Spagnuolo Talks Containing Detroit’s Offensive Weapons, Including Jared Goff

Opening statement:

“All right, almost all the seats are taken. I don’t know if that's good or bad. So anyway, I'm not going to go back on too much. We're certainly disappointed in the way the last week worked out from a defensive standpoint. We get in that position and we hope to end the game and win it. So, very disappointed. But we've moved on to this next team. We're getting ready to play one every bit as good as the one we played, maybe better, so all our focus is on that. With that, I’ll open it up.”

On the last play of the game and Chris Jones:

“It's a weird deal. Yeah, it's a weird deal. Listen, we always talk about, never assume. Like, I'm talking about on a first-and-10 play, backside corner. Don't assume he's down. Don't assume your buddy's gonna get him tackled. And I think guys just got caught up in the moment. Thought he was down. It didn't work out that way. I think we'll all learn from it, and we've moved on, and hopefully that doesn't happen again.”

On whether teaching is more difficult consider Jones is a veteran All-Pro:

“Yeah, yeah. Well, I mean, listen, somehow, some way, we needed to get him down. I mean, there's a lot, I'm not going to pick at all the things that happened, but there were other things that went on. That play, it would have given us another chance to defend another play. I mean, we're assuming that Chris would have been able to get there. We don't know that.

“But there was a lot of things on that play that could have gone a little bit better. I think all the guys will tell you that, and we need to find a way. Really, when you look at it, we got a little bit fortunate and lucky that he got stepped on. I mean, it was a it was a pass play that we needed to defend. We were expecting a pass that didn't materialize because he stumbled. And what happened happened.

“What I'm gonna say is I give the quarterback a lot of credit. A lot of guys would have fallen down or stumbled, or whatever. He didn't. He got in the end zone. So, I give him credit for that.”

On Trevor Lawrence’s rushing yards Monday:

“Those were frustrating plays. He had at least two or three. And we talked, listen, we talk about rush lanes all the time. You can't give any of these, and especially not an athlete like that. You can't give them that kind of opening. I thought the coverage on the back end was really good. I think that's why Trevor pulled it down and ran. And when that happens, whoever we've committed to the pass rush have to make sure we don't let him get out, and to get that kind of yardage.”

On Nohl Williams’ low snap count Monday:

“Just more Nohl, just from more of the standpoint of what packages we had in. Because there's certain packages where he's in there. For whatever reason, we went with the other packages.”

On the amount of game-wreckers on Detroit’s offense:

“They all had red on. I mean, we always put the red on the game-wreckers. Yeah, there you see it. He's got a lot of weapons, and the guy pulling the trigger out there is pretty good (Jared Goff). He’s really accurate, tops in a lot of different things. And I flashed him up the other day.

“This is the No. 1 scoring offense in the NFL, or was at least a week ago, whatever they are now. I'm sure they're still up there. Our thing always, our No. 1 goal going into these games is to limit points allowed. And it'll be the same focus. With all the weapons that they have, we're going to have to pick and choose who we, quote-unquote, try to take away. And then some guys are going to have to do some heavy lifting on their own.”

On what makes Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery so effective:

“Their skill just excels. They're similar, in some ways, different in others. I mean, I think that 5 (Montgomery) is a pretty powerful runner. I think they gear his plays toward that. Zero (Gibbs) gets out on the edge quite a bit, and he's a threat as a pass receiver as well. And I tell you what, they put them out there both at the same time, and that becomes a challenge.

“So, we got to tighten all kinds of things up. I just, I keep going back. I mean, we wish we played better in the two-minute. We'd be feeling a little bit differently about everything, because we played the run fairly well, except for the quarterback. But the quarterback’s included; hopefully that won't happen again.”

On Detroit defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard:

“Yeah, I'm glad you brought him up. Kelvin, I think the world of Kelvin Sheppard. When he played for us in New York (with the Giants) those two years, he was our Nick Bolton. They're very, very similar. Those guys are kind of cut from the same cloth. I said to Kelvin at time, I don't think he was thinking about coaching, when he got done playing, I said, ‘I think you’d make a heck of a football coach.’

“And over the two or three years, I think he stayed out of it. Kind of coached him and he got he got the bug. I think he went down LSU first. And there were times that we talked about Kelvin and trying to get him here. I think he's doing a terrific job, and I'm really happy for him, really proud.”

On preventing the same struggles the Chiefs had against play-action, something Detroit does well, in the loss to the Chargers:

“Yeah, well, anytime a team can be on schedule, from an offensive standpoint, and be a threat to us, run or pass, it's going to be a challenge. We really need to create a couple of negative plays. First and second down are going to be really important, and then, as always, win third down.

“But they do pose that particular problem. They're really good at play-action. In other words, they sell it. They match things up there. They're really good, I think, and they have been for a long time. I know the coordinator is different, but they're really good at matching the runs with the play-action, matching the motions that you're going to get, and shifts.

“In that particular game, they run it, run it, run it, and all of a sudden there's a pass play off of that, and that's what you're talking about. And we're aware of that. What we get a lot of, that's going to come. And I think our assistant coaches do a great job on defense in-game, feeding to our guys. ‘Okay, they ran this with that motion and shift. Expect this coming up.’ So, hopefully we can be ahead of the game on those.”

On whether he expects defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott to play more:

“He got dinged, and that was an unfortunate. I expect he'll hopefully, I think he's okay, I mean, the practices, I think you guys were out there yesterday, so we didn't have helmets on. And so, we will find out where we're at, when we can gear Omarr up a little bit and see where he is at the end of the week. But I would anticipate, and would have anticipated last week, that his rep count would have gone up had he played.”

On the interception thwarted by the collision between Nick Bolton and Drue Tranquill:

“That was pretty quirky one. Listen, when it is bobbling like that, I've always said, somebody has to go attack it. Don't try to finesse it, not have to see it again. I just remember what happened. I thought we had it, and then it was on the ground.

“I mean, Drue and Nick could probably be able to tell you better what happened. But I think that someone's got to go up. And we always talk about the highest point when that thing's bobbled up and down. Now, there was not an offensive player contesting it with the two of them, but when you're going after the football, yeah, I think you go attack it and grab it and pull it back in and go.”

On preparing for Dan Campbell and a Detroit offense with a four-down reputation:

“Yeah, third down can be really second down. It's funny, it just feels like every week, we talk about, ‘This team is going to go for it on fourth down.’ I just think that's where the league's going to. I mean, fourth-and-2 at our 40-yard line to the offense is, ‘Let's go get it.’ We do it. Other teams do it. So, this week is not any different. I mean, we know Dan's real aggressive, and we're gonna be planning for it. We did when we played him here two years ago, and we're practicing those plays that we think we might see.”

On the development of Nohl Williams:

“I mean, I was just saying it was not a reflection on any thought of how we thought Nohl was doing it all (his lower snap-count). It was really just, what we put out there package-wise. Like, if you guys notice, when Nohl goes in, it's when Trent (McDuffie) goes in at nickel. And for various reasons, we went the other way with the pieces, and he didn't end up with as many snaps.

“That could change this week. I think he's doing a really good job for us. It doesn't seem like it's been too big for him. I was really encouraged by that when he played a bunch of snaps the games before, and depending on which way the game goes, in terms of down and distance, we'll see how many plays he gets in this one.”