In his first game back, Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch received a fine for this improper use of helmet on this play against Packers tight end Tucker Kraft.
The following week, Branch had another helmet-to-helmet collision, this time with teammate DJ Wonnum. The collision knocked both Wonnum and Branch out of the game with a concussion.
Violent collisions with his helmet are nothing new with Branch. He’s been fined six times for impermissible use of his helmet, twice for hit on a defenseless receiver, and he was ejected from a game after a particularly violent head-to-head collision vs. the Packers in 2024.
Despite the two notable collisions through two games, Lions safeties coach Jim O’Neil offered an impassioned defense of Branch’s play.
“We coach eyes-up tackle, but we also coach—we’re going to play the game violently,” O’Neil said. “That’s the way the game was meant to play. That’s one of the reasons BB is who he is. I mean, he’s got an old-school mentality. He’s explosive. He’s going to play the game violently. We talk about defending every blade of grass, whether it’s on the sideline—you’re not going to tiptoe the sideline on us. If a running back’s on his way down, we’re going to beat him to the ground and hit him.
“I thought BB did a great job on that play. He lowered his target. Obviously, when the receiver drops, as well, sometimes it’s head-to-head. We’ll continue to coach eyes-up tackle, but I love the way Brian Branch plays, and we’re not going to do anything to change that. We’re going to continue to try to help him with his technique, but we’re not going to change his mentality at all.”
Earlier in the week, coach Dan Campbell made a similar argument about Branch.
“Once he’s going, he’s going for his target and then that target drops. And so, that ends up where it goes,” Campbell said. “You can certainly say go lower, but now you have got to be careful. You start going real low, then you start taking out knees and stuff and you don’t want any of that. So, just keep your eyes up, see what you hit, try to drop it just a little bit.”
Branch is progressing through concussion protocol, and barring any setback, the Lions expect him to play this week vs. the Miami Dolphins. That’s good news for Detroit, because O’Neil compared Branch’s versatility to having a three extra players on defense.
“I think as we get into the third, fourth, fifth game here, he’s going to catch his groove,” O’Neil said. “He’s such a unique piece, because he can play like a linebacker, he can play like a corner, he can play like a safety. It’s like having three extra guys up on gameday, because of what he can do for the defense.”
