From Za’Darius Smith to Aaron Glenn memes to Jake Bates’ perfection, here are the best quotes from Detroit Lions coordinators this week.
The Detroit Lions are preparing for a big showdown against the Houston Texans this week. Thursday’s press conferences were jam-packed with information both on the upcoming matchup with the Texans and a look back at their win over the Green Bay Packers.
Here are the seven best quotes from the Lions coordinators this week.
Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn
On Za’Darius Smith’s fit in the scheme:
“The first thing that everybody sees with this player is the edge presence that he has. He’s tough, he’s been doing it for a long time, he’s tough in the run game, he can set an edge, which we really look forward to seeing him do, but then he has a knack for really going inside and being able to capture an edge on third down against guards. So, listen, (Aidan Hutchinson) Hutch can do that, but you Z and the body type he has, man, he’s really good at doing that, and then you actually see it on tape of him being able to make plays in that situation.”
Interesting to hear that Smith could be an interior presence on third downs. That is certainly something that Smith has done a lot do in Cleveland, and it could make for a lethal duo with Alim McNeill in certain subpackages.
On the safety duo of Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph
“Those two guys are doing a hell of a job for us, and the thing is, they’re not even close to where they’re going to be, and when I talk about that that’s just understanding the game as they get older and understanding the things we’re trying to do with them technically, that have to do a better job at.”
If that doesn’t send a chill down your spine, you may want to check your pulse. branch and Joseph are playing like the best safety duo in football, and if they truly are just scratching the surface of their potential, that is scary to think about.
On his wet glasses in Green Bay becoming a meme:
“For all the memes or whatnot that people have been sending me about that, and I had no idea, I really didn’t. Man, I was just locked in trying to call the best game I can, knowing that was a quality opponent. The best one I’ve seen was the one that (Amon-Ra St. Brown) Saint put together where he had his Green Bay shirt on or whatnot and he put my face on his. But this thing is getting out of hand, fellas. But it’s cool.”
It’s nice to see Glenn a little looser—he said his wife likes when he smiles at pressers—so this was a pretty fun answer from the Lions defensive coordinator. If you were wondering about St. Brown’s meme, this is what he’s referencing:
AG has seen the memes, thanks to his family. He said this one (from Amon-Ra St. Brown’s Instagram) was his favorite. https://t.co/1iTCeHJouE pic.twitter.com/lgoH1N33aC
— Ben Raven (@BenjaminSRaven) November 7, 2024
Special teams coordinator Dave Fipp
On Jake Bates’ perfection:
“He’s got such a big leg that even with wind and weather and all that stuff, he really just has to hit one ball, and if he can just hit that one kick and just hit it right down the middle and just get very consistent at that, he’s going to have a lot of success and be consistent. So, a lot of his success if because of his talent. He’s so talented and he strikes the ball so hard and powerful that it’s going to go straight no matter what the conditions are, as long as he hits it right and he’s just gotten better and better at that. We’ve kept kind of his focus very narrow, and he’s done a good job of focusing on that.”
I thought this was a really neat look into their developmental process with Bates. While some kicker may kick a 40-yard field goal differently from a 55-yard field goal, it sounds like the Lions have simply told him: kick the crap out of it, because that’s when it goes straight. Can’t argue with the stats. He’s 12-of-12 on field goals and 30-of-31 on extra points.
On Houston’s special teams:
“This group is very explosive. They have a bunch of quick, fast athletes, their returners are very good, physical kick returners, punt returners very explosive players. They have a lot of experience in their group. Their linebackers run really well, they run and hit. Their safeties and their corners can fly on the outside, so their gunners are really fast, or jammers are really fast. Overall, a very talented group.”
Of note: the Texans are second in the league in kickoff return average (31.3). So don’t be surprised if the Lions just boot it through the end zone this week.
Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson
On the Texans’ pass rush, both on the interior and edges:
“They’re really good at it, they disrupt the quarterback, they make it hard on offensive linemen, they make it hard on tight ends with the defensive ends going right through the V of their neck half the time, so it’s a lot going on and, just like you said, the edge guys get a lot of attention, but interior, they can push the pocket and get on the quarterback’s lap in a hurry. So, I think a testament to that would be third-and-7 to 10 this week, I’ve got, call it 27 clips on my cut up, only three conversions and eight sacks. I really haven’t seen anything quite like that, so they’re doing a phenomenal job, not just on third down, but really throughout.”
First of all, it’s impressive for Johnson to pull that stat out of his back pocket, but I think it highlights Detroit’s eagerness to stay out of third-and-long this week.
On going from one of the worst teams in drops to one of the best:
“I believe if you looked at number of different stat sites, we were on the bottom five on a consistent basis a year ago in terms of catching the football, we had a number of drops. And so, (we) highlighted that in the springtime, made it known to each position group. They were all at fault, receivers, quarterback for ball placement at times, tight ends, running backs, it was really everybody. And so, we’ve made it a big emphasis and so far, we’ve seen some results from it. But that particular game (vs. Packers), I was kind of coming out in pregame expecting to see us struggle a little bit more, but they, between wearing the right shoes, not slipping, focusing on the football, securing it after we caught it, I mean, I thought they did a phenomenal job.”
Last year, per Pro Football Reference, the Lions had a total of 35 drops (2.1 a game), which was fifth-most in the NFL. This year, the Lions have just four (0.5 a game), ranking second in the NFL. Coaching matters.
