Dan Campbell: 'Our Fans Got to Show Up'
The Detroit Lions have made vast strides on defense throughout the 2022 season.
Early in the year, the offense struggled to keep up in games where the defense couldn’t keep the opponents at bay. Perhaps the biggest indicator of the struggles was a Week 4 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, in which the defense allowed 48 points and failed to force a punt.
However, the Lions seem to be finding a groove under defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. As the team has won four of its last five games, the defense has exhibited much better effort.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell described the improvements Monday, coming off a dominant 40-14 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. He pointed out that the defensive gameplans have evolved to the point where he believes the unit has a better understanding of what the coaching staff wants to see.
“You can’t be a sitting duck,” Campbell said. “You just want to get your bearings back to the point where they gain the confidence to just line up and play. But, if you sit there too long, these offenses will just sit back and pick you apart. I mean, it’s too easy, you can’t do it, you have to be able to mix coverages and pressures, and shoot, your stunts, everything. And so, that’s what we’re slowly getting back to.”
© David Reginek-USA TODAY Sports
© David Reginek-USA TODAY Sports
Campbell has seen the defense improve in numerous ways. For one, the unit is generating more takeaways. DeShon Elliott forced a fumble on the game’s second play Sunday, setting the tone for the afternoon.
More than that, though, a defense that began the season full of inexperience is starting to learn the ropes.
“We’ve slowly started to get back to some of the things we were doing,” Campbell said. “We’ve been able to open it up, because our guys are maturing, they’re growing, they’re getting better, they’re working better together, they’re starting to understand each other. At one point, A.G. (Glenn) and I were talking, shoot, this was probably a week ago. But, at one point, the only two guys we had that were out there on the field that started for us last year were Alim (McNeill) and Alex (Anzalone).
“We’re starting to get guys who have been playing together, they’ve been repping together. So, as they gain confidence in what we’re running, we’re opening up the playbook a little bit more.”
Offense keeps the foot on the gas
The Lions’ offense had its biggest day of the season Sunday, scoring 40 points while never punting the ball. Detroit scored on every drive but its last, which ended with consecutive kneel-downs.
Though the game was well out of reach early in the second half, Campbell and Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson weren’t taking any chances. The offense continued to groove, as the team looked to put the game away.
“We just knew that was the best way to attack (the Jaguars),” Campbell explained. “I know if you let off the gas too soon and you start pulling back too soon, bad things can happen. There’s a fine line, I know, but we just, we were confident that was the right approach, the right gameplan for this defense. So, we did that, the clock runs, you let it roll a little bit. But, to us, it was the right way to go.”
Detroit's second-year head coach said that approach was molded by his time with Sean Payton, during his tenure with the New Orleans Saints.
“Youu never had to worry about it with Coach Payton,” Campbell said. “You were not going to let off the gas, I can promise you that. But, it always worked out for us there. I've been part (of it) as a player and a coach, where you do, if you have a little bit of a lead and you start backing off too soon. Now, all (of a) sudden, you got to restart it. It’s hard, you lose your momentum, so you just got to be careful. But, it worked out well for us.”
Notes
Campbell called the impending matchup with the NFC North rival Minnesota Vikings "a big game." He mentioned that this game has big implications for both teams and Detroit’s home fans, as well.
“Well, I would say this, man, all hands on deck this week,” Campbell said. “Man, our fans got to show up, which I know they will. This is gonna be electric. It’s big, this is big, big for our players. It's big for us. Shoot, it's a big game for them. They’re all special, but this is one of those games. That's why you're into coaching. This is why you're in the plan. This is why you love the game of football. This is gonna be awesome.”
