Lions News

[whatever_gong82]

Getting to know Detroit's four late-season defensive additions

Justin Rogers
Dec 2


Allen Park — The Detroit Lions went on a late-season shopping spree this weekend. They would have rather not, but mounting injuries forced the Lions to pluck three players off other teams’ practice squad on Saturday, and on Sunday, they piqued interest by adding a former All-Pro to the practice squad.

I caught up with three of those four players in Detroit’s locker room on Sunday. Here’s some extensive background on all four and what the three had to say about their opportunity to contribute down the stretch for the NFC frontrunners.


Linebacker Kwon Alexander

Career stats: 10 seasons, 107 games, 90 starts, 639 tackles (54.0 for a loss), 13.5 sacks, 13 forced fumbles, 34 pass defenses, nine interceptions

Coming out of LSU in 2015, the 6-foot-1, 227-pound Alexander was considered undersized but highly athletic, posting elite measurements in the 40-yard dash, vertical and broad jumps, as well as the short shuttle.


A 2014 first-team All-American for the Tigers, Alexander was selected in the fourth round by Tampa Bay. He played four seasons for the Buccaneers, racking up a career-high 145 tackles in 2016 and earning his lone Pro Bowl selection in 2017.

Alexander has battled injury issues most of his career, playing every regular season game just twice during his first nine seasons. The list of injuries includes a torn ACL, two ruptured Achilles, a torn pec, and a torn bicep.


After Tampa Bay, Alexander played parts of two seasons in San Francisco, parts of two seasons in New Orleans — where he overlapped with Lions coach Dan Campbell and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn — and one season with the New York Jets and Pittsburgh.

Alexander, now 30, has spent this season on Denver’s practice squad, appearing in three games for the team. A versatile defender, he’s primarily lined up as an off-ball outside linebacker during his career, but has seen his fair share of reps manning the Mike, lining up along the line of the scrimmage and even covering the slot.


Despite the litany of injuries, Alexander still has the requisite speed to cover, and despite his size, he’s aggressive coming downhill, with a high rate of efficiency as a situational blitzer, peaking at 17 pressures on 85 rushes with the Saints in 2021.

Never a captain during his 10-year career, he’s still viewed as a strong leader. On Saturday, Campbell specifically highlighted Alexander’s energy.


“Kwon will bring a whole ‘nother energy,” Campbell said. “He's all energy. He is a relentless player, he is an aggressive player. And he can run and hit. He'll fit that room nicely and bring us a little something different.”

Alexander said he’s confident it won’t take him long to acclimate to his new situation, and he intends to utilize his former teammate in New Orleans, Alex Anzalone, while navigating the transition.


“I know he knows ball. I'm praying for him with his injury, but we're going to hold it down for him,” Alexander said." “I'm just going to try to make everything better. My plan is to go out there and get the ball as much as I can.

“…It ain't going to take me that long,” Alexander said. “It's kind of simple. It's just about getting out there, working with the guys, getting the chemistry and all that right.”


Defensive lineman Jonah Williams

Career stats: Four seasons, 48 games, 22 starts, 80 tackles (5.0 for a loss), 2.5 sacks, 32 QB pressures

The Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year in 2019, Williams was scouted and recruited as an undrafted free agent by Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes when he served as the Los Angeles Rams director of college scouting.


“All I was told is he was involved in bringing to the Rams,” Williams said.

At his pro day, Williams posted eye-popping measurables that would have been among the best at his position at that year’s combine in multiple drills, including the 40, vertical jump, bench press and three-cone drill.


The 6-foot-5 Williams played at 270 pounds in college, but bulked up to 280 for his pro day, trying to prove to teams he could play inside and outside. As a rookie, the Rams asked him to get to 295 for the role they envisioned for him. He initially found it hard to keep on that much weight, but now sits comfortably between 287-290.

His role also steadily grow with the Rams after spending the entirety of his rookie year on the team’s practice squad. He went from a modest eight appearances and 96 defensive snaps in his second season to a 16-game starter logging nearly 600 defensive snaps and another 165 on special teams last year.


Similar to Josh Paschal and John Cominsky's usage in Detroit’s defensive scheme, Williams is a large-framed edge defender, who should situationally slide inside on passing downs. In 2013, more than 80% of his snaps were logged at edge alignments.

“It was good last year just being able to specialize in a role,” Williams said. “Before that, it was who was down, that's where I was playing. I was playing nose tackle, I was playing every position on the line. Last year, I specialized kind of as that big end, that 4i position. That helped me take that next step.”


In Los Angeles, Williams’ primary job was supporting future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald. Here, he’s looking for the opportunity to show he can be more.

“That's what's cool about this opportunity is (playing more on the edge),” Williams said. “With the Rams, it was more about being support staff for AD, letting Aaron Donald go to work, and making sure the formation was contained. That was the majority of my job. I like playing on early downs, I like playing 4i, 5, 6 (alignments). I like those positions on early downs.


“...I was getting ready to go to practice with the Rams and Detroit calls and says, 'Hey, we've got some injuries and we need you to play. We need you to play quite a bit.' When you're on practice squad, you have to take those opportunities. You're not making up any ground being on practice squad. Here, I can play and show the world (what I can do).”

Former Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford offered some brief encouragement as Williams prepared to leave the Rams’ facility.


“It was quick,” Williams said. “He said, 'Good luck and do great out there.' He just said he loved the place.”

Like Alexander, Williams doesn’t expect to take long to get up to speed.


“I don't think very long, not with how they run the defense here,” he said. “If I had to make all the adjustments, all that stuff on my own, maybe a little longer, but we've got good linebackers and people communicating with us, so it's not going to take me long.”

Williams, 29, is older than his draft year would suggest because he took part in a two-year Mormon mission (to Sau Paulo) before enrolling at Weber State.


Defensive lineman Myles Adams

Career stats: Four seasons, 26 games, one start, 30 tackles, 1.0 sack, 14 QB pressures


A 12-game starter and captain at Rice in 2019, Adams is a high-character player who was a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell award, given to the player with the best combination of academics, community service, and on-field performance.

He told me he chose Rice for the academic opportunities. He’s from a driven family and his mother, Valarie, works as a finance coordinator for one of the United State’s largest management consulting companies.


Adams has several connections in Detroit’s locker room, including two from his time at Rice. He was teammates with punter Jack Fox, while assistant defensive line coach Cam Davis was a graduate assistant at the school for two of Adams’ seasons.

Initially signed as an undrafted free agent by Carolina, Adams has been with the Seahawks since December of his rookie season. His biggest workload came during the 2022 campaign when he logged 190 defensive snaps.


Adams played a season-high 20 defensive snaps against the Lions when the Seahawks came to town for a Monday night game early in Week 4.

“I played pretty well, probably my best game this season,” he said.


Like Williams, Adams can play both inside and out up front but he has primarily worked interior alignments as a pro. Yet in his initial practice with the Lions, new position coach Terrell Williams had him doing a little more work on the edge.

“They had me out there today,” Adams said. “I did it more in college. In the NFL, it's been more 3-technique, 4i.”


Also like Williams, Adam got the call to join Detroit on Friday, after the Lions assessed their needs after several players suffered injuries during a Thanksgiving win over the Chicago Bears.

“We were about to leave for New York to play the Jets,” Adams said. “I came in on Friday to lift, they had just put me on practice squad. I got the call from my agent after the lift and he said, 'Don't get on that plane. I've got a different flight for you.'“


Knowing it’s unlikely most Detroit fans had heard about him before Saturday, I asked Adams what he wants them to know.

“What Detroit can expect from me is consistency, hard work,” he said. “I'm going to clock in and give a hard day's work while being a great teammate to my guys. Whatever they ask me to do, I'll do. I'm here for a reason and I want to use my body and my mind to the best of the team's ability.”


Safety Jamal Adams

Career stats: Eight seasons, 83 games, 81 starts, 498 tackles (50.0 for a loss), 21.5 sacks, 104 QB pressures, 36 pass defenses, four interceptions

Adams has initially signed with Detroit's practice squad, but reports suggest the veteran safety will get a bump to the 53-man roster in short order.


The No. 6 pick in the 2017 draft out of LSU, Adams has logged a boatload of reps in this league, and, at times, has been counted among the best at his position. A three-time Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro in 2019, he spent his first three seasons with the Jets.

Not wanting to pony up for a massive, market-rate extension ahead of his fourth year, the Jets shipped Adams to the Seahawks for a haul that included two first-round picks. He would play four seasons for Seattle, earning Pro Bowl honors for the first, but never quite achieving the same level of success he had in New York, in part due to injuries that limited him to 34 games across the stretch.


With one-year remaining on what had been a market-resetting contract for the safety position, Adams was released by Seattle in March. He signed with Tennessee three months later and was joined by his secondary mate in Seattle, Quandre Diggs, a month later. But it wasn't meant to be as Adams was limited to three games by a hip injury before he was released at his request.

Schematically, the 6-foot-1, 213-pound Adams has spent most of his career operating closer to the line of scrimmage, whether in the box or covering a tight end in the slot.


He’s a dynamic blitzer who racked up 16.0 sacks between 2019-20 while averaging 27 QB pressures from 2018-20.

Before injuries took their toll, he was also stellar as a run defender and in coverage. In 2021 with Seattle, he was targeted 45 times and gave up just 26 catches for 252 yards, intercepting two throws for a passer rating against of 69.9.


Campbell was a little facetious when asked what role Adams could play in Detroit.

“This will be good, getting Jamal here,” Campbell said. “We’ll see if there’s a place for him. It just gives us options. …Yeah, could be D-end. We’ll put him at D-end.”


In reality, Adams could help backfill the versatility Ifeatu Melifonwu brought to the safety position in 2023, when he was one of the NFL’s most effective blitzing defensive backs.

Melifonwu has been sidelined all season by ankle and finger injuries. With Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph playing at a high level at the two safety spots, it was uncertain where Melifonwu and now Adams fit, but the latter is clearly high-level depth, who at the very least could see some work in three-safety nickel and dime packages as an oversized slot defender once he's caught up on the playbook and his conditioning.


Email: jrogers@detroitfootball.net

X: Justin_Rogers

Bluesky: Justin-Rogers

[Sanders Fan]

It really happened.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/l...-be-out-there/

Packers fans out there think this was done as a dupe by the Lions.

[edindetroit]

Packers fans out there think this was done as a dupe by the Lions.

It's not the fans we need to worry about.

[whatever_gong82]

https://www.freep.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2024/12/02/lions-campbell-jahmyr-gibbs-plays/76700418007/

[whatever_gong82]

Lions defensive depth chart: Key helpers, possible returners, notable injuries

Paywall article.

By Colton Pouncy
8h ago

The Lions are 11-1 for the first time in franchise history. They’ve won 10 in a row, lead the toughest division in football and are currently slotted in as the NFC’s No. 1 seed. And yet, it’s hard to know what to expect from them on a given week, thanks to all the injuries on defense.

They’ve lost their star player, key starters, top reserves and depth that could be helping them right now. It’s about the only thing that could put a damper on the start they’ve had.


“This time last year, we were one of the healthiest teams and really, we’ve done the same thing,” Campbell said. “…That’s a freak deal. That’s kind of an odd thing that happened and how it happened. There’s no rhyme or reason and this happens, it just does. As long as I’ve been in this league as a player, as a coach, some years are great, it works out great, some years it’s just like this and you overcome it.”

The Lions are working on that — and they’ll need to. The Eagles (10-2) are right behind them in the NFC pecking order, and the Vikings (10-2) and Packers (9-3) are right there in the division. With five games left in the regular season, getting the defense healthy and finishing strong is of the utmost importance.

With that in mind, here’s a look at who’s out, who could be returning and who’s helping in the meantime.


Out for the regular season

DE John Cominsky (knee): About a week into training camp, Cominsky tore his MCL in his right knee, sidelining him for much of the season. Initially, the coaching staff left the door open for a potential return during the regular season. It remains to be seen if that timeline has changed, but with five weeks left, we’d need to know sooner rather than later. He seems like more of a January candidate.

DE Aidan Hutchinson (leg): In the middle of a special season, losing Hutchinson is a matter of what could’ve been. He was a true gamewrecker. To put his season into context, entering Sunday, Hutchinson ranked 10th in pressures among edge rushers, per PFF. Despite not playing football in seven weeks. He would’ve run away with DPOY had he stayed healthy. The Lions haven’t ruled out a potential return in the Super Bowl for Hutchinson, but it’s far from a guarantee, and the Lions would need to get there first.

DE Marcus Davenport (elbow): Davenport was brought in to be a pocket-crushing edge opposite Hutchinson. And for two games, he looked like one. But there’s a reason the Lions were able to sign a player with Davenport’s talent for such a low cost (6.5 million). He hasn’t been able to stay healthy. An elbow injury suffered in Week 3 will force him to miss the rest of the season.


DT Kyle Peko (torn pec): A bit overshadowed by Hutchinson’s injury, Peko, too, saw his season end against the Cowboys. He suffered a torn pec in the game and was placed on injured reserve shortly thereafter. A veteran with plenty of experience, Peko had been playing good football as a rotational defensive tackle. His absence was a blow to Detroit’s depth.

LB Derrick Barnes (knee): Barnes tore his meniscus against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3, another tough blow to the defense. He was a versatile piece for the Lions, able to play in the box, along the edge and in coverage. Barnes caught up with reporters last month and said he’s taking his rehab day by day. A return to play, even in the playoffs, seems unlikely. But it’s worth monitoring over the next month or so as he ramps up.

LB Malcolm Rodriguez (knee): Rodriguez had been filling in for the injured Alex Anzalone as a starter. He’s one of Detroit’s key reserves and capable of starting for teams across the league. But even he couldn’t avoid the injury bug. In the fourth quarter of Thursday’s game, Rodriguez walked off the field slowly and into the locker room. He did not return. The next day, he was placed on injured reserve with a torn ACL. His season is over, and he could miss part of the 2025 season as well.


DT Mekhi Wingo (knee): Wingo, too, suffered a knee injury and will require season-ending surgery, Campbell announced Saturday. The rookie sixth-rounder’s season came to an end after Thursday’s win over the Bears. He was a key reserve along the defensive line.

Others: The Lions lost a pair of defenders before the season began in UDFA DE Nate Lynn (shoulder) and veteran DT David Bada. If either were healthy, there’s a good chance we would’ve seen them in action.

Could be back before the regular season is over
LB Alex Anzalone: One of Detroit’s team captains and veteran leaders, Anzalone left the Jaguars game with a broken forearm. The injury will sideline him for most of the regular season, though he could be back in late December. All things considered, not the worst situation. He’ll return ahead of the playoffs with fresh legs. But his absence certainly doesn’t help in the meantime.




LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin (neck): Reeves-Maybin, an ace special-teamer and Detroit’s No. 5 linebacker heading into the season, was placed on IR with a neck injury in Week 9. It’s now Week 13, so the Lions could start the 21-day practice window for Reeves-Maybin as soon as this week. However, Campbell was asked about his status ahead of the Colts game, and if he expected Reeves-Maybin to return before the end of the regular season. “It’s just a matter of how quickly he recovers,” Campbell said of Reeves-Maybin. “We’re hopeful, but we really don’t know at this time.” It seems like he’ll need more time.

S Ifeatu Melifonwu (finger): Hurt in the preseason, the Lions knew they’d be without Melifonwu for the first half of the season, as he dealt with what the team called an ankle injury. However, just when he was close to returning to action, he popped up on the injury report with a finger injury. He was activated from IR for a day, then placed on IR a second time with that finger injury ahead of Week 12. He’s still eligible to return this season, starting in Week 16, and when asked if Melifonwu is expected back, Campbell said, “potentially, yeah.” Leaving the door open.

CB Ennis Rakestraw Jr. (hamstring): With the Lions dealing with some nagging injuries at cornerback, there’s a decent chance we might’ve seen Rakestraw get more run. Terrion Arnold missed the Colts game but returned vs. the Bears. Carlton Davis left the Colts game, didn’t play vs. the Bears and could miss the Packers game. Unfortunately, Rakestraw landed on IR ahead of the Colts game with a hamstring injury. That’s been a lingering issue for Detroit’s second-round pick. He’ll be forced to miss at least the next two games, but could potentially be back later in December.



Day-to-Day

CB Carlton Davis (knee): As mentioned above, Davis missed the Bears game and left the Colts game with a knee injury. Campbell called him “day-to-day, questionable” for Green Bay. We’ll see if he’s able to give it a go, but the Lions could opt to rest him another week. The Lions will have 10 days between the Packers and Bills games, so that could be the move.

DT Levi Onwuzurike (hamstring): Onwuzurike has played in all 12 games this season — a remarkable feat for a player with his injury history. However, he’s dealing with a hamstring injury. When asked about his status, Campbell told reporters that Onwuzurike is day-to-day. Not a long-term injury, but perhaps enough to prevent him from playing vs. the Packers.

DE Josh Paschal (knee): Paschal hurt his knee in the win over the Bears, ruled out during the game. However, it appears he avoided a major injury. Campbell said he wasn’t optimistic about either Paschal or Onwuzurike suiting up and playing Thursday night vs. the Packers, but said of the two, Paschal has a better chance. At the very least, it sounds like he could be ready ahead of Detroit’s Week 14 contest vs. the Bills.


New faces

DE Za’Darius Smith: Since playing in his first game with the Lions, Smith is tied for first in the league in pressures with 17, per PFF. He’s been everything the Lions have asked for, coming through in big moments and keeping the defensive line intact without so many pieces.


DE Al-Quadin Muhammad: Muhammad played his first game with the Lions against the Titans, recording six pressures in the game. He had been a bit quiet since then, but Muhammad bounced back in a major way with five pressures and a sack vs. the Bears. If Josh Paschal can’t go, expect Muhammad to get the majority of snaps in his absence.

LB Ezekiel Turner: Turner has been in the building for a few weeks now, and he’s seen his snaps increase from 4 to 11 to 22 in his three games with the Lions. He was the next man up when Rodriguez left Thursday’s game vs. the Bears.

LB David Long Jr.: Added last month from the Dolphins as linebacker insurance, Long Jr. has already been forced into action thanks to all the injuries. It’s all hands on deck right now, and Long has been working to get up to speed with Detroit’s terminology. The Packers game will be his third with the team, and given how thin Detroit is there, they likely need him to play significant defensive snaps along with Turner.



LB Kwon Alexander: One of the more recent additions, Alexander, signed from the Broncos’ practice squad, has familiarity with Lions’ DC Aaron Glenn from their time in New Orleans. That could help him pick up on the terminology quickly. The Lions will monitor the efforts of Turner, Long and Alexander, along with Ben Niemann, and figure out a pecking order there — centered around Jack Campbell.

S/LB Jamal Adams: On the surface, the addition of Adams gives the Lions some safety depth behind their two stars — Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph, especially given Melifonwu’s lingering injuries. But with so many injuries at linebacker, the Lions would be wise to use Adams in the box as more of a run defender. In 2023 with the Seahawks, Adams played 208 snaps in the box, compared to just 85 at free safety, per Pro Football Focus. It would be a good way to maximize his skill level at this point in his career.



DL Myles Adams: The Lions got a good look at Adams, formerly of the Seahawks, when they hosted Seattle on Monday Night Football in September. He turned in his best game of the season, though he’s only played in three this year. With Wingo done for the season and Onwuzurike potentially missing time, it makes sense for the Lions to add here.

DL Jonah Williams: Poached from the Rams’ practice squad, Williams has appeared in 48 career games with 22 starts under his belt. He’s experienced and has familiarity with Lions GM Brad Holmes. Williams signed with the Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2020, when Holmes was LA’s director of college scouting. He should be able to provide depth behind Alim McNeill and DJ Reader, and alongside Pat O’Connor, Adams and Brodric Martin.


Colton Pouncy is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Detroit Lions. He previously covered Michigan State football and basketball for the company, and covered sports for The Tennessean in Nashville prior to joining The Athletic. Follow Colton on Twitter @colton_pouncy

[whatever_gong82]

https://www.freep.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2024/12/02/detroit-lions-keep-adding-vets-like-jamal-adams-to-practice-squad/76691366007/

[Coop]

The injjury concerns are absolutely legit. The glass half empty feeling is that we are winning the weekly battle right now, but will we lose the war? (playoffs/superbowl). The glass half full feeling is that week keep finding ways to win games.. This team does play very good complementary football and we definitely have an offense that is built to score points.

[whatever_gong82]

Coordinator recap: Style over scheme for new Lions defenders, Jamo's future as a return man and final work on Gibbs' leak

Justin Rogers
Dec 2


Allen Park — These days, the Detroit Lions defense is a MASH unit. But there’s no time to cry over spilled milk during the NFL season. The unit still has to go out there on Sunday — or in the case of the past two weeks, Thursday — and put its 11 best on the field and play the game.


This week, against Green Bay, some of those 11 might be taking their first snaps for Detroit. The Lions added four defensive players this weekend, poaching veterans Kwon Alexander, Jonah Williams and Myles Adams off other teams’ practice squads while adding former All-Pro safety Jamal Adams to their practice squad.

And while the turnaround to get ready for a Thursday matchup might seem unrealistic, the Lions don’t really have a choice. So even though those players won’t be able to digest the entire playbook, there’s one thing defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is stressing above all else to his new recruits.



“We can shrink the playbook down as much as we want, but it’s the way that you play that’s the most important," Glenn said. "Most of the guys that we bring in, they understand that and we try to make sure that we emphasize that as much as possible. …Here’s a saying that we say in our defense room, it’s not what we play, it’s how we play.


“If I can go in with four or five calls and they can play fast, they can play physical, they can play violent, that overcomes a lot of scheme,” Glenn continued. “You can have as much scheme as you want, but players make the scheme. Actually, players make the style of play better than the scheme if you think about it the right way and our guys do a good job of that.”

Still, the Lions are mitigating leaving too much to chance by specifically targeting players they know. Linebacker Kwon Alexander, signed off Denver’s practice squad, was with coach Dan Campbell and Glenn in New Orleans. Defensive lineman Jonah Williams was scouted by general manager Brad Holmes when the Rams added the defender as an undrafted free agent out of Weber State in 2020. And defensive tackle Myles Adams, who is coming over from Seattle’s practice squad, played at Rice when Detroit’s assistant defensive line coach Cam Davis was a graduate assistant at the program.


Davis and some of Detroit's other lower-level defensive assistant coaches are another key cog in the onboarding process. When the team acquired Za’Darius Smith in a trade earlier this month, it was Davis who spent extra hours working with the veteran pass rusher to accelerate his understanding of the scheme and his fit within it.

This week, Davis, Shaun Dion Hamilton, Jim O'Neil and David Corrao will be among those working overtime to ensure the newcomers are ready to go.


“Those guys are huge and it’s hard for me to actually put into words exactly what those guys mean to me and how they go about doing their business because there is a lot on their plate,” Glenn said. “I expect a lot from them and my job is to prep them and get them ready for the next opportunity that they’ll get if that’s going to be a true position coach or if that’s actually transitioning to a coordinator sometime.

“…They will grind with these guys as much as they can to get them to understand exactly what we’re doing,” Glenn said. “They know exactly the vision that I have on defense, and they coach it exactly like I see it. That’s a good thing. Once you have guys across the board that’s on the page, they know exactly what I’m looking for and they coach it to that point, all I can do is give those guys props because they do a hell of a job and I’m glad they’re on my side.”


Lions not worried about leak

Closing the book on running back Jahmyr Gibbs’ inadvertently posting some of the team’s protection calls on social media last week, Lions coach Dan Campbell emphatically dismissed having any concern about that information being made public during a Tuesday morning interview with 97.1-FM.


"I know what it is, but I’m like, you know what, we might as well just put everything out there,” Campbell told the radio station during a weekly interview. “I don’t really give a crap. I mean, if we’re gonna lose because of code words, then we’re not good enough anyway. So, I think we’ll just post the whole freaking playbook out there and every code word we’ve got. It doesn’t matter. It’s not gonna hurt us, it won’t affect us. It’s all good.”

Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson echoed those sentiments, providing a specific example of an opponent recognizing a play call, but still not being able to stop the Lions.


“Listen, each week we like to try to keep guys off balance, teams off balance, opponents off balance, and we certainly don’t want them to know when a play is coming,” Johnson said. “But you look back at the first time we played the Packers this year. Third-and-5, it was our first third down of the game and we made a check, and you can see Kenny Clark giving that signal right there, which is usually universal for run.

“Well, we ran it, and we got 9 yards,” Johnson said. “So even if teams know what’s coming, it’s still challenging to stop us. That’s the mentality that we take. We don’t use those code words at the line of scrimmage a ton, but we’ll make any necessary adjustment we need to.”


Begging for a chance

Every week, both during practice and during pre-game warmups, Jameson Williams fields punts.


Watching him doing it during training camp the past two years, it often felt like an adventure, so I asked special teams coordinator Dave Fipp what kind of improvement he’s seen from the receiver in that role and whether the coach could ever see giving Williams the opportunity in the game.

“I could definitely see it,” Fipp said. “I would say, development, he’s come a long way. When he first came in here the catching ability was, just like a lot of guys, I mean, he played wideout and it needed some work, I’ll just say it that way, but he’s gotten much better.”


Fipp said it ever got to the point where the Lions would consider using Williams as a situational punt returner, and there were lingering concerns about his ability to field the ball cleanly, there are ways to build in added protection.

“I remember we had Jalen Reagor, who was an explosive returner when I was in Philly,” Fipp said. “He struggled catching the ball. …Every time he was back there, we tried to put a double team on both gunners and at least just get him started or keep him out of harm’s way, so that if he put the ball on the ground there wasn’t going to be anyone close by him and he could end up picking it back up and recovering it at worst-case scenario.”


It probably won’t surprise you to hear Williams has been pleading with Fipp for an opportunity to return one, along with another young Lions player.

“The one thing I love, there are two guys on this team that will beg to be back there all the time and I respect the heck out of them for it,” Fipp said. “It’s Terrion Arnold — he wants to go back there and touch the ball — and Jamo. They want to go back there and touch the ball, and it’s like, I mean I love it. It doesn’t mean they’re going to get that, but I love the fact that they want to do it because there are some other players that probably are hoping that their number’s not called.”




Success built around the backfield

Glenn was asked about what's been different about the way Packers quarterback Jordan Love has been playing in recent weeks compared to the previous matchup between the teams in Week 9. The defensive coordinator used the question to praise the opposition for building their scheme around running back Josh Jacobs.

“I’m going to give a lot of credit to the head coach also because I know early in the season — I’m just talking about this season right now — but I know (Love) was throwing interceptions,” Glenn said. “He was still having a good year, as far as getting the ball downfield and getting the ball to the receivers, but I think what they’ve done a really good job of is saying, ‘Listen, Jacobs, you’re going to run this team and everything’s going to go through you.”


In the three games since the Packers lost to the Lions, Jacobs has amassed 360 yards from scrimmage and scored five touchdowns, all on the ground. Glenn said that caliber of play from a running back makes everything operate more smoothly for a QB.

“That’s going to make you even more effective because now you have to try to stop this run,” Glenn said. “…Now, he’s going to get more of his one-on-one matchups and those throws might be somewhat easier for him. So yes, coach (Matt) LaFleur has done a really good job of riding Jacobs, and then he’s allowing Love to do the things that he’s always been good at doing is getting the ball downfield to these elite receivers that he has.”


Jacobs, in his first year with the Packers, is currently third in the NFL with 987 rushing yards, behind MVP candidates Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry.

“I said this the first time that we played them; when you have a running back of that nature, it changes the mindset of the O-line,” Glenn said. “So now the O-line knows that we have this physical runner, so that turns into a more physical offensive line and all they have to do is show him, give him a little crease, and they know that he’s going to make 3 yards out of nothing. Most of those 3 yards end up getting to be 6 and 7 yards and he’s going to break a tackle. I think he fits that scheme perfectly and he’s doing a hell of a job as far as complementing the whole offense, which allows now (for) the vertical passing game to show up.”


When to make the switch

Earlier this season, Campbell suggested the team would prefer to shift Penei Sewell to left tackle if they knew Taylor Decker would be out of the lineup, but it was Dan Skipper manning the blindside on Thanksgiving, and it will likely remain that setup if Decker can’t get cleared ahead of this week’s game against Green Bay.

I asked Johnson what goes into the decision and he had a logical explanation that as long as Decker has a shot to play there’s no reason to mess with moving Sewell.


“(Decker’s) a guy that has played a lot of football, so if you’re telling me that there’s a chance that he could make it, he might not need to practice that week for us to keep him in,” Johnson said. “So, when you’re looking at that, if you think that there’s a chance, then let’s not move Penei over and have to go through those gymnastics right there. So, it’s a little bit of just forecasting who’s going to be available that week.”

Skipper has had to step in twice for Decker this season and the Lions won both games, besting Houston and Chicago. I asked Johnson what he thought of the veteran backup’s performance in those games.


"He’s come in and he’s fought his tail off which is exactly what we expected from him," Johnson said. "He’s a guy that — he understands his physical limitations and he adjusts accordingly. If he needs to take a certain angle because he might now be quite as quick as Decker might be on some things, then he knows how to do that.

"He also knows how to handle these edge rushers to where it makes them — if they are going to win a rep, he’s not going to allow them to do that quickly. It’s going to take them a second to do that. So he does a great job for us. We know he’s going to fight, we know he’s going to finish for all 60 minutes.


Flowers for the big fella

DJ Reader is coming off the second two-sack performance of his career and set a new personal best with 3.0 sacks in a season. Rushing the passer isn’t what the 335-pound nose tackle is known for, but the production in that department hasn’t surprised Glenn.

“To see him go out there and get the production that he had this past week — because he doesn’t get the credit he (deserves) — but to see him get the production with the two sacks, it was just time coming,” Glenn said. “We knew that he can push the pocket. We knew that he can make plays like that, and again, I’m going to say this, he’s way more athletic than what people give him credit for. I expect those things to continue to happen for him.”


Reader, in his ninth season out of Clemson, now has 12.5 sacks during his career. When I talked to him in the locker room after the game, he immediately recalled his other two-sack outing coming against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.


“Oh, I know I got Brady twice,” Reader said.

Even though it’s a new career-high in sacks, Reader has been impactful as an interior pass rusher for much of his career. He generated at least 32 pressures in four of the past five seasons. The lone exception was 2020 when he missed most of the year due to injury.


Practice report

In addition to Decker, defensive linemen Josh Paschal, Levi Onwuzurike and Reader didn’t practice.


Campbell cast doubt on Paschal and Onwuzurike’s availability over the weekend after both exited with knee injuries on Thanksgiving. Reader briefly exited that contest but returned after landing hard on his shoulder.

Also notable from Monday’s practice was Jamal Adams working through individual drills with the linebackers, as opposed to the defensive backs.



Email: jrogers@detroitfootball.net

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[Blue Lagoon58]

WTF, I read something where Gibbs posted a photo that had the Lions playbook information on it. Is this true? I saw that Dan Campbell wasn't aware of it and looked visibly upset. Anybody hear anything or is this just a hoax?

Another nothing burger.

[froot loops]

[DanO]

Another nothing burger.

Yep! In his press conference Campbell sarcastically said something like ya I'm not going to play him now cuz he did this. He was visually perturbed at the silly question.

[El Axe]

Lions have 19 players in the top-10 votes by position for the pro bowl so far. Not surprisingly, we're dominating the OL & Special Teams lists. Vaki is showing why he was an early draft choice. Even I've noticed how Hatten has upgraded the Long Snapper.

If Hutch was healthy, would probably be at the top of the DE list. Kinda surprised that Khalif is not on the return list.

It's dumb that they still have a fullback category, but they don't have a nickel category.

image.png

Edit: Apparently, Jamo & Khalif were not listed in the vote because of suspension & injury

[whatever_gong82]

After bet on himself busts, LB Turner unexpectedly finds what he was looking for with Detroit Lions

Justin Rogers
Dec 3


Allen Park — Not every bet on yourself ends up a winner. That’s been linebacker Ezekiel Turner’s reality the past several months.

His confidence was rooted in a long history of defying the odds. Underrecruited coming out of Glen Burnie High School, just out of Baltimore, Md., Turner chose to move across the country and play for a JUCO in Los Angeles instead of settling for an offer to play D-II.

“I knew I wanted to play big-time college football,” Turner said. “I knew I could play D-I.”


He was at Los Angeles Pierce College for just six months and played eight games before D-I programs started inquiring about the safety. Because grades were never an issue, he didn’t have to wait to transfer, but the window to make a decision was narrow. He knocked out three visits back-to-back-to-back, checking out three programs that piqued his interest above the others: Illinois, Oklahoma and Washington, in that order.

He loved Oklahoma and could see himself playing for the Sooners, but the visit to Washington hit differently. In addition to the energy surrounding incoming coach Chris Peterson — who had racked up a 92-12 record at Boise State — Turner was drawn to a young and talented defensive back room that included future NFL talent Budda Baker, Byron Murphy, Trent McDuffie and Sidney Jones.


“All those guys were my age, plus, I immediately fell in love with Seattle,” Turner said.

In three years at the school, Turner never ascended to being a full-time starter for the Huskies, but he played quite a bit, particularly in 2017, his final season. That year he started three games and logged 500 defensive snaps for a squad that won 10 games.


Where Turner thrived was on special teams, winning the program’s Player of the Week four times. And he benefited from outstanding coaching, both at his position and on special teams. His position coach, Jimmy Lake, is now the defensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons. The special teams coordinator, Jeff Choate, has ascended to a head coaching job, first at Montana State and currently at Nevada.

Turner’s abilities on special teams, developed by Choate, would prove to be his path to an NFL opportunity.


“They were big on it at Washington,” Turner said. “Our kickoff team would be the starters on defense. We had Buddha Baker on kickoff. We took a lot of pride in kickoff and I bought into that. I'm like, 'I'm going to go crazy on this.' They took a lot of time teaching different techniques and running different drills in practice. That really helped me a lot, especially coming into the league. Washington really prepared for me what I've seen in the NFL.”

Turner signed with the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent. And while special teams are the ticket for many undrafted players, he earned a job in large part due to his adaptability.


During the preseason of his rookie year, the Cardinals suffered multiple injuries at linebacker. Needing depth for the fourth and final exhibition game, they looked to their biggest safety, the 212-pound Turner, asking him to play a position he hadn’t before. He would go on to record 11 tackles and a sack in that game.

His ticket was punched and the position switch became permanent. The Cardinals wouldn’t regret it. Turner would finish second in the NFL with 15 special teams tackles as a rookie. And he would remain a fixture as a four-core player the next six seasons, logging at least 293 snaps on special teams five of the next six years.


His craziest campaign came in 2020. He not only finished top 10 in special teams tackles but also blocked two punts and caught a pass on a fake.

But like the underrecruited high school safety who wouldn’t settle for playing D-II football, Turner wanted more. He felt he had shown promise in limited defensive snaps during his time in Arizona and pined for a larger role. But despite three coaching changes during his time in the desert, he couldn’t find his way onto the field more frequently.


Instead of sticking with the status quo, simply remaining a special teams force for the Cardinals, Turner placed that wager on himself that he could do more somewhere else. He hit free agency this offseason and quickly accepted an offer from an NFC West rival, the San Francisco 49ers.

But for the first time in a while, things didn’t work out for Turner. He didn’t even make it to the end of training camp before the 49ers cut ties.


“When I was in San Fran, that was the first time I got cut,” Turner said. “I was like, 'Oh, this is new.' Better it be in year seven than my undrafted rookie year. By year seven, I had made a little money and got a little stability. That was the hand I was being dealt and I had to remember this was my choice, I wanted to test out the waters and this is what it came down to.”

Two weeks later, Turner landed in Houston, which lasted a month. Then it was on to Seattle, where put himself on the map with the Huskies, but things didn’t click with the Seahawks either. They let him go a little more than two weeks after he arrived.


“It was humbling,” Turner said. “You get to a place where you're thinking, 'Do I ever want to continue to play football? What does the future look like?’ It was a lot of adversity, which I hadn't experienced since early in my career. I didn't have any offers out of high school, went to JUCO, and went undrafted, I had seen adversity, but not quite like that since I'd been in the league. I had been with one team my whole career.”

When the Detroit Lions reached out a little more than a week after the brief Seattle stint came to an end, Turner wasn’t sure. He was mentally fatigued. He'd been on four rosters in a matter of a few months. He wasn’t ready to be chewed up and spit out again. But his agent convinced him this would be different. Under current leadership, Detroit doesn’t churn the roster, and this was a franchise that valued special teams. It could be an ideal fit given the otherwise undesirable circumstances of the past several months.


“I get here, I'm like, 'Oh, this is the right organization,’” Turner said.

Little did he know, he had an advocate in the building in special teams coordinator Dave Fipp.

“He’s a player that I’ve respected for a long time,” Fipp said. “When I was in Philly, and he was in Arizona, we played against each other a handful of games and I always thought he was a very good player. But even better than that for us was actually just the fit.”


“…Just the way he covers, the way he plays the game is very similar to Jalen Reeves-Maybin, so it was like just a natural slide in and fit,” Fipp said. “So, it was an easy decision for us, he’s super smart and intelligent, I got a lot of confidence and faith and trust in him already in a very short period of time. The special teams coach from Arizona sent me a text message and said, ‘I don’t know if I trust another guy more than I trust him.’ And that’s a guy I respect quite a bit.”

What Fipp left unsaid about those previous battles against Turner is one game in 2020. In that matchup, he caught the aforementioned pass on a fake punt and also blocked one. It was enough that he remembered Fipp going out of his way to find him after the game and compliment him on the performance.


Initially signed to Detroit's practice squad, Turner played against the Texans just days after arriving. He’s since been signed to the active roster, and as injuries have mounted for the Lions, his role has expanded. That includes a long-coveted playing time on defense.

“Here’s one thing that I think we do here that’s somewhat different than a lot of teams,” defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said. “We have true competition periods and that can be one-on-one pass rush, that can be covering receivers versus DBs, linebackers versus running backs, then we get a chance to see exactly what the players do and that’s why I say so many times, ‘You have to earn your keep here,’ and we practice ways to where you have to earn your keep.


“You watch him in those one-on-one situations, we see that we have a guy that’s strong, that’s fast, that’s agile, that has a knack for covering running backs and tight ends,” Glenn continued. “And once we see that, I’m like, ‘We have to put this player out there and let him play.’ And he’s been doing a good job for us in that situation.”

Turner saw 22 snaps on defense last week — the fourth-highest single-game total of his career — plus another 18 on special teams, where he’s effectively replaced Reeves-Maybin after the 2023 Pro Bolwer suffered a neck injury that required a stint on injured reserve. Turner even recorded his first sack of his career on the win-preserving drive against Chicago on Thanksgiving, getting home on a blitz and splitting the stop with defensive end Za’Darius Smith.


This was what Turner imagined when he left Arizona, just not the road he envisioned to get here. It wasn’t a Point A to B journey, but a rocky route that tested his ability to persevere. It fits nicely with an organization that values grit.

And with the Lions suffering two more injuries at linebacker since his arrival, losing starter and captain Alex Anzalone (broken arm) and replacement Malcolm Rodriguez (torn ACL), Turner figures to maintain a meaningful role down the stretch of the season for a Super Bowl contender. Not bad for a guy who has played in a single postseason game in seven years.


Who knows, maybe this temporary stop will end up becoming something more permanent. He certainly hopes so.

“Absolutely,” Turner said. “This organization is second to none. I would love to continue to play here if the opportunity presents itself. I'm blessed to be here with this opportunity the coaches and front office have given me.”



Email: jrogers@detroitfootball.net

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[whatever_gong82]

You're nervous. The Eagles are surging. Dan Campbell wouldn't have it any other way

Paywall article.

Shawn Windsor
Detroit Free Press



You’re nervous. At least a little. But that’s a good thing, because this is December football. Right where you’ve always wanted to be.

Right where Dan Campbell wants his Detroit Lions to be. A narrow lead on his pursuers, one of them coming to town, another couple who just pulled off impressive wins. The margin is tight and getting tighter.


“Once you hit December, it’s hard not to start to begin to look up a little bit and I mean that in a good way,” said Campbell. “You can start to smell the playoffs a little bit, you can start to see what’s out in front of you, what’s at stake, you know you’re well within the race, and I think it just gives you a little bit of, I don’t know man, excitement ... this is why you’re in this business.”



So, dig in. Revel. Embrace the low-key anxiety. You’ve ached for this for decades, the chance at a No. 1 seed, home field advantage until the Super Bowl. It won’t be easy. It shouldn’t be easy. It wouldn’t be as fun if it were easy.

Yes, the Philadelphia Eagles are coming. And have been for a couple months.



The Green Bay Packers are coming, too, and will be here Thursday night. The Minnesota Vikings already are here. Or they never left. And won again Sunday, coming back from a 13-point deficit and winning by a point.

They’ve won five in a row. They began the season winning five in a row, until your Lions beat them at their place.


The Packers, meanwhile, have won three in a row, and are gathering that intangible thing, as they did a year ago, when they gathered it and found themselves in the playoffs, pummeling the Dallas Cowboys, and then scaring the crap out of San Francisco.

Remember the 49ers?


They were the top threat when the season started. The defending NFC champs. The standard and the conference bullies. Now, they are no more. A beat-up mess that’ll need a miracle to get back to the postseason.

Which brings us back to the Eagles, who may have the most talented roster in the conference. And if they don’t, they are certainly right there with the Lions, and since the Lions are missing talent to injury, well, who wants to play the Eagles at their place in the cold?


And possibly the snow?



Campbell once told his team they would play anyone anytime and anywhere, even a landfill. As it happens, Philadelphia’s home – Lincoln Financial Field – is built where Veterans Stadium used to sit, and that stadium was built on a marsh.

It’s a safe bet Campbell would play on a marsh. Certainly, he would play at "The Linc." And he’d have his team ready, and believing they were up for battle to get to a Super Bowl.



This isn’t his preference, though. He’s aiming for a No. 1 seed and a path to a conference title game at Ford Field. This isn’t hard to imagine. Mostly because the Lions keep winning and currently have the best record in the NFC. They’ve won 10 straight.

But, again, the Eagles are coming. And they’ve won eight straight.


This past Sunday, they went into Baltimore and beat one of the best teams in the AFC to remain a game back of your Detroit Lions.

Don’t let the 24-19 score fool you. The Ravens scored a touchdown with seconds left. Philadelphia suffocated one of the best offenses in football.


The win moved the Eagles to 10-2, if you are paying attention to the standings, and I’d imagine at this point you are. Though with five games left in the season, here’s guessing you’re looking at more than the standings, and peeking in on the Eagles’ games.

To see how they look, to envision how they’d match up, to check out Saquon Barkley, and Jalen Hurts, and that defense. Philadelphia is good at every level on both sides of the ball.


They are balanced offensively, just like the Lions, they are nasty on the defensive line in the middle, just like the Lions, their back end is swift and physical ... just like the Lions.

You can quibble with who’s got the better secondary, or linebackers, or receivers, or quarterback. And that’s fun, as evidenced by the number of arguments pitting the rosters against one another wherever talking sports heads gather on television.


It’s a topic of conversation, and that’s a good thing, too. A new thing, at least around here. When was the last time you peeked at another team’s schedule in December? And, no, I’m not talking about looking at potential wild card teams.

Here, I’ll help: the Eagles host the Carolina Panthers Sunday, then host the Pittsburgh Steelers, then travel to D.C. to play the Commanders, then finish with the Cowboys and Giants at home. Washington could get them – the Eagles beat them by eight in mid-November.




The Steelers could certainly get them, and if they did that might be enough, even if the Lions lose a game. But they probably can’t lose more than one, and that will be tough to pull off. Partly because of injuries – too many to list here – and partly because of the schedule.


As mentioned, and as you surely know, the Packers arrive on Thursday. The Buffalo Bills the following Sunday. That’s followed by trips to Chicago and San Francisco. The Vikings come to Detroit to wrap up the regular season.

Going 4-1 would be impressive, even 3-2 would be more than respectable. The Bills may be the class of the AFC. The Packers are playing their best football. And the Bears? Well, you just saw the Bears up close on Thanksgiving. Now they get a shot at their place.


The 49ers, surprisingly enough, look like the easiest test ahead. But then they’ve got talent and will be at home.

As Campbell said Sunday, “the race is on.”


And?

“This is top tier stuff, and it’s the best of the best and this thing’s going to go down to the wire and we just have to worry about winning the one in front of us.”


So, hey, yeah, worry about the Eagles, they look like the best team in the NFC outside Detroit. And worry about the Packers and the Vikings, too. But try to remember what Campbell also said Monday:

“It’s awesome."


Contact Shawn Windsor: swindsor@freepress.com. Follow him@shawnwindsor.

[Mainevent]

That’s a cool story. It’s got to be hard cling
ing to your football dreams at the bottom of these rosters year in and year out (game in and game out as well).