FLOWERY BRANCH – The Detroit Lions (2-11-1) are set to face the Falcons (6-8) at 1 p.m. Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The Lions have won two of their past three games, including a 30-12 upset of the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
Here’s what Detroit coach Dan Campbell had to say to the Atlanta media Wednesday:
On dealing with COVID-19 and quarterback Jared Goff being on the list: “It’s going good. It’s become kind of part of our routine. We’ve been dealing with it for a while, two or three weeks now. So it’s kind a part of our DNA, if your will. Next man up. Goff actually feels really good, but we’ll just continue to test him everyday to see if he comes out positive.”
On if Goff is unable to play Sunday: “I don’t think it necessarily (changes things). We’re going to stay pretty to true to what we’ve been doing. There are things that we have in that will be a little bit that Tim Boyle, we feel that he can excel at. For the most part, it will be what we’ve done.”
On Falcons rookie Kyle Pitts: “When you have his size, length and speed, and ability, explosiveness, quickness, agility and you can play multiple positions, it’s a major mismatch. It can be a mismatch. So, I think that what (Falcons coach Arthur Smith is) doing out there is really good with him. It’s funny, because when I watch the way he’s being used, it was kind of the way that we saw him. Man, you can line him up outside. You can put him the slot. You can attach him. You can put him in motion. There are so many different ways to use him, and then when you put him with (Cordarrelle) Patterson, it’s like, man, what are they in. What are they doing ... it’s pretty good. He is definitely one of those rare talents.”
On if the Lions considered drafting Pitts: “Yeah, he was definitely in the conversation. We had a lot of talks about Pitts. Brad and I both were really high on him. All of us were. Everybody in our building was high on him. It was certainly, he was in the talks. There is no doubt about that.”
On if Pitts would have been a tight end in the 2000s when Campbell played: “I think he would have been a receiver. I think he would have been a big receiver. You know what is funny is that when I first came into the (NFL) there is a chance that, just by because of his stature, they would have tried to put him at tight end, but there wasn’t a ton of people trying to use guys (in different spots) like they are now days. So, there is a chance that if this guy, if you trying to put him with his hand in the ground and try and block 290-pound defensive ends, that’s not something that he is going to excel at over and over, but man when you let him stand up and release a little bit and do things he’s really good at, that’s when he’s really rare.”
On the Lions’ running-back situations: “We get (running back) Jamaal (Williams) back, which is good. We like Craig (Reynolds). He’s had two really good games. So, we certainly see them both going to the game getting some carries. In practice today, was (D’Andre) Swift’s first day back. He looked pretty good. So, we’ll just see where he goes. See if he feels a little better tomorrow, what it looks like. Certainly, if he can go, we’ll take him, too. I think our running situation is pretty good.”
On the play of outside linebacker Charles Harris: “Listen, Charles is kind of one of the guys that’s part of the engine of our defense I would say. He’s a tone-setter. He’s aggressive. He fast, and he’s quick. He’s a finisher. He practices hard. He’s a team guy. He’s really everything. He’s really come on the scene for us. He’s a great fit for our defense, and he’s playing with a lot of confidence. I’ll tell you what, nobody has improved in just from the time of spring to where we are at now more than Charles Harris. I mean, he has really come on. I’m glad that we’ve got him right now.”
On the play of wide receiver Kalif Raymond: “Lif is a stud. He’s just wanted an opportunity last year, and we knew that we could use him. Certainly, we knew he could be a good punt returner for us, which he’s doing and doing well. But we were intrigued with his ability to stretch the field. Come in and out of routes. His toughness and his resiliency. He’s been all of that and then some. He’s having a heck of a year for us. ... I’ll tell you want, when you talk about where we are at trying to create a culture and build a program, he’s one of those guys that is just everything that we talk about.”
On the play of rookie tackle Penei Sewell: “Penei Sewell is doing great. He’s another kid who every week, he just keeps improving and improving. He started the year at left tackle because we had an injury, (Taylor) Decker, and then we switched him over to right (tackle), and he really hasn’t missed a beat. He’s just continuing to grow and get better. He really has become a staple for us upfront. He’s certainly worth it. We were ecstatic when we picked him when we did (seventh overall).”
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