Coordinator recap: Glenn out on practicing in oven mitts; Johnson won't game plan around completion record
Coordinator recap: Glenn out on practicing in oven mitts; Johnson won't game plan around completion record
Allen Park — If there's an area irking Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn during a bye-week evaluation of his unit, it's the number of penalties they've committed through four games.
The issues are most glaring in the secondary, where the Lions have been flagged nine times for pass interference and drawn three more for defensive holding. All dozen infractions belong to starting cornerbacks Terrion Arnold and Carlton Davis III.
But the counter to those struggles is the Lions are getting more hands on throws than any other time under Glenn. Only the Minnesota Vikings are averaging more pass defenses per game than the six the Lions have racked up.
And the more Glenn thinks about it, it’s a balance he can live with while continually working to reduce penalties.
“That’s something that we’ve emphasized and I’ve wanted here for a long time,” Glenn said about the pass breakups. “I know a lot of times that can be back and forth because now; when you’re not challenging, then you’re playing too soft, when you are challenging, you’re getting those (breakups). So, the thing is, I’m going to ride with the fact that our guys are out there challenging and we’re going to continue to do what we do. Now, we’re going to get better at these penalties also, and our guys know that.”
Glenn said the corners will continue to hone their skills through one-on-one reps in practice, but one strategy is off the table; putting the defensive backs in oven mitts that restrict their ability to grab.
“Listen, I was a part of that (as a player),” Glenn said. “I forgot when it was, but you don’t play with oven mitts on, so I don’t want to put oven mitts on guys.”
Strategy regret
At the end of the first half against Seattle, when the Seahawks lined up for a 62-yard field goal, the Lions placed cornerback Khalil Dorsey under the crossbar to field a potentially short kick. That’s how things played out, but Dorsey was only able to bring it back to the 22-yard line before he was stopped.
Dorsey has returned kicks previously for the Lions, but special teams coordinator Dave Fipp wished he had planned better and got one of the team’s dynamic offensive weapons in position to handle a missed kick.
Fipp noted the running clock, a lack of timeouts and not wanting to draw a penalty that would have moved Seattle 5 yards closer were all factors, but he ideally would have had Kalif Raymond, Jameson Williams or Jahmyr Gibbs back deep.
“Any one of those guys would be a good option,” Fipp said. “And I think highly of Dorsey and think he can do a good job too, so it’s not like I felt like we had somebody back there that I didn’t believe in. But there was probably other options too, had we had time, more time, to get the right guy. But the offense is all the way down on the far side of the bench.”
Wash, rinse, repeat
The Lions spent the week leading up to the last game telling us Josh Paschal needed to step up after a season-ending injury to Marcus Davenport. Well, the third-year defensive lineman out of Kentucky delivered one of his better games against Seattle.
Now it’s about finding the consistency that’s eluded Paschal early in his career.
“I expect more from that player,” Glenn said. “And he’s expecting more from himself. And yes, he did a really good job against Seattle, but the thing is we have to consistently be able to do that, week in and week out. So, I’m looking forward to seeing how he’s going to come out this week and I know he’s going to do a good job. He’s practicing his butt off, he’s learning a lot from (Aidan Hutchinson) Hutch, and those guys are spending a lot of time together on how they want to operate and how they want to rush the passer.”
Record must come naturally
With his perfect 18-for-18 performance vs. Seattle, and completing his last pass the previous week against Arizona, Lions quarterback Jared Goff is six away from matching the NFL record for consecutive completions.
In the past, the Lions have occasionally manipulated their playing call to help players achieve milestones, but that won’t be part of the agenda this week in Dallas.
“Not even on my thought process, no,” offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said. “We’re playing ball.”
Different kicks for different folks
You can expect to see vastly different approaches to the dynamic kickoff during Sunday’s game against the Cowboys.
Detroit is near the top of the league in touchback percentage, at over 80%, while Dallas is encouraging returns more than most teams. Their 44.8% touchback percentage ranks 28th.
“Their kicker does a good job,” Fipp said. “I think that factors into the decision, too, is your kicker and the balls he can hit. He kicks a low-trajectory ball, he can spray it around both left and right, so that challenges the return group a little bit more.”
Meanwhile, Detroit seems likely to stick to its early-season strategy with Pro Bowler KaVontae Turpin handling kicks for the Cowboys. Most opponents are steering clear of him this season, but he’s managed to average 35.7 yards with the three attempts he’s had in 2024.
Identity emerges
The Lions utilize the early part of the season to allow for an identity to emerge. Johnson believes one has for the offense.
“We believe that we are an extremely physical, detailed and explosive unit,” Johnson said. “That’s what we want to bring to the table each and every week. We want our physicality to show up. Obviously, the easiest way to do that is in the run game, but we have perimeter players that are going to block down the field. We have players that don’t have the ball in their hands, but they’re finding a way to finish around the football. And so that’s our definition of finishing and being a physical team.
“I think when you watch us on tape, you see a deliberateness in our guys and where they line up, the depths of their routes, the execution, the fundamentals,” Johnson continued. “That’s the detail part of it. And then, so far this year, we’ve been fairly explosive in both the run game and the passing game. I know our numbers dipped because we had the bye week, just relative to the league, but prior to the bye week we were top-10 in regards to explosives. Hopefully, when teams turn on the tape, that’s what they’re seeing: Physical, detailed and explosive.”
That seems to be a winning combination in the NFL. From a run-game perspective, the Lions are averaging a healthy 4.7 yards per carry, putting the franchise on pace for its best efficiency since the days of Barry Sanders.
In terms of explosives, the Lions have a combined 17 plays that have gained at least 20 yards.