Lions' Defense Held Players-Only Meeting
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The Detroit Lions' defense has been the subject of heavy criticism all season.
The disappointing defensive performance against the Miami Dolphins was particularly damaging, as some of the deeper issues impacting the unit came to light.
A 15-9 victory over the Green Bay Packers provided the coaching staff and roster a sense of validation for their week of preparation.
"Man, our defense has taken some heat, and to see them step up, against a worthy opponent, and a good quarterback, it’s good, it’s real good," Lions head coach Dan Campbell said. "And, I’m proud of those guys, because it’s easy to just get frustrated and go in the tank, but they came back. And, they believed in themselves, they believed in the coaches, were going to get them prepared and give them the best gameplan to have success. And so, they just came back to work, like they have every week."
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After a challenging week that included the team's defensive backs coach being fired, the defense held a players-only meeting last Thursday to reconnect and to air out any issues that have negatively impacted the team.
"It was just about getting back, getting tight. We felt like we were losing each other, and we just all wanted to be back on the same page," Detroit cornerback Jerry Jacobs said in the locker room. "We discussed how can we make our defense better. It was nothing bad about nothing. We were just trying to bring our defense tighter, so we can be one on the field."
Veteran Alex Anzalone, who earned Campbell's praise for his play Sunday, indicated the meeting was much needed to get things back on track and to begin the process of moving forward.
"I feel like it was definitely needed," Anzalone said. "We had a lot of adversity this week, and it was kind of keeping guys accountable to each other. That's the best way to go out there and perform."
