Tag: mark deleone

Lions and ILB coach Mark DeLeone part ways

DeLeone is no longer with the team, and the Lions have internal options to replace him

There will be a change coming to the Detroit Lions coaching staff in the near future. Inside linebackers coach Mark DeLeone is no longer with the team, per Justin Rogers of the Detroit News.

DeLeone leaves after just one season in Detroit. It is unclear if he left the team by choice or if he was terminated. His name was scrubbed from the team’s website over the Super Bowl weekend, but the Lions have yet to formally announce any change.

Outside LBs coach Kelvin Sheppard is still with the team and could be a candidate to assume a larger role. Defensive quality control coach Stephen Thomas is a former collegiate LBs coach and jumped into the DeLeone role during the Senior Bowl, when the Lions were allowed to have coaches work at higher levels than previously done.

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Detroit Lions are seeing early dividends from improved pass rush

The Detroit Lions are seeing a vast improvement in pass-rushing production to start the season. Can they continue against the Bears?

The Detroit Lions may still be winless heading into Week 4 against the Chicago Bears, but it is easy to see some improvements from last year. One big improvement is the pass rush. It was easy to notice in the matchup against the Ravens, where the Lions defense could keep Baltimore off balance throughout the game and picked up four sacks in the process.

While Matt Patricia was riding the ship, he valued the art of containment with big men swallowing gaps over athleticism needed to create pressure, and it bit them royally. If the Lions could not generate any noise of pressure from the four men on the line, the quarterback could binge watch his favorite show while sipping on some coffee and still have time to find an open receiver. It was extremely frustrating to watch weekly and one of the areas that led to his demise.

Last year, the Lions had 24 total sacks, ranking near the bottom of the league. Even worse was the 112.4 passer rating the defense allowed which was good for dead last in the league. So, in a nutshell, the opposing offense could dictate what they wanted to do, and the Lions had no idea to slow it down.

With the Brad Holmes/Dan Campbell regime in place, the Lions placed a premium on athleticism. You can point to any number of the moves made in the draft and free agency that proves that notion. From the re-signing of 2020 sack leader Romeo Okwara, drafting of Levi Onwuzurike and Alim McNeill, and the low-cost acquisition of Charles Harris, all helped. You can point at any of these moves and see what they are trying to build on defense, and through three weeks of the young 2021 season, it has been paying dividends.

So far, the Lions have recorded eight sacks, with Harris leading the charge with two. Harris might’ve had his best game last week, but you can see what he can bring to the table. Do you know how long it took the Lions to get to eight sacks in 2020? Week 7 against the Atlanta Falcons.

Also, PFF is noticing the improved Lions pass rush as well. Currently, they sit seventh overall in pass rushing in the league, and if you dig deeper into the players, you can see why.

Now Julian Okwara has only been brought on a situational front, with only 14 snaps so far. Still, the Lions currently have three players, the Okwara brothers and Harris, in the top 20 in pass rush PFF grading amongst edge rushers, most in the league. With the players up front playing at a high level, the Lions are also seeing pass-rushing production from linebackers Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Alex Anzalone. Also, with Jamie Collins not getting in the way anymore, they should see a boost in production.

Also, with PFF’s pass rushing productivity, the Lions have four players in the top 25, with Austin Bryant included. Julian Okwara and Bryant are seeing limited snaps, but it’s showing they make most of the small snaps they have received. Both of them of dealt with injuries and the coaching staff has shown they would rather get the player healthy instead of rushing them on the field. As long as both of them can stay healthy, they can give a nice dose of youth and athleticism on defense.

The season is young and anything can happen, but you have to be pleased with the improvements made to the pass rush. Between defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, linebacker coaches Mark DeLeone and Kelvin Sheppard, and defensive line coach Todd Wash has made tremendous strides in pulling the potential out of these players.

The Bears suffered a punch to the gut when their swiss cheese offensive line and lack of gameplan from their coaches, saw their rookie quarterback Justin Fields abused by the Cleveland Browns with nine sacks. Now the Lions don’t have the players on the defensive line like the Browns, but after seeing what they could do against the Ravens, you have to think they can pull out a few stops against the Bears.

Glenn has shown he can dial up a strong defensive game, especially when other NFL coaches calling you on how he did it against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. You better believe he has a plan lined up against whoever the Bears put behind center in hopes of notching that elusive first win of the season against one of their division rivals.

Chris Spielman bolster coaching role with Lions LB coach Mark DeLeone

Lions LB coach Mark DeLeone spoke on the involvement of Chris Spielman on coaching and proving to be a valuable resource

One of the first moves Sheila Ford Hamp made when taking over as the primary owner of the Detroit Lions was this hiring of Lions great Chris Spielman as a special assistant to the president/CEO and chairperson. Spielman immediately became a trusted brain in the general manager and head coaching searches that led to the hire of Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell and was also on the frontline in the draft process.

Even though he sits near the top of the team hierarchy, he continues to be an ambassador for the organization he sweated and bled for eight seasons. During training camp, you often see him working hand and hand with the players and coaches. Still, he always had a soft spot for his former position as he typically gravitated towards the linebackers.

It is not every day you see someone who is this high on the totem pole out on the field running drills, but Spielman is not your everyday guy as he knows the grind when it comes to playing this game. He is the type of person who starts talking; you better listen to what he has to say. He has proven to be a great resource to the players and inside linebackers coach Mark DeLeone, who has built a strong relationship with the former Lion.

“Who could not have a great relationship with Chris Spielman? He’s the best,” DeLeone said via Dave Birkett of the Free Press. “No, I mean, I love him. I think for me, he’s a lot of things. He’s a friend, he’s a resource. He’s somebody who I count on day in and day out as somebody I can talk to, cause there are certain players who, no matter what era they played in, could play. Like, Chris is one of those guys, man. He understands the linebacker position.”

Unlike past years, there seems to be strong communication from top to bottom, making sure everyone is on the same page about what they are trying to accomplish. That is no different from the communication between DeLeone and Spielman, as they are in sync with one another.

“He’s an unbelievable person, and I think what Chris has done a great job of is listening to me coach, and if he does make a coaching point to a player, he knows it’s the same thing I’ve already said. I think we’re very aligned and very on the same page in that regard.”

The Lions linebacking corps has recently undergone significant changes, with the release of veteran Jamie Collins thrusting rookie Derrick Barnes into the starting lineup. With the injection of youth into the position group, coaching and player development are key to the organization’s future outlook. DeLeone and Spielman are right on the front line, hand-in-hand, and you better believe with these, anything is possible in the turnaround of this franchise.

“I feel like we do a lot of things together. We talk a lot about it together. I think from an on-the-field standpoint, he’s there as a sounding board as somebody who always for me like, I can’t see everything but he helps me cover the whole field.”

Lions hire Kelvin Sheppard as the linebackers coach

Sheppard played for the Lions in 2018

The Lions are bringing back a familiar face to the coaching staff. Former Lions linebacker Kelvin Sheppard is rejoining the team as the new LBs coach, per numerous sources.

The move is not yet official, but Sheppard recently added “Detroit Lions” to his Twitter profile and has retweeted several messages indicating support for his apparent hiring.

Sheppard comes from LSU, where he was hired last March as the director of player development for his alma mater. His NFL career ended after a stint in 2018 with the Lions, his sixth team in eight NFL seasons. Sheppard was a third-round pick by the Bills in 2011 after a stellar college career.

Sheppard joins new inside LB coach Mark DeLeone, whose hiring was officially announced by the Lions on Friday.

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Report: Detroit Lions to hire Mark DeLeone as LB coach

ESPN’s Field Yates is reporting that the Detroit Lions are planning to hire former Chicago Bears inside linebackers coach Mark DeLeone as their linebackers coach for the 2021 season.

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ESPN’s Field Yates is reporting that the Detroit Lions are planning to hire former Chicago Bears inside linebackers coach Mark DeLeone as their linebackers coach for the 2021 season.

“Another quality add for Dan Campbell’s staff in Detroit, as he’s bringing Mark DeLeone as his LB coach, hiring him away from the same job with the Bears,” Yates said. “DeLeone is a strong hire after helping Roquan Smith to his best season yet this past year in Chicago.”

DeLeone will turn 34-years-old this summer, but he has already been in the business for 14 seasons, including eight in the NFL. A defensive student assistant at Iowa in 2007-8, he found assistant coaching jobs at New Hampshire, Florida, and Temple, before the New York Jets hired him as a defensive assistant in 2012.

After a year in New York, DeLeone joined the Kansas City Chiefs as a quality control coach, was promoted to assistant linebackers coach, then inside linebackers coach over the next six years.

He joined Matt Nagy’s Bears staff in 2019 — they worked together in Kansas City — and elected to depart this offseason. It’s unclear how long coach Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace will be employed in Chicago and it has created an unstable work environment. In addition to defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano retiring, DeLeone is the fifth assistant coach to depart from the Bears staff this offseason.

DeLeone is also the third coach to pick a job with the Lions over a job with the Bears in the last few weeks — joining running backs/assistant head coach Duce Staley and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.

“He (DeLeone) has been held in high regard by players he has coached and is credited with the development of Roquan Smith, who was a second-team All-Pro in 2020, when he led the Bears with 139 tackles and 18 tackles-for-loss, with four sacks, two interceptions and seven pass break-ups,” Chicago Sun-Times Mark Potash said. “Nick Kwiatkoski also blossomed under DeLeone, parlaying an outstanding 2019 season as an injury replacement for Smith and Danny Trevathan into a three-year, $21 million contract with the Raiders. And Trevathan had a standout season in 2019 before his injury, earning a three-year, $21.8 million contract extension with the Bears.”

DeLeone will have a difficult task ahead of him as the Lions seem poised to alter their linebacker’s roles/responsibilities, and the unit could potentially face an overhaul this offseason.

The Bears lose another coach with departure of Mark DeLeone

The Bears have lost another assistant coach to a head-coaching hire as Mark DeLeone has joined Dan Campbell’s staff with the Lions.

The Chicago Bears have lost another assistant coach to a new head coaching hire.

Inside linebackers coach Mark DeLeone is joining Dan Campbell’s staff with the Detroit Lions in the same role, which leaves the Bears without an inside linebackers coach.

DeLeone joins a list that includes departed coaches Jay Rodgers (defensive line), Ted Monachino (outside linebackers), Charles London (running backs) and Dave Ragone (passing game coordinator).

One of the benefits of promoting from within at defensive coordinator with Sean Desai was to avoid the very thing that is happening. Not that it’s Desai that has multiple defensive coaches moving on. That falls on the uncertain futures of general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy.

Translation: No one’s job is safe beyond 2021, and those that can find work elsewhere are taking that opportunity. It’s also not a good luck that Duce Staley, who the Bears were interested in, turned down an opportunity to coach Chicago’s running backs and joined Campbell’s staff in Detroit. Picking the Lions over the Bears? That says it all.

For those keeping score at home, the Bears now have six coaching vacancies to fill: Defensive line, inside linebackers, outside linebackers, safeties, running backs and passing game coordinator.

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Bears ILB Roquan Smith disrespected by Pro Football Focus

Roquan Smith is having an All-Pro year with the Bears. Still, Smith isn’t getting the respect he deserves.

Chicago Bears inside linebacker Roquan Smith came into this season with a chip on his shoulders following an underwhelming second season. And he’s rebounded with what’s been nothing short of a Pro Bowl, arguably All-Pro season in Year 3.

Smith is officially in the middle of his breakout season.

Through Week 10, Smith leads the league in solo tackles (70), tackles-for-loss (15) and is tied for first with 96 total tackles. He’s also added five pass breakups, and he’s been as dominant in the run game as he’s been in coverage.

Still, Smith isn’t getting the respect he deserves. Not from the folks at Pro Football Focus, who released their grades for the top five inside linebackers of 2020 and notably snubbed Smith.

Smith didn’t crack the top five, which is ludicrous in itself. But PFF ranked Smith 22nd among linebackers in the entire NFL. Seriously.

PFF grades have a reputation for being controversial, as they’re subjective, but it’s insane that Smith, who is playing like one of the best in the NFL, ranks outside the top 20.

Smith received an overall grade of 65.1, including a coverage grade of 84.0, a pass rush grade of 61.2 and an abysmal 39.0 in run defense.

While Smith hasn’t been the flashiest guy — a relatively unknown name outside of Chicago — he continues to impress in every way on the football field.

“He makes plays in every game that amaze me,” said inside linebackers coach Mark DeLeone. “I don’t know if it surprises me, but they amaze me. Sometimes his best plays that he makes aren’t necessarily the TFLs or the ones that are on the highlight reels.”

 

Can the Bears contain Vikings RB Dalvin Cook? History says yes

If the Bears continue to keep Vikings RB Dalvin Cook in check, there’s a good chance Chicago wins on Monday night.

The Chicago Bears defense has faced two of the game’s best running backs over the last two weeks in Tennessee’s Derrick Henry and New Orleans’ Alvin Kamara. And they’re going to face arguably the best running back in the NFL right now in Minnesota’s Dalvin Cook when the Bears host the Vikings on Monday Night Football.

While facing Cook remains a tall task for this Bears defense, they’re going to take the same approach they’ve used against the likes of Henry and Kamara. And, hopefully, the product will be similar.

“The past two backs we’ve played are unbelievable backs, superstars, and this guy’s no different,” inside linebackers coach Mark DeLeone said Monday. “He’s a special player. I’ve been watching him all morning. So it’s going to take everything we’ve got. But I know one thing, I know about our defense, he’s going to get everything we’ve got.”

Just last week, the Bears defense held Henry to his second-lowest rushing total this season with 68 rushing yards. But Cook presents a different challenge for this Bears defense, which puts the pressure on them to contain him on Monday night.

“Derrick is downhill,” said defensive tackle Bilal Nichols. “Once he gets to top speed, he’s hard to stop. Dalvin is more change of direction. Once he plants that foot, his ability to cut back and just get vertical is tremendous. And that’s what makes him such a great player. And his ability to also be able to break tackles and put pressure on guys in open space.”

When comparing running backs, it’s important to note the difference between Henry and Cook — which is their involvement in the passing game. Henry wasn’t present in the passing game last week while Cook has been a dual threat player on offense that makes him dangerous.

“[Cook] has game-breaking speed,” DeLeone said. “It’s going to take a swarm. It’s going to take our whole defense every single play to get him down. And he can do it in the run and the pass game.”

But just like with Henry and Kamara, expect Cook to have a few plays where he does break free for a big gain. You can’t stop a guy like Cook, you can only hope to contain him.

“He’s going to make plays, guys,” said DeLeone. “Just like Kamara had a play, just like Derrick Henry. They’re special players, and they’re going to make plays. You just can’t let one play affect the next play. You’ve got 11 guys when the ball is snapped, 11 guys playing like a bunch of crazed dogs and [playing] with their hair on fire.”

The Bears have stopped Cook in the past. Back in 2018 — on that eventful Sunday Night Football game — Chicago’s defense stifled Cook, holding him to just 12 yards on nine carries and three receptions for -2 yards. Later that season, the Bears held Cook to 11 rushes for 39 yards and four receptions for 21 yards. While 2019 was better for Cook, it wasn’t by much. Cook gained 35 yards on 14 carries and hauled in six catches for 35 yards.

Can the Bears continue to keep Cook in check? If the answer is yes, there’s a good chance Chicago wins on Monday night.

Bears ILB Roquan Smith locked-in for Year 3

Bears inside linebacker Roquan Smith is fully healthy and he’s hungry to get back on the field as he enters a pivotal Year 3.

Chicago Bears inside linebacker Roquan Smith had a promising rookie season in 2018, which led to high expectations for his second year. The 23-year was off to a hot start, but a torn pectoral muscle cut his season short.

After a slow start in Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers, Smith bounced back against the Denver Broncos with 13 tackles in the 16-14 victory. Smith would go on to miss Week 4 due to personal reasons and wouldn’t record double-digit tackles until Week 9.

After recording double-digit tackles from Weeks 9-11, Smith would have an incredible game against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving, where he recorded 16 tackles and two sacks. Unfortunately, this would be the last full game Smith would play in due to his injury.

Now Smith is fully healthy and he’s hungry to get back on the field.

“I’m very excited,” Smith said on Friday’s virtual press conference. “I feel great physically and mentally. I’m very, very excited for this year. And feel like I’m very excited for this season in particular, and just to show the world what I can do.”

In his second year as the Bears defensive coordinator, Chuck Pagano sees that Smith is ready to go and believes he’s in for a huge year.

“He has been locked in and engaged,” Pagano said, via Bears YouTube. “He’s probably in the best shape of his life. Coming into Year 3, he’s going to have a phenomenal year. His focus right now and mindset is off the charts.”

As players are getting into training camp, Smith said he is currently weighing in at 234 pounds and expects to lose some of that during training camp. Regardless of his weight, Bears inside linebackers coach Mark DeLeone believes Smith looks good.

‘‘His physical progression, I’m really excited about where he is,’’ DeLeone said, via the Sun-Times. ‘‘Physically and mentally, I think he’s in a great spot. He’s cut up. He’s put on some lean body mass — but good weight. He looks the part right now. He’s in great shape. He’s running really well.’’

After finishing last year with four missed games, recording 101 tackles, two sacks, one interception, five tackles for loss, and two quarterbacks hits, Smith is ready to go and get the Bears defense back to dominance.

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Roquan Smith dubbed Bears’ most promising building block

Bears GM Ryan Pace hasn’t hit on his first-round draft picks, but his best chance comes with ILB Roquan Smith.

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace hasn’t managed to hit on his first-round draft picks, but his best chance comes with third-year inside linebacker Roquan Smith.

Smith, a former No. 8 overall pick in 2018, has shown immense promise in his first two seasons. As a rookie, Smith tallied 114 total tackles, five sacks, five passes defensed and one interception.

Bleacher Report believes inside linebacker Roquan Smith is Chicago’s most promising building block, who they dub as “a young, inexpensive player on their rookie deal” that “has yet to realize their full potential.”

After an impressive rookie season in which he tallied 121 tackles, Roquan Smith looked to be on his way to becoming one of the best inside linebackers in the game. However, he got off to a slow start in his second season.

To his credit, Smith rebounded over the season’s second half, and he finished Year 2 with 101 stops, two sacks and an interception.

Smith’s range, athleticism and instincts are all excellent, so it’s a matter of putting it all together in 2020.

While Smith had a slow start to his sophomore season, he was playing his best football before he went down with a torn pectoral muscle against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14.

“I saw unbelievable growth from him [in 2019],” Bears inside linebackers coach Mark DeLeone said of Smith, per the Chicago Sun-Times‘ Mark Potash. “From the first game to the 13th game, saw growth in him on and off the field. I see a 22-year-old guy who is only going to continue to improve.”

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