Tag: Dave Fipp

Ezekiel Turner earns Lions’ coaching trust in replacing key special teamer

Recently signed LB Ezekiel Turner earns Lions’ special teams coach Dave Fipp’s trust in replacing injured Jalen Reeves-Maybin

During the Detroit Lions’ 52-6 blowout win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 11, fans might have noticed No. 47 in Honolulu Blue racing all over the field on special teams. That was Ezekiel Turner, signed to the active roster after a stint on the Lions’ practice squad.

Turner had a very impressive game on coverage units in Ford Field. The lightweight LB (he’s listed at 214 pounds) technically made his Detroit debut against Houston, facing the team he began the 2024 campaign with in Week 10 as a practice squad elevation. He only played on special teams against the Texans, but Turner snuck in a few defensive reps against the Jaguars after being signed to Detroit’s 53-man roster.

The 28-year-old Turner spent his first six NFL seasons playing primarily special teams for the Arizona Cardinals. He was effectively the Arizona version of longtime Lions special teams stalwart and reserve LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin.

As special teams coordinator Dave Fipp explained, Turner was a very natural and obvious player to get into the lineup when Reeves-Maybin went down with an injury. The veteran Reeves-Maybin was placed on I.R. ahead of Week 10 with a neck injury.

“He really has a very similar game to Jalen Reeves-Maybin and they both play personal protector, they’ve actually both played in the same punt system,” Fipp told reporters. “Us and Arizona kind of use the same terminology, system, very similar in that regard.”

The similarities extend beyond just the vernacular, and that has helped Fipp integrate Turner quickly into Reeves-Maybin’s important shoes on special teams.

“They are also very aggressive with the fakes and all that stuff, so he has experience doing all that for them,” Fipp stated. “Just the way he covers, the way he plays the game is very similar to Jalen Reeves-Maybin, so it was like just a natural slide in and fit. So, it was an easy decision for us. He’s super smart and intelligent. I’ve got a lot of confidence and faith and trust in him already, in a very short period of time. The special teams coach from Arizona (Jeff Rodgers) sent me a text message and said, ‘I don’t know if I trust another guy more than I trust him,’ and that’s a guy I respect quite a bit.”

With Alex Anzalone now out, Turner could get called upon for more defensive work in Week 12.

Lions special teams coach Dave Fipp tears down PFF’s grading system

Lions special teams coach Dave Fipp takes down PFF’s grading system in a lengthy, amusing answer that claims PFF focuses on the wrong things

Thursdays are the weekly media sessions with the Detroit Lions coordinators instead of head coach Dan Campbell. Offensive guru Ben Johnson, defensive mastermind Aaron Glenn and special teams maven Dave Fipp all have distinct styles and relationships with how they handle their media sessions.

This Thursday’s was full of useful nuggets and tidbits from all three, as is usually the case. All three are candid, fairly open and seem to enjoy the interactions–especially Fipp.

Fipp is known for his lengthy, meandering answers in his press conferences–and even in just general conversation. I had a very engaging 10-minute briefing with Fipp during training camp that consisted of exactly two questions and answers, so this latest one is true to Fipp’s form.

This time, Fipp began by giving a meaty response about the utter unimportance of DVOA, a metric originally created by Football Outsiders. It’s self-definition,

“DVOA measures a team’s efficiency by comparing success on every single play to a league average based on situation and opponent.”

After noting how the special teams DVOA metrics overvalues return yards, Fipp turned his attention to Pro Football Focus, or PFF. It’s probably best to just let you read it…(as transcribed by the Lions media relations):

“So, the next one is PFF, and I’ve got two good stories for you on PFF, and it’s the PFF grades. And this came up this week again because somebody in the building came to me and said, ‘Hey, there is this player, he’s playing really well for you guys.’ And I’m like, ‘Who said that?’ They said, ‘Well, PFF.’ And I was like, ‘OK.’ Well, here’s two stories for you on PFF. Number one is, I get on a plane, I think I was going to the Combine, this is years ago, and when I sit down, this guy sitting next to me says, ‘Hey, are you a coach for – ‘ I think I was with Philly at the time. I’m like, ‘Yeah,’ And he’s like, ‘Ah, I’m a grader of PFF.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, OK.’ He was a young guy, I’m like, ‘Tell me about yourself.’ The guy had never coached football, never played football and he’s grading our players on who played good and who played bad.

So, I’m like, ‘Wow.’ So, the PFF grade, like, OK. And the next thing on that is, we play a game at the Giants and the special teams coach at the time or assistant there at the time was a good friend of mine, and he came up to me before the game and he said, ‘Hey man, just so you know, this player –‘ I can’t say his name, he’s actually in the media nowadays, but he said, ‘This player, he’s the best rated front-line blocker on kickoff return in the National Football League.’ And I was like, ‘Who said that?’ And he was like, ‘PFF.’ And then I was like, ‘PFF?’

I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ I’m like, ‘Number one, this guy’s like the worst blocker on our team.’ But number two, we put him on these matchups on the backside of the return every week where he’s blocking basically a guy that doesn’t need to be blocked, but we kind of have to block him just in case. So, he wins the matchup, so he got a good PFF grade, and he’s really the worst player on our team at this job description, but he’s really the best with PFF.

So, when those two things came up, DVOA, PFF, where you’ve got to be good at, all that stuff, you’ve got to be better in the football games and we’ve done a good job of that. But we’ve got our hands full, man, it’s not going to get easier.”

For the record, Fipp’s special teams unit currently ranks sixth overall in PFF’s special teams grade.

Detroit Lions Podcast: Trade options, Titans recap, referee foibles and more

Detroit Lions Podcast: Breaking down trade options, Titans recap, referee foibles, Jamo’s latest saga and celebrating Dave Fipp

The latest episode of the Detroit Lions Podcast is now available to watch or stream. Recorded live on Wednesday night, this edition covers the first-place Lions as the team approaches the trade deadline in need of pass rushing help–but no help needed on special teams.

Going through the Lions oddly competitive (at least early) blowout win over Tennessee, it’s a testament to the coaching strength and cohesion fostered by GM Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell. Special teams coordinator Dave Fipp sometimes gets overlooked, but not this time! His units are doing fantastic and surged even higher in Week 8.

Jameson Williams is once again in the news for non-football reasons, and his latest saga has to be talked about. So too does Clete Blakeman being the referee for this Sunday’s NFC North showdown with the Green Bay Packers.

 

It’s also NFL trade deadline week. We discuss the latest rumors and concepts of trading–what is possible and what is pure fantasy. The show concludes by answering a simply complex question: can the Lions win in Green Bay?

As always, the audio-only version of the show is available from your favorite podcast provider.

Lions putting the ‘special’ in special teams in 2024

The Detroit Lions special teams under coordinator Dave Fipp are off to a record-setting start through Week 8

By now, most fans around the country know all about the high-powered Detroit Lions offense. Coordinator Ben Johnson is one of the most recognizable assistant coaches for his creativity and Detroit’s prodigious production. It’s the No. 1 scoring offense in the league.

Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is earning a lot more praise lately, too. His defense has markedly improved across the board, even with a barrage of injuries to pass rushers. Detroit’s scoring defense ranks 8th, and no team is better at defending third downs than Glenn’s Lions.

That helps set the table for the Lions special teams. The performance of the punt and kick units merits considerably more attention for Detroit’s other coordinator, special teams guru Dave Fipp.

Like his more celebrated coaching mates in Detroit, Fipp has crafted a fantastic unit. After a Week 8 performance that saw Kalif Raymond earn NFC Special Teams Player of the Week, Khalil Dorsey run back a kickoff for 70 yards, and punter Jack Fox had one of the best punting days in NFL history, it’s time to show Fipp a little love.

As noted by The 33rd Team, Fipp’s special teams are having an amazing season. Detroit ranks first for any team in any season since 2000 in net punting yards and yards per kickoff return. Factor in a perfect start on field goals by kicker Jake Bates and a clean protection for the specialists, and these Lions do indeed have very special special teams in 2024.

It’s a testament to the team’s depth, Fipp’s teaching and coaching prowess, and a team-wide emphasis on winning with all three units.

Potential worries about the 2024 Detroit Lions: Kicking

The Lions have a kicker who’d never made a field goal in a game before 2024 in Jake Bates

The defending NFC North champion Detroit Lions were within a half of making the first Super Bowl in franchise history. Nearly all the key pieces from that 12-5 team return. GM Brad Holmes and his crew prominently addressed the two biggest weaknesses that held back the 2023 Lions: the pass coverage and pass rush.

It is a season full of boundless potential in Detroit. Yet all teams have some vulnerabilities, and next up in the series of potential pitfalls to the 2024 Lions season is arguably the biggest potential weakness on the entire roster.

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The kicker.

It’s certainly the most unproven spot on the Lions team. Wildly inexperienced Jake Bates won the role when record-setting holdover Michael Badgley was lost for the year with a hamstring injury.

Bates came to prominence with the UFL’s Michigan Panthers, who play their home dates in Ford Field. He hammered home the longest field goal in that building’s history in the Panthers’ opener in the spring of 2024.

The new kicker comes as a complete greenhorn. Bates didn’t kick field goals or extra points in college, starting out as a soccer player at Central Arkansas before handling kickoffs only at Texas State and Arkansas. The 64-yarder was the first successful field goal in Bates’ career at any level.

Bates’ inexperience has shown throughout the summer. He’s had some very good days in practice, no doubt about it. He also finished the summer season making just 80 percent of his extra point attempts in practices and three preseason games in a league where 95 percent is not considered good enough. Bates can boom the ball with exceedingly rare leg strength, but the control and consistency of contact are still very much works in progress. The two failed kickoffs in the final preseason game were both mis-hit attempts, which is something that rarely happens with more experienced kickers.

Coming off a season where Badgley was perfect on field goals and set the franchise record for longest postseason field goal, Bates has some big shoes to fill. The team, notably special teams coordinator Dave Fipp, loves his leg talent and potential.

Relying on such an inexperienced kicker is a major gamble for the Lions. Just for good measure, Detroit is also breaking in a new long snapper in undrafted rookie Hogan Hatten, too. Inexperienced doesn’t mean “bad”; it means “never done it before.”

Lions toying with using different kick return and kickoff coverage packages

Lions special teams coach Dave Fipp is toying with using different kick return and kickoff coverage packages

NFL teams are still feeling out the new kickoff formation and rules. For Lions special teams coordinator Dave Fipp, the unknown is a great opportunity for innovation.

Fipp and head coach Dan Campbell watched every kickoff and return from the first week of preseason, and seeing what other teams were doing energized Fipp beyond his typical zestful self. As Fipp talked to John Maakaron of SI and myself after Monday’s practice, I asked the veteran coach about the potential to use special packages and different players based on different game situations for both the kickoff and the return.

“I think that’s possible. I think it’s also possible that depending on the situation, maybe we have a different cover group. Different situation, different cover group, different kick placement,” Fipp said. “But ultimately, I think all of it is going to depend upon what the touchback line is, which right now is the 30.”

Touchbacks, balls kicked through the end zone, have been moved back from the 35-yard line to the 30 in a recent league-wide memo. That change gives more incentive to just kick the ball out of the end zone and let the opponent take over at the 30 without taking any time off the clock. The five yards might not seem like much, but it was clearly a big deal to Fipp.

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“Initially in the offseason it was 35. And then they changed that before they put the rule in officially, and then made it the 30,” Fipp continued. “And that’s probably going to affect a lot, because if it’s the 35, the play is going to play out a whole lot different.”

It is possible we see return units where Fipp wants them to be aggressive and try to get a big return, while at other times, the Lions might value ball security and clock management and go with a different group. Expect to see more experimentation from Fipp and his units in the next two preseason games as everyone learns more nuances of the new rules.

The kick return positions (there are two now) are still up in the air. Maurice Alexander, Kalif Raymond, rookie Isaiah Williams and Amon-Ra St. Brown have seen the most reps throughout practice, including during Wednesday’s session.

In kick coverage, recently added LB Malik Jefferson and two holdover defensive backs, Kindle Vildor and Khalil Dorsey, have been the biggest standouts. Linebackers Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Malcolm Rodriguez have also thrived and figure to be staples of the new-look unit.

Dave Fipp explains why the Lions haven’t brought in another kicker

Dave Fipp explains why the Lions haven’t brought in another kicker

The Detroit Lions are riding with former Michigan Panthers standout Jake Bates as the kicker. Based on what Detroit special teams coach Dave Fipp indicated after Monday night’s practice, the team is prepared to ride or die with the unproven Bates.

Fipp is a strong believer that the ride will end up being a great one, even if there are some bumps along the way.

Those bumps have been big ones throughout Bates’ tenure in Detroit. He had a three-day stretch of practices where he did not make even 60 percent of his field goal attempts and also missed two extra points. Bates’ work on kickoffs has also been all over the field, with inconsistent placement and an oddly high number of mis-hits for a former soccer player.

Bates did iron out the accuracy on the field goals lately. He rammed home a dead solid perfect 53-yarder in the preseason opener in New York — in the rain, no less. While he did follow that up with a mis-hit on the kickoff that resulted in a costly penalty, Bates continues to build his confidence. He ended Sunday’s practice with a 64-yarder that was also a no-doubter.

Fipp sees that confidence and believes in fostering it.

“Obviously the big kick (vs. the Giants) helped,” Fipp said after Monday’s practice, an evening where Bates did not miss any attempts. “I think the biggest thing for him is getting a little bit better — and it’s really every player, and it’s easy for me to say that — but it really is the truth.

You don’t have to go out there and make every kick. Nobody’s going to do that. What you do have to do is show incremental improvement. And I think as long as you’re developing as a player in this league, you’ve got a chance.”

Asked about how an inexperienced kicker like Bates, who never kicked a field goal in college, can get that incremental improvement, Fipp responded,

“I think a lot of it is repetition. And that kind of hurt him early; he didn’t have the whole offseason with us. We picked him up right as the offseason (minicamp and OTAs) ended … he got a little work in but not that much.”

Since Lions kicker Michael Badgley suffered a season-ending hamstring injury, Bates has been the only kicker in camp. That’s by design, according to Fipp.

“It’s terrible that Badgley’s not here, but in a way for (Bates) it’s helped because it’s increased his workload. And that was part of the decision not to bring someone else in.”

The Lions did host workouts for a few free agent kickers, but Fipp believes in Bates’ huge leg and that more reps will make him much more accurate and consistent. When asked a similar question about bringing in other kickers, Fipp reiterated that point.

“We’ve got a super talented guy,” Fipp said.

The always cheerful Fipp ended his thoughts on Bates with three words:

“Improving, confidence, repetition.”

 

Dan Campbell ‘absolutely in favor’ of the NFL’s new kickoff format

Lions coach Dan Campbell ‘absolutely in favor’ of NFL’s new kickoff format and has already worked with ST Coordinator Dave Fipp on ideas

The NFL approved a fairly radical change to the way kickoffs and kick returns will be handled this week. During the NFL owners’ meetings in Orlando, the league effectively replaced the existing kickoff format and structure with the innovative kickoff and kick returns used by the XFL (now part of the UFL).

Effectively, the league is trying to bring back the excitement of the kick return while making it safer for players.

At his Tuesday morning press conference, Lions head coach Dan Campbell voiced strong support for the change.

“Absolutely in favor of it,” Campbell said when asked about the new kickoff. “Because it gives us a chance to play special teams.”

Campbell elaborated,

“What happened last year, felt like it took a significant amount of plays out of the game. And those were from special teams and, you know, you don’t really make it up anywhere else.”

The coach continued, focusing on the safety aspect of the new play.

“We put an emphasis on (kick return) and I believe in it. I think the argument is, ‘well, you’re bringing more plays back in so now injuries could (increase)’. Yeah, because there are more plays. But it feels like what we’ve done with it — it’s been so condensed that the impact is out of it. Doesn’t mean there won’t be an injury.”

In fact, Campbell expressed his excitement over the potential of exploiting the unknown. After noting that some are afraid of the unknown, he and special teams coordinator Dave Fipp see a big opportunity.

“Fipp and I have already been back there talking about — watching all these XFL clips and you’re looking at different body types and looking at returners and you’re look at scheme. I think the unknown is what the coaching is for. You mess with it, you tinker with it … I’m excited about it.”

The Lions haven’t had a kickoff return for a touchdown since Jamal Agnew took one to the house against the Eagles back in September of 2019. Detroit only attempted 19 returns on 83 kickoffs during the 2023 regular season. THe rule change should make that figure and percentage skyrocket in 2024.

 

Lions DC Aaron Glenn voted top coordinator in NFLPA survey

Lions DC Aaron Glenn voted top coordinator in an NFLPA survey of over 750 players

Aaron Glenn isn’t always popular with Lions fans for his inconsistent defenses in his three years running Detroit’s defense. However, Glenn was the top-rated defensive coordinator to be a head coaching candidate this offseason in a survey of over 750 active NFL defensive players.

The survey, conducted and published by the NFLPA, included Glenn as the top defensive coordinator as a head coaching candidate. Lions special teams coordinator Dave Fipp came in fourth in his coaching group.

NFLPA president JC Tretter, via ESPN, offered up an interesting comment about Glenn’s resounding support as a head coach candidate by the players,

Tretter said Glenn, who has not yet had the chance to be a head coach but tops the defensive list ahead of four guys who have, was the No. 1 overall rated coordinator in the survey across all three categories.

The survey was conducted between August and November and was open to all active NFL players. Notably, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was not one of the top five OCs in the player survey.

Blocked extra point kept Lions coordinator Dave Fipp up on Christmas Eve night

A blocked extra point kept Lions coordinator Dave Fipp up on Christmas eve night after Detroit’s win over the Vikings

Lions special teams coordinator Dave Fipp highlighted why it’s so hard to be a coach in the NFL. Instead of celebrating a Lions division title and enjoying Christmas after Detroit won in Minnesota, Fipp couldn’t stop thinking about a mistake his extra point unit made in the game.

The Vikings blocked an extra point by new Lions kicker Michael Badgley in the third quarter of Sunday’s game. Badgley’s kick never had a chance. Fipp agonized over the error.

“Well, I woke up in the middle of the night thinking about it,” Fipp told reporters in his weekly press conference. “I woke up – yeah, I mean, a million times you think about those plays. The negative plays stick with you much more so than any of the positive plays. In my time, we’ve made a lot of plays too, but the ones that really stick with you the longest are all the negative plays.”

Fipp didn’t want to reveal which player made the costly mistake, but he clearly wasn’t happy about the poor execution. The block came in the gap between Benito Jones and James Mitchell.

“Yeah, I’m not going to get into it in detail, but we had one player who didn’t execute exactly how he should’ve,” Fipp said. “The first rep of the game was perfect and then didn’t do his job the way he was supposed to do on the next one and so that happened.”