Tag: Detroit Lions vs. San Francisco 49ers

Dan Campbell ‘Hard Knocks’ speech to the Lions has come to fruition

Dan Campbell ‘Hard Knocks’ speech to the Lions has come to fruition with Detroit playing for the NFC Championship

It’s been over three years since the Detroit Lions tabbed Dan Campbell as the head coach of the team. From the very beginning, people had their doubts. From the fans to the national media, there were a lot of doubters.

Much of it was due to what Campbell would say during his press conferences. Whether it was him referencing the team biting kneecaps or when he wore a racing helmet after being named grand marshal to a local race.

He got bashed again and again and again.

Taking it a step further, the Lions were picked to be on the HBO series Hard Knocks. Being featured on the show before winning anything of significance put Campbell and the Lions in an odd spot. People started to fall in the love with him and all of the speeches and catchphrases. Rightfully so, they were darn good.

One of the most popular speeches from Dan Campbell was the one above from an episode of Hard Knocks. At the time, the biggest takeaway was Campbell saying, “I don’t care if you have one ass cheek and three toes, I will beat your ass.”

No doubt, that’s awesome, but there’s more to it than that.

In addition to saying that, Campbell defined what the word “grit” meant to him. He talked about the distance the team will need to be willing to go. He said, “we’ll go a little longer. We’ll push a little harder. We’ll think a little deeper and little sharper.”

Following up with that, he said, “…normally I’m 100% but I only need 85% to beat you.”

Thinking back to just that, the first thing I thought of was the goal line block from Frank Ragnow against Vita Vea against the Buccaneers. This weekend, Ragnow blocked Vea from his knees while having a sprained knee, sprained ankle and other injuries sustained from the season. Far from 100%, Ragnow only needed 85% or possibly less than that to beat Vea on that specific play and it led to a Craig Reynolds touchdown on 4th and goal.

The more you listen to that specific speech from Dan Campbell, the more you can see the vision he had for a football player on the Detroit Lions. Changing the culture for any coach in any locker room is always tough. However, Campbell seems to have found a way to make it happen in Detroit.

It’s happened much sooner than most people have expected. Much of that is due to the Detroit Lions success this season. Winning the NFC North wasn’t unexpected and winning a playoff game felt somewhat likely for the Lions. Being one game away from the Super Bowl didn’t seem possible but right now, we wait for the Lions matchup against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game.

Love them or hate them, this Detroit Lions football team is different. Much of that is due to the locker room buying into their head coach and adapting to the culture he’s helped build. Everything Campbell said in these pep talks is the team the Lions have become.

 

Lions draw controversial referee for NFC Championship against the 49ers

Detroit Lions play against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship, where they will have a ref who they bad history with in the past

The Detroit Lions secured a decisive victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, earning their ticket to the NFC Championship where they are set to face the perennial powerhouse San Francisco 49ers. As the stage is set for this crucial matchup, the referee assignments have been announced, and unfortunately for the Lions, they find themselves under the oversight of Clete Blakeman, a referee with a troubled history in Detroit.

Clete Blakeman has been entrusted with refereeing duties for the NFC Championship, prompting disappointment among Lions fans. The mere mention of Blakeman brings back memories of the 2019 debacle when the Lions appeared on the verge of defeating the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night, only to be thwarted by a series of controversial calls, resulting in a heartbreaking 23-22 loss and almost ensuring the NFC North title for the Packers.

While the Lions had Blakeman as a referee earlier in the season during their matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders, there were no significant issues reported. However, an incident where he waved off a holding call from an umpire raised concerns about his attentiveness to his officiating responsibilities.

Despite Blakeman having one of the lowest totals for flags thrown (220), he has dismissed 45 of those calls, tying for the highest dismissal rate among officiating crews. Recent history includes the memorable flag-heavy game between the Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys, where flags seemed to fly every 30 seconds, with many being picked up later.

In the playoffs, officiating crews vary from the regular season, introducing an element of unpredictability. However, convincing Lions fans to overlook Blakeman’s contentious history with the team may prove challenging. As the NFC Championship game approaches, all eyes will be on how officiating unfolds, with the shadow of past grievances lingering in the background.

Lions advance to face the 49ers: What you need to know

The Liosn are preparing for their first NFC championship game in over 30 years and they will be heading out west for it agains the 49ers.

After not winning a playoff game in 33 years, the Detroit Lions are on the heels of winning their second one of the year.

The Lions were able to hold off a late push by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the divisional round. After a close shave against the Rams prior, Lions and their fans ae hoping for a little more comfort in the NFC championship game.

Their next game will be against the top seed in the NFC, the San Francisco 49ers. The winner of that game, of course, will head onto the Super Bowl on February 11.

Funny to think that a team that went 0-16 just 15 years ago is just 60 minutes away from the Super Bowl, potentially.

Lions will host a watch party at Ford Field for the NFC Championship game

Lions will host a watch party at Ford Field for the NFC Championship game

The NFC Championship game will be played at Levi’s Stadium in the San Francisco area, but the Detroit Lions still want fans to pack Ford Field for next Sunday’s game.

The team announced it will host a watch party at the home stadium. Doors will open at 5 p.m. ET, or 90 minutes before the scheduled kickoff in San Francisco. The title game will be shown on all the video boards and display screens inside Ford Field.

Tickets will go on sale on Monday morning for Lions loyalty members and at 3 p.m. on Monday afternoon for the general public. The 100-level sections and reserved seating will be available.

A portion of the proceeds will support the Detroit Lions Foundation for Youth & High School Sports.

Lions WR Tyrell Williams in concussion protocol

Williams suffered a brain injury on an illegal hit from 49ers Jaquiski Tartt

The injuries keep mounting for the Detroit Lions. Starting wide receiver Tyrell Williams is temporarily sidelined with a concussion.

Lions head coach Dan Campbell confirmed that Williams is in the NFL’s concussion protocol during his press conference on Monday. Williams left Sunday’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers after suffering a brain injury on an illegal hit for 49ers safety Jaquiski Tartt, who was penalized on the play.

The play ended Williams’ afternoon early. He managed just two catches for 14 yards in his Lions regular-season debut.

With Williams uncertain as the Lions prepare to face the Green Bay Packers on Monday night in Week 2, Detroit’s receiving corps will need someone to step up. Kalif Raymond led the WRs in snaps in Week 1. Both Raymond and rookie Amon-Ra St. Brown were targeted four times in the loss.

Campbell spoke well of St. Brown after the rookie’s NFL debut,

“Amon-Ra did a good job, but it was Amon-Ra’s first NFL football game against a very good team, good defense. He’s no different than all those other guys. It’s something to build off of.”

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Dan Campbell knows Lions have ‘so much stuff to clean up’ after Week 1 loss

Campbell rattled off a big list of things his Lions need to do better in Week 2 and beyond

The Detroit Lions nearly pulled off a stirring comeback in Week 1. In head coach Dan Campbell’s debut in Detroit, his Lions rallied from a 38-10 deficit early in the third quarter to having a late chance to tie the game before falling, 41-33.

In his postgame press conference, Campbell’s focus was on the early deficit. He was asked how the team fell behind so badly, so quickly.

“Look, it was two-fold. Offense, we go for it on fourth and we don’t get it,” Campbell responded. “I don’t—I’m not going to second guess that. I wanted to be aggressive, I wanted to try and find a way to get seven on the board instead of three. Defense goes out there, gets a stop. Turnover, first one out—we talk about turnovers. Well, now we have a chance to capitalize. We get in a second-and-long, we throw a screen. The timing’s not good, we get blasted. We lose yards, now we’re out of field goal range. We make it a longer field goal, we kick, we miss. And so now we’ve just squandered two opportunities on offense, when we could have capitalized on what the defense did for us.”

Campbell was just getting going on the woeful first half.

“And then on the flip side, the defense, we don’t get our first stop
until the third quarter. I mean really—we did get the turnover, but they scored on every possession after that. And so now, you feel like you’re trying to stay true to who you are offensively but now you get forced in kind of a world that you’re not in. We had tackles for losses in our run game, we’re not capitalizing on third down. I think we were 27 percent. It’s not good enough. And then two-for-five on fourth certainly isn’t good enough. So it was truly a team effort. It was truly a team effort and it just got out of hand early.”

The coach knew the game script got away from what he and his staff wanted.

“You throw the ball 57 times, that’s not our game man,” Campbell said dejectedly. “We’re not going to win a lot of those games. Now, we had a chance. We gave ourselves a chance, but we have to eliminate all the little stuff. There’s going to be so much stuff to clean up on that tape.”

Campbell knows that the comeback was nice and showed the grit and effort he demands of his players, but also that his team should never need to overcome a 28-point hole they helped dig for themselves, too.

Lions Week 1 snap count notes: Detroit dominated possession

Detroit’s offense ran 92 plays while the defense was on the field for just 55

The Detroit Lions struggled early before a late surge gave the team an improbable shot at coming all the way back against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1. Breaking down the player participation rates tells some of the story of the game for Detroit.

The sheer volume of offensive versus defensive snap counts really stands out. Detroit’s offense ran 92 plays, while San Francisco was on the field for just 55 offensive reps. Six Lions played all 92 offensive snaps: the entire offensive line and QB Jared Goff.

Tight end T.J. Hockenson was next up at 78 snaps. The wide receivers broke down interestingly, with Kalif Raymond topping the list at 69. Rookie Amon-Ra St. Brown was next at 59, followed by Trinity Benson (49), Tyrell Williams (39) and Quintez Cephus (32). Williams did leave the game after being struck in the head on an illegal hit.

D’Andre Swift was not limited in Week 1. Though Jamaal Williams grabbed the start against San Francisco, Swift nearly doubled Williams in total snaps, 63 to 32. Fullback Jason Cabinda was in for 10 reps, at least two of which featured him aligned at tight end. With Jermar Jefferson a healthy scratch, No. 3 RB Godwin Igwebuike only played on special teams.

On defense, only three players earned iron man status by playing all 55 reps: LB Alex Anzalone, S Will Harris and CB Amani Oruwariye.

Safety Tracy Walker missed just one rep, and that one Walker sat was the only time the Lions used backup C.J. Moore all game. Detroit had just one play where three safeties were on the field, which also served as the only one snap Dean Marlowe played on defense.

Cornerback Jeff Okudah was on the field for all 48 snaps before he left with a lower leg injury. Rookie Ifeatu Melifonwu had played sparingly prior to Okudah’s departure and finished with 12 snaps after taking over. Fellow rookie Derrick Barnes saw just five reps on defense, though he was sidelined with trainers for some time with an apparent minor ankle issue.

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Lions vs 49ers: Studs and Duds for Week 1

The Detroit Lions comeback came up short against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1, but some performed well where others fell short.

When Dan Campbell took over, he assured everyone this team would give up and put up a fight through every second of the game. And that is exactly what was given. So even though the Detroit Lions comeback ended up falling short, dropping their season opener to the San Francisco 49ers 41-33, you can see the fight in this team that has been missing from years past.

Throughout the game, it became apparent the Lions were being outplayed by the offensive genius, Kyle Shanahan. It seemed he could do anything he wanted against a Lions defense that had some high hopes entering the season.  Somehow the Lions made it interesting at the end with a successful onside kick and well-timed turnover, where it looked like the Lions had something brewing, but it was too much of a hole for the Lions to dig themselves out of.

Thankfully, there were some bright spots the Lions can work with heading into Week 2, but on the other side of the coin, there are too many lackluster performances in this week’s studs and duds.

Detroit Lions vs. San Francisco 49ers game recap: Everything we know

Breaking down the score, stats, plays and stories that led to the Lions loss to the 49ers

The Detroit Lions fell in the 2021 home opener, losing to the San Francisco 49ers 41-33 in Ford Field in Week 1. It’s a setback to start the new Dan Campbell regime, falling to the visiting 49ers and their fast start.

The game turned quite competitive late after the 49ers completely dominated the first two-thirds of the matchup. San Francisco held on with a final defensive stand to thwart a spirited Detroit comeback.

The Lions are 0-1, the 49ers are 1-0.

Lions inactives for Week 1 vs. 49ers

The Detroit Lions inactives for Week 1 vs. 49ers includes Levi Onwuzurike and Julian Okwara

The new league year didn’t change the weirdly antiquated notion of declaring several players from the active roster ineligible to play each week. The Lions did their duty and ruled out the following players from the Week 1 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers:

  • WR KhaDarel Hodge
  • RB Jermar Jefferson
  • WR Tom Kennedy
  • OL Tommy Kraemer
  • OLB Julian Okwara
  • DE Levi Onwuzurike

Onwuzurike is the only injury-related scratch. The rookie DE was questionable with a hip injury.

Okwara is a bit of a surprise. The second-year pass rusher was productive in the preseason but is not one of the top OLB options against the run-heavy 49ers.

The 49ers also released their inactive player list: