On August 17, the Detroit Lions defeated the Kansas City Chiefs on the road, and the club may owe their triumph to a particular mother.
Backup quarterback Hendon Hooker told reporters after the Lions’ preseason game against the Chiefs that he was pleased with the one run he slipped on during the 24-23 victory, and his mother was pleased as well.
Lions Backup QB Follows Mom’s Advice
Never underestimate your mother, even if you’re an NFL quarterback.
Hooker told reporters at a training camp news conference on August 14 that his “mom is a huge fan of sliding,” adding, “I always get it from her, but now the coaches are on me, as well.”
“It’s her thing. She’s been repeating this for years. “I’m learning,” he explained.
Hooker stated that his mother phoned and called him after the team’s first preseason game against the New York Giants on August 8 to warn him that sliding is sometimes necessary to avoid being struck. Hooker received a concussion against the Giants and was forced to leave the game.
“I wasn’t even intending to run him over. “I just embraced for impact, and he kind of bounced off of me,” Hooker explained.
Hooker accepted his mother’s advice on August 17 and claimed that when it comes to the slide during the game against the Chiefs, “I’m going to get a huge hug around the neck for that one,” according to the Detroit Free Press.
Hooker, of course, expressed his satisfaction with his contribution to the team’s victory. Hooker ended 12-of-15 for 150 yards and 11 running yards, with a score.
“Anything is fine as long as we win,” he stated, according to the Detroit Free Press. “But just continuing to chip away at the ice and get better every day.”
Dan Campbell Lions head coach Dan Campbell praised Hendon Hooker during an August 17 press conference. Campbell praised Hooker for learning from mistakes made during the team’s August 8 preseason loss to the New York Giants, where Hooker clocked 36 yards passing and 34 yards rushing.
“The greatest part of this is the mistakes he’s making, and in order to come back in or play the next play, he needs to put the previous one behind him and move on to the next. “Put the last drive behind him; it wasn’t good, and he needs to go back in,” Campbell told reporters.
Campbell continued, “Ultimately, on the drive before the winner, we made some mistakes. He made a few mistakes—more than a few. But then he gets back to the last drive, and he has to put it — ‘Hey dude, put it behind you.’ And he cleans up. He cleans it up, moves the football, and learns from it, so it was great, man. So, every time he has the opportunity to take reps and learn from them, we’ll be better off. “He’ll be better off.”
The Detroit Lions’ 2024 regular season kicks off on Sunday, September 8, at 8:20 p.m. Eastern time at Detroit’s Ford Field versus the Los Angeles Rams.
