Peter King: Lions' 'Defensive Presence' Will Not Scare Offensive Coordinators
Despite a new front office and a new coaching staff being assembled, many National Football League analysts are projecting the Detroit Lions to have a "lean" 2021 season.
In his latest NFL power rankings, NFL analyst Peter King listed the Lions at No. 30 out of 32 teams.
"The new kneecap-biting attitude of coach Dan Campbell is great, and the Lions need it desperately after the roster tuned out Matt Patricia," King writes. "These players won’t tune out Campbell. He’s a fire-and-brimstone preacher who will not stand for losing. He is to coaching what Chris Spielman was to playing, and isn’t it fitting that Spielman was part of the Lions management team that hired Campbell?"
Despite Campbell's hiring garnering favorable reviews, the talent that was lost from the 2020 roster cannot be viewed as insignificant.
King added further, "Early reviews on Campbell have been sensational, but the NFL offseason is a time of raging hope for even a team like Detroit, which hasn’t won a playoff game since 1991. The reality of games will likely bring some pain, particularly when the quarterback has been downgraded from Matthew Stafford to Jared Goff and the receiving corps is minus Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones."
Lions general manager Brad Holmes set out to build his team through the trenches in the 2021 NFL Draft.
The defensive coaching staff has expressed excitement regarding the opportunity to work with draft picks Levi Onwuzurike, Ifeatu Melifonwu, Alim McNeill and Derrick Barnes.
But, it will be quite the challenge to disregard the ineffectiveness of Detroit's defense the past few seasons.
It will likely be a work in progress, but defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn & Co. have the opportunity to tailor a defense that will work to enhance the strengths of the members of the roster.
"Add the fact that there isn’t a defensive presence that will scare any offensive coordinator, and you understand that this could be a lean year in Detroit," King explained. "I do like the fact that Aaron Glenn, the new defensive coordinator, is a fiery and smart tactician whose players will love playing for him. It’s going to be a lean year, but at least the Lions have a coach the team and the city can rally around, for what that’s worth."
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