10 thoughts to end the week as Lions prepare to battle the Cardinals
Allen Park — Here are 10 things rattling around my brain as we reach the final day of preparation for Sunday’s game between the Detroit Lions and Arizona Cardinals.
Safety adjustment
Aidan Hutchinson is off to an MVP-esque start, while the Lions are getting plenty of quality contributions defensively from Brian Branch, Levi Onwuzurike, Alex Anzalone and Derrick Barnes. That said, I don’t think enough is being said about the early-season performance of third-year safety Kerby Joseph.
Joseph has been two things throughout his career: A playmaker and a risk-taker. The latter facilitates the former. He trusts his instincts and drives hard on what he sees, putting him in positions to generate takeaways. It’s a big part of why he’s been able to secure four interceptions each of his first two seasons.
But for every takeaway, Joseph's aggression has taken him out of position. Sometimes he gets away with it, like when a deep pass to an open Mike Evans was batted down at the line of scrimmage last year against Tampa Bay. Other times, Joseph gets burned. But because turnovers are so incredibly valuable, the Lions have learned to take the bad for the good.
Still, for all the talk of development with some of the team’s other young defenders, Joseph seems to be making a jump, as well. By the end of the year, the folks over at EA Sports might have to dial up the defender’s awareness rating several notches in the next edition of its Madden franchise.
A notable component of this improvement can likely be linked to the pairing with Branch. By working alongside — or in many cases over the top — a cerebral, do-everything option, Joseph can stay deep and put his range and tracking ability to use, even if opponents aren’t testing him much early because of the respect he’s earned for his ball-hawking ability.
I took my hypothesis to defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, who validated what I'm seeing.