GREEN BAY – The Packers' coordinators and defensive assistant coaches met with the media over the past couple of days. Here's a sampling of their key comments.

Special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia

On Detroit's return game with all the injuries:

Somebody's going to be back there on both. Again, Dave Fipp does a tremendous job. Coach Campbell's built a bully over there, and they'll have people back there ready to play. I thought they played well last week with the guys that they had back there. Punter's a tremendous player. Kicker's playing outstanding, had a heck of a year coming from the USFL. So we're expecting to play a fast, physical team. We always do when we go against each other and see who comes out on the better end.

On the FG operation:

it's a credit to them and the amount of work that they get during practice, on their own, days off, things of that nature. We have a routine that we go through, and it all starts with Matt (Orzech, long snapper). I've heard the last few weeks, people talked about field goals are becoming mundane now, and PATs becoming mundane. That's not an object that just sits there. It's an operation. You got to snap it, you got to hold it, and you got to kick it, right? You got to get the laces a certain way, and no one talks about the ball. It's a kicking ball. If you look in the cold weather, that thing looks like a shiny, greased up, piece of pigskin, but it's a different ball as well. So to handle that at the snapper position in all different kinds of weather is a credit to him, but it's a credit to the three of them in the way in which they work. It's been a good battery so far. I would expect it to stay the same.

On Keisean Nixon's long opening return last game:

It was finally well blocked. I know Eric Wilson had a good block, and Zayne Anderson, I believe, and I thought Brenton Cox Jr. did a good job his first time out there for us, got a good block on the front side. So Kei does a great job of setting those up when he's going to go in that direction, and I'd like to see him make the kicker miss every now and then. But we give him enough crap for that in our building. So, but yeah, it's a good way obviously (to get) some momentum right to start a game like that.

Defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley

On the offside penalties:

Well, it's infuriating. You want to talk about just giving away free yards and free plays, you know how hard it is to get somebody stopped on third and fourth down? That can't happen. I mean, it can't. Like to me, pre-snap and post-snap penalties are totally inexcusable. You're just giving away free yards and free plays. It can't happen. It's being addressed and it's not OK and we have to do something about it. It has to stop. We've got to clean those up. You know when, like if a DB's playing hard, and he fouls a guy down the field, that happens sometimes, like within the course of the play, but if you're lining up offsides or if it's a critical third down or fourth-and-5 and pretty much everyone knows they're going to try to draw us (offsides), we have to do better there. We have to.

On Lukas Van Ness making strides:

I think there's a lot of guys starting to hit that stride. I think guys are gaining confidence in themselves, they're gaining confidence in the scheme because they know what they're doing and they're getting more confidence in what they're doing, and when you have more reps over time that usually happens. I think Quay Walker is a prime example where, you guys asked me and I was like, 'He's going to be OK,' and he's playing his best football, and I still think he's going to get even better because I have that high of expectations for him because I think he's that talented, and you're starting to see it. And if you guys were able to watch him in practice right now, he's practicing with a whole different level of confidence. You can hear it, just by how loud he is when he's communicating, how he's lining up, how he's moving around, and Van Ness is doing the same thing. I appreciate the patience but it's a matter of time before these guys in Year 1 with new techniques and a new system and new calls and getting more comfortable, and the whole goal is to play better and better each week where the last game of the year we're playing as good of football as we have and that's what he's doing right now, and I'm proud of him because it's hard. He didn't lose his confidence but there's moments – and he's got high expectations from outside and from inside – and early on you could see that weighing on him a little bit. But he should be confident right now because he's playing good football, and I expect a lot out of him too and I'm excited to see what he can do.

On the improved run defense:

It starts up front. Our D-line's doing such a good job of staying square, using their hands, getting off blocks. Guys aren't just running up the field. I think our linebackers have a better feel for where they're supposed to be within the scheme and with the D-linemen and it's all starting to work together. I think we're setting edges way better, so the fundamentals and technique, I think understanding the system and then the play style. We're playing harder and harder each week and that's how you play good defense. We talk about takeaways, we talk about effort, we talk about fundamentals and technique. The interior part of our D-line has done such a good job these last few games. They really have. They're hard to block. They're staying in their gaps. They're tearing off of blocks and it's the same thing with those defensive ends. They're setting edges, they're forcing the ball back inside, they're getting off blocks and then we're tackling and we're running to the ball and there's multiple people to the ball, and when you turn on our tape right now and when you freeze it, you see that. You see a lot of guys around the football.

Offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich

On running Josh Jacobs behind double-team blocks, a scheme called "Duo":

Yeah, that's obviously something he likes and we're having success with, so one of those things that you just go if it's working stick with it, you know? Don't overcomplicate things too much. But yeah, it's fun to watch him go out there and he does a great job hitting the hole, breaking tackles, obviously making DBs miss, he's spinning and making guys miss that way. It's pretty cool to watch him, just the way he's running the ball right now.

On being successful on the road:

You've just got to do a good job communicating. During practice, we obviously use the crowd noise and stuff like that to try and simulate as best you can an environment where it's hard to communicate. But yeah, you've just got to do a good job of just being on top of your stuff and just fighting for four quarters. These NFL games, man, they come down to the fourth quarter all the time so you've just got to give yourself a chance to win at the end.

It's just one thing that we really practice a lot – our silent cadence. Even in training camp, we have at least once a week where we're just working on silent cadence just to make sure we're on top of it for these situations right here. This is going to be an excellent environment for a football game. So, yeah, we're definitely prepared for it.

On Lions S Kerby Joseph:

He is an extremely intelligent football player and he's got awesome ball skills. He does a really good job of tracking the ball in the air. He's aggressive with his hands, he makes a lot of plays, he's always around the ball. And that's one thing when you watch film, he's coming up with these turnovers and he's just very instinctive, and then he's also a good tackler in space. He gets guys down, rarely do you see him miss. So he's a very, very good all-around safety and a guy that in the pass game you have to make sure you know where he's at.

Defensive line coach Jason Rebrovich

On DL T.J. Slaton's play on fourth-and-goal vs. Miami:

T.J. Slaton, in my opinion the last six weeks is the most improved D-lineman. The guy is playing outstanding. He really is. He's intentional in practice, he works hard, how he handles the meetings. When the play got snapped I knew right then and there that the kid was going to make the play. And it's a testament to him. He knew it. He knew the play, we practiced it and luckily for him he had the opportunity to make it. T.J.'s done an outstanding job, he really has.

On DL Brenton Cox Jr.'s improvement and larger role:

Doesn't surprise me. Last year when he came here, I have a big heart for Brenton. He's a young man that's worked his rear end off and I think that the kid has done an outstanding job physically and mentally.

Linebackers/running game coordinator Anthony Campanile

On LB Quay Walker's improved play:

I think he's seeing it really, really well. I've said this before, but everything starts with your eyes and he's been really, really vigilant that way, making sure his eyes are right so that your body's in great position to make plays. I think he's done a really good job with that and absolutely what you envision for the guy because he's a super-talented, smart kid and a hard worker. You look at his eyes and his eyes are right where they're supposed to be. Good linebacker play usually, it really does start right there. It starts and ends there to be honest with you because if your eyes are right then your feet are going to be right, then your hands are in position to buy you time and you can violently finish each play.

I love coaching the guy because he's always looking to get better, he's always looking for an extra tidbit of information, how can he improve on this, and I think even from a technique standpoint and all the drill work that he's done, you see that stuff start to show up on the tape.

On LB Edgerrin Cooper's progress before his recent injury:

There's another guy, he's always got a smile on him, he's happy to be here, he loves to work. He's got obviously an elite skill set athletically but I think his knowledge of the system is starting to shine through for him. He's had some improvement and like everybody else, I know he's got a lot left out there that he wants to get better at, so excited for him to keep progressing.

Defensive passing game coordinator Derrick Ansley

On Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown:

Intangibles. Obviously he's smart because they move him around a lot of different places. He's on the move a lot, which tells me he can think, he can react to different pictures that change with the coverages, he's in the backfield some, so he's just a football player, man. His measureables wouldn't shock you. But he's tough, he breaks tackles, he's got a running-back body but he's got receiver hands. So he's going to be a challenge for us and we look forward to that challenge.

On CB Keisean Nixon playing outside corner, which he never did with the Raiders:

He's earned it, for one, and a change of scenery's always good for everybody. Him coming here and having the success he had with Rich (Bisaccia) with the return specialist, when me and Jeff (Hafley) both got here, we're both DB guys. We picked Brian (Gutekunst)'s brain on his skillset, and once we got on the grass with him in OTAs, I'm like, 'Yeah. This guy's got some unique skills.' So we started to dibble and dabble in that and we knew Javon Bullard was going to be a good player somewhere, and we kind of had an idea that Evan Williams could kind of run the show back there with X, so to get our best people on the field, you kind of move those guys around in camp to see who's your best five, who's your best six and he's done a really good job of investing in himself and learning that position.

Defensive backs coach Ryan Downard

On S Xavier McKinney always asking for the opposing QB tape:

Yeah, yup. Let me know about that QB tape, yup. Every time. I'm just glad he's using it, you know. It's not wasted time. We put time into making these cut-ups, and he's one that, that's the one that he uses, amongst others. He's always really dialed into that. Hopefully it's helped him.

On Nixon's third-and-goal play vs. Miami:

I think the key for all DBs in all parts of the field, but specifically down when you get inside the red zone, is disciplined eyes. I've talked about that as it pertains to the safeties. You can't play safety in this league if you don't have disciplined eyes. If your eyes are all over the place, you're not going to make plays, and on that particular play, most of the guys on the field were locked into their work and they just did their job, and that's what he did, and you make plays that way. We tell these guys that all the time. Just do your job and keep your eyes on your work, and that's a lot easier said than done, though. Typically if you're not a coach or a player, a lot of times your eyes follow the ball. Well these guys are humans, that's what they look at too. Safeties and corners, all of a sudden they want to look into the backfield and now they're not looking at their responsibility, so that's a huge point for us, and he did a great job of it on that play.

On the defense getting dialed in with more experience:

You watch these guys, first year in a system, regardless of what system you're running, obviously the common thought is it's a simpler system so they should play faster. And once they learn the details and the rules, then they can play fast, but there's a process to that, and it still is very detailed. So while we might not be doing quite as many techniques, the techniques that we are using are very detailed. That's the best way to put it. But the guys are playing faster because they're comfortable with what they're doing, and that's what you try to get these guys to.