Darius Slay confirms the Lions defense never concealed its coverage schemes

It’s not a good look for the Lions but this is far more common around the NFL than you might think

Remember how the Lions offense under Jim Bob Cooter was so predictable that opposing defenses were calling out the plays before QB Matthew Stafford could even get the snap from center? In 2019, that ugly shoe was on Detroit’s defensive foot.

In an extensive breakdown with NFL.com analyst Brian Baldinger, Green Bay Packers wideout Davante Adams declared that he knew whether the Lions defense was going to be in a zone or man coverage from simply watching what cornerback Darius Slay did pre-snap. If Slay traveled with Adams on his motion, he knew the Lions were playing man. If Slay stayed put, it was a zone.

Packers-based writer Peter Bukowski summarized the thought succinctly with a tweet,

Slay, ever the social media gadfly, confirmed what Adams said during the breakdown.

Sley kept it rolling with fellow NFL CB Charles James,

Our take

This isn’t exactly a surprising revelation, nor is it necessarily some flaming indictment of the Lions scheme or coaching staff. It’s really not that uncommon around the league; that’s why teams use motion pre-snap — and why Cooter’s offense that used motion less than any other was so predictable.

It’s worth noting that Adams did not play in the first Lions-Packers game in 2019 and that Aaron Rodgers had two of his four worst games of the season while playing Detroit, including a 27-for-55 effort in the finale that stands as the most incompletions Rodgers has ever thrown in a game.

Does that mean the Lions should not do more to mix things up and conceal what they’re doing? Of course not. Deception is always preferable if the defenders are capable of pulling it off. But execution matters much more, and that’s an area where the Lions defense must shore up before even thinking about creating exotic facades.