On Friday morning, Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell spoke for the third and last time before the team’s Week 4 game against the Carolina Panthers. Friday’s tend to be a news dump, and this week was no exception. Campbell led off by announcing that the team was very much involved in trade talks for Joey Porter Jr., and that Lions safety Brian Branch is very close to returning to practice.
Here are five other things we learned from Campbell on Friday.
Jack Campbell is ‘fine’
Lions All-Pro linebacker Jack Campbell would be the
first to tell you that his start to the season isn’t what he thought it would be. His coverage has been off, he hasn’t been a noticeable force in the run game, and something has felt off through three games.
But Dan Campbell expressed zero lost faith in his linebacker.
“Jack’s not gone,” Campbell said. “I mean, I get it and he holds himself to high standards just like we all do. We want to be better in all areas, but Jack’s just fine. He’ll be just fine. And look, Jack’s the guy who just got paid and he’s going to be worried about getting cut every freaking week. I mean, that’s Jack, that’s his mentality. And more importantly, letting his teammates down, that means something to him. So he works every day and he works his craft every day. He doesn’t go in the tank or lose confidence. He just continues to go. So, he’s our bell cow and he’ll be fine. He’s going to be just fine.”
Containing Bryce Young in the pocket is a high priority
All week, Campbell has talked about how the defense’s game plan this week revolves around Panthers quarterback Bryce Young and containing the young passer from explosive plays. That involves keeping Young in the pocket and not letting him beat you with his feet.
Oddly enough, though, Young only has three rushes on the season, as his focus has been maneuvering in the pocket to find a play downfield. I asked Campbell if he was surprised Young has only rushed three times this year, and the Lions coach admitted he was—but that won’t stop the team from focusing on his feet.
“I am because that’s been something that he’s done quite a bit of and really hurts defenses,” Campbell said. “So I am, but no matter what it is, his eyes are always downfield. And then it’s, ‘Okay, well it’s not there. I’m out in the open. I’ll take off.’
“So, he’s still dangerous. It still shows up. I mean, he had one in Chicago Week 1 that was — there it is, man. You just gave him the lane. Everybody’s covered up and then he takes it all the way. So I am, but that whole thing doesn’t mean anything because I’m like, we better be ready. I mean, he could take off 10 times this game for all I know if we give it to him.”
Tight ends defense remains a concern
Thus far, the Lions have been extremely leaky when it comes to defending tight ends. Through three games,they’ve allowed 351 receiving yards (32nd) and six touchdowns (32nd) to tight ends.
The Panthers bolster a decent trio of tight ends in Tommy Tremble (seven catches, 70 yards), Mitchell Evans (five catches, 58 yards), and Darren Waller (10 catches, 112 yards, 2 TDs), and Campbell says they are all dangerous.
“Anytime that you have versatile tight ends that can do everything for you because they’ve got kind of the perfect blend of what they can do,” Campbell said. Waller is their guy, get down the field, vertical threat, range. (Tremble can do it all, and so can (Mitchell Evans) 84 for that matter, but he’s relied on a little bit more in the blocking in line stuff. But, all three of those guys, when you have the versatility, you can do a lot of different jobs, a lot of different schemes. And so look, it’s something we’re aware of.“
Rookie LB Jimmy Rolder may get some defensive playing time
Jimmy Rolder made his NFL debut last week against the New York Jets, but exclusively played on special teams (15 snaps). Campbell noted that they are considering giving him a defensive role.
“We got one sample size of him and that looked good on special teams. Is that here to stay? Do you continue to get better? We’d like to mix him in at times if we could this game on some defense, but we’ll see where that’s at,” Campbell said.
Rolder got off to a hot start in training camp, regularly working with the second-team defense. However, his progress was stopped before the pads even came on when he suffered a leg injury that held him out for the remainder of training camp. Now, with a full month of practice under his belt, it’s possible we see what the former Wolverine has to offer.
Dan Campbell’s been dying for someone like DJ Wonnum
For year, the Detroit Lions have been trying to find some sort of complement to Aidan Hutchinson on the other side of the defensive line. And it appears they finally got the players they want in DJ Wonnum. Campbell said they were “dying for,” a player like him, because he’s such a perfect fit.
“Man, he’s kind of this lunch pail guy at the defensive end. He does everything right,” Campbell said. “There’s nothing flashy yet. Man, he’s pretty crafty and he’s pretty smooth, but he can be violent on the edge. It’s so consistent and that’s exactly what we acquired. I love the consistency.”
Last week, Wonnum notched 2.0 sacks against the Jets, and Campbell believes it’s only a matter of time before Wonnum’s wins begin to trickle down to the rest of the defensive line.
“It started to come to life here. He’s getting his own wins over there opposite of Hutch. They’re using a lot of resources over there against 97 and man, now he’s starting to show up over there,” Campbell said. “Now they got to decide, alright, are we going to help there too a little bit? And now you’re opening up for (Lions DL Alim McNeill) Mac and (Lions DL Skyler Gill-Howard) Sky and those guys in the middle and (Lions DL) Tyleik (Williams).”
