Lions News

[Cody_Russell]

February 17, 2023

In the most Logan Roy way I can say this… Panthers need to F-off.

- Released Baker Mayfield that led to 2 dumbassed Rams wins.
- Defeated the Lions late in the season that basically knocked our team out of the playoffs.
- Tried to hire Ben Johnson.
- Hired away Duce Staley and Todd Wash.
- This last bullet point isn’t upsetting, but they hired Jim Caldwell and Dom Capers too… they really trying to be like the Lions??

What’s next… are they going to offer Jamaal Williams a contract he can’t refuse and take him too?!

Too bad they didn’t get to Hank Fraley… arguably the best position coach. Ha, Panthers! Losing out.

Gawd dammit.
OF COURSE Dave Birkett says this… Panthers of all teams.
Re-sign Jamaal ASAP.

[whatever_gong82]

Gawd dammit.
OF COURSE Dave Birkett says this… Panthers of all teams.
Re-sign Jamaal ASAP.

Bad enough that Carolina beat us in their place last season when all we needed was to win there in order to make the Playoffs, and then to take a few of our coaches, but this is the very last straw!!

We play them in our place next season. It'd be nice to beat them down a bit, wouldn't you think??

[whatever_gong82]

Rating the 2023 Detroit Lions’ biggest needs for free agency, NFL Draft

[jaadam4]

F Carolina, their shit field, their dead owner and Baker Mayfield

[Iron Lion]

There is no city or state called Carolina and there is no actual feline called a panther.

[ghandi]

There is no city or state called Carolina and there is no actual feline called a panther.

You should have spoke up sooner...if they dont exist, then the loss doesnt count.....

[whatever_gong82]

Lions notes: Cornerbacks coach Dre Bly hired to show, 'This is how a corner operates'

Nolan Bianchi

The Detroit News

Indianapolis — Brian Duker and Dre Bly are, by most definitions, different flavors.

And that’s exactly what Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn wanted for his defensive backs this season.

Duker, heading into his third season with Detroit, was officially promoted in February to defensive backs coach, a role he assumed in the short term last season after Aubrey Pleasant was fired. Bly, a former 11-year NFL veteran who spent four years (2003-06) in Detroit, joined Dan Campbell's staff at the beginning of last month to coach cornerbacks.

"I'm looking forward to seeing how (Bly) and Duker operate in that room, because you have two personalities," Glenn said. "Two totally different personalities."





This was, Glenn said, by design. Duker will be the "cerebral" part of the pairing, while Bly will lean on his experience as a two-time Pro-Bowler and his understanding of the game's emotions. While describing the attitude he looks for in players at the Combine, he joked that if he were to interview a young Bly, he would "definitely know" they are cut from the same cloth.

"I've been with Duker since our time in Cleveland, so I know him really, really well," Glenn said. "And then, the next guy I know I wanted to bring in was somebody that can really show and let these corners know, 'This is how a corner operates.'"

Duker saw his role increase when Detroit fired Pleasant, following a 31-27 loss to Miami in Week 8. The team had allowed a 69.4% completion percentage and 108.5 passer rating to that point. In the 10 games that followed, the Lions went 8-2, while allowing only a 58.7% completion percentage and a passer rating of 84.3.


Bly retired from playing after the 2009 season. He had served as the cornerbacks coach at his alma mater, North Carolina, from 2019-22. His role with the Lions is his first official NFL gig.

"He has it. He has it, and he's fun. He's energetic," Glenn said of Bly. "He has this aura, swagger about him that I know for a fact is gonna seep into all our guys, and I think that's a really good mix, when you have a guy like Duker and then you have Dre, so I'm looking forward to seeing all those guys operate."




'My tribe': New DL coach speaks Glenn's language



Bly isn't the only new position coach in Allen Park. Along with hiring assistant head coach/running backs coach Scottie Montgomery to replace the departed Duce Staley, the Lions had to fill another void leaving for Carolina when Todd Wash bolted last month.


Wash's replacement comes in the form of John Scott, who previously held the same role — plus the position of defensive run-game coordinator — at Penn State, where he spent three seasons. According to Glenn, he and Scott go back nearly a decade.

"He was a defensive assistant (in New York) under (current Buccaneers defensive line coach) Kacy Rodgers. Kacy's definitely from my tribe — he is a gap-and-a-half, hit blocks, you see exactly what Tampa's doing with their front — and (Scott) grew up, he cut his teeth learning that way," Glenn said.

This will be Scott's first NFL role as a team's primary position coach. His previous stint in the NFL lasted two years: He was a defensive quality control coach with the Jets in 2015 and an assistant defensive line coach in 2016.

"I think the good thing about when you go through the process of interviewing guys, you get a chance to talk to let them talk, for the most part," Glenn said. "... to the core of him, (he holds) the same beliefs that I believe in, and when you have that, you can easily be able to coach guys on what you actually want.

"So, he is a guy from our tribe. And he's been doing a heck of a job."




The curious case of Jeff Okudah



Though the Lions' secondary had an excellent second half of last season, it came without anybody at either cornerback position truly having a breakout stretch or establishing himself as elite.

That's not an indictment on the players; rather, it's a simple observation as the Lions try to figure out what to do with the fifth-year option Jeff Okudah, who's being paid like a top-3 player in his draft class, while carrying the developmental trajectory of ... well, a player of another caliber.

Granted, Okudah battled injuries his rookie year and missed the entirety of his sophomore season because of a torn Achilles. In his third year, he showed flashes of potential. He wasn't elite — or even 'great' — by any means, but he took steps forward indeed, and considering the severity of his injury caused some to wonder if he'd ever be able to play corner again, that's a plus.


"That's the life of a corner. I wish it could be all rosy at that position," Glenn said. "I hate just saying he's a young player, but he is a young player. And he still has a ways to go."

With two first-round picks, the projections like the Lions to take a corner with one of their high picks in this upcoming draft. Some even think they'll take two in the early rounds. Still, all of that is mere fodder until the draft takes place.

What matters in the meantime is that Glenn wouldn't commit to Okudah being one of Detroit's cornerstones on the defense. Even though he qualified his statement by saying it applies to all of his defensive players, it's hard to imagine him saying this about a guy who actually looks like he'll be elite down-to-down, such as Aidan Hutchinson.

"He understands there's always going to be competition. And we're always going to create that competition, regardless of who we have. But, yes, he has to improve. I will say that, along with everybody else on our defense," Glenn said.





"And he knows that, and he did improve. But there is always going to be peaks and valleys when you play that position. You try to stay at the top as much as you can. But, it's hard. It's hard. But, I'll tell you what, he is busting his butt. He's trying his butt off to be at that top of the peak all the time."

nbianchi@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @nolanbianchi

[Futureshock]

Bad enough that Carolina beat us in their place last season when all we needed was to win there in order to make the Playoffs, and then to take a few of our coaches, but this is the very last straw!!

We play them in our place next season. It'd be nice to beat them down a bit, wouldn't you think??

Well, it's really easy to connect those dots with Staley being there. I think we should stay disciplined and if they want to overpay then Robinson @ #18 looks even better.

The bigger issue is that they just lined up and kicked our az. That wasn't no bad day crap. We NEED DTs.

Rating the 2023 Detroit Lions’ biggest needs for free agency, NFL Draft

Interior defensive line

Under contract: Alim McNeill, Levi Onwuzurike, Demetrius Taylor
UFA: Isaiah Buggs
ERFA: Benito Jones

Need: 9/10

When asked, Campbell gave no indication if Levi Onwuzurike is going to play next year or not, but it seems like the Lions shouldn’t depend on him playing a big role. While the Lions seem likely to bring both Isaiah Buggs and Benito Jones back, that barely covers two starting, capable players at defensive tackle.

Considering their consistent lack of push from the interior—and significant run defense struggles—the Lions should view defensive tackles as one of the highest priorities to not only upgrade the room, but build significant depth, too.

We NEED DTs!!

[Futureshock]

Lions OC Ben Johnson: Some young coaches want to climb as fast as they can, not the case for me

Posted by Michael David Smith on March 7, 2023, 9:20 AM EST

Getty Images

Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was briefly a head-coaching candidate for the Colts, Texans and Panthers this offseason, but he announced before those jobs were filled that he was pulling his name from contention and remaining in Detroit.

The 36-year-old Johnson told Colton Pouncy of TheAthletic.com he’s going to continue to develop as a coach and look for the right fit before he jumps to a head-coaching job, even though he knows it’s possible he might not get any more opportunities.

“There is no doubt that these opportunities aren’t guaranteed,” Johnson said. “They don’t come along very often. There are only 32 of the jobs, and I was honored that I had three requests come out. Did some due diligence on it. . . I can just speak on a personal level. Some people, they really want to climb as fast as they can. I know particularly young coaches want to do that. That’s not been the case for me, per se.”

Johnson believes the Lions have a chance to be contenders this season, which is part of why he didn’t want to leave.

“I want to win football games,” he said. “I want to be around good people. And when I finally had a chance to step back and take a deep breath and look at it, that was the most important thing. I love Dan Campbell, I’ve known him for a long time, I believe in the direction of this organization. So that truly was the biggest drawing point for me to come back. . . .

What we have here, what we’re building here, is something I want to be a part of. I’ve been a part of a number of losing seasons in my 11 years in the NFL. To feel us to get so close to making the playoffs this year and knowing the players we have, knowing what Brad’s been able to do in his short time here in acquiring this talent, this personnel, it really makes me feel like, man, we just gotta kick that door down. Get our foot into the dance, and all bets are off when that happens.”

There’s more optimism around the Lions right now than there has been in many years, and Johnson is glad to be in the middle of it.

[jaadam4]

Well, it's really easy to connect those dots with Staley being there. I think we should stay disciplined and if they want to overpay then Robinson @ #18 looks even better.

The bigger issue is that they just lined up and kicked our az. That wasn't no bad day crap. We NEED DTs.



We NEED DTs!!

i don’t disagree. We need help in the trenches but i listened to an interview saying that we just got out schemed and coached with that game and we didn’t have an answer for it.

I was so mad about losing that game I can’t remember where it came from but it sounded pretty plausible.

[Futureshock]

i don’t disagree. We need help in the trenches but i listened to an interview saying that we just got out schemed and coached with that game and we didn’t have an answer for it.

I was so mad about losing that game I can’t remember where it came from but it sounded pretty plausible.

Please don't make me post that nightmare again. That wasn't just being out schemed. We had no answers because we had no one (DT) on the interior that wasn't getting blown out of there. Buggs should be a backup. The other kid may continue to develop and be better in the future, but we are inept there. We just are and if we have designs on being a contender, we have to get better DTs. I don't like teams with soft middles. You can have all the edge rushers you want, but if a team can just line up and have D'Onte Foreman look like Emmitt Smith against you, your ceiling isn't very high.

We play them again this year right? Do you think they may have noticed? You think Staley forgot how their OL was blowing holes in our IDL bigger then the Hindenburg?

[Iron Lion]

Please don't make me post that nightmare again. That wasn't just being out schemed. We had no answers because we had no one (DT) on the interior that wasn't getting blown out of there. Buggs should be a backup. The other kid may continue to develop and be better in the future, but we are inept there. We just are and if we have designs on being a contender, we have to get better DTs. I don't like teams with soft middles. You can have all the edge rushers you want, but if a team can just line up and have D'Onte Foreman look like Emmitt Smith against you, your ceiling isn't very high.

We play them again this year right? Do you think they may have noticed? You think Staley forgot how their OL was blowing holes in our IDL bigger then the Hindenburg?

So we roll the dice on Carter if he falls to us?

[jaadam4]

I have no problem adding beef to the DL. I’m all for it

Whether its a big man that can get after the QB or a run clutter just do it

[Futureshock]

So we roll the dice on Carter if he falls to us?

IDK. I wouldn't. I was listening to someone speaking on it that said he could be charged and spend the next 2 years in prison. I don't think it would happen, but who knows. Which is why people are saying CHI, SEA and ARZ are looking elsewhere. No one wants to throw a top 5 pick away on hope. I guess at some point someone will roll the dice, but the guy commenting didn't think he would get drafted at all.

That (if I were in Holmes' shoes) would make me go get a DT before the draft. But, I wouldn't bank on what I don't know. And we don't know about Levi and Carter's charges. We don't know if BB or Kancey would be available at #18. IDK if BB is worth being picked #6. IDK if Benton is worth being picked #18. IDK if Benton will be there at #48. Who's left as far as the draft? Mazi Smith? Will he be there at #48?

[Mainevent]

Has anything that's bubbled up around this situation seemed consistent with the character driven narrative Holmes and DC have continuously hammered on? Sure as hell doesn't seem like it. But they will no doubt be spending the next 6-7 weeks to sort this out. At least this shit came out now and not a week before the draft,.