Category: Lions News

Lions DC Aaron Glenn happy with rookie Brodric Martin’s progress

Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is happy with rookie Brodric Martin’s progress after his Week 8 debut

Brodric Martin made his long-awaited NFL debut in the Detroit Lions’ win over the Las Vegas Raiders. The third-round rookie had been a healthy scratch for Detroit’s first seven games, but he got his chance in the Lions’ last game before the Week 9 bye.

Martin didn’t do a lot in his debut. The giant defensive tackle from Western Kentucky notched one tackle in 11 snaps. It’s still a start, and one that encouraged Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.

During his media session this week, Glenn was asked about his impression of Martin.

“I thought it was good to get him out there and get him in live action,” Glenn said of the big rookie. “We’re going to continue to work this player in. We said this from the beginning, it’s going to be a work in progress with this player, but he has all the skills that we look for in a D-lineman. It’s just a fact of him coming from where he came from now into the NFL, but he has continued to see these different plays that are coming at him, obviously in how he’s going to play these blocks and understand exactly what we’re trying to do as far as a D-line to continue to improve.

So, happy (with) where he’s at, going to continue to work with this player and it’s going to be good things with this player as the season progresses.”

Martin himself has acknowledged that pad level is an issue, one that Glenn still sees as an area where he can keep getting better.

“Hey, when you’re 6’6, it’s always going to be an issue, so. It has, it really has (improved),” Glenn said of Martin’s pad level. “His understanding – because he’s a smart player. His understanding of playing blocks, that’s the thing that’s different from this player because he didn’t see them in college, and now he’s seeing them from the different run schemes that you get, he’s able to play those now. So, I’m happy with where he’s at.”

Detroit Lions Podcast: Our interview with John Cominsky

Detroit Lions Podcast interview with Lions DL John Cominsky and also a quick preview of the Week 10 matchup with the Chargers

What better way to exit the bye week than with a chat with one of the core players of the Detroit Lions’ defensive upswing!

Lions defensive lineman John Cominsky joined us on the Detroit Lions Podcast after Thursday’s practice session. He graciously talked about his path to Detroit and how special the situation is with the Lions and this regime, among other things.

Cominsky gave a very good answer and perspective on “setting my frame smaller” and focusing on the little details of being successful instead of worrying about the bigger picture. It kicks in around the 16-minute mark of the video and it’s a great look at why Cominsky has clicked into being an important piece of the Lions defense after washing out in Atlanta.

He also describes what it’s like to work with a legend like Chris Spielman, who is from the same Canton (OH) area and remains a prominent hero in both Lions lore and Northeast Ohio. What does grit mean to “The Commish”?

Cominsky dishes a little on what it’s like to play between young studs Aidan Hutchinson and Alim McNeill, and what practices are like under Dan Campbell.

After Cominsky’s time is done, we get into a preview of Sunday’s matchup in Los Angeles with the Chargers and why this game won’t be an easy win for the Lions.

Lions Week 10 injury update: 2 reserves held out but every starter practiced in full

Lions Week 10 injury update: 2 reserves held out but every starter practiced in full on Thursday ahead of the trip to Los Angeles

The penultimate practice injury report for Week 10 was a relatively clean one for the Detroit Lions. Every starter participated in full for the second practice in a row.

Unlike Wednesday’s report, which was a guesstimate on the players’ day off, Thursday’s injury report came directly after practice. Two players did miss the Thursday practice after being limited in the prior one. Defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike was held out with a hip injury, while offensive guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai sat with a back issue.

Two other players were limited, and both were due to rib injuries: reserve offensive lineman Dan Skipper and freshly acquired wideout Donovan Peoples-Jones. Still, none of the players who were limited or out came from the starting lineup.

Frank Ragnow, David Montgomery and Jonah Jackson were al full participants and will play Sunday against the Chargers, barring any late-week setbacks.

Ben Johnson buys into ‘strong argument’ to play David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs together

The Lions OC talked about how he might handle having both his top RBs healthy for the first time in several weeks

Fresh off a much-needed bye week, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is rejuvenated in his approach to his unit. Getting running back David Montgomery healthy presents him with some intriguing possibilities now that rookie RB Jahmyr Gibbs has proven he can thrive, too.

The two haven’t been healthy at the same time since Week 4, when Montgomery thrashed the Packers for 121 yards. Gibbs posted 152 on the ground against the Raiders with Montgomery out in Detroit’s last game.

Gibbs missed time with a hamstring injury, while Montgomery has battled a thigh bruise and a recent rib injury. Both are ready to roll in Week 10, barring any late-week setbacks in practice.

It’s a happy issue for Johnson to try and solve. In his press conference prior to Thursday’s practice, Johnson posited the idea of playing Montgomery and Gibbs in the backfield together.

“It’s always a fun exercise to do and certainly do it at the end of the season, the bye week’s another good time to do it, but you kind of look through your roster, the guys that are available to you and you kind of – you might rank them,” Johnson explained. “You say, ‘Hey, these are our top 11 guys that we really feel good about on offense,’ and usually you want to get those 11 guys out on the field together as much as possible and I think both those guys are within those top 11 players that we have on offense. So, yeah, there’s a strong argument to get them both out there together more often.”

Johnson admitted he hasn’t yet figured out exactly how the workload will be divided now that both are finally healthy together.

“To be determined,” Johnson said when asked about it. “They know the entire gameplan in and out, so some might be by series, some might be play-specific, but both those guys can handle a lot.”

We’ll get a first look at the workload sharing on Sunday when the Lions head to Los Angeles to face the 4-4 Chargers.

Lions red zone defense faces a big challenge against the Chargers

The Detroit Lions red zone defense faces a big challenge against the Chargers, who are elite at scoring TDs inside the 20

When the Detroit Lions get back on the field on Sunday in SoFi Stadium, they’re going to need to shake off any bye-week rust quickly. The Los Angeles Chargers are a dangerous team, perhaps more than their 4-4 record would indicate.

One area where the Chargers thrive is in the red zone. Quarterback Justin Herbert is one of the elite performers inside the opposing 20. With big targets like WR Keenan Allen and TEs Gerald Everett and Donald Parham, Herbert has excellent short-area and jump-ball weapons. The quarterback has three rushing TDs on his own, plus versatile Austin Ekeler as an option. He avoids mistakes very well, too.

The Chargers convert red zone possessions into touchdowns at a nice rate of 69 percent, the second-best in the league. By way of comparison, the Lions rank 24th at a tick over 48 percent.

Detroit’s red zone defense has struggled all season. They rank 26th in the league, allowing touchdowns on over 65 percent of opposing incursions into the red zone. Getting a red zone takeaway won’t be easy, either; the Chargers have the NFL’s best turnover ratio and their six giveaways are the second-lowest figure through Week 9.

Graham Glasgow supplants Big V at right guard for the Lions

Graham Glasgow supplants Big V as the starting right guard for the Lions

There is a new starting five for the Detroit Lions offensive line. Graham Glasgow has been installed as the new full-time starting right guard in place of Halapoulivaatit Vaitai.

Head coach Dan Campbell made it official on Wednesday.

Campbell was asked if Glasgow had earned the starting right guard job.

“Yeah, I think so. I think that’s fair,” Campbell responded. “We’re always assessing Big V, and (Vaitai) is still working at it. But Graham has been productive for us, and he’s been productive at three different spots — left guard, center and certainly right guard before that. So he’s been a big asset for us. That was a good signing for us to get, and fortunate to have him. He’s a steady, reliable piece for us.”

Vaitai has battled injuries all season and was one of two Lions still limited in practice. This week, it’s the same back injury that kept him out of the offensive lineup in Week 8, but Big V also missed a month with a knee injury.

Glasgow has performed well in Vaitai’s absence. It’s been a welcome shot of depth to get him back in Detroit, where Glasgow began his NFL career back in 2016. He moved to the Broncos as a free agent in 2020, but his time in Denver did not go well. Glasgow suffered a major ankle injury and did not play well for the Broncos at either guard or center.

The only immediate downside to moving Glasgow into the starting lineup is that he is the only backup center on the entire roster, including the practice squad. As long as Frank Ragnow is healthy–and he is now–it’s a moot point. Should Ragnow go down again as he did for Detroit’s last game, it would require shuffling two spots to move Glasgow into the pivot and replace him with someone at right guard — be it Vaitai or rookie Colby Sorsdal, who played capably in that spot against the Raiders.

 

Detroit Lions offensive line the top-ranked unit from PFF

The Detroit Lions offensive line is the top-ranked unit from PFF through Week 9

During the second half of last season, it was evident that the Lions offensive line was playing some of their best football together. The run game was working and Jared Goff was standing upright.

Going into this season, there was concern at right guard and who the starter was going to be for Detroit. However, the Lions have mixed and matched different combinations at both guard and center throughout the season and have been just fine.

Graham Glasgow has been able to play center and guard for Detroit and he’s played well. Meanwhile, rookie Colby Sorsdal earned his first career start against the Raiders and played 86 snaps. Additionally, he was part of the unit that paved the way for the Lions to run for over 220 yards on the ground against Las Vegas.

Even with injuries to Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Frank Ragnow and Jonah Jackson, they’ve made it work with Kayode Awosika and Dan Skipper as well. Much of the credit goes to players and the leadership from Penei Sewell and Taylor Decker but let’s tip the hat to offensive line coach Hank Fraley. He’s one of the most underrated coaches in the league and he’s got his unit clicking on all cylinders. It doesn’t matter who’s on the field.

According to Pro Football Focus, the Lions have the top ranked offensive line unit after nine weeks of football. They’ve had a steady grip on the number one spot due to their offensive line ranking third in the NFL in pass-blocking efficiency. They’ve only allowed 72 pressures on 311 drop backs.

Adding to that, the Lions best player up front is Penei Sewell. The third-year tackle has earned an 82.4 overall grade and is ranked fourth among tackles. Whether he’s playing left or right tackle, Sewell is an absolute stud. Meanwhile, he’s always getting the team fired up before every game.

In the article, the projected offensive line starters for Detroit in week 10 are the following:

  • LT Taylor Decker
  • LG Jonah Jackson
  • C Frank Ragnow
  • RG Halapoulivaati Vaitai — Dan Campbell states Graham Glasgow has earned the right to start at RG.
  • RT Penei Sewell

This unit will have their hands full in week 10 against the Los Angeles Chargers. They’ll need to find ways to slow down Derwin James, Khalil Mack, Joey Bosa and Tuli Tiupulota.

Fortunately, all of the projected starters for the Lions offensive line are expected to be back for this game. It will be interesting to see who starts at right guard as Dan Campbell spoke to the media today and suggested that Graham Glasgow has “earned the right to start at RG.” For the full article on the PFF OL Rankings, you can read it here.

 

Lions rookie grades at the midseason break

Heading into the second half the season, it is time to give out midseason grades for the Detroit Lions rookies

Entering the second half of the season, the Detroit Lions aim to maintain their impressive 6-2 start. Apart from a few minor setbacks, the Lions have demonstrated strength across the board, thanks to excellent coaching and standout performances from their core players. However, the talk of the town centers on the immediate impact made by the 2023 rookie class.

Initially, the Lions faced criticism for selecting players in positions that many thought didn’t align with their draft value. Yet, when all was said and done and the dust settled, the Lions emerged with a remarkable haul and are already reaping the benefits as they strive for a strong playoff push.

As we reach the midpoint of the season, it’s time to assess the performances of all the rookies thus far.

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Jared Goff, Lions hungry to play more complete games after impressive start

Goff: “We still have nine games left and have got to do a lot more, better stuff if we want to be playing late into the playoffs.”

The Detroit Lions offense is off to a great start in 2023, but Pro Bowl quarterback Jared Goff is hungry for more. Goff knows the Lions are capable of biting off even more success in the coming weeks.

“I think there’s a lot of meat on the bone, both for offense and defense,” Goff told reporters on Tuesday.

The veteran QB is ready to take more bites of meat, and he knows his Lions teammates are, too.

“Yeah, we’re still really hungry and for a lot of reasons. I think one of them is we know we can play better, and we can finish games a little bit better and put together a complete game on every facet of the game,” Goff said.

The 6-2 start is but an appetizer for Goff, one that he knows isn’t close to a full meal.

“And as well as we haven’t done anything yet. Yeah, we’re 6-2 and feel good about it, but not even at the halfway point. We still have nine games left and have got to do a lot more, better stuff if we want to be playing late into the playoffs.”

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Jahmyr Gibbs leads the NFL in explosive run rate

Gibbs has the highest rate of rushes that gain 15 yards or more among qualifying backs.

Jahmyr Gibbs might have gotten off to a slower start with the Lions than fantasy football aficionados wanted, but the rookie RB has given Detroit plenty to cheer about. Gibbs is exploding onto the NFL as a big-play machine.

No running back has a higher rate of explosive runs than Gibbs through Week 9. Explosive runs are those that gain 15 yards or more. He more than doubles the league average rate, with seven of his 76 carries topping 15 yards.

As is the case with most charts and graphs that utilize nflfastR (this one courtesy of Sumer Sports), the best reside in the upper right corner. You’ll find Gibbs there, all alone in the upper right corner.

The Y-axis helps Gibbs here too. He doesn’t lose yards on his runs very often, and the rate of negative runs goes from top to bottom. Lions backfield mate David Montgomery sits near the middle of the chart.

Technically, Dolphins rookie De’Von Achane has a higher explosive run rate than Gibbs, but he had just 38 carries before getting injured and the minimum threshold is 60.

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