PASS GAME COORDINATOR/INSIDE LINEBACKERS COACH LARRY FOOTE

(On Lions QB Jared Goff)

"I remember [when] he was drafted because I was in Arizona. His only bad year, in my opinion, was probably his rookie year. With [Sean] McVay in his second year, he just took off. He's a good, savvy quarterback. What's unique about him [is] I put him in that group with [Tom] Brady and [Peyton] Manning as far as the play action – they sell it, they do a good job of selling it. As a linebacker, that can be tricky, because it looks the same. He's making every throw and he's a No. 1 pick."

(On how LB Devin White is doing in coverage)

"The first quarter [of the season] – we did the breakdown, we just self-scouted – he was doing a great job. As middle linebackers, you want to eliminate those play actions and the easy seam balls that get a chunk and get the offense going. He's doing a good job. As a linebacker, you've just got to feel it, you've got to see it. Sometimes offense, they'll tip it. He's doing a good job of growing into that. [He doesn't] get fooled – it's easy. So far, in the first quarter of the season, we haven't [given] up that chunk play."

(On the defense's performance in the red zone so far this season)

"It's [Assistant Secondary Coach] Tim Atkins – he does our red zone breakdowns. He's the reason. It starts up top, [Todd] Bowles put a lot of emphasis on red zone. You win or lose off of that. If you hold them to three points and save four points on the scoreboard, at the end of the day, late in the fourth quarter, you're going to be in games because of that. Each time you're down there, it's the difference [between] winning and losing. Those guys are buying in and communicating, because they go fast. Up front [is] doing a good job because you've got to play a little coverage down there sometimes. So far, we're rock solid."

(On his assessment of the Lions offense)

"I think that started last year, they put the league on notice. That offense is high powered. They can run it, they can throw it. We talked about [Jared] Goff earlier – the line is good, it's going to be a big challenge for us. Just studying those guys, they can run it and throw it. The guys have got to buy in and you've got to win your one-on-one matchups. In order to beat a good offense like that, your players have got to outplay theirs. Our guys are up for the challenge."

(On LB Lavonte David having continued success this late in his career)

"He stays in shape – that's key. I tell the guys [to] always stay in shape. He takes care of his body. He's a pro, not just on the field but off the field. Any time you play at that type of level for his amount of years, that's what you've got to give the credit to. He stays in shape and he's serious. I watch him every spring, if I still see him get out of breaks, I always tell him, 'Hey, you've got one more year. One more year.' He's doing a great job."

(On DL Calijah Kancey and if he can create sacks for the outside linebackers)

"We don't know yet. We're hoping. We're hoping. That's why we drafted him. He has the skill set that everybody knows about. We just can't wait for him to get out there and play. Hopefully he can recover from the injury and play good ball for us. We know the skillset that he possesses – that's why we drafted him."

(On the pass defense in the red zone and what he attributes the success to)

"Keys and guys are buying in. Every team plays pretty much the same stuff down there – it's just a matter of our guys are executing. They're talking at a high level. [Todd] Bowles is putting them in good defenses, but at the end of the day, those guys are making plays. When you get down there, you've only got a small window in there and you've got to make plays. Those guys are doing a good job."

(On having three good cornerbacks with the ascension of Zyon McCollum)

"You can't ever have too many corners. He's a second-year guy. He's improving from year one – you guys see that already in just the four games. I'm quite sure we've got roles for all of [those] guys. When [Jamel] Dean gets back healthy…Let the best man win."

(On focusing on playing good defense at the end of halves)

"They've got stats that we throw around a lot: if a team scores right before the half and gets the ball back, their chances of winning goes up. So, we always talk about that – finish the half, that's big. It goes back to like Zyon [McCollum] and a lot of young guys who had to play last year. We're reaping the benefits this year. Those guys are playing much better. We picked up [Christian] Izien [too]. Those guys are doing a good job. We always finish the half and every team is saying that throughout the league."

(On facing Detroit's potent rushing attack)

"It's not just [David Montgomery] – it's whoever touches the ball. It starts up front. But I definitely mentioned that to my guys this morning – the last time [we faced] a good running team, they won it. We've got to win this battle. It's going to be a big challenge because everybody knows that they're coming in here to run the ball and that's their identity. It's going to be a big challenge for us."

(On NT Vita Vea)

"You guys are the ones that have got to put him in the Pro Bowl. You guys kind of overlook the big old run-stopping three technique for us. But, he's an athlete, he's a dog, he's bigger than everybody. He's doing a good job for us. When he's moving like that, there's nothing you can do about it."

(On DL Logan Hall)

"He's improving, getting better. [He is] just a second-year guy. He's growing. He's the reason for a lot of our success so far."

-BUCCANEERS-