Was Inexperienced Lions Cornerback to Blame for Blown Coverage?
The Detroit Lions were one play away from upsetting the Baltimore Ravens at Ford Field Sunday.
Instead, the defense only rushed three, and Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson had the necessary time to find an open receiver for a gain of over 30 yards.
Initially, many felt that safety Will Harris blew an assignment, as he was the closest to wideout Sammy Watkins, who came free against the Lions' secondary.
Those close to the organization that have spoken to SI All Lions indicate that cornerback Bobby Price was the cornerback out of position that Lions head coach Dan Campbell referenced on Monday afternoon.
"We’ve got a lot of babies out there, and they made some young errors for sure. But, they’re not the only ones. So, some of our veterans, they have to step up and they have to be much more clear and they have to be loud," Campbell said. "That will be a major point of emphasis this week, is our communication, and we’re not going to allow it to go any other way. If I have to stop practice and I have to see demonstrative hand signals and screaming and everything it takes, we’re going to do it, because those, we can clean all of that stuff up. But, we have to.”
Campbell did not point the finger at any one player specifically, but did explain to reporters it was a communication error by a defensive back on the team that led to the Ravens' offense getting into position for kicker Justin Tucker to attempt a 66-yard field goal.
"So, one guy thinks he’s locked, one guy’s saying we’re zoning it and all of a sudden, you’ve got a corner who’s latched from the receiver when he should be off, because we’re trying to zone it and it just -- when those communication errors happen -- all of a sudden, you get discombobulated, and that’s why those things happened," Campbell said. "It’s stuff that we’ve worked on, but there again, we’ve got to get through it. We’ve got to get through it. We’ve got to learn on the run here.”
© Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
