spend the next 48 hours?
Robertson: "I'm excited, man. I'm pretty sure he is, too. I'm pretty sure Jets is, too, man. I'm excited to play, man. It's one of the biggest games this year. I kinda trying to keep low and save my energy for when I'm out there. But I'm a very competitive person, man. Of course I'm excited."
Q: (Wojo enters the conversation) This is maybe the biggest regular season game in NFL history? Does that get in your head at all?
Robertson: "No. Not at all. I understand the game is big. I'm not going to underestimate the game, but I don't overthink the game. Like I said, I go out there with my same whatever. I go out there, man, and just be myself. I don't overthink anything. I go out there with all positive energy. I don't overthink, what if this, what if that? I go out there and play the game of football. If you really think about it, this shit is 90% mental, 10% physical. So I go out there with that positive mindset, man, because I know who I am. I'm a very confident guy and I don't ever lose that."
Q: You love the bright lights of prime time, don't you?
Robertson: "It separates the boys and the men and the dogs and the wolves."
Q: Do you lean on your past experience in big games? Does that help knowing what the environment is going to be like?
Robertson: "Ford Field always feels like the Super Bowl. Every time you're in there, man. My first preseason game, it was that way. So I'm kinda used to it. Like I said before, I'm not going to underestimate this game. This is a very important, big game. Everybody is ready to go out there and perform, and most importantly, win.”
Q: Did you sense any tension from players this week?
Robertson: "Not me. You're going to get the same thing from me. You're going to get the same guy. I might shoot me some pool later on, take care of my body. You're going to get the same guy. I don't overthink this. This is football. I've been playing this since I was five years old. I know when I step on that grass, man, I know who I am. I'm pretty sure a lot of guys think the same way."
Q: Aaron Glenn said Dan Campbell is great at setting the tone each week with his message. Is there anything he said this week that's resonated with you?
Robertson: "Not really, man. He's been saying the same thing because he knows what the goal is. Anybody we play, they are in the way. They're just in the way, man. They've got some good teams out there, but we're a good team, too. What is there to fear. We ain't running from that."
Q: Is Justin Jefferson the most dangerous player you face?
Robertson: "This year? Yeah. I mean, we've had some guys we've faced, but I would say he's definitely one of them. I'm not going to sit up here — don't get me wrong, we're not scared, but I'm not going to sit here and not give him his flowers, man. He's done great things in this league. I respect him as an ultimate competitor like myself. I'm not going to not give him his flowers. Of course, he's one of the best players in this league."
Q: You understand how unusual the stakes of this game are, right? Two 14-2 teams playing like this has never happened.
Amik: "That's crazy, man. That's crazy, but, hey man, somebody's gotta do it. And after Sunday, somebody's gonna have a bye."
Q: How do you compartmentalize the crazy stakes but not treating it differently?
Robertson: "If you approach every game the same way, man — I'm not going to say — there's highs and lows, but what you're not about to do is approach it by overthinking, man, just going out there and (being like), 'Oh, we can't do (this), we can't do (that).' Out there, this Sunday, there's going to be mistakes on both sides of the ball. There's going to be catches, there's going to be turnovers. There's a game within a game and you just have to do out there and play it. We're not going to overthink it. We're going to go out there and play Lions football. If we do that, I think we'll be all right.”
Email: jrogers@detroitfootball.net
X: Justin_Rogers
Bluesky: Justin-Rogers
"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken LComment
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I think if there is any doubt at all he should sit. I think if another week gets him through a playoff run we would be better off rolling the dice without him SundayOriginally posted by maxw3ll View PostI feel like I am watching the destruction of our democracy while my neighbors and friends cheer it onComment
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"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken LComment
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Ben Johnson vs. Brian Flores takes center stage once again in Lions-Vikings finale
Nolan Bianchi
The Detroit News
Paywall article.
Allen Park — Every time the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings have played each other since the start of 2023, the matchup between Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores has been one of the most compelling storylines.
Both are in charge of units that rank among the best in the league. The Lions’ scoring offense (33.3 points per game) ranks first in the NFL, while the Vikings’ scoring defense (18.8) ranks fourth.
“(Flores) does a great job. Each week, you try to find a weakness in the armor and look to attack it, and this defense, it just doesn’t have much (weakness),” Johnson said. “It’s been that way for two years now.”
Johnson respects Flores’ defense, but the Lions have decidedly gotten the better of Flores and Co. over their three meetings. Detroit is 3-0 and has scored 30 points or more in all three games.
In Week 7, a 31-29 Lions win at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Detroit put up 391 yards of offense as running back Jahmyr Gibbs ran for 116 yards with two touchdowns and quarterback Jared Goff totaled 280 yards and two touchdowns on 22-for-25 passing.
Entering Week 18, Detroit is playing some of its best offensive football of the season. The Lions have averaged 37.5 points over their last four games.
“They’re really firing on all cylinders offensively at all positions, starting with the quarterback but they’re all playing really well,” Flores said this week. “O-line, backs, receivers, tight end. Ben’s one of the best in the game as far as calling it, so they do a phenomenal job across the board. Big challenge for us.”
In addition to running fundamentally sound units, Johnson and Flores have another thing in common: Being challenging to predict.
For Flores, that comes in the form of exotic blitzes and disguises, as well as mixing coverages well. Minnesota ranks first in blitz percentage (39.9%) and eighth in pressure rate (35.5%). The Vikings’ pass rush mauled the Lions at the start of their Week 7 meeting en route to a 10-0 lead.
“He always has a curveball every week,” Johnson said. “ I think (Packers head coach) Matt LaFleur said last week that they weren’t anticipating quite as much man as they got early in the game and had to make some adjustments. There’s no question, as a coaching staff, all of us, we have to be on our Ps and Qs and just make sure we’re able to respond if he’s hitting them with something that we weren’t necessarily prepared for.”
For Johnson, his creativity shines through in his seemingly endless Rolodex of trick plays. Just this past week, the Lions ran a hook-and-ladder to receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams for a 42-yard touchdown. The week prior was “Stumble bum,” a touchdown pass to Sam LaPorta that followed a fake fumble by Goff.
“Ben’s got a lot in the bag,” Flores said this week. “You’ve gotta be ready for all of it.”
Sunday's winner-take-all between the Lions and Vikings, the first-ever meeting between two 14-win teams, will certainly bring out the best of both coordinators. The winner gets a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, while the loser will head on the road for Wild Card weekend.
Both coaches will have to be at the top of their game in order for their team to have a chance. But based on their track record, it's safe to assume they will be.
nbianchi@detroitnews.com
@nolanbianchi
"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken LComment
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Is Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff the antidote to Vikings' blitz-happy defense?
Rainer Sabin
Detroit Free Press
Paywall article.
The old scouting report on Jared Goff was that he would crumble under the weight of a heavy pass rush and break down if the pocket around him collapsed. That was the prevailing narrative after his dismal showing in a Super Bowl 53 loss to the New England Patriots, when he was a member of the Los Angeles Rams.
But there was the Detroit Lions' star quarterback in the second quarter of a Week 7 battle against the Minnesota Vikings, facing down a defense designed by the NFL’s most aggressive coordinator, Brian Flores.
Flores, the Patriots' de facto play-caller during Goff's Super Bowl flop, had just dialed up a Cover Zero look. Safety Harrison Smith crept toward the line of scrimmage, joining six teammates preparing to invade the Lions’ backfield. Seconds later, Goff dropped back behind an offensive line under attack and launched a pass downfield to Amon-Ra St. Brown, who was streaking up the seam.
A split-second later the ball arrived in St. Brown’s hands, and he coasted into the end zone for a 35-yard touchdown. The big strike was one of 11 pass attempts Goff threw under pressure that afternoon. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, he completed 10 of them for 164 yards and two scores before the Lions secured a last-minute 31-29 comeback win.
“The guy was a No. 1 pick for a reason,” Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said. “He’s been super talented throwing the football and here he is entering Year 9, and he’s got all of these banked reps from L.A. and now Detroit, and they all add up. The defense is moving slower, he knows where his eyes need to go, he knows what he’s trying to do.”
Because of that, there is no longer any concern about whether Goff can withstand the heat that will assuredly be applied to him when the Vikings visit Ford Field this Sunday to play a winner-take-all showdown for the NFC’s No. 1 seed. The expectation is that Goff, one of seven Lions named to the Pro Bowl on Thursday, will be able to execute Johnson’s calls even if he’s under siege and the protective bubble around him bursts. Goff has one of the fastest release times in the NFL, getting the ball out of his right hand in 2.7 seconds on average. He is also supported by St. Brown, the All-Pro receiver who is one of the most reliable safety valves in the league. When things get hot, St. Brown is there to provide relief.
“They have a deep connection, which is good,” right guard Kevin Zeitler told the Free Press. “That’s good when you have somebody you trust, especially when you know things might need (to move fast) or a play needs to be made.”
Case in point: The final drive against the Vikings 10½ weeks ago. With less than 90 seconds remaining in regulation and the Lions on the cusp of field-goal range, head coach Dan Campbell pushed the envelope, yearning to make a deeper incursion into Vikings territory. A play-action pass was called that Flores countered with a five-man rush. Following the fake, Goff rifled a 14-yard pass to St. Brown that pushed Detroit to the edge of the red zone. Four plays later, Jake Bates sent a 44-yard try through the uprights, lifting the Lions to a win that vaulted them into a tie for first place in the NFC North.
As Johnson reflected on that win Thursday, he noted that Goff is “doing a nice job finding those outlets. And St. (Brown) has found a way to be that guy over the last couple years.”
Then Johnson paused.
“It’ll take all hand on deck, though, with this crew,” he continued. “I know he’ll throw something at us that we haven’t seen.”
Johnson was referring to Flores, of course. Since Wink Martindale left the pros last offseason and signed up to run Michigan football’s defense, Flores has taken the mantle as the most blitz-happy coordinator in the NFL. The Vikings have sent extra rushers on 38% of all dropbacks, the highest rate in the league.
Flores, who commands a unit that has surrendered the second-fewest points in the NFC, sets up his pressure packages with pre-snap disguises and tricky coverages while rotating safeties from front to back and back to front. Man turns to zone. Zone dissolves into man. Some defenders encroach from the second and third levels. Others drop back from the front. The moving parts set up a scene that center Frank Ragnow said can only be described in one word.
“Chaotic, man,” Ragnow blurted.
“They try to confuse you,” St. Brown added.
After Minnesota held San Francisco to 17 points in a Week 2 victory, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy sidled up to Flores after the game and told him, “Your scheme is crazy.”
But Goff found a way to overcome it in the first meeting between the Lions and Vikings this season. Despite being blitzed on 17 of his 29 dropbacks, Goff connected on 22 of 25 pass attempts for 280 yards and two touchdowns. The performance may have provided the most convincing evidence of his evolution as a pro, demonstrating his marked transformation from a quarterback who once succumbed to Flores' pressure tactics into one who thrived when confronted with them.
“He’s recently just grooving,” Ragnow said. “Really has good command. I think he’s seeing the field really well, understands the offense really well. Coach Johnson does a great job of giving him the answers. … It’s cool being able to play with a guy like that.”
It’s also pretty fun to coach him, as Campbell explained.
“This is a different Jared Goff now," Campbell said earlier this week. "This guy has developed and matured.”
Should Goff again foil Flores’ best-laid plans, the rest of the nation will see once more how far he has truly come.
Contact Rainer Sabin at rsabin@freepress.com. Follow him @RainerSabin on X.
Next up: Vikings
Matchup: Lions (14-2) vs. Minnesota (14-2).
Kickoff: 8:20 p.m. Sunday; Ford Field, Detroit.
TV/radio: NBC; WXYT-FM (97.1).
Line: Lions by 3.
"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken LComment
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Sure. Pressure from unusual expected places made 2016 Jared Goff crumble.
2024 Jared Goff has seen pretty much everything that a defense can throw at him. Kinda like how 2024 Sam Darnold isn't the same as 2018 Sam Darnold.Comment
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WR Kalif Raymond and LB Alex Anzalone are activated today, and other news:
"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken LComment
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Moseley, good lord. Take some vitamins or something.#birdsarentrealComment
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How did that guy make it through COVID and gluten?Where are we going; and what's up with this hand basket?Comment
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