Tag: Dan Campbell

Film review: Lions Graham Glasgow played his worst game of the season against the Bills

Film review: Lions Graham Glasgow played his worst game of the season against the Bills

Coming off the best season of his career, it looked like Graham Glasgow really found his groove as he returned to Detroit. He played so well last season that the Lions gave him a three-year contract extension worth $20 million dollars, that included $9.5 million guaranteed.

Last season, he played almost 1200 snaps (highest in his career) and his performance earned an overall grade of 75.1 from Pro Football Focus (PFF). In pass protection, Glasgow allowed 46 pressures, 35 hurries, eight QB hits, and three sacks in 2023.

Moving onto 2024, the Lions signed guard Kevin Zeitler and that forced Glasgow to move to left guard. Unfortunately, this move has been less than ideal for Glasgow. Up to this point in the season, his blocking grades are way down from where they were a season ago.

According to PFF, Glasgow has earned a run blocking grade of 56.2, pass blocking grade of 54.5 and a 55.9 overall grade. Through 941 offensive snaps played, he’s already given up 33 pressures, seven QB hits and four sacks. Meanwhile, he earned the lowest offensive grade for any Lions player on offense against the Bills. His 34.3 overall grade against Buffalo was his lowest grade on the season. Let’s dive into some film and see what some of the issues were for Glasgow in week 15!

 

Starting with the first play that stands out on tape is this one between Graham Glasgow and Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver. Looking at the play above, you’ll see the Lions coming out of an empty formation. Once the ball is snapped, you’ll see Glasgow getting out of his stance at left guard.

Right out of his stance, his base looks a bit wide but furthermore, his pad level is far too high. Especially when playing against a defensive lineman with the blend and power that Ed Oliver possesses. Revealing too much of his chest, Glasgow starts getting blown off the ball.

From there, he’s never able to regain control or anchor against this bullrush from Oliver. This forces Goff to get sacked and ultimately, he fumbles the football in the process. The more I look at this rep, the more concerned I get with the right knee of Glasgow especially when seeing him sit out of practice all week with a knee injury.

 

Moving to a more positive play, there’s still plenty of good technical work from Glasgow on tape. Looking at the play above, the Lions throw out of a shotgun formation that features TE Sam LaPorta being sent on an exit motion prior to the snap.

Once the ball is snapped, you’ll see Goff spin out of some pressure before resetting his feet and throwing a pass to WR Allen Robinson. Despite the pass being broken up, one thing worth watching is LG Graham Glasgow. You’ll see him slide to his right and in the process, he picks up the defensive tackle that is aligned as a zero shade over the center.

In the process, Glasgow hits the defender and as he looks to reset his hands, he executes a snatch-trap technique. This pulls the defender to the ground and it helps keep an additional defender away from the quarterback.

Bills DT Ed Oliver generated a season-high 10 pressures on 42 pass rush snaps against the Lions. That’s the most pressures in a game by a defensive tackle this season, per Next Gen Stats. Additionally, Oliver generated 7 of those pressures against Glasgow.

Overall, there’s no need to hit the panic button with Glasgow, but I would proceed with caution, especially since he’s popped up on the injury report with a knee injury this week. Certainly, he’s allowed a bad day at the office but his performance against the Bills is concerning.

Meanwhile, there’s been growing concern over the last month as Glasgow has been playing his worst football of the season. That’s significant as the Lions enter the most important 3-game stretch of their season. With him being a veteran player, there are reasons to believe he can turn it around. Unfortunately, if there aren’t improvements soon, the Lions could be turning to a new left guard sooner rather than later.

 

John Cominsky unlikely to return this season, says Dan Campbell

Cominsky injured his knee in training camp and the hope was he’d be able to return by the postseason, but that doesn’t look like it’s happening

Lions head coach Dan Campbell gave injury updates this week and the news wasn’t all that great for defensive end John Cominsky.

Cominsky tore his MCL back in July. Initially, there was some hope he would be able to return at some point during the season. Campbell’s words this week, this late in the season, threw cold water on those hopes.

“I think it’s unlikely,” Campbell said abut the chances of Cominsky returning this season. “Man, he’s tried. He’s been rehabbing, he’s doing it. It’s just trying to get over that last little hump here. It’s been tough. He’s been doing everything he can, and those guys are doing a heck of a job rehabbing him, trying to get him back. But I think it’s unlikely.”

The Lions have endured a plethora of injuries overall, but particularly at the defensive end position. In addition to Cominsky, Aidan Hutchinson, Marcus Davenport and Derrick Barnes have also suffered injuries. There’s a chance Hutchinson can return if the Lions reach the Super Bowl. The others are not expected to return this season or in the playoffs.

Cominsky is in his third season with the Lions. Detroit claimed him off waivers from the Atlanta Falcons in 2022. In two seasons with the Lions, Cominsky has six sacks in 30 games (19 starts) with 66 total tackles. For his career, he has played in 57 games (20 starts) and has recorded 107 tackles and 7.5 sacks.

Rob Gronkowski (who once vetoed a trade to Detroit) would play for Dan Campbell’s Lions

Dan Campbell has Rob Gronkowski singing a different tune about the Lions.

It wasn’t that long ago the Detroit Lions were still considered a non-marquee NFL team. In fact, the Lions were once so completely rudderless that future Hall of Fame tight end Rob Gronkowski vetoed a trade to Detroit in 2018 at the near-apex of his legendary career.

To be fair, who could blame him back then?

Gronkowski is singing a different tune about the 12-2 Lions these days. (Yes, even with all of Detroit’s injuries.)

After Lions head coach Dan Campbell delivered a fiery speech about Detroit players not feeling sorry for themselves amidst their poor injury luck, Gronkowski told FanDuel’s Kay Adams that he “loved” Campbell.

So much so that he’d love to play for him if he was still in the NFL. That means, in effect, Gronkowski would finally play for the Lions because, you know, Campbell coaches them. What an unexpected twist:

It goes to show you what having a genuine leader like Campbell does for an NFL team. If someone like Gronkowski is now singing Campbell’s praises so much that even he wouldn’t mind playing for the Lions, one can only imagine the degree to which active Detroit players love their coach.

Well, there’s also the fact that the Lions are really, really good and are no longer cellar dwellers. Every great player wants to win. That definitely doesn’t hurt.

Dan Campbell delivers wrestling-esque promo, says loss to Bills ‘exactly what we needed’

Dan Campbell delivers wrestling-esque promo, says loss to Bills ‘exactly what we needed’

The Lions were left licking their wounds after Sunday’s humbling 48-42 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Head coach Dan Campbell took full responsibility for the loss after the game. To say he is fired up to bounce back from the loss is an understatement.

Campbell appeared on 97.1 The Ticket in Detroit Tuesday and went on quite the rant about the loss but, more importantly, how it could help the team going forward.

“What happens is, you get used to eating filet. And I’m talking all of us. And everything’s good. Life’s good, you know?” Campbell said. “But you forgot what it was like when you had nothing and you ate your f—ing molded bread. And it was just fine. And it gave you everything you needed. And sometimes you gotta get punched in the mouth and remember what it used to be like to really appreciate where you are. And we’ll do that.

“And so, we got bad tastes in our mouth, we got kicked around the other day,” Campbell added. “We lost a few guys. And you know what? It’s exactly what we needed. “This is exactly what we needed. So we’re going to bounce back. We’re going to respond. We got guys who are about to have an unbelievable opportunity here. And we will play the game any way needed to win.”

Detroit lost cornerback Carlton Davis (jaw), defensive tackle Alim McNeill (torn ACL) and cornerback Khalil Dorsey (broken leg) for the season during Sunday’s game, though Davis could return during the postseason, depending on his recovery.

The Lions will have a chance to bounce back this week against the Chicago Bears, who have lost eight straight after a 4-2 start. And they’re right in the crosshairs of an angry Lions team. Good luck, Chicago.

WATCH: Week 15 mini movie of Bills win over Lions

WATCH: Week 15 mini movie of Bills win over Lions

The Buffalo Bills held off a dangerous Detroit Lions team in Week 15 to win, 48-42, in what many considered a “Super Bowl preview”.

Quarterback Josh Allen and the offense continued their red-hot streak by scoring 48 points, their second straight 40-point game and eighth straight 30-point game. Meanwhile, the defense made a few game-altering plays to hold off a Lions offense that ranks first in the NFL.

The Bills improved to 11-3 on the year and currently sit in second place in the AFC.

In a game full of highlight-reel plays, relive the high-scoring showdown with a mini-movie from the Bills’ official YouTube channel:

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Dan Campbell tried boosting Lions fans’ morale with a fiery NSFW speech

Dan Campbell wants Lions fans to stop feeling sorry for themselves.

It’s been a tough couple of days for Detroit Lions fans.

After losing to the inevitability of Josh Allen, an already injury-ravaged Lions team likely lost its No. 1 cornerback, No. 1 defensive tackle, and starting running back for the rest of the 2024 season. And even with a stellar 12-2 record, with everything the Lions want to accomplish this year still in front of them, it sure feels like the sky is falling in Detroit.

Dan Campbell wants to hear about precisely none of this pity party.

During his weekly radio hit on 97.1 The Ticket in Detroit, Campbell delivered an emotional speech to Lions fans who were feeling down in the dumps about the team’s unfortunate collection of injuries. It’s a great message to a fanbase who should really understand that the Lions are no longer the sad-sack losers they were for decades, regardless of their current health. They’re better than that because that’s not how winners respond to adversity.

No one is throwing in the towel here. (Warning: NSFW language in the video below.)

The sentiment is clear. Campbell and his Lions players aren’t giving up on their Super Bowl 59 dreams just because the injury bug has hit them hard. Neither should Lions fans.

NFL legend humorously slams Dan Campbell for his onside kick decision

J.J. Watt didn’t like Campbell’s decision to try an onside kick against the Bills early in the fourth quarter

The Lions were humbled in their 48-42 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 15. One of the key moments came early in the fourth quarter when head coach Dan Campbell’s aggressive nature bit him. After the Lions went 70 yards in just two minutes to cut the lead to 38-28, Campbell decided to go for an onside kick to try and steal a possession and keep Bills quarterback Josh Allen off the field. Unfortunately for Campbell and the Lions, the decision backfired in spectacular fashion.

Instead of the Bills just taking over possession, Mack Hollins returned the ball all the way to the Lions’ 5-yard line. Buffalo needed just one play to find the end zone.

While that decision isn’t the main reason the Lions lost, it’s a decision that will be talked about all week. One national analyst had an interesting thought on the decision.

CBS NFL analyst and future Hall of Fame defensive end J.J. Watt had this to say about Campbell’s choice: “I ‘think’ I could wrestle a small bear, that doesn’t mean I should try it.’

Watt also noted that he loves that Dan Campbell “believes in his squad so much that he thinks everything they do will be successful…but onside kicks have a 7% success rate. Trying one with 12 minutes left while only down by 10 was insane.”

Campbell took full responsibility for not only the failed onside kick, but the loss itself. It was a roller coaster of a Sunday for Detroit but they are still atop the NFC standings at 12-2, but now have the Philadelphia Eagles also at 12-2 with the Minnesota Vikings having a chance to match as well Monday against the Chicago Bears. It’s not panic time yet in Detroit…but the worry meter rose slightly.

Dan Campbell takes the blame for the Lions loss to the Bills

Among several fingers pointing at himself, Campbell stated: “I have to do a much better job of getting these guys ready to roll, and to be urgent against this type of opponent.”

The Detroit Lions fell to the Buffalo Bills, 48-42, in a Week 15 shootout. Detroit couldn’t overcome a disastrous first quarter, falling behind 14-0 and gaining just five yards on eight plays while the Bills ripped off two TD drives of more than 70 yards.

Head coach Dan Campbell took the blame for the slow start and the Lions’ general unpreparedness for the game in his postgame press conference.

“I didn’t have the guys ready to go.”

That is a reflective understatement from the head coach. Campbell didn’t have a good day, nor did several of his underling coaches either.

“I put this on me,” Campbell continued. He noted several things the Bills did well that his team didn’t match, especially early in the game.

“We were not ready to play today,” Campbell said later. “We were not good enough today … it starts with me. I have to do a much better job of getting these guys ready to roll, and to be urgent against this type of opponent.”

Dan Campbell was so spooked by Josh Allen that he had the Lions try the most absurd onside kick

Dan Campbell broke his own rules and was punished for it.

Dan Campbell is known for making incredibly aggressive fourth-down calls. They have endeared him to Detroit Lions players and fans alike, specifically because of how much trust he shows in his juggernaut Super Bowl-caliber team. People love that kind of moxie.

However, after an extremely early onside kick call against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Campbell might want to reconsider how he approaches these special teams’ sequences moving forward.

With the Lions getting ripped apart by likely NFL MVP Josh Allen, Campbell showed too much fear about trying to stop the superstar quarterback. In a futile fourth-quarter comeback attempt, Campbell followed a Lions touchdown by having them try an onside kick … with 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Mind you, it was only a 10-point deficit at the time.

None of that is a typo. You read that right, dearest readers.

In effect, Campbell broke his own rule about trusting his team because he didn’t show much faith in the Lions stopping Allen and a scorching-hot Bills offense with almost an entire quarter to play. Campbell was appropriately rewarded for his overzealousness (and fear) with an easy return by Mack Hollins, who set up yet another Bills touchdown in a 48-42 Buffalo win.

Even Jim Nantz seemed perplexed by the call:

Given that onside kicks must always be announced and have an extremely low percentage of being recovered by the kicking team, Campbell had too much dip on the chip here. Yes, the Lions defense couldn’t do anything to Josh Allen. But an onside kick with 12 minutes left is basically giving a short field to an unstoppable Bills offense. It is tantamount to punting the game away if you don’t recover the ball. This was not a fourth-and-short play with the NFL’s premier offensive line.

It was literally calling for a lucky bounce of the ball.

Campbell had to know all of this, and he did it anyway. It’s pretty jarring to see him actually NOT trust this Lions team. Suffice it to say, that’s not the Campbell we’re used to seeing.

All 6-foot-9, 330 pounds of Dan Skipper catches TD pass for Lions

A big man touchdown for Lions offensive lineman Dan Skippper

The CBS broadcast explained all the different risky plays Dan Campbell had taken for the Detroit Lions since 2021. A few players later, the coach and OC Ben Johnson went to a trick play and had a touchdown.

Offensive lineman Ben Skipper, 6-foot-9, 330 pounds, lined up at tight end as an eligible receiver. He blocked, ran a short route and Jared Goff rolled out and saw his huge target wide open.

Skipper caught the pass like he was Amon-Ra St. Brown and rumbled into the end zone. After the PAT, the Lions trailed 21-14.

It was Skipper’s 54th career game and his first career touchdown.