Coordinator round-up: Ben Johnson on running up the score, Dave Fipp on why he hates getting the game ball, and several Lions coaches weigh in on Jameson Williams.
This week’s round-up for Detroit Lions coordinator press conferences covers everything from being embarrassed about getting game balls to more character endorsements of Jameson Williams.
Here’s a look at the seven quotes from Thursday’s press conferences that piqued my interest.
Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson
On Lions’ pass protection issues:
“There’s ways that we can help out schematically that did not put guys on so many one-on-one islands and so we do look at that every week. That doesn’t really change and then I do think also, when you look at Jared (Goff) and not putting the ball in harm’s way down the field, something we did talk about was being a little bit less aggressive trying to fight – push the ball into tight windows, we may get a couple more sacks because he’s holding onto the ball a little bit longer. So, that might be a little bit of the result of that as well, just kind of how we’re coaching Jared to play turnover-free ball. But the sacks are a point of emphasis, particularly this week when we’re facing a crew that it’s their number one priority up front.”
The Lions have given up 15 sacks in the past five games, which is far more than they’re typically accustomed to ceding. It’s interesting to hear Johnson suggest that Goff’s less aggressive play may be the reason. There is some statistical evidence of this, as Goff’s average pocket time was 2.4 seconds in the first three games and 2.5 in the next four games. It’s not much, but fractions of a second can be an eternity in the game of football.
On whether it feels “easy” to run offense at times:
“It’s not very often that we’re looking and we’re going into halftime saying the opponents (is) doing something different than what we’ve practiced or what we anticipated. It’s been more, ‘Guys, we have to do a better job of securing the football, we have to do a better job of pass protection, we have to do a better job blocking the safeties on a couple run plays.’”
It’s a common talking point for both players and coaches to say, “We’re beating ourselves,” or “It’s not about what they’re doing.” But I think this quote speaks to Johnson’s ability to have the offense prepared for what defenses are going to try to do to them. We praise Johnson’s play-calling and play-design often, but this shows elite film preparation from the entire offensive coaching staff.
On if he was thinking about setting the franchise record of points in a game (55) vs. the Titans:
“The records don’t matter, it’s just the mentality of when we step on the field, until the head coach tells us to let off the gas, we’re trying to score a touchdown every time. It doesn’t matter if we’re up by five scores, down by five scores, that’s just who we are and that’s what we believe in.”
No commentary here. Just a bad-ass quote from Ben Johnson.
Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn
On struggling run defense:
“I’m not going to sit here and say our guys weren’t doing their job when it comes to run defense. The thing that we have to do, you’re right, we have to put a cap on that because we built our defense around doing that. So, there’s no excuses for that at all and our guys know that. But yes, you’re correct, we have to make sure that we put a cap on those things.”
The Lions have given up over 130 rushing yards in three of their last four games. While Glenn properly put some of those into context (Titans rushed for 79 yards in the dead fourth quarter; Aaron Jones had two big runs and was held in check for the rest of the game), it’s clear this is a point of emphasis. However, he avoided answering what was the problem with their run defense.
On Mekhi Wingo’s growth:
The thing that happened with him once we started having these injuries, we have to move him around in different spots. But that’s the good thing about Wingo, his versatility and his lower body strength to be able to handle different opportunities that we’re giving him to play different positions. He’s been playing end for us, he’s been playing inside, he’s been playing a big end for us. So, that was a pleasant surprise for us, honestly. We knew he was a good player, we knew that he was strong, but to see him be able to hold up at the point of attack was good to see so we can put him in those spots.
With Detroit’s massive amount of injuries on the edge, Wingo—who was drafted as more of a three-technique—has had to expand his role. It’s nice to see the coaching staff pleasantly surprised by his play there. Although it’s worth noting Wingo played all 11 snaps on the edge against the Vikings, but only about half of his 30 snaps there against the Titans.
Special teams coach Dave Fipp
On getting a game ball from Dan Campbell after the Titans game:
“Embarrassing. I really don’t like it. I mean, I’m very appreciative of that. My least favorite part of the whole game is, honestly, is attention. I would rather just lay in the weeds and do my job. I said in there, I love being around the players. The players and the game of football really give me life and I love what I do, I enjoy being around them, I enjoy helping them, it’s my passion, seeing them be successful is like the most important thing in the world to me. And so, really, for me, the game is about them.”
I don’t know if there’s a more humble person out there than Dave Fipp, but this answer is such a great display of his leadership. Clearly, it’s not something he desires to be at this point in his career, but this is the kind of answer that good head coaches give.
Lions coaches on Jameson Williams
Obviously, Jameson Williams has been a hot topic for another week after it was revealed that he is involved in an ongoing investigation around an incident from October 8, when he was found with a gun that he did not have a concealed pistol license.
Both Glenn and assistant head coach/running backs coach Scottie Montgomery echoed Dan Campbell’s endorsement of Williams’ character:
Aaron Glenn on Williams:
“There’s so much that’s going out with social media, things like that, that it’s tough. And you just have to remind them that times are different. When I grew up, when you guys grew up, and what he’s going through now, that there’s just no room for it. What you’re doing is you’re not allowing yourself to capitalize on everything that you can capitalize on. Listen, we all know Jamo is a talent. He’s a talent and I want to be able to see him capitalize on everything that he can because of the talent that he had and because of the person that he is. If you don’t really know him, you should get to know him because he’s a really, really good person.”
Scottie Montgomery on Williams:
“We coach them from the neck up, the neck down. Physically and mentally. At the end of the day, we also understand that he’s our teammate. We trust him. We got to get better. He understands all of that. I think the head coach said it best when he addressed it and how we move forward. But I love him. Like we love ‘em all. Sometimes it’s tough going through these things. But we’ll go through them together.”
