Lions News

[jaadam4]

You guys are being boring as shit this week

[whatever_gong82]

Lions next opponent: Chargers' defense hitting its stride in rollercoaster season


Joe Reedy
Associated Press



The Chargers have one of the league's best quarterbacks in Justin Herbert.

Yet, if Los Angeles is going to make the playoffs for the second straight season it will be up to the defense to hit its stride.

Because if one thing has become apparent during what has been a rollercoaster first half of the season for the Chargers, it is this – they can mostly adjust when Herbert and the offense struggles, not the other way around.


Brandon Staley's defense had one of its best games since he became coach in 2021 during Monday night's 27-6 victory over the New York Jets. The Chargers held the Jets to a pair of field goals, forced three turnovers, sacked Zach Wilson eight times and held New York to only three third down conversions in 17 attempts.


During the Chargers' 4-4 start, the defense was unable to hold late leads in losses the first two weeks against Miami and Tennessee. Kenneth Murray Jr. made a pivotal interception in the end zone late in the fourth quarter in the Sept. 24 win against Minnesota.

They won on Monday night despite only getting 191 yards. It is only the fifth time in franchise history, and first since 2007, the Chargers have won a game when gaining fewer than 200 yards.


The only person who might not be wondering if the Chargers are hitting their stride is Staley.

“There’s no stride to be hit. This is just one week against the Jets in November,” he said.

While the wins against the Bears and Jets the past two weeks have been with Tyson Bagent and Wilson at quarterback – not Justin Fields and Aaron Rodgers – there are some signs that the Chargers may be able to carry some momentum on defense with Detroit's Jared Goff, Baltimore's Lamar Jackson and Denver's Russell Wilson looming over the next four weeks.


A healthy Joey Bosa – something that has rarely been said over the past couple of seasons – has 3 1/2 sacks in the past two games. The Chargers and Miami Dolphins are the only teams in the league to have four players with at least four sacks.

Khalil Mack is tied for third in the league with nine, Bosa has 6 1/2 followed by Morgan Fox's 5 1/2 and rookie Tuli Tuipulotu's four.



The run defense has also improved, allowing only 89.8 yards per game, sixth best in the league.

“The reason why we’re able to rush the way we are is because of the way we’re playing against the run and that’s been the secret, that’s been the formula to our success.” Staley said.

The steady play of the front seven also takes the pressure off cornerbacks Michael Davis and Asante Samuel Jr., who have struggled.


What's working

Third down pressure. The Chargers have a league-leading 18 sacks on third down, including six against the Jets. The six takedowns of Wilson on third down are tied for the third most in a game since 1991.


What needs help

Finding a second receiver. Mike Williams' season-ending knee injury in Week 3 was a huge blow, but Joshua Palmer being sidelined for at least the next three games is another hurdle the Chargers need to overcome. Herbert needs to develop more confidence in first-round pick Quentin Johnston while Jalen Guyton made his season debut on Monday night after missing 13 months with a knee injury. Johnston had only two catches for 14 yards Monday night, but was in for a season-high 83.9% of the offensive plays (47 of 56 snaps).



Stock up

WR/PR Derius Davis. The fourth-round pick leads the league in punt return average (16.6 yards per return) after his 87-yard touchdown during the first quarter to give the Chargers a 7-0 lead. Taking out the touchdown, Davis is averaging 11.2 yards, which would be sixth in the NFL. Nine of his 14 returns have gone for at least 10 yards.

Stock down

RT Trey Pipkins III. The fifth-year pro has allowed five sacks after giving up only three last season. Pass protection is starting to become a concern after Herbert was sacked five times for the second time in the past three games.

Injuries

Center Corey Linsley (non-football injury) and Palmer are on injured reserve with no timetable to return.

Key number

2 – Players that have at least 10,000 receiving yards with the Chargers. Keenan Allen joined Antonio Gates on Monday in style, with an tremendous 23-yard catch during the fourth quarter. The ball was over Allen's head, but he spun and grabbed it with one hand as he was going to the ground.



“The catch was fire. I felt pretty good about it on the field,” said Allen, who has 10,007 yards on 858 catches during his 11-year career.

Next step

The Chargers are 2-0 against the NFC North this season, but face a difficult test on Sunday when they host Detroit. The Lions are the first of three current division leaders the Bolts will face during the second half of the season.

[whatever_gong82]

Detroit Lions' Aidan Hutchinson not sweating monthlong sack drought: 'A matter of time'



Dave Birkett
Detroit Free Press



Aidan Hutchinson hasn't had a sack in more than a month, but the Detroit Lions' best defensive player isn't sweating his drought.

Asked what he needed to do to end his dry spell Tuesday, Hutchinson joked he's been "praying a lot more."


"No, just kidding," he said. "It’s just sacks come in bunches. All my sacks always come in bunches. I’m not worried. I’m confident in what I can do and I know when you keep rushing they come."


Hutchinson leads the Lions with 4.5 sacks accumulated in a three-game span early this season. He had a two-sack game in the Lions' Week 3 win over the Atlanta Falcons, a sack-and-a-half four days later against the Green Bay Packers and another sack in a Week 5 win over the Carolina Panthers.

Since then, Hutchinson has eight tackles, two quarterback hits and an empty sack dance card.

Aidan Hutchinson pressures Bryce Young 10-8-2023.jpg

"It’s hard because as a player you understand how much the media and how much other things love stats and stuff like that," Hutchinson said. "But my goal every game is just to rush as good as I can, win my one-on-ones and everything like that.

"I feel like as long as you control the controllables and you focus on that, that’s always been my mentality my entire career. And the sacks come when they come and if you try to start forcing sacks — I’m happy for everyone getting production and as long as we’re getting wins I’m looking at the playoffs, man, and I'm looking at that run. That’s when I feel like it’s the most important to be great, especially as a defensive line."


Hutchinson has one forced fumble, one interception and two fumble recoveries (all but one of which also came during that three-game span) to go with his 4.5 sacks, though he does have 28 quarterback pressures, according to Pro Football Reference, two shy of his 17-game total from his rookie year.

He's been the steadiest performer for an inconsistent Lions pass rush that's looked dominant at times and toothless at others with very little in between.



The Lions (6-2) rank 21st in the NFL in sack percentage (7.47%) heading into Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Chargers. They have three games with five or more sacks and five games with one or no sacks.

"I know you guys look at the numbers and say, 'OK, it might not be consistent,'" Lions defensive line coach John Scott Jr. said. "But I think looking at it from a coaching eyes, I think some of it is, particularly with the scheme that we got, what they were doing.


"When you get bunches of sacks sometimes in a game, people change up completely what they do, what they’ve shown on tape and you’ve got to adjust or people try to come after your best rusher and things like that. So I think the consistency of that is us just continue to find more ways just to continue to get our best rushers in the best position and us adapting in the game."


The Lions have not found a reliable edge rusher to pair with Hutchinson this season.

Alim McNeill (four sacks) has been the Lions' best interior rusher, but James Houston has not played since Week 2 because of a fractured fibula and Julian Okwara, Charles Harris and Romeo Okwara have 3.5 sacks combined. Often, the Lions have resorted to using linebackers Jack Campbell and Derrick Barnes to supplement their pass rush.


Scott noted that Hutchinson has faced regular double teams that have muted his production, but that's par for the course for top pass rushers and none of the game's other top edge defenders — Myles Garrett, T.J. Watt, Micah Parsons, Joey Bosa, Nick Bosa, Maxx Crosby, Danielle Hunter, Kayvon Thibodeaux — has gone more than two straight games without a sack.

Hutchinson said he's happy with the amount of pressure both he and the Lions' defensive line have been able to apply this season.

Alim McNeill sacks Jimmy Garoppolo 10-30-2023.jpg

And while Scott acknowledged the Lions can do a better job of being "in synch" with their pass rush, he said he's not at all worried about Hutchinson, whose impact he said goes beyond the stats.

"I get things are measured in numbers, but when you really look at the tape as a coach, through a coach’s eyes and you see the impact that he’s having, whether it’s taking two or three guys or them isolating and focusing in on him and allowing somebody else to win a one-on-one, so I think when you look at that, that’s there on tape," Scott said. "It’s just a matter of time before it’s boom, here it goes again."


Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

[ghandi]

I still say Aidan has not been the same since he took that shot to the hip after his INT.....He has limped a few times in different games since that play....How long it takes to recover from that? No idea...but I think he will come around soon....also teams can double him like crazy as there is no other edge on the team to worry about at this moment....Aidan played his best ball when the other teams had to worry about James Houston also in the second half of the season last year.....I have no idea why Aaron Glenn went away from using Houston as strictly a pass rusher and tried to make him an all around LB.....We will see what happens when James returns and how the team uses him going forward.....Maybe some of you are right and that he was just a flash in the pan like we have seen in the past, but he sure looked faster and quicker than the other edges the Lions have tried to deploy....Giving Harris the starting job over Houston was a total failure.

[whatever_gong82]

Detroit Lions name Graham Glasgow starting RG after impressive start to season



Dave Birkett
Detroit Free Press



Halapoulivaati Vaitai edged Graham Glasgow for the starting right guard job coming out of training camp, but Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell said Glasgow has played well enough to be the starter going forward.

"I think so. I think that’s fair," Campbell said Wednesday. "We’re always assessing Big V. And V’s still working at it, but certainly Graham has been productive for us and he has, he’s been productive at three different spots, left guard, center and certainly right guard before that."


Glasgow has been one of the Lions' most valuable linemen this year, making fill-in starts at three different positions while the Lions have navigated injury issues on their offensive front.


The former Michigan offensive lineman replaced an injured Vaitai at right guard in the second half of the Lions' Week 2 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, moved to left guard when Vaitai returned and Jonah Jackson was out with a high ankle sprain in Week 7, and played center a week later when Frank Ragnow was out with calf and toe injuries.

Vaitai has started just one of the Lions' past six games as he's struggled in his return from knee and back injuries, while Glasgow has been one of the Lions' best linemen this year despite moving positions.


Glasgow has started six straight games for the Lions and ranks third among the team’s linemen in snaps played, behind Sewell and Ragnow.

"He's always been a very intelligent player and when they said that they were going to sign him back here I was excited cause we love him," left tackle Taylor Decker said after the Lions’ Week 8 win over the Raiders. "He’s one of my best friends, we get along, he meshes well with everybody in the O-line room. So it’s been fun having him here and he’s just doing whatever’s asked of him and playing really well on top of that. That’s huge value to have depth at the O-line position where he is a very good player. To be able to have him kind of do whatever we need him to do is pretty incredible."


A 2016 third-round pick by the Lions who spent the past three seasons with the Denver Broncos, Glasgow acknowledged after the Raiders game that changing positions was not ideal but that it was gratifying to be playing at such a high level after initially losing out on a starting job.

Sam LaPorta and Graham Glasgow_10-8-2023.jpg

“This game is very humbling in a lot of ways so I think that it’s nice to have — everybody’s career has ups and downs, roller coaster, whatever, but it feels good to have some ups,” he said.


While Vaitai still could factor into the guard mix at some point this season, Campbell expressed confidence in Glasgow going forward.

“He’s been a big asset for us,” Campbell said. “That was a good signing for us to get and fortunate to have him. He’s a steady, reliable piece for us.”


Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

[chemiclord]

They want Houston to be an all-around LB because they want his ability to rush the passer to be a threat on every down, not just obvious passing situations.

[whatever_gong82]

Lions near full-strength, but new WR Donovan Peoples-Jones dealing with rib injury



Justin Rogers
The Detroit News



Allen Park — Because the players were off on Wednesday, the Detroit Lions' first injury report of the week was a projection. Still, that does nothing to alter how optimistic the team should feel about its overall health heading into a post-bye matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers this weekend.

The three starters being monitored to start the week — guard Jonah Jackson, center Frank Ragnow and running back David Montgomery — were all projected as full participants, clearing their path to return to action against the Chargers.

Detroit Lions wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones.jpg

The only players who would have been limited had the team practiced on Wednesday were guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai and recently acquired receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones.

On Monday, Lions coach Dan Campbell noted as part of the onboarding process with Peoples-Jones, the team was ensuring he was fully healthy. It seemed like a curious comment at the time, since the veteran receiver had not appeared on the injury report the first eight weeks of the season while playing for the Cleveland Browns, but it turns out he's dealing with a rib issue that could hinder his chance to debut this Sunday.


As for Vaitai, he continues to deal with a lingering back injury. It remains unclear if its related to the issue that required surgery and sidelined him the entire 2022 season.


A Week 1 starter, Vaitai missed two games with a knee injury and has only started one of the team's past four games, despite being active. In the team's most recent outing, a Monday night matchup with Las Vegas, the team started Kayode Awosika and rookie Colby Sorsdal at guard, and turned to Dan Skipper when Awosika had to exit with cramping.

On Wednesday, coach Dan Campbell acknowledged Graham Glasgow had earned the starting right guard job that initially belonged to Vaitai.



jdrogers@detroitnews.com

@Justin_Rogers

[dsred]

You guys are being boring as shit this week

gladiator-movies.gif

[froot loops]

James Houston is a linebacker, not a defensive.end. Linebackers need to be able play pass coverage. If you are a linebacker that can only rush the passer,.you are limited to 10-12 snaps a game. Again, it must be pointed out the best sack of last year occurred when Houston was in pass coverage.

[jaadam4]

I still say Aidan has not been the same since he took that shot to the hip after his INT.....He has limped a few times in different games since that play....How long it takes to recover from that? No idea...but I think he will come around soon....also teams can double him like crazy as there is no other edge on the team to worry about at this moment....Aidan played his best ball when the other teams had to worry about James Houston also in the second half of the season last year.....I have no idea why Aaron Glenn went away from using Houston as strictly a pass rusher and tried to make him an all around LB.....We will see what happens when James returns and how the team uses him going forward.....Maybe some of you are right and that he was just a flash in the pan like we have seen in the past, but he sure looked faster and quicker than the other edges the Lions have tried to deploy....Giving Harris the starting job over Houston was a total failure.

Absolutely about Hutch being injured on that play. Hopefully the bye week allowed him to heal up a bit. My guess is that he won’t be right until the offseason

and yes Harris has been not great but I’ve heard a few of the Lions OL talk about how good he is. I was surprised as Decker was doing an interview and the reporter threw up a softball to talk about Hutch and McNeil but he went on about how unbelievable Harris is.

He said something about him being an absolute load to block and the OL hate lining up against him

[El Axe]

Good question.

I've since found out that if a team wants a player from your practice squad, you are allowed to put that player on your active roster to keep him.

Makes sense. Keeps teams from stashing players and therefore keeping an individual player from being an active player and therefore making more money -- while still giving the team the opportunity to keep players they've developed.

[-Deborah-]

The Detroit Lions Are Looking Scary. Their Halloween “Monster Bash” Was Even Scarier | GQ

[jaadam4]

I like that Romeo Okwara was tagged as being the photographer. All in all there’s some pretty great costumes there

[whatever_gong82]

Lions content with developmental path of third-round rookie after midseason debut



Justin Rogers
The Detroit News



Allen Park — After nearly two months of waiting for his opportunity, Detroit Lions' third-round pick Brodric Martin made his debut in the team's Week 8 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders. A healthy scratch each of the first seven games, Martin played 11 snaps, recording a solo tackle in the 26-14 victory.

Patience was always the plan with Martin. From the day he was drafted, throughout the offseason program, the Lions never shied away from labeling the mammoth 6-foot-5, 330-pounder a developmental project. It was understood his fundamental base needed to be rebuilt from the ground up to handle the significant leap in competition after splitting his college career between North Alabama and Western Kentucky.

Detroit Lions defensive tackle Brodric Martin.jpg


"We said this from the beginning, it’s going to be a work in progress with this player," defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said. "But he has all the skills that we look for in a D-lineman."

Pad level is frequently mentioned as the first concern with Martin. The low man wins in the NFL, so he's needed to learn how to maintain his leverage snap-to-snap, which is no easy feat for a man his size. But there's also been a knowledge gap the Lions have been working toward closing prior to getting him on the field in the regular season.



"It's a learning curve," defensive line coach John Scott Jr. said. "You're seeing different linemen and alignment, and it's different and you're learning a whole lot of new stuff. You've got to absorb all of that in."

Glenn echoed those comments, noting Martin is seeing blocking concepts that he wasn't exposed to in college.



Scott went as far as to acknowledge there are some similarities between Martin's development and that of James Houston, who spent more than two months on Detroit's practice squad as a rookie in 2022 after being drafted out of Jackson State.

"It took a while for it to come, but when it comes, it's there," Scott said. "You keep working because eventually it will come. You keep putting that work in and keep grinding on it."



Martin is on a slow, but steady rise. And while he might not be able to carve out a large role as a rookie, the team clearly views him as a key piece going forward. It can be easy to contrast that against former second-round pick Levi Onwuzurike, who after missing all of last season following back surgery, has seen his snaps steady decline this year before being made a healthy scratch three of the past four game.



But even though it might seem like the end of his time in Detroit is drawing near, given there's less than $1 million in dead money on his contract in 2024, the final year of his rookie deal, Scott presented a brighter outlook.

"I think we sometimes forget Levi basically missed a year and a half of football," Scott said. "That's a huge learning curve when you're not able to get out on the field. Levi is another guy. He has some great talent (and) we see progression every day. It'll come for Levi. He has to continue to work. He has to continue to show it in practice, which he's doing. And better yet, when you get that opportunity, you have to show that in the games as well."


jdrogers@detroitnews.com

@Justin_Rogers

[whatever_gong82]

Lions patiently waiting for next fake-punt opportunity to present itself


Justin Rogers
The Detroit News



Allen Park — The Detroit Lions have conditioned us to expect a fake every time they line up to punt. As they've proved throughout Dan Campbell's tenure as coach, and most recently in the season opener in Kansas City, they're willing to fake it almost any time in the game and at any spot on the field.

But, that successful fake against the Chiefs, while pinned deep in their own territory, is the last one the Lions ran. That's, in part, because opponents are anticipating them as much as anyone.



"Oh yeah, for us, I mean yeah, we say every week, whatever's on film and whatever they’ve done against these other guys, we’re going to get something different," Lions special-teams coordinator Dave Fipp said. "We know that. So, it’s definitely been different, it’s week-to-week for us, and so we have some things we can put on or take off, and if the look’s there, then we can run it. If not, we don’t."

Fipp said the Lions had plans for a fake in recent weeks, but opted to punt on the play, based on the defensive look. In the meantime, they'll continue to work on those opportunities in practice. They've already proven they have a capable upback, in Jalen Reeves-Maybin, who can take a direct snap and run for a first down, as well as a punter, in Jack Fox, who can throw the ball as well as anyone playing his position.




"We're always kind of working on stuff and have stuff in our back pocket," Fipp said.

In the past three years, the Lions have gone 7-of-8 on punt fakes. The only failure was a drop on a well-placed throw from Fox.

Detroit Lions Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Alex Anzalone.jpg


Emergency options


The Lions had to make a change at long snapper during the bye, after Scott Daly suffered a season-ending knee injury. That occurred in the closing minutes of the team's most recent game, against the Las Vegas Raiders, so they never had to experiment with an alternative option for handling those duties.



According to Daly, the likely candidates would have been defensive end Aidan Hutchinson or linebacker Alex Anzalone.

The Houston Texans weren't so lucky, after kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn exited because of a quad injury during the second quarter of the team's game last week. That required their offense to go for it on fourth down more frequently than normal, and when they had to kick, they turned to running back Dare Ogunbowale. To his credit, he actually converted a short, go-ahead field goal in the fourth quarter.



The emergency scenarios are uncommon, but they do happen around the league a few times a year, requiring Fipp to always be prepared with contingency plans, such as Hutchinson or Anzalone handling long snaps. The team has their emergency options practice in those roles once per week to stay fresh for the possibilities.



As for a backup kicker, the Lions would turn to Fox, who did a little bit of placekicking in high school and college. And while it seems like a given that every punter should be a team's emergency kicker, it's not that simple, according to Fipp.

"Yeah, it’s just a totally different kick," Fipp said. "...You would think it wouldn't be that hard, but I’ve seen a number of punters (where) it looks rough when they try to kick it."


jdrogers@detroitnews.com

@Justin_Rogers