Offensive coordinator Tim Kelly

Q: Talk a little bit about (wide receiver) Isaiah's (Hodgins) week last week, kind of getting in -

KELLY: Yeah, crazy week for him. He did a great job coming in. I don't think he got here until Thursday. Coming in, learning the game plan. I know there was some comfort level with his previous experience here, but I would say it's changed a little bit since he's been here. And Coach (Mike) Groh (wide receivers), (offensive assistant, minority coaching fellow) Troy (Brown), they did a great job. And Isaiah obviously put in all the work to make sure that he was able to go out there and not only know what to do but do it at a high level and make some plays for us. That was one of the cooler things I've seen in my experience in the NFL, just someone showing up on a Thursday and then having a major role in the game and playing well, and he did a great job.

Q: When we talked to you last week, we talked about how your role changed during the week. How did your role change on Sunday?

KELLY: Just communicating with (interim head coach) Mike (Kafka) and letting him know what we were seeing, thoughts moving forward, what plays do you like here, what plays do you like there. So, I would say there was just probably a little bit more communication there between him and I and just, again, just constantly making sure that we're seeing the game through the same set of eyes and making sure everyone's on the same page.

Q: How would you describe Calvin Shepard's defense?

KELLY: Aggressive. In the schemes that they play, the techniques that they use, there's a lot of press coverage when you look at it. They're aggressive. If you look at their backers, both (Detroit Lions linebacker Jack) Campbell, (Lions linebacker Alex) Anzalone, (Lions linebacker Derrick) Barnes, all those guys are aggressive in terms of how they attack the ball carrier and different blocks. They're aggressive in how they attack the football with the punch outs, and there's a definite mindset there for them to go and attack the ball. So, I would say aggressive is probably the best way to describe it.

Q: You've known Kaf, obviously, and worked closely with him for a while. I'm just curious what your impression was of how he handled last week.

KELLY: Yeah, he did a great job. Obviously, not the easiest of circumstances to, you know, to kind of take over in that situation. But he did a great job making sure that the team was ready to play, and I felt like our guys responded well to him. He went out, and we played hard. We fell short. Ultimately, obviously, we want to win that game, but I felt like everybody was flying around for the entirety of the game, and, again, I think that's just a testament to Mike, and he did a great job of getting this team ready to go both mentally and physically.

Q: Game plan-wise, assuming (quarterback) Jaxson (Dart) gets cleared, when you go to put together the game plan, how much do you have to take into account that he is coming off a concussion?

KELLY: Yeah. I mean, you definitely take it into account. It's no different than if someone was coming off a sprained ankle. You know what I mean? Got to make sure that you're not exposing people unnecessarily, and, again, putting our team in a position to win the game. For all our guys, for us, in order to win the game, we're going to need our best players on the field. So, yeah, that comes into account, but I would say that comes into account when we're designing any type of play and making sure, again, that we're putting our guys in the best spots.

Q: The run game worked really well on Sunday, so I'm curious, what did you see that worked really well, and do you also see this offensive line growing in a way where that can be replicated?

KELLY: Yeah. Our guys played hard. I thought there were multiple examples of pile pushes, of guys finishing their blocks, finishing to the ball. It's little things like being the first guy down there to help (running back Devin Singletary) Motor or (running back Tyrone) Tracy or whoever has the ball helping them off the ground, and that's something that we're stressing, and that's a mindset, and that's contagious. They did a really good job of not, in the past there's been spurts of that and I felt like for the first time in a while that there was 60 minutes of that, and you felt it throughout the game. Those guys have done an awesome job. (Offensive line coach) Carm (Bricillo) does a great job with Brick (assistant offensive line coach James Ferentz) of getting those guys ready to go, and you can tell that they have played together now for however many games, not only this year but even dating back to last year, and there's a sense of comfortability with everyone there, and there's something to being said of when I'm in a block, I know what you're going to do. I know what that feels like. I know when you're going to come off of it, or not only the verbal communication but the physical communication that comes along with people playing with one another for a while.

Q: What did you make of what you saw out of (quarterback) Jameis (Winston) last week?

Kelly: Jameis executed the game plan. He was aggressive when we needed him to be. Obviously, there's always going to be plays that you want back. For the most part I didn't think he exposed the football. There were a couple times there where it got a little hairy, but, you know, he did a really good job of executing the plan, getting us in and out of the right play, operating within the offense, and letting the system work for him. He did everything we asked him to do.

Q: Receivers come in all shapes and sizes. I think, maybe because of his size, Wan'Dale gets pigeonholed as a certain type of receiver. Has the season he had shown you that he's like a legitimate every down, you know, top two receiver on the team?

KELLY: Yeah, I mean, I think last week he played every snap. It goes to his toughness, his versatility, his ability to not only run but win on a wide variety of routes. And he's a guy that constantly shows up for us when we need him. So, to answer your question, yes.

Defensive coordinator Shane Bowen

BOWEN: Just didn't make enough plays to win on Sunday. Felt like there were some good things, thought that we responded there after a little bit of a shaky first half, to be able to close it out late, get a two minute stop and just didn't make enough in the end. Have to find ways to put these guys in position to make plays in the fourth quarter where we can close some of these games out. And same story right now, fighting to fix it, fighting to find solutions for these guys, and being able to make the plays when we need them most.

Q: What do you think of the challenge this week of the offense and some of the creativity? It seems like they do things that maybe nobody else does.

BOWEN: Yeah, I mean, first and foremost, I think they're really talented across the board. Starts with that quarterback and then the running game. Two really good backs. Obviously, the skill players on the perimeter are able to take it the distance, no matter where they catch it. So, it starts there and they're creative finding ways to get those playmakers the ball. Again, we're going to have to be locked in. We have to make sure we do our job every single play. Again, you can't really anticipate when those things are coming. So hopefully we're locked in, and we can do our best to do our job when they do come and be in position.

Q: How much did it hurt last week? You're obviously going in, you probably thinking you have a plan. You're thinking (cornerback) Paulson's (Adebo) going to be there, and then you get to the game and you have to kind of change on the fly there.

BOWEN: Yeah, honestly, it's not a whole lot different than if it were to happen the first series, if you get what I'm saying. But yeah, obviously he couldn't go, they made a decision he couldn't go. And again, we have to adjust, that's our job. And hopefully those guys are ready to go, they have to prepare to play. And hopefully in that situation or throughout the game, if something comes up, those guys are ready to play and we can keep going and make the adjustments we need to make.

Q: Does that change how much you can do? That is your top cornerback there.

BOWEB: Yeah, it's something we definitely look at, right? How we're playing certain things, have to change some things depending on who's going in that spot, what we're comfortable with. Obviously something we always look at based on our personnel.

Q: What do you think of the season (cornerback Cor'Dale) Flott's having? And do you think, assuming you think it's, he's progressed, do you think that's because he's settled in one spot? For his first three years here, I know you're only here for one, it was like, is he a slot, is he an outside corner? Whatever, you guys gave him a chance and seems like he's responded.

BOWEN: Yeah, I think he's improved dramatically over my time here. And then obviously getting settled in to compete for that outside job through the spring and through training camp. I think he's had a really good year for us. Made some plays, there's some plays I'm sure he'd like to have back, but consistent every single day. The same guy comes out here, practices, works at it, and it shows up on Sunday.

Q: Why did you bench (cornerback) Dru Phillips?

BOWEN: Yeah, really with Nic, felt like (cornerback) Nic (Jones) earned the right to play a little bit, right? He's out here working, he's done a really good job. We got him in there, felt confident in his ability to go in there and play. And I would say he earned the right to play. So, getting him out there was good, seeing him make the big play on 3rd and 2 was good. So, we'll kind of see where that goes.

Q: Why didn't he start the game then?

BOWEN: Because I have confidence in Dru. I have confidence in Dru to go out there and do all those things as our starting nickel, just trying to get him some time.

Q: Was that another spot that could have a rotation?

BOWEN: I think week to week, it's just something we look at. Again, just felt like Nic earned the opportunity to go play. So, it was more about Nic than anything else.

Q: Anything different you saw from (defensive lineman) Dexter Lawrence that, I mean, it seemed like he popped more on tape. Any reason for that?

BOWEN: No, I mean, I think he took advantage of some one on ones. I think he was disruptive when we had him on the move, able to get in the backfield. I think on one of the pressures, he was able to wrap and make somebody right and force them out. So just continue to be disruptive in there. And when he gets his chances one on one or on the move, or we can change the math a little bit for him, take advantage of those opportunities.

Q: Buzzword for (interim head coach) Mike (Kafka) has been aggressive. How much has that been the message to you?

BOWEN: Yeah, I mean, don't hold anything back. Put these guys in positions to make plays. Understand, obviously, this week's going to be played aggressively by their side of the football as well, just with what they've done on fourth downs. Understanding that, and something we look at every week, just how we're able to attack. Like finding ways to attack, the situations we feel comfortable attacking, the personnel we're playing with, playing against, all that comes into play. But again, finding the best ways to put these guys in positions when it matters most, whatever that is, to be able to go affect and change the game.

Q: I don't know how much time you and Mike, prior to last week, probably had not spent as much time, or maybe as you did, doing your own things. But what have you seen in him since he was elevated, since the change?

BOWEN: Yeah, a lot of the same things I saw when he was the offense coordinator, just from afar, bringing it in with the whole team, with the defensive unit involved now, the leadership. I think the attention to detail, how he's adjusted some meetings, I think has been good for us, good for the guys, but he relates with all the players. Offense, defense, he wants to be involved, he wants to know what's going on, so he can have those conversations with our guys as well and be able to hold them accountable to certain things. So, I think he's doing a really good job, and hopefully we can get some wins here.

Q: How does he relate with the players?

BOWEN: I think by getting to know them, understanding what we're doing, I think that all comes into it. But as a coach, it's about building relationships, getting to know who they are, letting them in to know who you are, families, what's your reason why, everything that kind of goes into this thing, it comes back to relationships. I think he's taking the time to continue to build those relationships a little bit further, and probably what he was able to before, as just the offense coordinator.

Q: Do you think (outside linebacker) Abdul (Carter) has recommitted himself since being benched for that series on Sunday?

BOWEN: Yeah, I do. Again, unfortunate situation, handled internally. But he's been locked in this week, he has. He came in here Tuesday, ready to go, ready to learn, ready to make the corrections, was good yesterday. We just have to continue to kind of stack these days here, as we get through the week, and hopefully we'll be ready to go Sunday.

Q: What's been your message to him?

BOWEN: Be a pro, be a pro, keep working, can't get frustrated with where things are. You have to find ways to keep improving, take advantage of our opportunities when they're there. But again, it's the consistency day in and day out with all these guys, especially young players, just try to be the same guy every day, try to work the same way every day, and on Sunday, hopefully that pays off.

Q: You guys emphasize takeaways as a priority going back to the spring. They haven't come as much as you would like.

BOWEN: No doubt.

Q: What do you attribute that to? What do you see on tape where that's been an issue?

BOWEN: Yeah, I think we've dropped some, like you go back to the Dallas game, we dropped a few against the Bears a few weeks ago, we dropped one. I think last week, we punched one out, weren't able to get it. There was one they ended up getting overturned too, that they dropped and we were able to get on. I mean, I think the biggest thing is just continue to emphasize, we can't miss opportunities when we're in position. Second guy in, third guy in. We have to do a great job of attacking the football when we got these guys secure. And then continue to affect the quarterback, try to find ways to get off the quarterback. They're the number one fumblers in the league every single year. So, trying to find ways to get off the quarterback and hopefully we can make the ones when we do have the opportunity.

Q: And to follow that up, you guys have gotten a lot of pressure on the quarterback, but the sacks maybe haven't come. How do you analyze that to see what's successful, what hasn't worked, or what has worked?

BOWEN: Yeah, that's a good question. I mean, obviously, you want the negative plays that come with that. But at the same time, I think the ability to affect and disrupt and really change the passing game, there's obviously a huge benefit in that for our secondary. It takes all of 11, right? It takes all of 11, get them to hold the ball, and we're able to get home, or we're able to put pressure on them, force an errant throw, a quick throw. Maybe he's not ready to throw. So, continue to get pressure on them as best we can and hopefully find ways to get them down when we have a chance.

Q: What'd you see on the long pass, the 33 yarder, late. You had some one-on-ones up front that didn't get through. What was your-

BOWEN: Yeah, I mean, we brought five, we were tight back there. Have to find a way to get through and win somewhere. (Outside linebacker Brian) Burns did late after the chip. He was able to get through late, in position. We have to do a better job down the field there when we're chest-to-chest of being able to play through the hands, right? Totally different situation than kind of what (safety) Dane (Belton) had when they're running and he's trying to look back and his hand got up late, where there's not really momentum building on that throw, we're chest-to-chest. Let's make sure we're playing through the hands, seeing the hands. Again, we have to find ways to make those plays. There were two on that drive they made, and we didn't.

Q: I mean, Burns blamed the guys up front, said it was a tough play for Flott there. What could Flott have done differently there.

BOWEN: As a chest-to-chest, just making sure I'm seeing the receiver's hands. That point, I think, is a different situation than when you're running and the guy is underthrown and you have to try to get your head around, because there is going to be that collision, right? At that point, I think they were pretty much, for lack of a better term, there wasn't the momentum taking them down the field. So, they were pretty much chest-to-chest, just trying to find a way to get my hand through his hands, instead of taking a peek.

Special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial

Q: After last week, I'm sure you're glad to be inside this week?

GHOBRIAL: Yeah, last week's conditions, I can safely say were some of the worst I've been in in MetLife. Those gusts of wind really, I mean, they got up to 35 miles per hour. It's challenging, but obviously, kicking in the Northeast, that's something we look forward to at the same time. It's a cool opportunity to compete when the conditions aren't ideal. Having gone through that, yes, you are pretty excited about going back indoors and in a little bit more controlled environment, just in terms of wind and all that.

Q: How would you assess (cornerback Deonte Banks) Tae right now in the return game. He's obviously done more now. How would you assess where he is at this point?

GHOBRIAL: I think he's a top tier kickoff returner. He's starting to see the concepts really well, so he understands how to set up his blocks. He sees space naturally and obviously, the natural athletic skill set that he has, you can't coach. The top-end speed that he can get to quickly. He's done a good job taking care of the football. Just the more reps, the more time on task, I think it's given him even more confidence. So, it's cool to see him have some explosives in the return game for a guy that just started doing it. He's very hungry to continue to do it and I truly believe that our guys blocking for him also have a lot of belief in him, which there's something to be said about that, knowing that that guy can score at any point. It's all 11 every time and Tae's a big part of why we've had success on that unit.

Q: What have you seen from (kicker Ben) Sauls since you brought him in?

GHOBRIAL: Like I said, I believe last week, he was a guy that I was really looking forward to working with at some point. I truly think that he has the ability to kick at this level and at a high level. He's done a good job of understanding how we do things here, articulating how he likes his operation in terms of field goal holds, which requires everybody to be on point with that. He's kicked a little bit and we've seen him in a few practices and I'm excited to continue to work with him.

Q: (Punter) Jamie (Gillan) hit a couple of punts very low. How much of that was by design? How much of that was just it's hard to kick in those conditions?

GHOBRIAL: A combination of both. If you try and truly hit a ball up high in those conditions, when you're kicking into it, it's going to get blocked by that wind and you're not going to get any distance with it. So, there's an element to trying to knife through that wind with a lower-hanging punt, which means there's certain mechanics from a punt standpoint that have to coincide with that. That's dropping it lower, holding onto the ball a little bit longer and then making sure that your lines are right. That allows you to still get a net that potentially flips the field in some regard, because those conditions obviously being there were difficult. But I thought he did a nice job. Being able to net 45-plus there in those conditions I think is really good by the punter. I thought Jamie did a nice job rebounding and having a good game.

Q: I don't know how much time you got to spend with (interim head coach Mike Kafka) Kaf when you guys were all coordinators, but what have you seen in him since he took over the head role? Obviously it was a bit of a fire drill last week, I'm assuming, just to kind of get acclimated.

GHOBRIAL: Kaf, number one, is a tremendous human being. I really believe his intentions with everything he does, he puts his whole heart into it and the players feel that. He's very even-keeled and he's a great leader of men. He has a definitive plan on how he wants things to look like, but he likes to integrate everybody's ideas into that and ultimately his decisions, those are things that we try and support as well. I think Kaf has done an outstanding job in this capacity and obviously, I truly believe that he has the ability to be a head coach in this league for a long time. You're hearing that in the team meetings, just his ability to convey a message to the team. These guys play hard for him. He's very organized. It's everything that you want in a head coach and that's obviously why he's had success as an offensive coordinator and why he's going to have success as a head coach.

Q: Why did you make the change on who was doing the kickoffs last week? That was last week, right?

GHOBRIAL: Yeah. So, number one, I think projected weather has something to do with that a little bit. Trying to make certain that Jamie's focus was when we had those opportunities to punt, were on that, given that the circumstances weren't going to be ideal for anybody. Then also to keep (kicker Younghoe) Koo in the flow of the game as well. The lines obviously change when the wind is at your face versus the wind at your back. But generally, when it's windy in general and you're getting a crosswind, that also affects truly how far you can go, just because once you hit it up there, you're at the mercy of where that gust of wind goes. So, it also kept Koo in the flow of the game, not knowing when we were going to attempt field goals based off the field position. I thought it truly helped both those guys, Koo and Jamie, and I thought they did a nice job. Obviously, we want the one PAT back. Koo knows that he can make it. We have tremendous belief in his ability to do that, even at 48 yards, he has that mindset to do so and we've obviously got to execute in that situation. But I thought both guys did a nice job.

Q: What happened on the penalty on the PAT?

GHOBRIAL: There was a chop block called. The nature of field goal is there's no space, right? There are no gaps. Everybody's interlocked and because they're interlocked, there are piles that generate when that happens. So, we've got to do a better job of really being clean with our footwork, number one, which will allow for a cleaner pocket. But the nature is, there's not a lot of room for error when guys are foot to foot. So, all it takes is somebody to get leaned into and they potentially lunge, and when they lunge, that's where the chop block was called. We've just got to be cleaner with our footwork to make certain that doesn't get called again.

Q: (Lions wide receiver) Kalif Raymond was here a long time ago when he was a young player. He's established himself, I think, as one of the better returners in the league. What do you see from him?

GHOBRIAL: Absolutely. Khalif is a dynamic dual returner. He has the elite top-end speed that you want in that position. He has the short-area quicks to make you miss. He's a dangerous guy with the ball in his hand. He's obviously earned that credibility of being one of the top returners in this league and you see the production show up every year he's been in this league. So, it's a great challenge for our guys. We've got to make certain that our locations are right, our coverage fundamentals are right and then ultimately bringing a guy like that down with good tackling fundamentals. I think Khalif is a top tier returner and obviously tremendous respect for him and (Lions special teams coordinator Dave) Coach Fipp and (Lions head coach Dan) Coach Campbell. I think they really do a good job just in terms of special teams in general over there of being aggressive and showcasing a guy like Kalif and other players on the roster.

Q: What did (wide receiver) Dalen (Cambre) show to warrant an elevation?

GHOBRIAL: Number one, he's truly a smart football player, high football IQ, has the ability to learn multiple positions without getting all those reps, so there's a lot of value in that both offensively and in the kicking game. Obviously, we've been high on him from a special teams standpoint. He excelled in the preseason. He didn't necessarily know when his opportunity was going to come up, but he prepared the right way every week and when he got the opportunity last week, I thought he took advantage of it, basically having two tackles with little to no reps during the practice week and studying his tail off. It's cool to see a kid like that have production in this league and I know when his opportunity arises next that he'll relish in those in those moments. Really cool to see him have success.