Tag: Dan Campbell

Dan Campbell sees Malcolm Rodriguez and Jack Campbell taking on bigger roles

Lions coach Dan Campbell sees Malcolm Rodriguez and Jack Campbell taking on bigger roles with Alex Anzalone’s injury

As the season continues, the Lions defense seems to be getting thinner and thinner amid injuries. The trend continued last week when linebacker Alex Anzalone broke his forearm against the Jaguars; he will be out 6-8 weeks.

The Lions now have to fill a hole at linebacker, and Dan Campbell calls upon Malcolm Rodriguez.

“Yeah, it’s very important. I mean, he really does become somewhat the next man up,” Campbell said.

Rodriguez, a third-year man out of Oklahoma State, has made a name for himself in Detroit, becoming a fan favorite. So far throughout the season, he has tallied 16 solo tackles and two sacks in seven games after missing time with an injury of his own.

Alongside Rodriquez, Campbell looks to another young linebacker,  Jack Campbell, to take on a bigger role as well.

“I mean, he and Jack (Campbell) are going to take on the – Jack’s been playing with Alex in a heavy load, but it’s really Jack and Malcolm. I mean, those are the two that are – they’re going to take on the heaviest load of that whole room,” Campbell said.

It will be interesting to see how the two youngsters step up to the occasion and it is clear that Dan Campbell has high expectations for Rodriguez.

“He’ll be big for us and he’s going to be big the rest of the season, it doesn’t matter who we get back, we’re going to use him. He helps us there on defense and he helps us on special teams,” Campbell said.

Dan Campbell explains why he won’t ever pull starters before the fourth quarter

Lions head coach Dan Campbell explains why he won’t ever pull starters before the fourth quarter, even in blowouts like Week 11 vs. Jaguars

During the Detroit Lions runaway 52-6 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, head coach Dan Campbell kept his key starters in the game into the fourth quarter. The outcome had long been decided, but Jared Goff, Penei Sewell, Brian Branch, Alim McNeill and other prominent starters were still out there running wild and free over the hapless Jaguars.

Campbell took some criticism for that decision. In a game where the already injury-ravaged Lions defense lost starting LB and captain Alex Anzalone to a broken forearm, there was consternation that leaving the important players in was too much of an injury risk.

When asked about that in his weekly appearance on 97.1 The Ticket on Tuesday, Campbell pushed back hard at that notion. He explained his rationale for leaving starters in, even with the lopsided margin.

“Well you want to win the game. That’s number one,” Campbell told hosts Jim Costa and Jon Jansen. “What you don’t want to do is you get in one of those and you’re up, and then you decide you’re gonna let off the gas and, ‘Let’s get the starters out,’ and then they mount a comeback.”

The coach noted that it’s important to him to make sure the momentum doesn’t end. The Lions were playing excellent football and Campbell wanted to keep that sharpness and positivity going.

“You want to make sure you end on a good note,” Campbell explained. “You’re playing good, efficient football, the guys feel good about it, you’re in a rhythm, I think it bleeds into the next week and I think that’s important, so we did that.”

And then Campbell bluntly rejected the idea of pulling players before the fourth quarter out of fear of injury.

“If you’re able to pull them out in the early fourth, great, and we were able to do that,” Campbell explained. “But if you’re asking me to pull somebody out in the third quarter, or pull somebody out in the second quarter before Anzalone gets hurt, I’m never gonna do that.”

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David Long: What the Lions are getting in their new LB

Breaking down the game film and scouting report on new Lions LB David Long, signed to the practice squad to help replace Alex Anzalone

Despite demolishing the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, the Detroit Lions did receive some bad news regarding linebacker Alex Anzalone. It was confirmed yesterday that Anzalone will miss the remainder of the regular season with a broken forearm.

The injury occurred while Anzalone was making a tackle on Jaguars running back Travis Etienne with 2:32 left in the second quarter. As Etienne was getting near the sidelines, his left arm got caught between the running back and his teammate Brian Branch.

Fortunately, it does sound like Anzalone could return for the playoffs as he’s expected to only miss 6 – 8 weeks. To fill the void, the Lions will need players such as Malcolm Rodriguez and Jack Campbell to step up for the defense. In addition to that, the Lions signed linebacker David Long to their practice squad.

Rated as one of the best linebackers in football in 2023, Long being available was somewhat surprising last week. However, Long had lost his starting job on the Dolphins defense and he ended up being released on November 13, 2024.

Prior to playing a season and a half with the Dolphins, he had spent four seasons with the Tennessee Titans. Originally, he was drafted by the Titans in the 6th round of the 2019 NFL Draft out of West Virginia. Let’s dive into some film to see what the Lions are getting with linebacker David Long!

 

Starting with where I think Long could be best suited for Detroit and that would be whenever blitzing. As we know, the Lions have had to get creative in generating pressure with the loss of Aidan Hutchinson. Using different blitzes and line stunts, the Lions could get creative to get Long in the backfield.

Looking at the play above, you can see a clear blitz from Long (LB 11). He times the snap well and blitzes through the B-gap. In the process, he slips under the right tackle, who is trying to pull and kick him out. However, Long does a great job ripping underneath and making a tackle in the backfield.

Through the first four weeks of the season, Long was ranked 3rd in PFF’s tackle-for-loss rate database. In 65 run-defense snaps, he had earned a 6.15% tackle-for-loss rate. The hope for Detroit is that they can tap into some of what he was doing so well to start the season.

 

Staying with Long’s performance against the Bills from earlier this season, we go to my favorite play from him on tape. Through the four games that I watched, there were certainly some head scratching reads and plays from Long. However, the play above is a perfect example of Long playing with conviction and violence.

Looking at the play above, Long (LB 11) is aligned in a ’10’ (between guard and center) and he makes a great read. As he begins to trigger downhill, he’s met by Bills LT 73 Dion Dawkins. Rather than waiting for Dawkins to get square and seal him off, Long shocks and sheds the blocker.

As he creates separation, he’s able to see on either side of the blocker. Once he sees the running back make his cut, he slips underneath and makes a terrific tackle at the hole. This was textbook from Long, and the hope is the Lions can get him back to playing like that.

 

While the previous play was a great highlight, I do want to reiterate that it’s not all sunshine and rainbows when watching Long play. There are times that he looks hesitant, plays too slow or too fast or he simply just makes the wrong read.

When you’re a younger player, you can get away with that. However, when you’re a 6-year veteran and ranked as one of the top run defenders in the league over a period of time, it’s hard to justify bad performances when they stack up. That happens to be the case for David Long.

For example, when you look at the two clips posted above, we’ll start with the first one against Arizona. Long reads the zone blocks being executed by the Cardinals offensive line but as the play continues, he gets impatient and gets burned. Assuming that the running back is going to cut back, Long would have looked like a stud.

Instead, he looks somewhat foolish for trying to get around 3 players. He then goes for the tackle but instead of a good form tackle, he arm tackles and the running back continues up field from there.

Lastly, the second clip is against Jacksonville. Aligned in a ’20’ (head up over the guard), you can see Long’s initial steps go to his right. Much of that is due to him falling for the “eye candy” that is the pulling right guard. Fortunately, he recovers nicely due to his ability to change direction, get over the top and meet the running back in the C-gap.

So as you can see, there’s some pretty good play from Long and then there’s some head scratching plays. That tends to be the case for any player who ends up getting released during the middle of the season.

Early in the year against the Jaguars and Bills, it’s evident that Long was playing like his old self. However, he suffered a hamstring injury against the Seattle Seahawks in week 3 and he hasn’t looked right ever since. That could be causing him to play with that hesitation or that could be why he just looks slow on tape at times.

Fortunately, Long comes to a place like Detroit where they just get the best out of their players. They made it work with Charles Harris for two years. Defensive lineman John Cominsky looked like he was on his way out of the league but he’s been with the Lions for three seasons. It’s just how this team is coached and you better believe that David Long will be held to a high standard.

The Lions play the Indianapolis Colts this week and then have a quick turnaround to play the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving. If I had to guess, it’s unlikely that we’ll see Long play for the Lions during those two games. However, we could see him suit up against the Green Bay Packers in three weeks or potentially the Buffalo Bills the game after that. Regardless, it’ll take some time for him to get adjusted to the Lions defensive scheme.

While the Lions continue to battle through injuries on defense, they still push forward to the best record in the NFL and NFC. By adding David Long, the Lions could certainly use him for that late season push.

Lions score 52 points for second time in 2024 against AFC South foe

The Jaguars were destroyed by the Lions. They have company as the Titans were, too.

The Detroit Lions are 3-0 against the AFC South. Let’s focus on the games against the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars.

They feel like college games. You know, the cupcake type where teams get a big check for playing their foe.

The Lions downed the Jaguars 52-6 on Sunday.

That means they pummeled the Titans and Jaguars to the tune of 104-20.

Against the Jaguars, the Lions outgained Doug Pederson’s sorry squad 645-170.

That would be an NFL team allowed 645 yards.

The passing damage was 449-129. On the rushing side, it was 196-41.

Detroit had 38 first downs to Jacksonville’s 10.

This was all done despite the Jaguars only having one turnover.

Against the Titans and Jaguars, the Lions had 1,081 total yards.

They reached double-figure points in six of the eight quarters.

 

 

Key Matchups: Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Detroit Lions

Key Matchups: Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Detroit Lions

The Jacksonville Jaguars hope to pull off a significant upset as they travel north to take on the Detroit Lions in a matchup with plenty of disadvantages.

Jacksonville enters Week 11 with the projected No. 1 overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, according to Tankathon. The Jaguars are 2-8 and coming off a defensive slugfest of a loss against Minnesota without franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who is out again this week with an injury to his non-throwing shoulder.

Head coach Doug Pederson will not have a ton of edges against the Lions. Jaguars Wire looks at a few key matchups that will be critical against the Lions on Sunday afternoon.

Jacksonville WR Brian Thomas Jr. vs. Detroit’s secondary

This is a big moment for the rookie receiver. Brian Thomas Jr. has been one of the better wide receivers in the league this year, an impressive feat for a rookie. Now demanding double-coverage, per Pederson, Thomas will face an uber-talented Lions secondary that will likely continue that trend this weekend.

Thomas’ strength is his vertical game but he is much more than that as a receiver. He has developed into an all-around playmaker who threatens all three levels of the field with his speed, agility, fluidity and route running.

The challenge in Detroit will be taking on cornerbacks Carlton Davis III and Terrion Arnold and safeties Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch.

There is an argument that Branch has had a defensive player-of-the-year-worthy season. And while Detroit’s defense has allowed the fifth-most passing yards per game (244.2) in the NFL this season, it also gives up the third-fewest passing touchdowns per game (0.8).

If Pederson and offensive coordinator Press Taylor manufacture touches for Thomas, the Jaguars could find themselves in scoring positions more often. Thomas is bound for his true workhorse game and this week could be the one.

Jacksonville DE Josh Hines-Allen vs. Detroit OT Taylor Decker

Despite last week’s loss to Minnesota loss, Jacksonville edge rusher Josh Hines-Allen got the better of former teammate Cam Robinson, tallying eight pressures and forcing quarterback Sam Darnold into some rough decisions with the football.

According to Next Gen Stats, Hines-Allen leads the Jaguars in pressures and will line up opposite Lions left tackle Taylor Decker, whose pressure rate ranks in the bottom ten among players at his position at 10.6%.

This is one of the few Achilles heels on Detroit’s offense and there aren’t many of them. Decker is an overall sound tackle but arguably the weak link on the best offensive line in the NFL.

Hines-Allen has been a handful this season and has been continuously worthy of the contract extension that secured him as a true franchise cornerstone on a lowly team. A big day from the former Kentucky standout could keep this game a competitive one through all four quarters.

Jacksonville’s coaching vs. Detroit’s coaching

If you have watched any football between these two teams, it is clear there is a sizeable advantage. If not, this game features a Lions coaching staff that has one of the best offensive minds in the NFL in Ben Johnson, and a defensive coordinator who has his defense playing competitive football in Aaron Glenn.

Not to mention, Detroit is led by Dan Campbell, one of the most respected head coaches in football. It would be fair to expect him to get the most out of his players.

The Jaguars have been under a microscope for most of the season. After entering the season with playoff expectations, those expectations aren’t likely to be met unless they pull off a miraculous run in the final seven games.

If Pederson and the rest of his staff want to tone down the noise about their futures in Jacksonville, they must coach the best games of the season or at any point of their Jaguars tenure.

Last week, there were glimpses of the Jaguars generating more pressure with more blitzes. Defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen must coach a perfect game in this instance and find a way to force Lions quarterback Jared Goff into bad decisions for the second straight week.

Offensively, as stated in the aforementioned key matchup, having the game plan around getting the ball to Thomas is critical. Travis Etienne Jr.’s return to health helps with the loss of Tank Bigsby. Leaning on Thomas and Etienne will ease the pressure on backup quarterback Mac Jones.

It may seem like a tall task against one of the best coaching staffs in the league headed by Campbell, but the Jaguars have pulled off miracles under Pederson before. They could do it again in Detroit.

Dan Campbell on Za’Darius Smith: ‘He’s going to help us big-time’

Lions head coach Dan Campbell on new EDGE Za’Darius Smith: ‘He’s going to help us big-time’

Nearly two weeks after being acquired in a trade from the Cleveland Browns, defensive end Za’Darius Smith will take the field wearing Detroit Lions colors. Smith will make his Lions debut on Sunday in Week 11 against the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars.

Smith didn’t play in the Week 10 win in Houston, though the veteran EDGE was prominent on the Detroit sideline. Head coach Dan Campbell gave him the bye week he would have had while with Cleveland. Campbell is now ready to unleash his new defensive weapon–but with some limitations.

“Yeah, we’ll work him in, we’ll make sure that we use him appropriately,” Campbell told reporters about Smith before Friday’s practice. “Look, he’s going to play on all downs, but we’re going to maximize what he’s got in the tank to help us. I guess, if you – pitch count, yes, somewhere in there we’ll get him some.”

As for Campbell’s expectations of Smith? It’s clear the Lions aren’t asking the 32-year-old Smith to become Aidan Hutchinson.

Campbell noted how well Smith is blending in with fellow linemates Josh Paschal and Alim McNeill, as well as his attention to detail beyond just rushing the passer 1-on-1. He then warned fans not to expect gaudy sack production like Hutchinson was producing,

“So, would I love to see six sacks? Yeah, absolutely, but no, so don’t come out of this game being like, ‘Well, he didn’t get six sacks. I mean, what are we doing?’ He’s going to help us and that’s going to be evident. That was good to see him yesterday, he’s going to help us big-time.”

Watch: Dan Campbell delivers another epic postgame speech following Lions’ rally in Houston

Dan Campbell delivers another epic postgame speech following Lions’ rally in Houston

Resiliency. That’s been a key word regarding the 2024 Detroit Lions. The latest example came Sunday night when the Lions erased a 16-point deficit to score a 26-23 win on a game-winning field goal over the Houston Texans.

Needless to say, the locker room was buzzing after the game. Head coach Dan Campbell provided yet another of his prime postgame speeches, which started with Campbell saying “That is the definition of resiliency.”

 

The Lions could have packed it in, took their lumps and leave Houston with a 7-2 record. Instead, they kept control of the NFC, improving to 8-1 heading into a home game next week against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

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Darren Rizzi spoke with Dan Campbell after being named Saints interim coach

Darren Rizzi spoke with Dan Campbell after being named Saints interim coach. He had a front-row seat when Campbell was the Dolphins’ interim coach:

Did you know Darren Rizzi coached with Dan Campbell? Both men were on staff with the Miami Dolphins way back in 2015. Before he rose to  prominence as the Detroit Lions’ biggest personality, Campbell was raising eyebrows by running Oklahoma drills to set the tone in his first practice as the Dolphins’ interim coach.

After getting a laugh at that — of course the kneecap-biter ran physical one-on-one Oklahoma drills — Rizzi confirmed that he had spoken with Campbell after being named Saints interim coach. That’s an experience he felt he could draw from.

“I did speak with him, had a nice, long conversation with him,” Rizzi began, speaking Wednesday. “Dan’s a close friend. Dan’s quite frankly, if not the biggest reason I’m here, certainly one of them. One of the first things he said to me the other morning was, ‘Rizz, when we did this we did it together. Remember we did A, B, and C, we did X, Y, and Z.’ And I thought those were great things we did.”

Campbell wasn’t the only resource he pulled from. Rizzi also spoke with Todd Bowles (another former coworker with interim coach experience, now a head coach like Campbell), and Chris Tabor, another special teams coach who led the Carolina Panthers last year as their interim head coach. He said he also sought advice from legendary coach Bill Parcells, Sean Payton’s famous mentor.

“Dan, all those guys had some great advice, I certainly took it in,” Rizzi added.

We’ll see if it made a difference. Rizzi said in clear terms that the Saints are not throwing in the towel on this season. They have a tense rivalry game to win this weekend with an Atlanta Falcons team that’s already beaten them once this season, and then the back half of their schedule laid out through January. He’ll have every opportunity to put those lessons learned from Campbell, Bowles, Tabor and Parcellls to good use.

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Film Study: Lions new DE Za’Darius Smith is a near-perfect fit for the Lions defense

Film Study: Lions new DE Za’Darius Smith is a near-perfect fit for the Lions defense

It’s been a few weeks in the making but the Detroit Lions finally made the trade with the Cleveland Browns for Za’Darius Smith. Adding the talented defensive end was much needed after the Lions lost Aidan Hutchinson for the season due to his leg injury.

With this addition, the Lions are getting a veteran defender that has started more than 80 games in his career. During that time, he has over 300 tackles and 65 sacks. The former 4th round pick from the 2015 NFL Draft has found success playing for the Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns.

Currently, Smith is playing on a 2-year contract worth a total of $23 million dollars. For the Lions, most of that money has been paid out from the Browns so currently, Smith will count as a $605,000 cap hit for the Lions (per Spotrac). There is an option for the Lions to let him go after the season, if it isn’t a fit and it wouldn’t cost them anything in dead cap money. If the Lions decided to bring him back for 2025 to pair with Hutchinson, it would only cost them a cap hit of $5.4 million dollars.

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So, the tenured player has been a productive player and has more than a reasonable contract for the Lions. But what does he bring to the team? Let’s jump into some film to see what Smith will provide the Lions defense moving forward!

 

During the absence of Hutchinson, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn has done a good job getting creative to generate pressure. Whether it be blitzing from all angles or designing a variation of line stunts, Glenn is doing whatever he can to form some type of pass rush.

Now his job gets somewhat easier to execute that game plan with the addition of Za’Darius Smith. Looking at the play above, you’ll see Za’Darius Smith (Browns DE 99) executing a T/E stunt for the Browns defense last season against the Texans.

Watch as he loops inside; he has more than enough speed and burst to get through the hole and close to the quarterback. Fortunately for the quarterback, he’s able to get the pass the ball while throwing off his back foot. However, it’s 3rd-and-long, and it’s one of those plays where Smith interrupts the timing, and it could lead to a sack or turnover. Adding that to a defense that is 2nd in the NFL with 11 interceptions on defense could do wonders for this unit.

 

Jumping into some tape from this year, one thing that immediately stood out with Smith is how he provides alignment versatility. He can play in a wide-9, tilt-5 and pretty much anywhere else a defensive coordinator wants to put him.

Looking at the play above, you’ll see Smith (Browns DE 99) align standing up over the right tackle as a 5-technique. However, he’s aimed or tilted towards the right guard. As he goes to rip across the face of the right guard, his pad level is a bit too high but he does his job by collapsing the middle as an interior pass rusher.

This works perfectly as there’s an outside rush from two defenders with wide alignments. This forces the quarterback to step up in the pocket and this is where he’s met by Smith for the sack.

 

Lastly, I want to highlight Smith’s ability to stop the run. Looking at the play above from a game against the Ravens this year, we’ll see Smith (Browns DE 99) is aligned over the tight end to the right of the formation.

Once the ball is snapped, Smith displays good burst while being able to rip across the face of the tight end. In the process, he bends down the line-of-scrimmage and helps make the tackle.

Having Smith present on the Lions defensive line won’t just help with generating a pass rush. He will also assist in stopping the run and teams will have to find ways to block him.

Overall, this deal had to be done by the Lions. They needed help up front for their defense and they should get it moving forward. So far this season, Smith has played 324 defensive snaps (per PFF).

This has led to 5 sacks and 27 pressures for Smith this season. From PFF, he’s earned a 73.6 overall grade and a 71.1 pass rush grade. Certainly, Smith is not graded as highly as Aidan Hutchinson but he will enter as the highest graded edge defender that is active on the team right now.

Pairing Smith with Alim McNeill, DJ Reader, Josh Paschal and the rest of their defensive line combinations should do wonders for this Lions defense. Having a defensive end that can turn speed-to-power, align anywhere on the line-of-scrimmage and execute the designed line stunts will be impactful. This move was the correct one by the Lions franchise and it should pay off in a big way for the next year and a half.

Dan Campbell on potential Lions trades: ‘I can tell you we’re trying’

Dan Campbell on potential Lions trades: ‘I can tell you we’re trying’ but the Detroit coach isn’t worried if no deals get done

The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday afternoon, and as of publication time on Monday evening, the Lions have been quiet. There have been rumors and reports of talks with other teams, but nothing concrete involving Detroit.

Despite the seemingly urgent need for reinforcements on the injury-ravaged defensive line, the Lions haven’t been involved in any deals. Don’t mistake the inactivity for a lack of effort or diligence on the team’s part, however. Head coach Dan Campbell made that clear in his Monday press conference following the team’s impressive 24-14 win in Green Bay.

“Yeah, I think it’s hard to say. I don’t think it’s entirely up to us,” Campbell stated matter-of-factly. “I can tell you we’re trying, (Lions GM) Brad (Holmes)’s trying, and we’ve looked at everything, we really have, made a ton of calls, and he’s been rolling on it. So, we’ll see, we still have a little bit of time here. We have until tomorrow evening so, we’ll see what happens.”

Campbell seemed unconcerned if a deal doesn’t get done. He’s a firm believer in the guys already in the building, and he reiterated that faith in the current roster. When asked if feels like the team is lacking anywhere if they don’t make any moves, Campbell responded,

“No. I mean, look, if it’s not, we’re rolling. We got our guys and we’re going and that’s the bottom line. And if something doesn’t get done, we’ll start poaching some of these other practice squads, see if we can find some guys that we really liked when they were coming out that have some ability, see if they can grow, and then we’ll continue to give our guys here on this roster a shot.”