On Thursday, Detroit Lions coordinators met with the media to discuss the Cowboys win and the upcoming game against the Los Angeles Rams. Topics this week ranged from how to stay disciplined when Matthew Stafford is trying to manipulate the defense, how Detroit has adjusted to the loss of tight ends and Brian Branch, and more issues with blocked field goals.
Here are my six biggest takeaways from the media sessions.
Offensive coordinator John Morton
On managing the offense without top tight ends
If you go all the way back to training
camp, the Lions are currently missing five of the six tight ends they had prior to roster cuts (Sam LaPorta, Brock Wright, Shane Zylstra, Steven Stilianos, and Gunnar Oakes). Zach Horton, currently on the practice squad, is the only one still around. Even prior to that, they had lost Luke Deal and Kenny Yeboah to injury.
It’s been a challenge for the Lions’ offense to adjust to the recent losses of LaPorta and Wright to injured reserve, but Morton credits a ton of their playmakers for stepping up. He’s been particularly impressed with the growth of Jahmyr Gibbs in the receiving game, and the growth of rookie receiver Isaac TeSlaa.
“TeSlaa stepped up a little bit last week. He just keeps getting better and better. So excited about him. And Gibbs, I can’t say enough. And (Amon-Ra St. Brown) Saint and (Jameson Williams) Jamo. I mean these guys are just blossoming and it’s really cool to see,” Morton said.
The Lions appear ready to get Shane Zylstra back from injured reserve this week, and Morton said he could help replace some of the production left by LaPorta’s absence.
“He’s more of a receiving tight end, that helps. It’s been missing ever since LaPorta’s been gone. So, he helps in that aspect,” Morton said.
On stopping Rams’ four-man rush
Los Angeles does not blitz much. Per NFL Pro, the Rams send extra pass rushers just 20.8% of the time (fourth lowest), trusting their front four to generate high pressure rates (36.2%, 10th). Those kind of defensive attacks (Eagles, Packers) have given the Lions fits earlier this season. This week, Morton is fired up for the matchup, believing the key to be Detroit’s offensive line matching LA’s intensity.
“They’re a young front, but man do they get after it. I mean they’re violent,” Morton said. “So, we have to match that intensity, which we will. Our effort and our intensity has been great all year. That’s why I love the matchup. This is like a heavyweight fight. It’s going to be great.”
Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard
Challenge of Rams’ 13 personnel
Earlier on Thursday, I wrote about how the Lions may be uniquely qualified to defend Los Angeles’ high usage of 13 (one back, three tight end) personnel sets, because of how often Detroit plays with three linebackers on the field anyways. But Sheppard said something that Jack Campbell told reporters on Wednesday, and that’s that LA is able to operate 11 and 12 personnel type of plays out of 13 personnel because of their talented tight end group—which presents a challenge in their own right.
“I know it says 13 personnel, but you look at some of those plays, it’s playing like 11 personnel. It’s playing like 12 personnel. So, he can morph that 13 into anything he wants depending on what you put out there,” Sheppard said. “I think it’s a brilliant thing, I do. I give this man a lot of credit, man, I do.”
Don’t expect schematic changes with Brian Branch out
The Lions lossed Branch for the remainder of the year due to a torn Achilles against the Cowboys. Sheppard said he was “absolutely devastated” for Branch, but believes “he’ll bounce back even stronger.”
But when it comes to moving forward, Sheppard said they don’t plan on changing much. Even though Branch was the key to some of the defense’s versatility, the Lions believe in the players still around. In particular, Sheppard believes in veteran Avonte Maddox, who played “absolutely lights out,” vs. the Cowboys, per the Lions defensive coordinator.
“I don’t see us changing anything that we do schematically really. Having trusted guys like Avonte allows me to do that, so I do want to give him a lot of love and credit here,” Sheppard said. “Because I know the first thing people are saying, ‘Are you going to have to change up the way you play because BB kind of – BB used to do this, BB used to do that.’ Now, it’s the next man up. And I hope that Avonte’s hearing this interview right now, and guys doubting or asking if I got to change my scheme, and him going out and proving why I don’t.”
Matthew Stafford’s eye manipulation
Earlier this week, Lions coach Dan Campbell talked about the difficulty in defending against Matthew Stafford, who will often stare down receivers only as a means to move a defender in zone coverage. Campbell said defenders need to be aware of Stafford’s tendency to do that, but at the same time, you can’t just stand still either.
“If you just sit there and he’s baiting you, if you don’t move, he’s going to throw it,” Campbell said. “So, you’ve still got to move. It’s just…understand, he could be trying to move you here a little bit, he could be trying to manipulate you. You’ve got to play your keys.”
Sheppard expanded on that, noting that Stafford doesn’t just manipulate with his eyes, but with his front shoulder, too. Those are extremely common keys that defenders are specifically taught to read from a quarterback to anticipate where the ball is going. This week, however, Sheppard faces the challenge of teaching his players to unlearn that against Stafford.
“I tell the guys in zone coverage, don’t trust his eyes, because he’s going to lie to you. Do not trust his eyes. And then you try to train people, ‘Well read the front shoulder tip.’ And then I had some guys say, ‘Well coach, his shoulder tip was over there, and he threw it over there, so what do I read?’” Sheppard said.
“So just understanding when you’re in zone, just understanding your landmarks and details within your landmarks. It is a little different, because you do train zone defenders. Melt off the quarterback, the front shoulder tip’s not going to lie to you. Well, he [Stafford] goes against all that. All that coaching that you do, all that guru stuff we’ve been talking all season, you can throw that out the window this week.”
Special teams coordinator Dave Fipp
Note: We published a separate story on Tom Kennedy retaining the kick returner job, even when Kalif Raymond returns.
Fipp takes responsibility for yet another blocked kick
The Lions have had some issues with blocked kicks this year, and while Fipp has previously pointed to Jake Bates’ low trajectory as one of the main issues, after another blocked kick against the Dallas Cowboys, Fipp says he’s got to coach better.
“I need to do a better job with that whole play in general,” Fipp said. “We’ve had some of the low trajectory kicks that have not been good enough with Bates. We’ve talked about that. Now in the last game, we have leakage in our protection. But I would say, in my opinion, honestly it can’t look like that and I can’t sit here and say I’ve done well enough. So, I have to do a better job with these guys—all of them—in the protection game, for sure. So yeah, we’ve got to get that fixed going into this game.”
