Tag: Aaron Glenn

Report: Broncos request to interview Lions DC Aaron Glenn for Denver’s vacant head coaching job

Broncos request to interview Lions DC Aaron Glenn for Denver’s vacant head coaching job

It’s the time of the year where the coaching carousel spins wildly around the NFL. And for once, the Lions could be losing a coach because another team covets him.

Per a report from NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero, the Denver Broncos have requested permission to interview Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn for their head coaching vacancy.

Glenn interviewed for the New York Jets head coaching position last offseason, and his name often appears in the head coaching watchlists. He was recently asked about the potential to become a head coach outside of Detroit.

“I want to be the best coordinator the Lions ever had. That’s all I think about,” Glenn said last week. “…Listen, this is a job that I have right now, and I want to be the best I can be at it. And I want to be the best that ever came through Detroit. I want you guys to say that at some point, that he was the best coordinator ever. That’s what my goal is.”

The Lions can refuse to allow him to interview, but that would require adding additional duties to Glenn’s title. Denver has also reached out to several other potential candidates, including former Lions quarterback Kellen Moore.

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Aaron Glenn on Lions loss to Seahawks: ‘Sometimes you just get steamrolled’

Lions DC Aaron Glenn on Detroit’s Week 17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks: ‘Sometimes you just get steamrolled’

The Detroit Lions were on the wrong end of a 51-29 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 17. Giving up a 50-burger did not sit well with Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.

In his weekly press conference, Glenn admitted it was just one of those days where the other team did well and his own team did not.

“I’ll tell you what, I wish this league was a league where every game you will be at your best,” Glenn said. “I wish this was a league where every game you can go out there and win every game, but that’s just not how this league is. It’s the NFL. And sometimes, games like this happens.”

Detroit allowed a season-high 497 yards and 29 first downs in the loss to Seattle, including 265 rushing yards.

Glenn continued,

“I told our guys at halftime, ‘Listen, I’ve been a part of this as a coach and I’ve been a part of this as a player. So, the one thing that we have to do is continue to play hard, continue to play fast, and continue to play physical.’ You always look at these games and wonder, ‘What the hell happened?’ And sometimes, you just get steamrolled. I mean, some teams just have your number that day. To me, that’s how I see it, that’s how I’m looking at it and I’m going forward to the next week.”

The Seahawks steamroll included nine straight scoring drives after Glenn’s defense forced a 3-and-out on the opening series. It would have been 10 if Seattle coach Pete Carroll didn’t decide to go into victory formation at the Lions’ 1-yard line in the final minute.

Aaron Glenn praises Jalen Reeves-Maybin: ‘Obviously we want’ him back in 2022

Lions DC Aaron Glenn praises LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin: ‘Obviously we want’ him back in 2022

Jalen Reeves-Maybin has been one of the bright spots for the Detroit Lions defense in 2021. A seldom-used afterthought in his seasons under Matt Patricia, Reeves-Maybin has blossomed into a quality starting linebacker under new head coach Dan Campbell and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.

The impact Reeves-Maybin has made in his fifth season in Detroit is undeniable. Aside from his production, No. 44 has emerged as a veteran leader and valuable mentor this season. His coordinator certainly values Reeves-Maybin’s presence in the Lions lineup.

“Man, that guy is a football player,” Glenn said enthusiastically. “The thing is he loves football and you clearly see that when he’s on the field. Anytime you have a player of that magnitude, you can’t help but just put him on the field. You can’t help but just play him. And, I know he was relegated to special teams years before, but he’s shown he can be a starting inside linebacker.”

Reeves-Maybin will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, but Glenn doesn’t want his rising young standout anywhere but in Detroit in 2022 and beyond.

“Obviously, we want the player back,” Glenn stated. “because he’s a good player.”

In 13 games this season, Reeves-Maybin has 67 total tackles, four PDs, two tackles-for-loss and two forced fumbles. All those figures are nearly double his previous career highs.

Studs and duds from the Lions Week 15 win over the Cardinals

The Detroit Lions pulled a convincing victory over the Arizona Cardinals through strong contributions from a handful of studs this week

ANY GIVEN SUNDAY!!!

In a game where the Detroit Lions were already slated by many to lose before the season started, they managed to pull off a convincing upset victory over the potential playoff contender, the Arizona Cardinals, 30-12, to secure their second victory of the season.

In this David vs. Goliath matchup, the Lions played spoilers to keep the Cardinals from securing their playoff spot and put together one of the complete games from this squad in quite some time. The offense string drives together with a strong rushing attack and an efficient aerial assault. The defense brought relentless pressure and shutdown coverage, and special teams were the cherry on top of this delicious sundae.

Typically I come away with the studs and duds after the game. But this week after taking down one of the top teams in the NFL, we will stay positive and highlight the good that came away from this week’s victory.

Jared Goff showed strong pocket presence and had strong throws, especially with his touchdown throws to Josh Reynolds and Amon-Ra St. Brown. It was going so well he found Jason Cabinda for the first touchdown of his career. Speaking of St. Brown, the rookie has become Goff’s favorite target seeing a team-high eleven passes his way catching eight for 90 yards and a touchdown.

The offensive line put together a very strong effort keeping Goff clean and imposing their will on the Cardinal’s defensive line opening up lanes for the rushing onslaught from Craig Reynolds. Last week, Reynolds nearly eclipsed 100 yards but came up short. Reynolds would not be denied against Arizona, recording 112 yards on the ground giving the Lions every reason to keep him even when D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams return.

A couple of low lights on the Lions offense was Brock Wright and Godwin Igwebuike. Wright missed a couple of his assignments, including the St. Brown touchdown, but Goff was able to step up and deliver a beautiful touch pass. Igwebuike fumbled the ball away when the Lions were driving, which could’ve ended up shifting momentum in the Cardinals favor.

Shifting to the defensive side of the ball, Aaron Glenn is making his case to be a strong head coach candidate in the upcoming season. With quite a few key players missing, he can put together a strong game plan and get the most out of each one of them. When you have Will Harris playing cornerback, and it wasn’t the kiss of death like everyone thought it would, you have some high praise.

The Cardinals did have a couple of big gains on the ground, but all in all, the defensive line was able to contain them for the most part and contained Kyler Murray limiting his effectiveness. The one who got the better of Murray was Charles Harris, who managed to make Murray’s life a long one this week after sacking him 1.5 times while leading the team in 12 tackles and three for loss.

The Lions coverage unit keeps the Cardinals’ aerial attack ineffective with only 293 yards between Murray and Colt McCoy. Jalen Reeves-Maybin was playing like his hair was on fire, batting down two passes and leading the Lions defense after Alex Anzalone went down. After Igwebuike, Amani Orwuyarie was able to turn the tides around, picking off Murray and nearly returning it himself but set up Cabinda’s touchdown instead.

Knock on wood, but the Lions might have found their kicker in Riley Patterson. He had another perfect day hitting all six of his kicks, three field-goal attempts, and three extra-point attempts. Punter Jack Fox did what Fox always does and was able to flip the field in the Lions favor pinning the Cardinals deep. Also, the coverage was able to keep the returns attempt to a minimum.

As you can see, there were strong contributions from every part of the team that played roles in the win this week. Dan Campbell and his team can get the most of their players and put up a fight no matter what who they play against. Draft position aside, it is amazing to see the Lions come out on top of this one and pull off a very convincing victory.

Lions DC Aaron Glenn doesn’t want rookie CB Jerry Jacobs ‘to get too full of himself’

Lions DC Aaron Glenn doesn’t want rookie CB Jerry Jacobs ‘to get too full of himself’

Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is proud of his prized rookie, cornerback Jerry Jacobs. The undrafted free agent has proven himself a worthy starter at outside corner and continues to play well the more he plays. But Glenn doesn’t want Jacobs to get too full of himself.

Glenn won’t let that happen, and he said so in his weekly press conference.

“First off, that’s you guys (the media) giving him all this praise. Now, he’s thinking he’s the next Deion Sanders. The thing that we have to do is make sure we just keep that down and allow him to grow,” Glenn said.

Glenn did bring up one play from Sunday’s win over Minnesota to remind Jacobs of where he can grow. In the third quarter of the Week 13 win, Jacobs got beat by Vikings star wide receiver Justin Jefferson for a long gain. Jacobs failed to recognize the ball was in the air, and Glenn used it as a teaching experience.

“The receiver is going to tell you the story,”  Glenn said Thursday. “And if you look at the receiver, the receiver’s turning back, knew the ball was underthrown. So, at that point he (Jacobs) needs to turn back and look for the ball. He was so afraid of getting a PI (penalty) because that’s what this league does to defensive backs. Makes them afraid to make plays because he’s been hit on that before. I tell those guys, listen, you better always be aggressive, always stay aggressive. He understands that.”

Glenn also talked about how the Lions found Jacobs and what appealed to the team,

“You’ve got to give credit to our scouting department of bringing a guy like that in,” Glenn stated. “That was a guy that we looked at together as a player that we wanted. I mean, you never know. I mean, we all know, I don’t care if it’s a first-round pick to a seventh-round pick to a free agent, you never what you’re going to get until you get the guy in. We knew that we had something. We didn’t know he was going to be who he is right now, but again, there is a long way for that player to go. So, you’ve got to be excited to have a player like that, that’s playing as well as he is. He’s still young and he has a lot more to learn. We’re excited about that player.”

4 takeaways from the Lions win over the Vikings

Breaking down four things that stood out from Detroit’s Week 13 win over Minnesota

It’s been a long time since the Detroit Lions treated fans to a victory Monday. The team snapped a losing streak almost exactly one year to the day by beating the Minnesota Vikings, 29-27 on the game’s final play in Week 13.

The win ends all the talk about a potential winless season and was a much-needed reward for the players and coaching staff for sticking together and coaxing the most out of a largely undertalented roster all season.

After enjoying the win and sleeping on the game, here are a few next-day thoughts about Detroit’s win over Minnesota.

Aaron Glenn: ‘Every player’s failure is my failure’ in explaining the 3rd down coverage gaffe

Glenn took the blame for asking too much from safety Will Harris, who was playing out of position at slot CB

One of the most critical plays in the Detroit Lions’ Thanksgiving Day loss to the Chicago Bears came when the Detroit defense failed to stop the Bears in the red zone. On a key third-down situation, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn saw his defensive backs giving way too much cushion to the Bears receivers.

It resulted in an easy conversion that led to the game-winning field goal and also bled away any time for the Lions to counter. Glenn was asked about the situation and why his backs were playing so far off the line and so passively.

Glenn stated that he’s someone who “thinks players, not plays” when setting up his defense. In this case, the player was Will Harris. Normally a starting safety, Harris was thrust into duty as the nickel CB due to rookie AJ Parker’s injury. And Harris didn’t get the right call.

Being in an unusual circumstance and playing out of position, it’s easy to blame Harris. but Glenn believes he let his player down as a coach.

“That’s what, his second time playing nickel a whole game? Sometimes we put so much blame on players, but man, listen, that guy is just now learning,” Glenn said. “I told him, ‘That wasn’t your fault, man, that was my fault. Because I put you in that situation as a new player playing that position.’ So I’ve got to make sure I help that player, as far as how to operate in those situations.”

Reflecting upon his earlier statement that it’s players not plays, Glenn took the blame for Harris not understanding the assignment.

“To me, every player’s failure is my failure,” Glenn said. “I’m just built like that. Every player’s failure, I have to teach that in that situation. I will say this, Will won’t make that mistake again, because I’m going to make sure that I teach, as far as that situation is concerned. Other than that, I thought he did a pretty good job at playing a position we have to make him play that he’s used to playing the safety position.”

Glenn began his press conference with a heartfelt statement on the recent shooting at Oxford High School in the Detroit area, reflecting upon his experience as a father of three.

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Takeaways from the Lions loss to the Bears on Thanksgiving

Here are some morning-after takeaways on the Lions’ Thanksgiving loss to the Bears. 

The Detroit Lions failed to deliver a win once again in Week 12. Playing at home against a banged-up Chicago Bears team that had lost five in a row, the Lions once again couldn’t seal the deal on a late lead and fell, 16-14, on a last-second field goal by Bears kicker Cairo Santos.

Now that the tryptophan has worn off from the postgame turkey spread, it’s time to dive back into another game where the Lions played well enough to win but also just a bit worse to create the loss. Now 0-10-1 on the season, this game represented Detroit’s best chance all season to notch an entry in the win column.

Here are some morning-after takeaways on the Lions’ Thanksgiving loss to the Bears.

Detroit Lions vs. Chicago Bears game recap: Everything we know

Detroit Lions vs. Chicago Bears game recap: Score, stats, keys to the game, standout players and more

The opponent and the length of the kick might have changed, but the familiar script of the Detroit Lions losing on the last play of the game on an opposing field goal played out once again on Thanksgiving. For the third time this season, the Lions lost a game on the last play when the opponent kicked a field goal to seize the lead and the win.

This time it was the Chicago Bears, who prevailed 16-14 on Thursday when Cairo Santos drilled a 28-yard field goal as time expired. The Lions had led 14-13 for the entire fourth quarter but could not get a defensive stop when they needed it the most.

Lions DC Aaron Glenn lays out the focus on stopping Eagles QB Jalen Hurts

Jalen Hurts’ ability to win as both a runner and a deep passer is a big concern for Aaron Glenn and the Lions defense

One week after facing veteran Matthew Stafford at quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams, the Detroit Lions defense goes up against a very different type of signal-caller in Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Hurts is an accomplished runner, second only to Lamar Jackson in rushing yards by a QB with 361 through seven games. But Hurts can also throw the ball down the field well. In his second NFL season, Hurts has seen his completion percentage rocket up from 52 to 61, and he’s doing it while increasing his average air yards per attempt, too.

The ability to win in diverse ways is something that concerns Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. Hurts has been the focus for Glenn in preparing his defense for the Eagles this week.

“You’ve always got to make sure you’re on your toes with this player (Hurts),” Glenn said in his weekly press briefing. “Even if it’s a close game, he’s one of those guys that has the potential to pull it off. We have to make sure that we’re all good in that area and understand who he is and what he’s done over his career. The second thing is his ability to run with the ball.

You just said it, he has over 350 yards rushing, so we have to be able to contain that and make sure that he doesn’t get out of the pocket. So, our rush lanes have to be really, really good in that situation. We’ve already talked about that with our D-line. They understand that and we watched tape on that and we’ve seen how he’s been able to exploit different teams by being able to do that.”

Glenn then shifted focus to the speedy weapons at Hurts’ disposal in the Philadelphia offense,

“And then the next thing is just the skill players that he has. Those guys are making plays for them. I’ll tell you what, this (DeVonta Smith) 6 from Alabama, he’s a really good player. The one player that has surprised me also is (Quez Watkins) 16. He’s catching all of these deep balls, so they have an element of speed on that team, 18 (Jalen) Reagor, he’s done a nice job for them also. To me, he seems like he’s a lot faster than he showed last year. Skill players are there, they have a quarterback that can move around in the pocket and be able to distribute, so we’ve got to be careful of that.”

It’s been complicated for Glenn to get the defense ready. Two starting CBs, AJ Parker and Jerry Jacobs, missed practice on Thursday, and Parker’s status for Sunday’s game is up in the air.