Lions News

[Mainevent]

I don't think they let Jackson walk. Too young, too good. Ragnow is the guy i think could be where they pivot to younger player. 30 years old at the end of next year with a chronic toe issue, they might need to grab guy in the upcoming draft as his replacement after the FY24 season. That would help keep the cost of the total OL down a bit.

[Cody_Russell]

Considering Ragnow’s dead cap, guessing he sticks around at least another two seasons. 2026 the first feasible opportunity to move off him.

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/detroit-lions/frank-ragnow-25115/

Credit to Ragnow though. He has managed through that toe injury. I would love for him to keep it up! Significant player for the Lions when available… and Ragnow has been mostly available for two straight seasons.

[ghandi]

They are not letting Jackson walk.

How many other teams are paying 4 of their OL top dollar though? Sewall isnt there yet but we know he is going to break the bank....I imagine Jonah is looking for a long term deal...I dont think he would settle for the short term deals Brad has been handing out.....I think he is a tough call really.

[froot loops]

Don't look at other teams, look at the Lions situation. They have a lot of money to play with next season and they don't seem to be keen on spending it on free agency on anything other than prove it deals. Go to Spotrac or overthecap and look at what the financial outlays the Lions have, it isn't a lot.

And I'll keep in reminding everyone to account that the cap is going up 15-20 million a year until at least 2027. What that means is you have to not marry yourself to the thinking of how the cap worked in the 2010's. The Lions were forced to let Suh walk basically because the new CBA took the cap down close to 30 million in one year and forced all kinds of restructures. They have a couple years of runway before they even get into cap issues.

[whatever_gong82]

The secret to Aidan Hutchinson’s impressive spin moves? Dancing hip-hop and ballet as a kid

This is from yesterday's Athletic. Enjoy.

Aidan Hutchinson at Ford Field.jpg

Dan Pompei
Nov 15, 2023



ALLEN PARK, Mich. — It was a spin move, more Baryshnikov than Bruce Smith.

Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson took an outside path on Atlanta Falcons left tackle Jake Matthews, as defensive ends like Hutchinson usually do. But he didn’t stay on the edge, which probably would have resulted in a stalemate. Instead, with a burst, Hutchinson spun — gracefully, nimbly, forcefully.

He created an open lane to a sack and celebrated, as always, with dance. Then everything Hutchinson was and is came together with a glorious Stanky Leg.



That spin move could define the pass rusher who is third in the NFL in pressures per game (six behind Maxx Crosby and one behind Micah Parsons), according to Pro Football Focus.

At 6-foot-7 and 265 pounds, Hutchinson looks like he’s built more for bull rushes and rips than a move borne of timing, precision and finesse. Hutchinson doing spin moves is kind of like 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama nailing 3s.



But Hutchinson goes to the spin frequently, maybe as often as six times a game, and it has worked, though he hasn’t had a sack in four games.

“You can really see his athleticism, the twitch he has in tight spaces, in that spin move, how he sets it up and how quickly he spins,” Lions defensive end Josh Paschal says. “The way he does it is unmatched.”

The way he does it has surprised many. People see Hutchinson’s instinct and grit and they make assumptions. They think he’s a throwback.

There’s a lot that people aren’t seeing.



Hutchinson often dances at Ford Field wearing a Honolulu blue jersey, a silver helmet and eye black on one side of his face that he says prepares him for war. It starts above his eyebrow and reaches a point on his cheek around his mouth.

Not long ago, however, he was dancing at his home stadium wearing a pastel shirt and jorts — a tribute to Taylor Swift’s “Lover” album. Hutchinson was in a private suite for the Eras Tour concert with family and friends, including some little girls.



None of the other Swifties in the suite were more animated than Aidan. “He peaked that night during ‘You Belong With Me’ and ‘Love Story,’” his sister Mia says.

“It was friggin’ electric,” says Aidan, who danced enthusiastically.



To fully understand, we need to consider a building with mirrored walls and matted floors in a strip mall in Canton, Mich. For about three years, starting at age 8, the dance studio was Hutchinson’s second home.

It began when he came with his mother, Melissa, to watch Mia and their other sister, Aria, practice for their dance team. While the girls went through their routines, Aidan was mesmerized by a group of about 20 boys.



“Normally, a dance studio is almost all girls, but this one was almost half and half,” Aidan says. “But this one had a bunch of Asian street dancers who were all just so sick. I looked up to them the way they could pop it and lock it. They were so smooth and so good. And then they were so cool with their streetwear style.”



This was before he was allowed to play tackle football, so he had time for another activity. His mother tried to persuade him to enroll in dance, offering to buy him a Bakugan ball — a toy that opens into an anime action figure.

“He fell for it,” Melissa says.

image0-4-e1699888101814.jpg


Aidan started with hip-hop and took to it easily. He liked how he looked in a snapback hat, skinny jeans and Osiris shoes. Then he expanded to contemporary dance. Before long, he danced daily, putting in 20 hours a week and competing regionally and nationally. Aidan wore elaborate costumes — Peter Pan, a Kabuki warrior, a Jack and Jill doll and a Mad Hatter with feather eyebrows.

And he killed it.



“He was good,” says Mia, who manages Aidan’s social media and creates content for him. “Really good.”

Some of the boys at Aidan’s school didn’t appreciate his involvement in dance, however.



“The kids called me (names) for dancing,” he says. “They messaged me on Facebook. You get alienated for being a dancer.”

Hutchinson, tall but very thin at the time, was bullied to the point that he transferred from Achieve Charter Academy in Canton to Our Lady of Good Counsel in Plymouth.



But the reaction wasn’t all adverse. “All the girls loved me because I was the cool dancer, different from the classic athlete,” he says.

Aria recalls talking with friends during school recess one day when she saw her brother sprint by on the playground. In hot pursuit was a pack of girls.



“He had this Justin Bieber hair that went to the side,” says Aria, now a med student at Wayne State. “Apparently that did it for those fifth-grade girls.”

Once Aidan was allowed to play tackle football, he gave up competitive dance. But he didn’t stop being a dancer.



After Lions safety Kerby Joseph made an interception against the Raiders the night before Halloween, the Lions celebrated with an end zone dance from Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video — choreographed by Hutchinson.

“I feel like it’s very much a part of me now,” he says of dancing. “It’s a big part. Everyone asks me, ‘What’s your next dance (to celebrate a big play)?” And I think it’s really cool. Dance has given people a different perspective of me. I have a different story and I love it about myself now that I had that past. I’m very proud of it.”



And now the other guys think it’s cool.

“He has rhythm and is the best dancer in the D-line room,” Paschal says. “His parents set him up for these sack celebrations.”


His parents also helped set him up for the sacks that led to the celebrations.

His family was watching a game in the stands this year when Aidan used a spin move.



“Must have been all the ballet,” a fan from behind said.

“Yes,” Melissa told him. “Exactly. Thank you for saying that.”



Aidan has no doubt his competitive dancing has enhanced his pass rush. He says the flexibility and balance fostered in dance have been his football foundation, and the understanding of choreography has carried over into working within defensive systems.

“Dance has a direct correlation to football,” he says. “There are so many similarities.”

GettyImages-1724624282-2048x1365.jpg

Ask Hutchinson about growing up in suburban Detroit as a Lions fan and then being chosen by the Lions with the second pick of the 2022 draft, and the 23-year-old is likely to direct the conversation to the law of attraction, synchronicity in our lives, divine timing and energy in the universe.



His father, Chris, was a first-team All-America defensive tackle and captain at Michigan and now is an emergency room physician. Aidan’s hardware is from Chris; most of his software seems to come from Melissa, an artist drawn to the spiritual.

Mia and Aria say Melissa is the “momager” for Aidan and his brand, “House of Hutch,” which sells hoodies with the inscription “Breathe In God.” The logo for the brand has three sides — one side representing mind, one body and one spirit. Aidan, a holistic thinker, stays mindful of the alignment of the three.



At age 4, Hutchinson began journaling. Shortly after, Melissa had him and his sisters make “vision boards,” encouraging the pursuit of dreams. By fifth grade, Aidan wrote, “I will play football at Michigan.”

In the third game of the 2020 season for Michigan, Aidan fractured his ankle and required surgery. Part of his rehabilitation was “creative visualization.” While recovering on a couch, he closed his eyes and mentally rehearsed what he would do snap by snap if he were in a game, working to create muscle memory without using his muscles. When he returned the following season, he set the school sacks record and finished second in voting for the Heisman Trophy.



Every day, usually twice a day, including in the locker room before games, Hutchinson meditates for 30 to 45 minutes.

“In the NFL there are so many expectations and pressures,” he says. “Everybody wants something from you. Some days it gets a little loud in my head and it helps if I can quiet the noise, let my mind unravel and reset. I want to make sure I am living a life of gratitude and treating people with kindness. Everything else can complicate it.”



Hutchinson visits the pediatric ward at Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor. He engages with the patients and remembers their names and stories. Before each game, he writes one of their names and something about them on the water jug he carries onto the field.

His jug, almost always at his side, is filled with a gallon of distilled water — regular bottled water won’t do — at the start of every day. He drinks it all and sometimes more.



“Water, that’s the flow of life right there,” Hutchinson says. “That’s how you get your joints feeling good.”

Hutchinson is a proponent of natural healing. He believes copious water, with vitamins, minerals and supplements, can make what hurts feel better. He rarely takes anti-inflammatories.



“Now when he takes a Motrin, he feels like high,” Aria says. “His body is that clean.”

Hutchinson deals with inflammation with daily dips in his cold tub and hot tub, which he had installed in his backyard.



When his Aunt Jan visited from Houston recently and brought “Ritzys,” which are his favorite cookies — Ritz cracker peanut butter sandwiches covered in chocolate — Hutchinson wouldn’t take a bite. He was trying to heal a hip injury, and the sugar, he was sure, would not help.



In the offseason, Hutchinson hired a chef to prepare meals. He avoids sugar, dairy and alcohol, and consumes gluten only in small amounts.

In the offseason, he worked with a personal trainer instead of with the team’s, which his coaches weren’t thrilled about. But they couldn’t argue with the results — he returned with five more useful pounds.



Olympic-style lifting is part of his routine, and he emphasizes the full range of motion on his reps. Every evening he spends time stretching and working on pliability. Yoga also has helped him identify and strengthen imbalances. Aria, a yogini, teaches him privately at his house and he attends studio classes she teaches.

“I’ve got these high hopes for myself,” he says, “so I’m not going to leave any stone unturned. I am wired to squeeze the most out of my potential.”

image2-1-e1699888750969.jpg

continued..

[whatever_gong82]

Before the Lions played the Ravens, a reporter asked Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley what stands out about Hutchinson. “Effort and instincts,” he said.

And so goes the narrative.



“I know I’m so much more than that, but everybody reverts to that,” he says.

It wasn’t effort and instincts that enabled Hutchinson to run a 4.15 20-yard shuttle at the NFL combine in 2022. He had the fourth-best shuttle time regardless of position and the sixth-best 3 cone time regardless of position.



His athleticism has been highlighted this season as the Lions have been using him in different ways. Hutchinson had resisted playing inside until Lions senior defensive assistant John Fox told him about 2001, when, as the defensive coordinator of the Giants, he helped Michael Strahan set the record for sacks in a season by taking advantage of matchups at different positions.

Hutchinson still has been primarily a left end this season, but he’s taken 32 snaps at tackle and 88 on the right side. He also varies his stances, usually standing on first and second downs and playing with his hand down in passing situations.



Typically pass rushers fall into one of three categories — speed rushers, power rushers and technicians. Hutchinson is all of those, and his versatility and unpredictability create hesitancy in blockers.

“There’s really not too much he can’t do,” Lions coach Dan Campbell says.



That includes competing in cornhole at a high level (he plans to attend an American Cornhole League event in the offseason), playing the ukulele (he taught himself during the pandemic lockdown) and singing (as “Hard Knocks” documented, he performed “Billie Jean” in front of the team as part of rookie initiations).

Hutchinson is also the Lions’ backup long snapper. And it sounds as if he may make an appearance at tight end soon.



“I told him the other day, ‘We may need to put you on some goal line,’” Campbell says. “He was like, ‘I’m ready whenever you want to do it.’ You talk about a prototype tight end. I mean, he’s perfect.”

As a potential scorer of touchdowns, Hutchinson would not lack confidence. “I’m convinced I have the best hands on the team because I’ve never dropped a ball,” he says.



In 26 games, he has four interceptions and 14 sacks, making him the only player in NFL history to have as many of each in his first two seasons besides former Bears middle linebacker Brian Urlacher.

How can the interceptions be explained?



“I think I attract a lot of these opportunities,” Hutchinson says. “I really believe in football you have to be able to attract things to you by having good energy and good frequencies.”

Stanley’s assessment of Hutchinson’s effort and instincts should not be dismissed either. None of what Hutchinson is doing would be possible without that which cannot be measured.



“He has got this knack for what’s coming, and I’m not even sure he can tell you why, but he just has this feel,” Campbell says. “And so he’s always one step ahead.”

When Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young tried to sneak a screen pass by him, Hutchinson shot one hand at Young’s pass like a chameleon’s tongue and brought the ball in.

“Something in my body was not letting me bite the cheese on the screen,” Hutchinson says.


He believes he is intuitive off the field as well as on. He and his family — they are unusually close — often leave a gathering and discuss the vibes and feelings they had.

Of course, he’s a cat person. Cat daddy to Momo and Mitty. He loves dogs just the same, but cats are easier to care for with his schedule. “I get some free cuddles at night,” he says.



A Lion and a lion, Hutchinson was born under the sign of Leo and has an appropriate personality — dominant, bold and unapologetic.

After he picked off Aaron Rodgers last season on a leak-out pass intended for his offensive tackle, the quarterback had something to say.



“That was a freebie,” Rodgers said.

“Eff you, buddy,” Hutchinson told the legendary quarterback.



“He has a different approach,” Campbell says. “But what always stands the test of time, from back when I played until now is, man, when you love the game and you play it like this may be your last play, and you respect the game, that will always be good. That’s why I appreciate him and respect him because, man, he doesn’t take anything for granted. How you should play the game is the way he plays it.”

That’s where the throwback perception comes from. But the passion Hutchinson has for fighting through two blockers is the same passion he has for meditating, hydrating, cat cuddling and dancing.



Football’s history has provided an image of what a defensive lineman is supposed to be.

And here comes Aidan Hutchinson with another spin.



Dan Pompei is a senior writer for The Athletic who has been telling NFL stories for close to four decades. He is one of 49 members on the Pro Football Hall of Fame selectors board and one of nine members on the Seniors Committee. In 2013, he received the Bill Nunn Award from the Pro Football Writers of America for long and distinguished reporting. Follow Dan on Twitter @danpompei

[Mainevent]

Considering Ragnow’s dead cap, guessing he sticks around at least another two seasons. 2026 the first feasible opportunity to move off him.

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/detroit-lions/frank-ragnow-25115/

Credit to Ragnow though. He has managed through that toe injury. I would love for him to keep it up! Significant player for the Lions when available… and Ragnow has been mostly available for two straight seasons.

Yeah, I was 1 year off, as I was looking at the 2026 dead cap of $3.6M.

And then Decker is the other guy who complicates things. He's heading into the last year of his deal next year. Do they extend him out into his mid-30s? He's playing about as well as he ever has.

[chemiclord]

The fact that Hutchinson basically has to defeat two blockers (and a help third) at times, and is still one of the league leaders in pressures really says a lot about how poor his fellow linemates are at winning their one-to-one battles.

It also explains why his sacks to pressures ratio is so relatively low; when you're the only guy a QB really has to account for, is actually fairly easy for the modern QB to slide and slip away from one person.

[Mainevent]

His pressures are really high in part because of how many snaps he plays - his pressure rate is less impressive. But that's part of what makes him so important too, is the ability to play as many snaps as effectively as he does. Not a lot of guys can do that.

It's no shame to say Hutch doesn't explode of the line like some of the elite guys in this league and maybe that limits him at time. But he brings so much to the table beyond that.

[whatever_gong82]

Lions’ defense has easier task in weeks ahead, but playoff QBs may be a concern

Detroit Lions at LA Chargers_11-12-2023.jpg

By Colton Pouncy
3h ago



It’s November in yet another NFL season, and rather than keeping an eye toward the draft, wondering whom the Detroit Lions might select in the top five, this franchise has positioned itself for a type of season we haven’t seen in decades.

Detroit is 7-2, leads the NFC North and is tied for the second-best record in football. If they maintain their current pace, the Lions will win their first division title in 30 years and host a playoff game at Ford Field for the first time ever. And yet, it’s fair to wonder what might happen when they get there, if their defense looks the way it did on Sunday.



“As a defense, not the biggest confidence-boosting game,” Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson said jokingly after his team’s 41-38 win over the Chargers Sunday, while complimenting his offense for having their backs.

A tongue-in-cheek comment with some truth sprinkled in, it’s fair to wonder what to make of this Lions defense. Against the Chargers, the Lions allowed 421 yards of offense, 38 points and five straight touchdown drives to end the day. The Chargers passing attack was able to do whatever it wanted, whenever it wanted, the further along we got. Quarterback Justin Herbert had his best game of the season, wide receiver Keenan Allen recorded 175 yards and two touchdowns despite leaving the game twice and the Chargers nearly pulled off the upset in a shootout.



Detroit’s offense, though, didn’t let it happen.

“I think you just know you’re going to need points,” Lions quarterback Jared Goff said Wednesday, when asked if there are moments in games when the offense knows it needs to score often. “I don’t think you change how you’re playing or anything. I think about halftime, when they scored pretty quickly there before the half to tie it up is when you go, ‘OK, we may need a few more touchdown drives here.’ And, yeah, they were able to do some good things offensively, but so were we.”



That’s the good news if you’re the Lions. This offense is capable of winning shootouts against quality quarterbacks. The bad news? It’s unclear how the defense might perform when tested in the postseason.

Let’s start with the obvious: The Lions are a much-improved defense. Hutchinson, Alim McNeill, Alex Anzalone, Derrick Barnes and others are playing the best football of their careers for a unit that ranks ninth in the NFL in yards per game allowed.



Over the course of the season, the defense has won some games in which the offense didn’t have it. They held the Falcons and Buccaneers to 6 points, the Raiders to 14 (or 7, excluding a pick six from Goff) and have largely taken care of business against lesser opponents. But their play against some of the better offenses and quarterbacks has left a lot to be desired.

Many of the better quarterbacks the Lions have faced this season have had some of their best performances against this very Detroit defense. Seahawks QB Geno Smith’s EPA per dropback of 0.30 against the Lions was his second-highest of the season, per TruMedia. For context, league average is 0.00 and the NFL leader is Brock Purdy at 0.28. If you’re into more traditional stats, Smith was 32-of-41 for 328 yards and two touchdowns, quarterbacking an offense that hung 37 points on the Lions’ defense in an overtime win.

Lamar Jackson vs. Detroit Lions 2023 season.jpg

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson had an EPA/DB of 0.73 against the Lions. That was his highest EPA/DB of the season and his fifth-highest as a starter in the NFL. He threw for 357 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for another score, in a 38-6 blowout win last month. The defense had no answers for him in a game that was over by the end of the first quarter.

And Sunday, Herbert’s EPA per dropback of 0.44 against the Lions was his highest of the season, carving up the secondary to the tune of 323 yards and four touchdowns. If it weren’t for an equally rough outing for the Los Angeles defense, that’s a good enough performance to expect a win more often than not. Herbert was lights out, and made it look entirely too easy.


The Lions allowed an average of 336 yards and three passing touchdowns in those games. They also have just one sack. Detroit’s rush and coverage just hasn’t worked when facing some of the better quarterbacks on their schedule.

“We talk about all the time the rush into coverage,” coach Dan Campbell said Monday. “We’re covering pretty good and then, man, we’re just not quite getting there and so 13 (Allen), we’ve got him doubled, well, he’s able to run through the double because we’re not getting there fast enough. And then on the flip side, we’re getting there, but we’re not tight enough in coverage. So, we’ve just got to get them to mirror up and we’ve got to keep working our technique, man. We’ve got to win our one-on-ones when they show up up front, and really, even in the backend, too. When those times present themselves, we have to win a one-on-one. Certainly more than we did yesterday.”

In total, four of the nine quarterbacks the Lions have faced have had their highest or second-highest EPA/DB of the season against this defense, including Panthers rookie Bryce Young, who owns the third-lowest EPA/DB among qualified QBs. The other five have had a negative EPA/dropback. However, that list includes the likes of Baker Mayfield (-0.22), Jordan Love (-0.32), Desmond Ridder (-0.32) and Jimmy Garoppolo (-0.75). Not exactly a murderer’s row of QBs. It also includes Patrick Mahomes (-0.05), whose numbers playing without Travis Kelce and with Kadarius Toney certainly impacted his performance.

In a vacuum, it’s not surprising the Lions have fared worse against better quarterbacks on their schedule. Sometimes that’s just the NFL. When you have a defense that has defended the run as well as the Lions have (third in rushing yards per game allowed), teams are naturally going to throw more. This defense, while improved, is still a work in progress. It’s missing key pieces it expected to have when the year began — safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, cornerback Emmanuel Moseley, pass rusher James Houston, to name a few — and has largely relied on internal growth and young players. It’s been good enough to help the Lions to a 7-2 record, and their upcoming schedule suggests better days are ahead.

Here’s how the opposing QBs the Lions anticipate playing in coming weeks rank in EPA/dropback (they may see Joshua Dobbs and Justin Fields twice):

2023 NFL EPA DB Rank_11-16-2023.jpg

The list inspires two schools of thought. The first: The Lions won’t face many elite QBs again during the regular season. This is largely a slate of winnable games against average to below-average quarterbacks, excluding Dak Prescott, who’s playing some of the best football of his career.


The second thought is this: Are the Lions going to be ready to face playoff-caliber quarterbacks in the NFC when January rolls around? They’ve already struggled against some of the better ones they’ve faced. This postseason, they could face the likes of Purdy and the 49ers (first in EPA/DB), Prescott and the Cowboys (fourth), Jalen Hurts and the Eagles (eighth), Smith and the Seahawks (13th) and Dobbs, whose EPA/DB of 0.15 since joining the Vikings ranks eighth in the league. And that’s without knowing the playbook.

The Lions have time to round into form, and some late-season reinforcements could be just what this defense needs. But there’s work to do.


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

[froot loops]

Eventually they need to turn 3 decent guys into one really good guy on the edge. They have been doing a lot of experimenting with the backers and so far it hasn't been paying dividends. One of the problems is Jack Campbell is still learning on the job. He does a lot of good things out there so there are playing him a lot but some teams expose him in coverage. He's the lowest ranked everyday player in that D. Still a lot more.season to go and the hope is some of these younger guys progress.

[whatever_gong82]

Oh, brother! Three pairs of siblings to share field when Lions host Bears



Justin Rogers
The Detroit News



Allen Park — Philadelphia is "The City of Brotherly Love," but it could reasonably loan the title to Detroit this weekend, with three sets of siblings set to share the field when the Chicago Bears come to town to take on the Lions.

In addition to the weekly pairing of Detroit defensive linemen Romeo and Julian Okwara, there will be two brothers of Lions players on the opposing sideline this Sunday.


For Amon-Ra and Equanimeous St. Brown, the scenario is getting to be something of an old hat. When the Lions drafted Amon-Ra out of USC in 2021, Equanimeous was entering his third season with division-rival Green Bay.



They didn't have to wait long into Amon-Ra's rookie season to cross paths, as the sides collided in Week 2. Making that 35-17 Packers win a little more special, both pass-catching brothers managed to record at least one reception in the game.

The following offseason, Equanimeous moved on from Green Bay, but stayed within the division, signing with Chicago. Sunday will mark the fifth time the two have shared an NFL field. The brothers also share a weekly podcast on "The 33rd team," where they will often host teammates as guests, while treating their audience to a healthy dose of competitive, sibling banter each episode.




While the novelty of playing against each other has likely worn off for the St. Browns, it will be fresh for Lions offensive tackle Penei Sewell, who will face younger brother Noah, a rookie linebacker for the Bears, for the first time.

"I think it’ll be awesome," Penei said. "I try not to think too much of it, because at the end of the day I've gotta do a job and he’s gotta do a job. So, we approach it the same way, but obviously, this one’s a little different, just because he’s on the other side. So, it’ll be a little weird at first, but once it’s go time, it’s go time."

Penei Sewell_10-8-2023.jpg


A third-round draft pick for the Bears this year, the younger Sewell has seen most of his playing time on special teams, with just 25 defensive snaps under his belt. But he logged 10 a couple weeks back in the Bears' loss to New Orleans, plus he's seen at least a couple reps along the line of scrimmage, so there's a slight chance the brothers will actually square off head-to-head at some point on Sunday.

The last time the Sewell siblings shared a field was in 2017, at Desert Hills High School in St. George, Utah. That was Penei's final game there before heading to the University of Oregon. Noah followed Penei to the college, but the two never played together after Penei opted out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.



When asked on Wednesday, Penei didn't have a final tally, but he's expecting more than 10 family members in attendance at Ford Field on Sunday.

"They’re still trickling in, so I gotta find out," he said. "Somewhere up there, at least."



Interestingly, Noah likely won't be the only brother Penei sees across the sidelines this season. Nephi Sewell, older brother to both, is a linebacker playing a significant special teams role in his second season with the New Orleans Saints.

The Lions travel to New Orleans to play the Saints on Dec. 3. Noah and Nephi actually crossed professional paths first, when the Saints bested the Bears, 24-17, on Nov. 5.



jdrogers@detroitnews.com

@Justin_Rogers

[jaadam4]

I hate watching that Hutch clip of him coming up hurting. That was such a nice play

[whatever_gong82]

Stars are great, but every elite team needs unsung heroes. The Detroit Lions have them.



Jeff Seidel
Detroit Free Press



Yes, he has seen this before.

The wins piling up. The excitement building. A team growing together.


And the fans starting to talk about the playoffs.



Detroit Lions backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has played in the NFL for nine seasons, and he has been on five playoff teams (2015 Vikings, 2017 Vikings, 2018 Saints, 2019 Saints and 2022 Dolphins).

So, Bridgewater seemed the perfect person to offer some perspective on this Lions team, which seems destined for the postseason. Because he knows what a winner looks like.



“You've been on a lot of teams that made the playoffs — what do you see in this team?” I asked him. “What makes this team special?”

I was expecting him to say something about the offense.



Maybe he'd say something about this team’s ability to score, or the play-calling, or all the offensive talent, or maybe even the offensive line.



But Bridgewater took the conversation in an entirely different direction, saying something that surprised me.

“I've only been here 2½ months, so every day I'm just learning something different about these guys,” he said, sitting in the Lions locker room. “Different leaders step up each week, whether it's on game day or throughout the week in practice, and that's the sign of a great team. You have captains, who have the 'C' on their jersey, and they are doing a great job.



"But then you have those group of men who are leaders that go unnoticed, and I'm noticing that more and more each week. It's different people every week.”

Well, that's interesting, not only because he said magical words that haven't been uttered about the Lions in a long time — a great team — but because Bridgewater has been around so many playoff teams. His opinion carries more validity because of his experience.

Brock Wright celebrates TD vs. Chargers_11-12-2023.jpg

“I mean, you got guys like Jerry (Jacobs) and Cam Sutton in the DB (defensive backs) room,” he said. “Some of the tight ends, guys like Brock (Wright).”

"Really?” I asked, having never considered Wright as a leader.



“Yeah, it’s the guys coming to work every day, man, and no one notices,” Bridgewater said. “You know they're not getting the attention but they're doing some of the dirty work around here.”

And they are the unsung heroes.



Handing out some flowers


Maybe that puts everything into perspective.



Maybe now you understand why the Lions had so much confidence in Wright at a key moment on Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers. In the fourth quarter of a wild shootout, on third-and-1 from the Chargers 25, everybody thought the Lions would run it.

Even the Chargers.


But Wright faked a block and slipped through the linebackers, and Goff popped him for a 25-yard touchdown.

Brock Wright celebrates TD vs. Chargers_11-12-2023_A.jpg

“We talk about 'invest in reliability,' right?” Lions coach Dan Campbell said on Monday at his press conference, while talking about Wright. “He’s an investment because this guy is as reliable as they get. Sometimes he just flies under the radar because he does all the dirty work nobody ever really sees.”

Yes, Campbell sounded exactly like Bridgewater.



Then, Campbell literally explained some of the things we don’t see.

“Man, (Wright) showed up in the run game yesterday,” Campbell said on Monday. “He had a couple protections in the backside we had talked about. You mention to him, ‘Hey, if they just happen to bring this, you need to stay in and block it,’ he did that. He didn’t miss a beat, and you only have to tell him something once. And then, man, here’s your one opportunity, right, on the pop pass and the worst thing that could happen, this defender kind of loops out, he was able to maneuver through it, set his angle and man, he’s just a steady, reliable piece for us. There’s a lot of trust. I can tell you between the coaches and his teammates, there’s a tremendous amount of trust with that player. They know he’s going to do his job.”


Jared Goff and Graham Glasgow_9-24-2023.jpg


Why this success is sustainable


When you look at the Lions’ 7-2 record and try to dig into what has changed, it’s easy to focus on the big names, guys such as Goff, or Amon-Ra St. Brown, or Jahmyr Gibbs or Aidan Hutchinson.

But stars, alone, cannot win.



Want proof?

Think about the Barry Sanders era.


Or even the Calvin Johnson/Matthew Stafford era.



The Lions have had plenty of stars and never found sustained success.

If you want to win, you need something else.



You need a long list of guys doing the dirty work.

Leading by example.



The unsung heroes.

“Everyone wants to say the rah-rah guys are the leaders, but sometimes it's the guy who's doing the work behind the scenes, who don't get their flowers that they deserve,” Bridgewater said. “It’s guys like D-Mo (David Montgomery), a guy who's been fighting through certain injuries, but he's still been there for Jah (Jahmyr Gibbs) behind the scenes. Or a guy like Craig Reynolds, who just shows up, might not know what the status is during the week, but come Sunday, if he's active, he's going to be 110%. It's guys like Graham (Glasgow), practicing at guard all week and then playing center.”



Bridgewater was sitting at his locker and looked across the room, wanting to name as many players as possible.

“It’s someone like Alim McNeill, a guy who's just making plays every week,” Bridgewater said. “And he just comes to work every day, sets a great example, especially to be a young guy. So that's a great sign to see.”



Bridgewater looked me in the eyes.

“Those guys help mold and form the foundations of organizations,” he said. “It's a core group of guys, helping build on the foundation that's already been laid.”



“That’s the difference? That’s what makes a team special?” I asked.

“Yes," he said, firmly.



“But it’s new guys every week?” I asked.



“It’s very exciting,” Bridgewater said. “You watch the Lions and you are like, who is this No. 13 guy (Craig Reynolds)? He runs hard. He's been making plays every time his numbers called since he's been in the league, whether it was in Washington or here. So it's fun to see because sometimes you get young guys who have success, and they don't even realize how good they truly are and how valuable they truly are. Sometimes in this business, you can lose sight of your value because you get tossed around, you get thrown on the shelves. One week, two weeks go by, you are forgotten, and then boom. Three weeks go by and 'Oh, we need you.'

The Lions have some emerging stars and a strong offensive line.



But the next tier of players is what is the most exciting about this team.

They aren’t just filling roster slots. They are doing the dirty work, showing up in all kinds of consistent, reliable ways, never complaining, forming a rock-solid foundation that you can't even see on the surface.



But they have played a direct role in these wins, whether it’s Reynolds rushing for 74 yards against the Raiders, or Wright catching a TD, or Glasgow playing left guard, center or right guard — wherever they need him.

“It's great just to see the response by those guys,” Bridgewater said.



It is, as Campbell said, an investment in reliability.

And it’s the undercurrent of why this team is doing special things.



Contact Jeff Seidel at jseidel@freepress.com or follow him @seideljeff.

[whatever_gong82]

Detroit Lions slowly giving Jameson Williams more work: 'He's in a good place right now'



Dave Birkett
Detroit Free Press



It's too early to say he has turned a corner, and with eight catches just past the midway point of the season and a drop rate above 20% for his career, no one would suggest that's the case.

But Jameson Williams has slowly started to incorporate himself into the Detroit Lions' offense, and if last week's win over the Los Angeles Chargers is any indication, he might still become an important contributor this year.



Williams saw a season high in playing time against the Chargers — 52% of the Lions' offensive snaps — caught two passes (not including a touchdown that was called back by penalty) and had a key block on David Montgomery's 75-yard touchdown run, when he was so fast he appeared to throttle down to half-speed as the pedal-to-the-floor Montgomery raced to the end zone.

Jameson Williams vs. Kenneth Murray Jr._11-12-2023.jpg

"I’m a little hurt about that, but I’ll just suppress those feelings later," Montgomery joked after the game.

Lions coach Dan Campbell said Williams is "improving," and, more importantly, five games into his return from a gambling-related suspension "feels like he’s one of the guys now."


"He’s part of the team, he’s one of the guys, he’s putting in a good day’s work, he’s physical, he’s tough," Campbell said. "And so, the more that he earns his stripes here, the more opportunities he gets because every time he makes a block like he does or he runs the routes he’s running, he makes some catches, you just gain the trust of everybody around you and it just keeps going and going."



Williams declined an interview request Wednesday; he has typically talked to reporters on Thursdays since his return.

But Campbell said he has seen the second-year receiver's confidence shoot up while he gets more involved on offense.

Jameson Williams vs. Ryan Neal_10-15-2023.jpg

Williams played sparingly in his first two games back from suspension and did not catch any of his six targets in his third game against the Baltimore Ravens. He's played 34 snaps in each of the Lions' past two games and was on the field for most of the team's game-winning field goal drive last week.

For the season, Williams has just eight catches and 89 yards receiving with three drops in 17 targets. He has struggled to catch the ball at times and has not always been detailed with his route running, but Lions receivers coach Antwaan Randle El said he expects Williams to turn a corner statistically soon.



"I think it’s just coming," Randle El said. "It’s just a matter of time because he’s getting better. He’s excited about not just catching the ball, he’s excited about being where he’s supposed to be, when he’s supposed to be there, about getting blocks for his teammates, and stuff like that. So the selflessness is coming out. Like he wants to do more for the team. Like, 'Yeah, I want to catch the ball,' but at the same time he wants to make sure he’s doing his part to be where he’s supposed to be when he’s supposed to be there and not just in the pass game but in the run game as well."

Williams has improved in the nuances of run blocking, Randle El said.



He has taken better angles and been more assignment-sound, and as long as that continues the Lions will look for ways to get last year's No. 12 overall pick on the field.

"He’s in a good place right now," Campbell said. "He’s improving. It’s a good thing, man. We’re proud of the way he went after it the other day."



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