Tag: jack fox

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.

Jack Fox named Week 3 NFC Special Teams Player of the Week

Jack Fox named Week 3 NFC Special Teams Player of the Week

Jack Fox wrapped up a strong week by taking home some hardware. The Lions’ punter was named Week 3’s Special Teams Player of the Week.

Fox was a key piece in Detroit’s 20-13 win Sunday over the Arizona Cardinals. Four of his five punts were inside the 20 and he averaged 49.4 yards per punt.

For the season, he has eight punts inside the 20 and is averaging 49.5 yards per punt with a net average of 44.0. Fox’s 68-yard punt Sunday currently marks as the second longest of the season. Ryan Rehkow of the Bengals had an 80-yard punt in Week 1 against the Patriots.

 

Dan Campbell calls punter Jack Fox ‘the story of the game’ in Week 3 win

Dan Campbell calls punter Jack Fox ‘the story of the game’ in Week 3 win over the Arizona Cardinals

It’s not often after a win that a head coach praises a punter as being the key to victory, but not every head coach is Detroit’s Dan Campbell. And not every punter is Jack Fox of the Lions.

Fox had an outstanding game in the Lions’ Week 3 win over the Cardinals. Just ask Campbell, which happened in the coach’s Monday media session.

“Fox was – I don’t know how you play any better than Fox did as a punter,” Campbell enthused. “Five punts, first one, touchback, 68 yards and there’s a penalty on it so they start at the 10. Then he has a 61-yarder, they start at the two-yard line – great job by (CB Khalil Dorsey) Dorse getting down there.

Then he puts them on the 12, then he puts them on the nine, then he puts them on the seven, so their average start line was the eight-yard line after five punts – big time, man, Fox just continues to raise his level of play. And we had no penalties in the special teams unit, so I thought he and Dorsey really excelled on teams. That was really the story of the game.”

For the game, Fox punted five times with a net of 49.4 yards, with four of those punts being downed inside the Cardinals 20-yard line. Arizona return man Greg Dortch made two fair catches and did not attempt a return.

Lions vs. Cowboys: Last-minute thoughts and final score prediction

Lions vs. Cowboys: Last-minute thoughts and final score prediction for Saturday night’s edition of Monday Night Football

The Detroit Lions playing on Monday Night Football in the NFL’s penultimate weekend is pretty special, even though the MNF game will be played on Saturday night. It’s that oddity that swirls around the morning coffee mug as I anxiously await watching the NFC North champions play a de facto playoff game.

Or will it be a playoff game feel for Detroit? It certainly will for Dallas, what with the Cowboys playing for the NFC East title and the home playoff game(s) that comes with that. For the Lions? Detroit already wrapped up at least the No. 3 seed. The No. 2 and perhaps even No. 1 seed are still within reach, and that should be powerful enough motivation for Dan Campbell and his Lions players.

 

Why I think the Lions will win

  • The running game. It’s not just the combination of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, arguably the NFL’s best 1-2 punch at running back. It’s also not just Detroit’s intact offensive line, the top run-blocking unit (per PFF) in the league. It’s also the Cowboys being a defensive front that is designed to rush the passer and only rush the passer. They’re really freaking good at rushing the passer. Against the run? Dallas allows 4.98 yards per carry on 1st-and-10, 31st in the NFL. In the last five games, that figure balloons to 5.8. As long as Ben Johnson remembers to run, the Lions should thrive at it.
  • The run game, part two. Dallas is a league-average run offense. They’re 12th in yards per game and 15th in yards per carry. Tony Pollard and Rico Dowdle aren’t a bad combo. But they’re not exceptional, and their offensive line hasn’t been up to typical Cowboys standards either. When Dallas has to run the ball, it’s not something they can reliably do. That’s especially true in the red zone, where the Cowboys are the NFL’s worst team at scoring touchdowns from inside the 5-yard line.
  • The Cowboys defense loves to take advantage of careless ball security and panicky quarterbacks to create takeaways. For most of the season, Jared Goff has been smart about avoiding calamitous plays like that. The Lions are tied for 20th in total fumbles, so it’s not a major issue for the offense, either.
  • For the first time in a long while, the Lions are the hunters in this game. The switch back to predator from being the prey should serve Campbell and the Lions well. The Cowboys don’t exactly have a recent history of handling the “big game” pressure all that well, either. Packers fans recall this about Mike McCarthy as the head coach, too.

What worries me about the Cowboys

  • Dak Prescott is the exact type of quarterback that gives the Lions defense fits. He’s a mobile QB who looks to throw down the field on the move more than he wants to run, though he can run, too. Prescott is having an MVP-caliber season, throwing with great accuracy and many fewer mistakes than he’s done in recent years. He used to be a guy that pressure would rattle into bad throws. This year, Prescott has learned the value of just taking the sack and living for the next down.
  • Prescott is one of the NFL’s best deep throwers, and he’s got some good downfield receivers in CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks and even the best TE you’ve never heard of, Jake Ferguson. Detroit’s biggest defensive weakness is defending the deep pass — and that’s with top CB Cam Sutton healthy. Sutton is questionable with a toe injury, which could lead to downfield struggles even if he plays. Detroit’s black hole at outside CB opposite Sutton and issues with safeties understanding deeper coverage responsibilities are a very bad matchup against Dallas.
  • Micah Parsons and the Cowboys deep pass rush can make life miserable if the opponent has to throw. Quarterbacks like Goff, who lack mobility or quickness and savvy in the in-pocket movement department, typically don’t fare well against their quick pressure. It feeds into a playmaking secondary featuring Daron Bland, who has already set the NFL record for pick-sixes in a season. The Cowboys defense will gamble to try and get the big play, knowing that even if they give up a big play, their offense can usually cover up those misses. It’s wildly empowering for players like Parsons, Bland and dynamic young Markquese Bell, guys who live to make the highlight reel even if they don’t do the down-to-down play all that effectively.
  • The Cowboys special teams are fantastic, from dangerous return man Kavontae Turpin to stellar rookie kicker Brandon Aubrey, who is a perfect 33-of-33 on field goals. That includes 8-for-8 from beyond 50 yards. Punter Bryan Anger is having a stronger, more consistent year than Detroit’s Jack Fox, too — in part thanks to more reliable coverage units that do not blow assignments. If it comes down to a field position or field goal battle, Dallas has a major advantage over Detroit’s occasionally great but often average special teams.

Final score prediction

This is a tough one. Before the season, when going through the schedule, this was the easiest loss to predict on the entire Lions calendar. It still is, unfortunately. While the Lions’ strengths match up nicely with what Dallas doesn’t do well, the opposite is even truer in this matchup. Cowboys 33, Lions 28.

Lions special teams coach Dave Fipp breaks down the kicking competition

Lions Special teams coach Dave Fipp breaks down the kicking competition between John Parker Romo and Riley Patterson

The Detroit Lions are holding a kicking competition during this training camp. At the last Lions practice session, the man making the most direct decision on the victor got a chance to speak with the media.

Lions special teams coordinator Dave Fipp held a press conference and fielded several questions about the battle between John Parker Romo and Riley Patterson. Fipp, a wily veteran coach, concealed his hand nicely.

“I’m excited about both these guys,” Fipp said before giving due credit to each combatant.

“We have two guys, one who has a lot of talent, leg talent in Romo. So, he has a lot of leg talent, and maybe he needs a little bit more development, but we feel like he’s done a nice job,” Fipp said about the former XFL star.

On Patterson, who the team traded for earlier this offseason and who has some history with the team, Fipp had this to say,

“…the truth is he’s really coming along, and his leg strength’s really increased. He looks really good in the training camp, so I’m really excited about him, and I think sometimes with young players you see that where they bounce around a bit for the first couple years, and then all of a sudden they start to grab ahold of something there. So hopefully, he does that for us, but yeah, I’m encouraged.

No real advantage has developed in the field goal competitions thus far. Romo definitely has the stronger leg, but he’s missed more shorter kicks than Patterson. The latter’s reliable range on field goals barely gets to 50 yards, but he’s been a little better than Romo in the 30-to-45 range.

With that, how much could kickoffs factor into the decision? I asked Fipp about that. He gave a lengthy answer that also noted that an inability to kick off well was one primary reason why the Lions got rid of incumbent kicker Michael Badgley last month.

“The more these guys can do, obviously the better, so how important is the kickoff? I think, personally, it’s important I think a kicker in the National Football League should be able to kickoff at a high level,” Fipp stated. “And then if your punter is fortunate to be able to do that too, you can pick the best one on game day, but someone can say that the kicker position, kicking off isn’t as important now maybe with this fair catch rule and all that, but I would say that if the kicker’s not great at kicking off, they’re not going to fair catch at all, they’re going to be returning it right back at you, so it’s important that you’re good enough.”

Patterson had a touchback rate on kickoffs of 50 percent in 2022 while kicking for the Jaguars and was at 63 percent during his college career. Romo posted a touchback rate of 59 percent in college. During Lions practices, Romo has been superior at booming the ball out of the end zone, though Patterson has demonstrated better control and touch on designed shorter kickoffs.

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Detroit Lions salary cap update after aggressive free agency moves

The Detroit Lions continue to make one impactful move after another, and with a couple of restructures, the Lions salary cap is looking good.

It has been one busy offseason for the Detroit Lions. More than most of us are accustomed to, especially in recent memory. General Manager Brad Holmes took talent acquisition to a whole level bringing one playmaker after another. What makes these moves so shrewd is, from the naked eye, they did not overpay for any of these acquisitions.

There is a lot to catch up on after our breakdown from the initial free agency wave, so we will go ahead and look at the latest moves the Lions made the past few days.

Holmes came in with a plan to take the Lions biggest weakness this past season, flipped it on its heels, and made it a force to be reckoned with the signing of Chauncey Gardner-Johnson. The exact cap details haven’t been released, but the Lions were able to sign him to a reasonable one-year, $8,500,000 deal.

Emmanuel Mosley, C.J. Moore, and Michael Badgley’s contract details were released, with Mosley counting $4,294,118 against the cap, Moore’s cap hit at $1,800,000, and Badgley sitting at $1,092,500 cap hit.

With no position to little, Holmes is bringing competition at long snapper signing veteran Jake McQuaide, who has a cap hit of $1,092,500.

To give the Lions extra wiggle room in the salary cap department, they worked out contract restructures with Romeo Okwara and Jack Fox. Okwara’s was a renegotiation versus a restructure, which freed up nearly $9 million in salary cap space, with a cap hit only at $5,647,059 showing how much he wants to be in Detroit. Fox’s restructure freed up $1.6 million and now only counts $1,965,000 towards the salary cap.

Before all the moves were made, the Lions sat at $18.4 million in cap space, but now they have increased it to nearly $22.4 million, according to Over the Cap. Also, they have increased their effective cap spending from $8.3 million to $14 million, giving them the extra breathing room to make depth signings and sign their rookie class.

The Lions have been very busy this offseason making one impactful move after another. They have brought in players who can contribute immediately while keeping players who played a vital role in the last year’s success while keeping the salary cap very manageable with effective contract negotiations. The Lions have put the league on notice that they are ready to compete with anyone and take the next leap forward to great and continued success.

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Lions restructure the contract of P Jack Fox

The Lions restructure the contract of P Jack Fox to free up more cap room for 2023

Get used to seeing Jack Fox as the punter for the Detroit Lions for a long time. After Monday’s contract restructuring with the Lions, Fox is locked up for several years.

The Lions freed up $1.6 million in cap room for 2023 with the restructuring. Fox was due to make $2.12 million in base salary in 2023 as part of his deal last fall which made Fox the highest-paid punter in the NFL. The new adjustment drops that salary to $1.12 million, converting the rest to a signing bonus.

Detroit is now committed to paying Fox just over $2 million in guaranteed salary in 2024. His salary cap number in 2023 drops to $1.97 million, while the ensuing season bump up to $3.975 million in 2024 and 2026 spread around a $3.7 million hit in 2025.

It’s unclear why the Lions were compelled to make such a move. Detroit currently has around $14.05 million in available cap room for 2023 after the restructures of Fox and veteran EDGE Romeo Okwara and the signing of all the free agents, including new safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson.

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Pro Bowl voting opens: Which Lions deserve your votes?

Voting for the Pro Bowl honors is now open, but which Lions deserve your votes?

Voting for the 2023 NFL Pro Bowl has begun. While the exhibition game itself no longer exists, players are honored with Pro Bowl status and get to participate in various activities over the weekend.

The voting is done via NFL.com and popular fan vote decides the honorees.

Obviously, it’s important to vote for Detroit Lions to represent the team in the Pro Bowl festivities. But which Lions are truly deserving of the Pro Bowl honors?

There are a few Lions who merit strong consideration. In no particular order…

WR Amon-Ra St. Brown – Just 18th in the NFL in receiving yards but missed one full game and parts of two others.

CB Jeff Okudah – Emerging as a lockdown cover corner and one of the most impactful tacklers at his position.

DE Aidan Hutchinson – Tied for 7th overall in sacks and leading all rookies in QB hurries and hits, plus an INT

LG Jonah Jackson – One of the Lions who made it last year, Jackson has been more consistent in pass protection in 2022.

RT Penei Sewell – Has had some penalty issues, but Sewell is one of the best all-around tackles in the NFL in just his second season.

P Jack Fox – 12th in the league in gross punting but also in the top 10 in kickoff touchback percentage

RB Jamaal Williams – 9th in the league in rushing attempts and 2nd with nine touchdowns

Make your votes count, and let us know who we might have missed!

Jack Fox sets the NFL mark for best punting to start a career

A preemptive strike against the snarky comments: Fox is 31st in the league in punt attempts in 2022. He was 12th in attempts in 2021 and 13th in 2020, his first NFL season. 

With his second punt of the game on Sunday, Lions punter Jack Fox hit the 150 career attempts mark. His 51-yard punt in the third quarter established Fox in the NFL record books.

Fox set the NFL marks for the highest gross average for punts on the first 150 attempts of a career, at 49.2 yards per punt. His 43.0 net punting average is also better than anyone else has done to start a career, per the Lions PR department.

Ironically, Fox set the record on a day when he launched what was arguably the worst kick of his career. Punt No. 151 was a worm-burner that traveled just 30 yards.

A preemptive strike against the snarky comments: Fox is 31st in the league in punt attempts in 2022. He was 12th in attempts in 2021 and 13th in 2020, his first NFL season.

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Lions sign P Jack Fox to big new contract extension

Lions sign P Jack Fox to big new contract extension that makes him the highest-paid punter in the NFL

Lions punter Jack Fox is getting rewarded for being one of the NFL’s best at his position. The Lions and Fox have agreed to a three-year contract extension that makes Fox the highest-paid punter in the league.

Per several reports all crediting Fox’s agent, Athletes First, Fox and the Lions have reached an agreement to a three-year contract extension that will pay Detroit’s punter an average of $3.775 million per season. Fox was playing on a contract that expired after 2022 that paid him just under $900,000.

His new contract pushes Fox ahead of Seattle’s Michael Dickson in terms of average yearly compensation at the top of the punter charts. Fox will be one of five NFL punters earning over $3 million per season and is now locked in with the Lions through the 2026 season.

Fox is currently 9th in the NFL in punting gross average at 48.8 yards per kick. He finished second and earned his Pro Bowl nod in his first year with Detroit back in 2020.