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Rest of the interview with comments about Suh and the Lions here: http://www.prideofdetroit.com/2014/12/31/7467243/jim-caldwell-quotes-lions-wednesday
On what has jumped out to him about Dallas QB Tony Romo: "He's been a quality player for a long, long time. He's one of those guys, I think, that's got all of the skillsets, he can run, he can throw it, he's got arm strength, he can make all the throws. A real talented guy, and I think it's tough to do one without the other, just in terms of how productive they've been. What I mean by that is, that often times you'll find that some teams can run the ball extremely well and what teams will do is pack in a bunch of guys around the line of scrimmage to keep you from running it as well and as much because they don't think your quarterback can hurt you, or them I should say. Then often times you'll see those teams get stalled a bit. In this particular case, he can hurt you. You pack the line of scrimmage, which you need to do just to stop that offensive line and the backs, and then what he (Romo) does is he'll carve you up. Then on the outside, talented guys are running inside, (Jason) Witten, (Cole) Beasley, obviously as well. It's a pretty talented group."
On the matchup between the Lions defensive line and the Cowboys offensive line:"Well, I think it's going to be a good matchup. I think in both categories if you look at the numbers, they'll tell you that they run the ball as well as anybody in the league. You look at the statistics for us, we're right up there in the top of the rankings just in terms of stopping the run. Overall, I think it's going to be a real good battle."
On if this is a ‘strap your chinstrap tight' kind of game: "Little different this time of year. Obviously, I think every game is tough and difficult I think when you get in the playoffs when it's one and done if you lose. If you win you go on. I think it's a heightened sense of intensity. There's a lot more at stake, obviously, because of the fact that there's only going to be one happy team at the end of the year. We're in the running for that, and so we want to make certain we have the best opportunity to do what we do best in that area. So, you better buckle it up. This also is a strong running team. Typically with a team like that, they're very, very physical and they are."
On how Romo is a different quarterback than in past years: "I really don't think he's that much different. I've always thought he was a great quarterback. I just think he's got a better supporting cast. He's got a line that's as good as they come. You look at (Tyron) Smith over there at the tackle and I'm telling you, I'm not certain I've seen a guy move as well as he moves. I mean, just a talented guy. Good blocking up front and you couple that with what he (Romo) does in terms of the passing game, I just think often times what happens is just like most situations. You focus in on the quarterback and you look at him solely for all of the ups and downs of the team and judge him accordingly. But those of us that make a living doing what we do and watching these guys and evaluating them, I've looked at him for a while and seen that. I think anybody you know that knows me, they usually ask me about quarterbacks. They'll tell you what I tell them about Romo. It's exactly the same thing I just told you. I thought he's always been an outstanding quarterback.
On if he has ever seen Romo play better than he currently is: "I'm a purist and I look at him strictly from what he's been able to do and he's always flashed exactly what you see now. I think he's a talented guy. I think they've done a great job in terms of building a team around him. He's certainly taken advantage of that. He's throwing the ball accurately, I think he's 68.9-percent or something like that, which is unbelievable. Right now, he's playing with a whole lot of confidence."
On what the Cowboys offensive line does that makes them special: "Talent, ability, scheme, you know? I think they're using the scheme that best suits their talent upfront and they do a great job executing. They come off the ball, they have size, they understand exactly what they're trying to get done. They can adapt their scheme to multiple different fronts. There hasn't been really any scheme that's slowed them down much. They've been really good."
On how much he consults the players for tendencies that the players might know from their former coaches: "I think everybody changes according to the people they have to coach. I know that's that case. But, there's certain things about Rod (Marinelli) that doesn't change. He's going to have guys that run to the ball, full speed, consistently. He's going to have guys that are lined up in the right spot, he's not going to be really complicated. They're going to play with a lot of energy and I know he's going to have some guys that certainly understand how to be opportunistic as well. Keep things in front of them, limit big plays, well coached. I think obviously, Scott's (Linehan) been very productive on the offensive side and he's done it a variety of different ways. Obviously, this way, they've been running the ball as well as anybody."
On what has jumped out to him about Dallas QB Tony Romo: "He's been a quality player for a long, long time. He's one of those guys, I think, that's got all of the skillsets, he can run, he can throw it, he's got arm strength, he can make all the throws. A real talented guy, and I think it's tough to do one without the other, just in terms of how productive they've been. What I mean by that is, that often times you'll find that some teams can run the ball extremely well and what teams will do is pack in a bunch of guys around the line of scrimmage to keep you from running it as well and as much because they don't think your quarterback can hurt you, or them I should say. Then often times you'll see those teams get stalled a bit. In this particular case, he can hurt you. You pack the line of scrimmage, which you need to do just to stop that offensive line and the backs, and then what he (Romo) does is he'll carve you up. Then on the outside, talented guys are running inside, (Jason) Witten, (Cole) Beasley, obviously as well. It's a pretty talented group."
On the matchup between the Lions defensive line and the Cowboys offensive line:"Well, I think it's going to be a good matchup. I think in both categories if you look at the numbers, they'll tell you that they run the ball as well as anybody in the league. You look at the statistics for us, we're right up there in the top of the rankings just in terms of stopping the run. Overall, I think it's going to be a real good battle."
On if this is a ‘strap your chinstrap tight' kind of game: "Little different this time of year. Obviously, I think every game is tough and difficult I think when you get in the playoffs when it's one and done if you lose. If you win you go on. I think it's a heightened sense of intensity. There's a lot more at stake, obviously, because of the fact that there's only going to be one happy team at the end of the year. We're in the running for that, and so we want to make certain we have the best opportunity to do what we do best in that area. So, you better buckle it up. This also is a strong running team. Typically with a team like that, they're very, very physical and they are."
On how Romo is a different quarterback than in past years: "I really don't think he's that much different. I've always thought he was a great quarterback. I just think he's got a better supporting cast. He's got a line that's as good as they come. You look at (Tyron) Smith over there at the tackle and I'm telling you, I'm not certain I've seen a guy move as well as he moves. I mean, just a talented guy. Good blocking up front and you couple that with what he (Romo) does in terms of the passing game, I just think often times what happens is just like most situations. You focus in on the quarterback and you look at him solely for all of the ups and downs of the team and judge him accordingly. But those of us that make a living doing what we do and watching these guys and evaluating them, I've looked at him for a while and seen that. I think anybody you know that knows me, they usually ask me about quarterbacks. They'll tell you what I tell them about Romo. It's exactly the same thing I just told you. I thought he's always been an outstanding quarterback.
On if he has ever seen Romo play better than he currently is: "I'm a purist and I look at him strictly from what he's been able to do and he's always flashed exactly what you see now. I think he's a talented guy. I think they've done a great job in terms of building a team around him. He's certainly taken advantage of that. He's throwing the ball accurately, I think he's 68.9-percent or something like that, which is unbelievable. Right now, he's playing with a whole lot of confidence."
On what the Cowboys offensive line does that makes them special: "Talent, ability, scheme, you know? I think they're using the scheme that best suits their talent upfront and they do a great job executing. They come off the ball, they have size, they understand exactly what they're trying to get done. They can adapt their scheme to multiple different fronts. There hasn't been really any scheme that's slowed them down much. They've been really good."
On how much he consults the players for tendencies that the players might know from their former coaches: "I think everybody changes according to the people they have to coach. I know that's that case. But, there's certain things about Rod (Marinelli) that doesn't change. He's going to have guys that run to the ball, full speed, consistently. He's going to have guys that are lined up in the right spot, he's not going to be really complicated. They're going to play with a lot of energy and I know he's going to have some guys that certainly understand how to be opportunistic as well. Keep things in front of them, limit big plays, well coached. I think obviously, Scott's (Linehan) been very productive on the offensive side and he's done it a variety of different ways. Obviously, this way, they've been running the ball as well as anybody."
