Tag: jack fox

Breaking down how the Lions fared in AP’s All-Pro voting

Breaking down how the Lions fared in AP’s All-Pro voting, which saw 13 different Lions get at least one vote

The Lions ended up being well-represented on this season’s Associated Press All Pro teams. Four Lions were named to the First Team, including wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, right tackle Penei Sewell, safety Kerby Joseph and punter Jack Fox.

Plenty more Lions either made the Second Team or at least received some votes towards All Pro. We’ll take a look here at how all the Lions that received votes fared. The full voting results can be found here.

Starting at wide receiver, St. Brown was one of the three wide receivers to make the First Team, along with Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson. St. Brown received 40 out of 50 first-place votes and totaled 130 points. First-place votes received three points with second-place votes worth one point. Fellow wide receiver Jameson Williams also received one second-place vote.

Frank Ragnow was named Second Team All Pro at center. Chiefs center Creed Humphrey was selected to the First Team. Ragnow received four first-place votes and 35 total votes. Humphrey ran away with the vote, getting 44 first-place votes.

Kevin Zeitler finished fourth among right guards with 26 points (six first-place votes). Broncos guard Quinn Meinerz was named to the First Team with 74 points and 22 first-place votes and Falcons guard Chris Lindstrom was named to the Second Team with 60 points and 15 first-place votes.

Sewell is the First Team right tackle after scoring 119 points and 35 first-place votes, beating out Philadelphia’s Lane Johnson, who landed on the Second Team with 76 points and 15 first-place votes.

Despite only playing five games this season, Aidan Hutchinson received one second-place vote at edge rusher. Hutchinson was dominant in those five games, recording 7.5 sacks, including 4.5 in Week 2 against the Buccaneers. Myles Garrett (Browns) and Trey Hendrickson (Bengals) were named to the First Team with T.J. Watt (Steelers), Nik Bonitto (Broncos) and Andrew Van Ginkel (Vikings) on the Second Team. Bonitto and Van Ginkel finished tied with 18 points, so they both were named to the Second Team with Watt.

Two linebackers earned votes. Jack Campbell scored 16 points and earned two first-place votes. Alex Anzalone, despite missing most of the second half of the season, also garnered a second-place vote. Zack Baun (Eagles), Fred Warner (49ers) and Roquan Smith (Ravens) earned First-Team honors, while the Second Team linebackers are Frankie Luvu (Commanders), Bobby Wagner (Commanders) and Zaire Franklin (Colts).

Joseph led all safeties with 120 points and 37 first-place votes to land on the First Team with Packers safety Xavier McKinney. Kyle Hamilton (Ravens) and Budda Baker (Cardinals) were named to the second team. Brian Branch ended up the first safety out, finishing fifth among the position with 19 points. Baker had 38 points and seven first-place votes, for reference.

Fox just beat out Jaguars punter Logan Cooke for the First Team honors at punter. Both received 15 first-place votes, so it came down to second-place votes. Fox received 17 to Cooke’s 13.

Kalif Raymond, even with missing time due to injury, landed on the Second Team at kick returner, scoring 60 points and 11 first-place votes. Marvin Mims Jr. of Denver earned First-Team honors with 114 points and 35 first-place votes.

Last but not least, Hogan Hatten earned a second-place vote at the long snapper position. Not bad for an undrafted rookie!

Penei Sewell headlines 4 Lions earning 1st-team All-Pro honors in 2024

Penei Sewell headlines 4 Lions earning 1st-team All-Pro honors in 2024, with two more Lions also earning 2nd-team nods

There are a lot of end-of-season awards and honors lists around these days. The one that matters the most, the one the NFL itself utilizes in its official records, is the Associated Press All-Pro voting results.

The 50 AP voters around the country voted following the end of the 2024 regular season, with the results being released on Friday. Four Detroit Lions players earned first-team All-Pro honors:

Right tackle Penei Sewell

Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown

Safety Kerby Joseph

Punter Jack Fox

In addition, two Lions earned second-team All-Pro recognition. Center Frank Ragnow and punt returner Kalif Raymond captured that honor.

Several Lions playing for contract incentive bonuses in Week 18

Several Detroit Lions are playing for contract incentive bonuses against the Vikings in Week 18

By now, everyone knows the stakes for Sunday’s big game in Detroit. Whoever wins between the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings will win the NFC North, claim the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs, have home-field advantage and the first-round bye. The loser is the No. 5 seed and has to go on the road against either the Rams, Buccaneers or Falcons.

In addition to the team incentives, players have their own individual incentives in their contracts they are striving for and Week 18 is their final opportunity to claim those incentives and pocket some extra money.

Thanks to Spotrac, we can take a look at some of those incentives for the Lions and what they have to play for Sunday night.

Defensive end Za’Darius Smith’s contract includes $250,000 for ten sacks, $500,000 for 12 sacks and $750,000 if he reaches 14 sacks. Those values double with a playoff berth. So if Smith can record two sacks Sunday, he’ll cash in on $500,000.

Defensive tackle DJ Reader is sitting on 46.2% of defensive snaps played this season. If he can reach 50%, he’ll earn $200,000. He also had incentives of $300,000 for 55% of snaps and $500,000 for 60%, but those numbers are unlikely unattainable at this point. 50% is possible. Reader has also already hit his incentive of three sacks for $375,000. He can earn another $375,000 if he records two sacks Sunday.

Punter Jack Fox earned an extra $150,000 for making the Pro Bowl and the Lions reaching the playoffs.

Linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin, who recently returned from injury, looks to be on his way to a $100,000 payday. He’ll hit that incentive at 25% snaps played. He is at 24.9%, so him playing Sunday will easily put him over the 25% mark.

Lions ST coach Dave Fipp not worried about Jack Fox’s lack of punting reps

Fox has punted just 12 times in the last 6 games, including 2 games without a single punt

Lions punter Jack Fox was named to the Pro Bowl this week, and deservingly so. He’s second in the NFL with a gross punt yardage of 51.0 yards, which ranks in the ten best all-time seasons for a punter. His net yards per punt is 45.8, far and away the best in the NFL.

However, Fox has only punted 43 times in 16 games. That’s the fewest of any full-time punter. Fox didn’t punt in the Lions’ Week 17 win in San Francisco, the second game this season where his punting services were not needed. With just 12 punting attempts in the last six games for Fox, special teams coordinator Dave Fipp was asked if he worried about a lack of activity hurting Fox’s punting prowess.

Fipp noted that it was probably a better question for Fox himself before delivering a trademark amusingly meandering answer,

It’s like, ‘Man, you haven’t gotten a lot of kicks here or punts.’ Or in a game and then all of a sudden, it comes up, inevitably, late in the game, maybe, and it’s – the game’s on the line and they’re crucial situations, but I know this, every time we’ve called his number, he’s ready to play, and I really say this time of year is Fox time of year, man. This guy’s a clutch player who plays big in big games and I feel like we’re going to need him this week. These guys do a good job on defense obviously, so we’re counting on every phase of this game being really important, including that one.”

It’s a nice problem to have for the Lions–having a Pro Bowl punter that they don’t need to rely upon very often.

Jack Fox with perfect punt for Lions to pin Bears inside the 1

Jack Fox of the Lions with a spectacular punt

The Chicago Bears were giving the Detroit Lions quite a game on Thanksgiving.

The basement team in the NFC North was only down 23-20 to the division leaders late in the fourth quarter.

Jack Fox was called upon to deliver a punt that would leave Chicago in bad field position — make that awful field position.

Fox boomed a punt and when a Lions special teamer downed it, the ball was inside the one-yard line.

There was a sliver of green between the cleat of Khalil Dorsey and the goal line.

The Bears needed to go 99 yards for a possible game-wining TD or get close enough for Cairo Santos to try for a field goal that could force overtime.

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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