Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell likes to kick off his Monday press conference after a game to run down the players who stood out the most on tape. After the 52-21 shellacking of the Chicago Bears, it’s no surprise that Campbell’s list was pretty darn long.
Here’s a full list of players he named, and some further comments on players, if Campbell offered them.
Offense: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs, the entire offensive line, Brock Wright, Kalif Raymond, and David Montgomery.
Defense:
Brian Branch, Aidan Hutchinson, Al-Quadin Muhammad, DJ Reed, and Tyleik Williams.
Special teams: Zach Cunningham, Al-Quadin Muhammad, Pat O’Connor, Jacob Saylors, and Grant Stuard.
And here are some of the players he expanded upon when asked about during his press conference.
Brian Branch
The first question for Campbell was about Branch, who finished the game with six tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss, and a forced fumble.
“It makes our job a lot easier, that’s for sure,” Campbell said about Branch’s versatility. “Make’s (defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard) Shep’s job, and those guys over there (easier). Because he’s got so much versatility. You bring it up all the time, he’s a safety that has cover ability like a corner. He can blitz like a linebacker, and tackling, and filling the run gaps. There’s just so many things he can do, so the guy is major asset for us.”
Lions’ offensive line
The Lions’ rushing attack went from 2.1 per carry last week to 5.9 against the Bears. After allowing 11 pressures vs. Green Bay, the Lions’ offensive line was only credited with two pressures allowed against the Bears, per PFF. Campbell noted the massive improvement on Monday afternoon.
“Much, much better. Protection was outstanding, the run game, the fits, the landmarks, surged off the line,” Campbell said. “Those guys came back in a big way for us, and it really showed.”
What prompted the big turnaround? Campbell mostly credits the extra time on task for the offensive line, but noted communication was something they worked on in practice all week.
“Just more comfortable. I think getting a game under our belt, all those guys together,” Campbell said. “There again, verbally, it’s always going to help until you get more on task with silent and some of those things. but it was a point of emphasis, too, our communication and everybody being on point.”
Al-Quadin Muhammad
Campbell expanded upon Muhammad’s play when asked and noted how the eight-year veteran has looked impressive since training camp.
“He had a really good camp, and he just continues to do things for us. He’s crafty, he’s strong, he’s got some explosiveness, and, man, he plays hard. God, he plays hard. There were a number of plays—I can think of three right now—he’s running out of the stack, he’s running out of—ball’s thrown, screen—he’s running to try to get the ball out or make a tackle. It’s that kind of effort with what he’s got ability-wise that gives you a chance.”
While the status of Marcus Davenport’s injury is still unknown, Campbell believes Muhammad has earned more playing time anyway.
“He’s been big for us, and he’s going to get more of a role. He’s earned that,” Campbell said.
St. Brown and Goff
Not that the connection between Goff and his All-Pro quarterback is anything new, but Campbell had a great quote about their incredible chemistry.
“It’s an art form. So if you love art—I’m not saying I do or I don’t—but it’s awesome to watch. They’ve got such a rapport with each other, and they trust each other immensely. Just the way that he runs his routes, and he’s so crisp, and he’s so detailed, and his body demeanor screams to Goff. It helps him anticipate the throws and they’ve just got so much time on task. He knows exactly what he’s going to do. And Saint knows exactly where the ball is going to be before he comes out of the break. They’ve just work together for so long. Man, I’ve got a tremendous amount of trust in those two players. These guys are playing as good of football as you can play, and they have for a while.”
Jared Goff
On Sunday, Campbell praised Goff’s ability to “handle a ton of information.” On Monday, he was complimenting his ability to execute against the Bears.
“We’ve got a guy who he makes it right. He sees it fast, he lays it up. I just, there again, I thought Goff played out of his mind. It was awesome,” Campbell said. “He was composed, he was on point, and I just thought he commanded the offense to precision. It was great to see.”
Kalif Raymond
You may have been surprised to see Raymond make Campbell’s list, considering he only had a single catch for 9 yards, but Campbell explained during a question about Detroit’s vertical passing game how Raymond’s ability to stretch the field—much like Jameson Williams’—helps open up the offense.
“We’ve got the weapons. Between Jamo and what we can do with St. Brown underneath and outside—Leaf helps us, too, because Leaf can stress the other side a little bit, which helps all of that,” Campbell said.
Tyleik Williams
The Lions’ first-round rookie made a couple of big plays against the Bears. He was key in a fourth-down QB sneak stop, and he also batted a ball at the line of scrimmage during another fourth-down play.
“He had a couple of critical plays there where you knock those balls down. He’s got knack for that a little bit. And then he just continues to get better in the run game taking on some of these double teams and then cleraing these blocks and making plays. So I see a player who is continuing to get better.”
