Tag: Aaron Glenn

Colts ask permission to interview Lions coaches Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson

Colts ask permission to interview Lions coaches Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson for their head coaching vacancies

The Indianapolis Colts appear to be casting a wide net in their search for a new head coach. Two coaches in their prospective net are from the Detroit Lions.

The Colts have sought permission to interview Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson for their head coaching vacancy. The Lions are expected to grant permission.

Indianapolis is the third team to formally request an interview with Johnson, along with the Houston Texans and Carolina Panthers. Glenn, who interviewed for the Broncos head coaching gig a year ago, has thus far only been sought by the Colts. Denver fired Nathaniel Hackett, so that position is open once again.

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Colts’ head coach tracker: Known candidates so far

Tracking the entire head coaching search for the Colts this offseason.

There is a more up-to-date version of this tracker, which can be found here.

The Indianapolis Colts have begun their process of finding a new head coach for the 2023 offseason.

The search will likely be a joint effort between general manager Chris Ballard and owner Jim Irsay after they parted ways with former head coach Frank Reich halfway through the 2022 campaign.

We’ll be tracking all of the requests and interviews the Colts conduct throughout the entire search so be sure to keep refreshing this list as they come in.

Colts request interviews with 4 head coach candidates

The Colts have put in requests with four head coach candidates.

The Indianapolis Colts got the ball rolling on their head coach search Monday by putting in requests with four candidates, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

Those four requests include Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen, Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris and Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.

The Colts have the opportunity to interview all of these candidates this week. Only Steichen is among the four on a playoff team, and the Eagles secured a first-round bye so the Colts could interview him if they wanted to.

While Steichen and Johnson are two of the younger candidates that will get looks from many teams, Morris and Glenn are the more experienced candidates. Morris is the only one of the quartet that has prior head coaching experience.

The dates for these interviews haven’t been set yet, but all four appear to be solid candidates.

Be sure to check out our list of potential head coach candidates as this process gets under way.

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Aaron Glenn: ‘I don’t expect a game’ like Lions’ loss to Panthers ‘to ever happen again’

Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn on his defense vs the Panthers, “I don’t expect a game like this to ever happen again.”

Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn presided over a unit that played about as poorly as a team could against the run in Detroit’s 37-23 loss in Carolina on Christmas Eve. Glenn didn’t shy away from stating the obvious in his weekly press briefing on Thursday.

“Obviously, not a good week for us defensively, and I’m talking about defensively overall,” Glenn said. “That’s in the run game and the pass game, but most noticeably in the run game and execution, technique, assignment, just a number of things involved in that situation, and we talked about them.”

Coach Glenn continued,

“We had a really good practice yesterday. We’re going to have a good practice today, and we’re going to move forward because that’s the one thing that we’ve been pretty good at is playing run defense dating back to the Giants game. So, this was very uncharacteristic of our players to have a game like this, and I don’t expect a game like this to ever happen again.”

The lack of in-game adjustments was something many fans and commentators found frustrating. Glenn pushed back against the need to make sweeping changes during the game. When asked if he had any regrets about how he handled the in-game decisions, Glenn had this to say,

“Not at all. Not at all. Obviously, as a coach, the first thing you look at is yourself, but when you’re just playing down-safety defense, when that’s been the talk the whole week as far as stopping the run because we know exactly who they are. As a coach, we’re always going to look at ourselves, and we’re always going to be in the fight with the players.

We’re never going to separate ourselves as far as, ‘Players, it’s on you, and coaches, we’re out of it.’ So, obviously, we have some issues with that as far as what we want to do, but man, the technique and execution and just assignment has got to be better.”

The Panthers ran for a team-record 320 yards, with RBs D’Oonta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard each setting career-highs in the process. The Lions get a very different type of challenge in Week 17 with QB Justin Fields and the Chicago Bears.

Fields ran for 147 yards and two touchdowns in the first matchup, a 31-30 Lions win back in Week 10. Glenn has his defense as ready as they can be for stopping Fields,

“He is the X-factor for that team, and it shows all over the tape. The number one thing that we’ve learned is how strong this player is, and we had him wrapped up a couple times in that game,” Glenn stated. “We missed a tackle on him, and listen, he’s an athletic player. He’s going to make some plays. I mean, that’s just the crux. He’s going to do that. The things that we have to do is be able to eliminate the big plays that he’s able to make.”

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4 Lions who need to have good games vs. the Bears

The Lions are looking for some rebound games from a few key cogs in Week 17 after rough outings vs. the Panthers

The Detroit Lions look to even the season record at 8-8 and sweep the series with the NFC North rival Chicago Bears in Week 17. It’s the final game of the season at Ford Field for Dan Campbell’s Lions, a matchup they must win to keep the playoff flame flickering.

Recovering from the 37-23 loss in Carolina, a terrible all-around effort from the Lions in a meaningful game, is imperative. To make that happen, a few players need to step up at home against a Bears team that has won once since Week 3.

The theme here is rebounding. All the Lions here need to prove they can bounce back from substandard performances in Week 16.

 

Lions D did not stack the box once vs. Carolina’s rushing attack

Despite the Panthers running for over 200 yards at halftime, the Lions never added any extra help to the run defense

The Carolina Panthers ran for a team-record 320 rushing yards in their Week 16 win over the Detroit Lions. It was a very impressive performance from RBs D’Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard, who each set career-highs in rushing yards in the game.

It was also a case of taking what the Lions defense was giving them. Despite the substantial success from the Panthers’ very first run of the game, the Lions never once added an extra presence to the box to try and curb the onslaught.

The folks behind NFL Next Gen Stats, Zebra Technologies, laid out that tidbit at the end of a very disturbing (for the Lions) exposé on the sheer dominance of the Panthers’ run game in Week 16,

In the 1st half of Saturday’s game alone, the Panthers gained +130 rushing yards over expected, the most by any team in a 1st half over the last 5 seasons. Chuba Hubbard contributed 109 yards on 6 carries (+72 RYOE) and D’Onta Foreman chipped in 104 yards on 10 carries (+52 RYOE) just in the 1st half. The duo finished the game with a combined +139 RYOE (Foreman with +76, most this week, and Hubbard with +63 RYOE, 2nd most). Foreman finished the game with 165 rushing yards (most this week) while Hubbard gained a total of 125 on the ground (3rd most). Neither of the 2 RBs faced a stacked box on a single carry.

The Lions and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn never added a third LB to the mix or stacked the box with more than the standard front six (the Lions use a base 4-2-5 defense). Even after being gashed for well over 200 yards in the first half, the Lions defense refused to commit more resources to stopping the run. It’s a curious decision, to be sure.

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Lions DC Aaron Glenn wants his defense to focus on tackling vs. the Jets

The Jets have one of the NFL’s best tackle-breakers in WR Garrett Wilson and a quick-hitting pass game that will test the Lions tackling

The Detroit Lions defense has been playing a lot better recently for a number of reasons. One of those has been the more reliable tackling, especially in the passing game.

Coordinator Aaron Glenn’s unit has done a fine job of not allowing loads of yards after catches (YAC), quickly tackling receivers after the catch. That’s a major focus for Glenn as he readies his Lions defense for the Week 15 matchup with the New York Jets.

“The one thing we’ve got to do a really, really good job of is tackling,” Glenn told reporters on Thursday. “They do a good job of breaking tackles, so population to the ball is something that we preach all the time. We’ve got to do a really good job of that.”

It is especially true with rookie wideout Garrett Wilson, who has played very well for the Jets. Wilson is second in the NFL in forced missed tackles by a wide receiver with 18 on the season. Only Deebo Samuel has more.

“Wilson’s the real deal. He’s a really good player,” Glenn said of the No. 10 overall pick of the 2022 NFL draft. “The Jets did a good job of identifying that player, and I think on a number of levels, I would say that he’s a good player because he breaks tackles like one of the better receivers I’ve seen this year as far as breaking tackles. He’s tough, he’s taking some hits now, and he’ll get back up.”

Wilson isn’t the only YAC threat on the Jets offense. TE Tyler Conklin is one of the better runners after the catch at his position, and RBs Michael Carter and Zonovan Knight are capable as well. Quarterback Mike White thrives at quickly distributing the ball to his receivers and letting them do the work.

That means tackling is imperative. Fortunately, the Lions have been one of the best-tackling teams in the league over the last six weeks. Detroit has clawed up to No. 11 in Pro Football Focus tackling grades as a team and has notched four of its top five scores in the last five weeks.

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Lions defensive splits since firing Aubrey Pleasant show a very different defense in Detroit

The Lions have gone from one of the worst defenses in NFL history over the first seven games to one of the NFL’s above-average defenses since

Halloween was a truly scary time for the Detroit Lions defense. The team had just lost a winnable game to the Miami Dolphins by allowing four touchdowns on five Miami possessions, all drives of which covered at least 67 yards.

Sitting in dead last in almost every conceivable defensive statistical metric, the Lions made the decision to try and end the horror by firing DBs coach and passing game coordinator Aubrey Pleasant. Many folks wanted coordinator Aaron Glenn sent out the door with Pleasant.

At the time, the Lions were the worst team in the league with a 1-6 record. The defense was allowing:

35 points per game (32nd of 32)

25 first downs per game (32nd)

154.8 rushing yards per game (30th)

5.14 yards per carry (30th)

8.24 yards per pass attempt allowed (32nd)

73.1 red zone TD percentage (32nd)

50.6 third down conversion percentage (32nd)

266.4 passing yards per game (30th)

6 takeaways in seven games (.85 per game ranks 30th)

Then came a few series of events that have sparked a pretty emphatic turnaround. Pleasant’s firing is the headliner, but the Lions also added starting CB Jerry Jacobs and rookie DE Josh Paschal into the lineup. Both represented significant upgrades at their spots on the depth chart and also created more depth overall. Valuable DL John Cominsky finally got healthy too. Rookie DE Aidan Hutchinson began playing more exclusively from a 2-pt. stance instead of with a hand in the dirt as well. Glenn figured out how to better use linebackers Alex Anzalone and Derrick Barnes, and S DeShon Elliott and DT Isaiah Buggs — two newcomers to the Lions in 2022 — also started playing better in their roles.

It’s a confluence of events that has helped improve the Detroit defense. Here are the Lions defensive stats from only in the six games since Halloween and how they would rank for the full season

PPG: 20.3 (11th)

1st downs: 21.3 (24th)

YPC: 3.8 (t-3rd)

AYA: 6.9 (t-21st)

Passing ypg: 259.8 (30th)

Rushing ypg: 122.3 (19th)

Third down conversion: 45.2 (29th)

That’s pretty solid improvement, notably in the run defense. But it’s not necessarily the corner-turning improvement we’ve seen in Detroit. The real edge comes from these two key metrics.

Red zone TD percentage: 55 percent (16th)

Takeaways: 11 in six games, a 1.84 average that would tie for 1st

The Lions have significantly improved in taking the ball away from the opposing offense and stopping foes from scoring touchdowns in the red zone. Going from near-historical depths to being even average in red zone defense has made a huge difference. That some of those takeaways have come in the red zone is an even bigger accomplishment for Aaron Glenn’s defense.

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Jerry Jacobs ‘will get some snaps’ at CB vs. the Packers per Lions DC Aaron Glenn

Jacobs has played just one snap on defense in two weeks since returning from knee surgery

One of the more interesting facets of the last two Detroit Lions losses was the absence of cornerback Jerry Jacobs on defense. Activated after the bye from the non-football injury list, Jacobs was expected to bolster a struggling secondary.

However, Jacobs has played exactly one snap on defense in two weeks. On that play, he was flagged for pass interference in the end zone in the Week 8 loss to Dallas. After Jacobs played well throughout his rookie season in 2021, it’s been surprising that defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn hasn’t called upon Jacobs to try and help the league’s worst pass defense.

That will change on Sunday when the Lions host the Packers. Glenn brought up on his own prior to Thursday’s practice that Jacobs will see more action against Green Bay.

“Jerry (Jacobs) he’s going to get a chance to play,” Glenn said. “He’ll get some snaps come this week; I thought that would be a question you guys asked. But he will get some snaps.”

The broader question is where he gets those snaps. Outside CB Amani Oruwariye was benched earlier and had another rough week in the loss to Miami. Slot CB AJ Parker was also exploited repeatedly by the speed of the Miami offense. Jacobs has played outside but cross-trained as a slot in his rehab from knee surgery. The Lions have also given him some work at safety in practices.

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Lions DC Aaron Glenn lays out how they’ll handle the Dolphins speed at WR

Glenn knows his Lions defense is in for a challenge with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle

After a truly dreadful first four games, the Detroit Lions defense has calmed the storm in the last two games. Coordinator Aaron Glenn’s unit is still giving up too many points, but they’ve been able to get some stops and cut back on the too-easy gains for the opposing offense in games against New England and Dallas.

In Week 8, Glenn’s unit faces a different kind of challenge than they’ve seen in the recent uptick. The Miami Dolphins have outstanding speed on the outside with WRs Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Glenn knows their speed and playmaking ability is something the Lions have to mitigate if Detroit is to have any chance in Ford Field on Sunday.

Prior to Thursday’s practice session, Glenn laid out how to keep Hill and Waddle from going off in Detroit.

“First thing is don’t let the ball go over our head. I mean, knowing those two receivers, I think they’re both 4.2 runners or whatnot, so that’s the first thing,” Glenn told reporters. “The second thing is the catch-and-run that creates explosive plays for those guys. We have to be able to rally and create population to the ball. We have to tackle really, really well, something that I do think we’ve improved on also. Some of the coverage changes that we’re doing on defense is going to allow us to do that.”

Glenn then offered coyly,

“I’m not going to tell you what they are, so don’t ask, but it’s going to allow us to do that.”

However, Glenn did offer some glimpses into the tactics to slow them down.

“Well, there’s a couple of things you can do. First off, back up. That’s just the truth, and secondly, get your hands on them. Don’t let them utilize what they have. You always want to put yourself in an advantageous situation, and our guys are bigger, lengthier guys, so that’s something that we’re going to get a chance to do on those guys, be able to get our hands on them, just disrupt them. The one thing that you can’t do, just allow receivers into the teeth of your defense, and when you do that, usually bad things happen. So the more that we can disrupt these guys, and I’m not just talking about our corners, just any of our interior defenders in the pass game, to get our hands on those guys.”

The last point Glenn made is a key one for the Lions. Teams have found considerable success using their speed to run across the field more than attacking straight down the field. Involving the safeties and linebackers in helping carry Hill and Waddle on crossing routes should be a critical component for success. That could mean more of Chris Board, who only played on special teams in Week 7. Board is one of the fastest LB in the league and that could come in handy against Miami.

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