Lions draft picks introduced

Posted: 04.26.2009 at 5:36 PM

Stafford, Pettigrew and Delmas meet press

The Detroit Lions introduced first round picks QB ALLEN PARK -- Matthew Stafford (first overall), TE Brandon Pettigrew (20th overall) and second round pick S Louis Delmas (33rd overall) to the media today. The following is a transcript from the media session.

LIONS HEAD COACH JIM SCHWARTZ
Opening statement: "This is a great day for the Lions, a great day for Detroit and a great day for these three gentleman and the families they've brought with them here today. Even back before I got this job, we had a vision of what we were looking for in different players. We talked about profiles and indentifying characteristics; we talked about multidimensional players and things like that. Each of these guys fit those criteria. We're really excited about each of these guys and we have a specific role in mind with each of these players. Like I said yesterday, each of these players had tremendous consensus in the draft room which was important for everybody; the area scouts, the national scouts, the scouting directors, the general manager, assistant coaches, coordinators and head coach - all felt strongly about these three players. As a head coach, that's a comforting feeling, to know that your whole organization is on the same page and sees the players the same way.

"I'll start off talking a little bit about Matthew (Stafford). I famously stood here a few months ago and said, 'It's time to find a replacement for Bobby Layne.' I talked about how the quarterback is the most important position on the field. That being said, we didn't go into the process looking and saying, 'We're drafting a quarterback No. 1.' There were a lot of steps along that road; the area scout evaluation, Matthew declaring for the draft, watching him on film. We actually had high school film on Matthew Stafford; we talked to his high school coach. We did an extensive background on him and his production in the past. We have every throw that's he's made for the last two years on our video screen; we broke it down to different routes, the times he had taken sacks, the times he had thrown interceptions and did an exhaustive search there. Then the next step was going to the combine and meeting him and seeing him in social situations; bringing him up here; taking our show on the road down to Athens (Ga.) and getting him on the board and then actually seeing him throw. And each step along the way, he jumped through whatever hoop we put up in front of him. Like I said, at that point, it became clear that he was going to be our guy.

"Brandon Pettigrew - you guys see what we see. He's a big, physical, point-of-attack run-blocker and he's a big target in the passing game. One tight end went in the first two rounds. The reason is: there's not many of them out there; there's a scarcity at that position. A lot of colleges don't play that position anymore. His skill set is NFL-ready right now. Like I said, we talked about being big and physical and running the football, and that makes our front seven stronger right away. You talk about ways to be able to run the football, you talk about offensive linemen and you talk about tight ends because tight ends in the NFL have to be able to block defensive ends. One of the things that sort of put him over the hump for us was watching the Texas game and Brandon did a very good job of blocking (Brain) Oraptko. We said, 'You know what, that's what he's going to be looking at in the NFL; that's what he's going to be blocking.' I've never seen a guy push guys off the radar screen, push guys off the film as much as him. We're really excited about what he can add to our offense.

"Louis Delmas is a guy that maybe a lot of average fans haven't heard about. We've probably gotten about 10 calls today from different people around the league that said, 'Damn, you took our guy.' You don't have to watch very long on film to see what kind of player he is: a multidimensional player, a guy that has some corner in his background, he's got great range against the pass, he's got great instincts and absolutely brings it in the run game - a guy that wants to make the play. There's a difference when you talk about guys in the secondary that are willing to tackle and guys that want to tackle. You'll see that immediately when you watch it on tape.

"Football is important to each of these three guys; their character profiles are excellent. We felt very strongly about each one and we're happy to have each one."

On the relevance of character during the player evaluations: "There are a couple different kinds of character. There's football character, which is the game is important to you; you'll prepare, you'll do those things. There's off-the-field character. It's part of the equation for sure and the more that you can marry good football ability and good intangibles, you feel strong about.

On what QB Stafford's ability to remember so much from past games told him during the whole evaluation: "No. 1, that he's got good recall; part of this, and in any business, you need to learn from your mistakes; you need to be able to know where you've been in the past and know where you're going to go in the future. Smart people can speak like that; it's a lot different than if you put a script in front of them or if you told them the night before that we were going to watch that game and he had time to prepare himself."

On how he feels about having selected the drafts' best QB, TE and S: "These guys haven't played a snap yet, so let's not get that far. We felt strong about each one. Whether they're the best or not, their play is going to speak to that. What they do on the field will speak to that. I'm not going to get ahead of there."

On trading the first pick of the third round: "It was good value; we said that pick is going to be valuable. There were a lot of different people we liked at that position. We thought that we could move down and still get one of those and also pick up that fourth round pick which we turned into a big, giant defensive linemen. I'll hold on the rest of the draft stuff until after the draft is over."

QB MATTHEW STAFFORD
On how it's he's prepared to take on the role of the Lions quarterback: "I'm just going to go out there and work hard, that's the No. 1 thing I can do and these involve here at this place and with this football team as possibly can be and let my play do the talking. That's the way I handle that and I'm extremely excited about the opportunity to be the quarterback for the Lions at some point hopefully and I'm going to do everything it takes to get there."

On how he said he'd love to go to the 0-16 Lions because of the challenge: "I'm a competitive guy. I've said it all along and it's something that excites me. I think it does scare some people and it might have deterred some people from wanting to come here, but all along it's something that I've wanted to do and I'm excited to finally be here and take that challenge on."

On what separates him from the other quarterbacks that were in the draft: "I have a lot of experience. I played in a bunch of games at Georgia in a really tough conference. All of the other quarterbacks in this draft are great players too; don't get me wrong, Mark Sanchez is a heck of a guy and the Jets got a great pick in him and Tampa Bay got a heck of guy in Josh Freeman as well. The draft is kind of over with for me, this whole process is over with. It's time to play some football again and that's really what I'm worried about."

On what he's most looking forward to in regards to going pro: "Just getting into the locker room and being with the guys again. It's going to be fun because I'm going to be meeting people that I've watched on TV for a long time and it's going to be exciting to meet new teammates, but I'm just ready to get back to playing football. The combine and pre-draft stuff is so much non-football stuff and I just can't wait to get back there on the field."

On how many times he's pictured himself throwing WR Calvin Johnson the ball: "A bunch, he's a heck of a player. I got a chance to play against him in college. My freshman year was his last year at Georgia Tech. He looks the part and plays the part really well. Everybody on this team has their own role and he's definitely got a big one."

On whether he's talked to Johnson yet: "I've texted Calvin a little bit here and there throughout this whole process really, but nothing too serious. He wanted to let me have my space I'm sure and there's going to be plenty of time to spend with these guys and meet them."

On whether he'd be comfortable sitting or if he wants to compete right away: "I want to play as soon as I'm ready. If that's game one, that's great, if that's game eight or game four, or whenever that is. I just want to be ready. When I step in there I want to contribute and make plays and help this team win. That's what I'm going to be working for."

On adjusting coming into the NFL: "I think No. 1 for a rookie quarterback has got to be the playbook. That's a huge thing and just the verbiage in the NFL is a little bit different than it is in college, but that's something that you can practice and you can work on. With hard work it can be mastered and obviously the longer you play this game for a single system you're going to know it that much better; but I'm going to go in to year one and try to know as much as I possibly can."

TE BRANDON PETTIGREW
On if he likes blocking or pass catching more: "I like doing both and I think I do both well. At Oklahoma State I just happened to block more."

On how much he knows about the Lions: "I didn't really know… they invited me up for a visit and I came up and I had a good feeling about it. I visited with the coaches and we got on the board and I got a good vibe from them, so when the 20th pick came around I kind of waited around then the phone rung and it happened."

On whether he's talked to Offensive Coordinator Scott Linehan on what his role will be: "He expects me to come in and compete and play that big role and I'm definitely down to do it."

On how the tight end can be a difference maker on the offensive line: "I think I'm a complete tight end and with a complete tight end coming in and being able to do both, that just adds more in the pass game and the run game as well."

On whether he's modeled his game after anyone: "I'm a big (Jason) Witten fan; he doesn't have great speed, but he gets it done, he plays hard every play and I try to do the same."

S LOUIS DELMAS
On being called a head hunter: "Yeah, I mean I think if you're a very vicious hitter out there, that comes up with a lack of covering and mental mistakes. I just go out there and think of everybody as my enemy and just try to punish them as much as possible."

On whether he can be a game changer in the defense: "Yes sir, yes sir, I think to every great defense is a great leader back there, especially in the back end secondary wise, that's why safeties in general are so important to a great defense because they're the general back there. They're the one with the whistle."

On whether he compares himself to anyone in the NFL: "Growing up I been watching Ed Reed ever since he was in college and the U (University of Miami) and Brian Dawkins; but I'm Louis Delmas and that's why these guys recruited me to come here."

On playing with a chip on his shoulder because the MAC conference didn't get as much recognition as bigger leagues: "I think coming in as a rookie everyone has a chip on their shoulder over all because we're just rookies, so we still have to get in the playbook and we still have to go out there and perform. We still have to earn our spot."

On how it feels to be the first in-state player to be drafted this year: "It feels great. I mean, just to have the opportunity to play in my backyard, I've been playing at Kalamazoo for four years and now I'm right down the street in Detroit and I have a lot of support. I'm very fortunate to stay and be a local."

On whether he was a Lions fan while in Michigan: "I'm a Lion now, so I'm a Lions fan and I'm going to stay a Lion."

On Western Michigan Head Coach Bill Cubit making an impact in his life: "Coach Cubit since my first meeting basically saved me, my business manager, she's the wife of my high school coach and he also is - I compare him to coach Cubit; both of them are big impacts in my life and basically saved me and that's why I owe it all to football and I'm not just playing football to play, I owe it to football."

On what he means by being saved: "As bad as it sounds if I didn't meet those two dudes I probably wouldn't be here right now, I'd probably be outside with my brother and all of the bad influences in my life. I've been dealt all the wrong cards, but I have the right people around me that have got me to the right path. Just to have them in my corner is a big savior."

On when someone told him that football could be something he'd be good at: "I think my high school coach did a great job my freshman year taking me and he seen the talent and let me know that it's not going to come easy, but it will come if you give it 110 percent."

On whether he ever imagined himself playing at the professional level at Ford Field: "I mean just walking into any NFL stadium would be a pleasure to play in and just to have an opportunity to play for that certain team would be a great accomplishment; so playing there a couple of times at the stadium, (with) fans, it's great."

On being called a great listener: "I think to any successful person you have to be a great listener because you never can lead unless you follow. I've been going by that rule since I started playing football and I think that's what made me as successful as I am now."

Related Links

		Detroit Lions

Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them; they are not reflective of the views or opinions of Barrington Broadcasting, NBC25, its directors or employees. If you believe a comment violates the Barrington Terms of Use, please flag it above.

Latest local news, weather and high school sports for Flint and the Tri-cities