Tag: aidan hutchinson

Alim McNeill latest Lion to earn extension, vows to continue working hard

Hutchinson update, new nickname for RBs, Branch honored

ALLEN PARK — Just when the Lions needed some good news after Aidan Hutchinson’s broken leg, they got it when defensive tackle Alim McNeill was signed to an extension through the 2028 season.

“I’m fired up for Mac, he earned that. He’s a pivotal piece here for us, he’s one of our pillars here,’’ coach Dan Campbell said on Wednesday. “We’re fired up for him. He’s playing at a high level and he’s going to have to continue.”

His new deal is worth $97 million with $55 million guaranteed, per ESPN.

McNeill had arguably his best game of the season with two sacks, seven pressures and four tackles in the 47-9 win at Dallas on Sunday.

“I wouldn’t say anything specific was clicking. No. 1, I was just getting off the ball. My main goal for that game was to get off the ball and everything else would solve itself,’’ McNeill said Wednesday. “So I would really say my get-off was clicking, I was able to get off, read plays and diagnose things quickly.’’

He feels the need to play that way every game especially with the long-term absence of Hutchinson.

“I feel I can do that, that’s what I do as a player when I’m locked in and honing on my keys. I do expect that from myself,’’ McNeill said. “That’s how we all feel, we’re going to have to step up in different areas and pick up slack in different areas that 97 had. Everybody 97 does a lot for us.’’

McNeill said he’s been focused on football so didn’t know the deal was close until his agents called and told him a few days ago. He hasn’t had time to celebrate and seems level-headed about the newfound riches. When asked how the deal would change his life, at first he just laughed.

“A lot. A full 360. As far as me, myself, it’s not going to change who I am, the person I am. I’m still going to come in here everyday and work like I did beforehand,’’ McNeill said.

Campbell said he kind of hates getting deals done in the season but he understands the timing.

“I mean it’s good but you’re trying to focus on football – they are, we are. Sometimes you start working on these and it takes a minute and bleeds into the season,’’ Campbell said. “It’s something we wanted to do. We wanted Mac around here long-term. I go back he’s one of the original, the original ‘21 (draft) class. He’s part of that core with (Amon-Ra) St. Brown and (Penei) Sewell and those guys.

“I’m glad we got that done, he earned it. Everybody loves Mac. It’s good to have Buttercup back,’’ said Campbell who came up with that nickname a few years ago.

McNeill was a third-round (72nd overall) draft pick by the LIons out of North Carolina State in 2021.

Scottie Montgomery, Lions running backs/assistant head coach, is from North Carolina too and remembers watching McNeill in high school play football and baseball.

“Sounds funny, fantastic baseball player. Fantastic. But a great football player as well. Really raised the right way if you talk to him you understand who he is, what type of person he is,’’ Montgomery said on Wednesday. “This is one of those stories if you do things the right way over and over again and you play at the Detroit Lions, you can see the people we’ve signed since January or February. This is the kind of place that takes  care of its own.’’

Since April, the Lions have extended Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell, Jared Goff, Taylor Decker and David Montgomery.

NOTES: 

— Edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson is back in Michigan following surgery on Sunday in Texas to repair his broken tibia and fibula. “I talked to him yesterday and look he’s doing good. He’s trying to process everything, it’s still pretty new so exactly what is this, where do I go, which you would expect he’s laying in a hospital room with his leg up,’’ Campbell said.

“He’s back – he doesn’t want to be a stranger, he talked about being back a little bit when it made sense, he knows he’s welcome here any time. We’d love to see him, the whole team would love to see him, he’s a huge part of what we are and we hate it for him.’’

His recovery is expected to be four to six months.

— Isaiah Thomas, a defensive lineman who will wear No. 35, was signed off the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad. “This move felt right for us, we liked him, we’re glad he’s here. He brings more competition,’’ Campbell said. “We get somebody else to look at, he’s part of the mix and the more competition you bring in the better you find out and those guys go after it a little bit. It doesn’t mean we’re done, it means that’s where we’re at.’’

— Running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery have landed on a nickname — Sonic and Knuckles after video game characters. “If you watch, David is a huge fan of cartoons, Disney channels and Sonic and Knuckles, the speed and brashness of Knuckles,’’ Montgomery said. “Of course I know about it because I have children. Sonic and Knuckles, it works well. I’m going to run with it.’’

—  Lions safety Brian Branch was named NFC defensive player of the week for his effort in the 47-9 win at Dallas where he had two interceptions and a forced fumble. e

— Lost in the news of Hutchinson’s serious injury, was that defensive tackle Kyle Peko suffered a torn pec at Dallas and is out for the season. “Peko has been one of those kind of silent producers for us, does all of the dirty work,’’ Campbell said. “And he’s the one who frees up Alex (Anzalone) and Jack (Campbell) and Rodrigo (Malcolm Rodriguez) and those guys to make the plays they make. … We hate it for him. We’re going to miss him too.’’

UP NEXT: Lions (4-1)  at Viking (5-0), 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 20, in the first divisional game for Detroit. The Vikings are 1-0 in NFC North after edging the Packers, 31-29, in Week 4.

Lions Dan Campbell hasn’t closed door on Aidan Hutchinson return this season

Brad Holmes on lookout for trade but it’s not a certainty

ALLEN PARK — While Aidan Hutchinson faces significant recovery time from his broken left leg, Lions coach Dan Campbell will not count him out for the season.

“Let me say this, it’s 4-6 months. I would never count Hutch out. Ever. So long road, but I would never count him out, I would say if anybody can make it back it would be him,’’ Campbell said on Monday.

Hutchinson underwent successful surgery to repair a fractured tibia and fractured fibula at Baylor White Medical Center in Texas on Sunday night. He will return to Detroit this week and is expected to make a full recovery. Officially there is no timeline for his return to play at this time.

Still, returning this season — maybe in the playoffs — remains a possibility and Campbell thinks it is huge for Hutchinson just to know that is out there.

“Just knowing Hutch, he’s got one of those rare, if he believes in it, he can will himself to find a way to get it back,’’ Campbell said. “One of those guys, the mind can heal the body, he’ll find the next best thing and do whatever it takes to get back.

“So who knows? But yeah, I think it’s huge, you know it’s sitting right out there. ‘I can do this, I can get back. We’ll be in a position where I’ll be able to come back to help.’ I think it’s huge,’’ the coach added.

On Sunday, Hutchinson played 32 snaps against the Cowboys before he broke his leg early in the third quarter. The Lions were up 34-6 when he was carted off the field. He had notched one sack, three quarterback hits, and three tackles in the game which the Lions won 47-9.

Campbell remains confident in his team and certainly is not giving up on the Super Bowl goal. He’s not closing the door on a possible trade either. The NFL trade deadline is Nov. 5.

“Everything’s on the table but Brad (Holmes) and I are not panicked. This team is not panicked,’’ Campbell said. “It’s next man up and if we have an area where we need some help, we have to help each other out and we may have to play a little different and that’s OK. ‘’

Holmes will not jump on a trade unless it’s a perfect match for the team.

“This comes up every year and it’s not like he doesn’t look. He’s doing what he’s been doing – he’s looking. Is there somebody out there who could potentially help us? What is it going to cost? Just because it’s there doesn’t mean we’re going to do it. It’s got to be right if it is,’’ Campbell said.

 “We’re not in a hurry, I believe in the guys who are here, I believe in the D-line. It doesn’t mean we’re not looking, we’re not evaluating. Brad is, that’s his job and he’s good at it. We’ll take it as it comes. Our eyes are open and we’ll make sure we have what we need here,’’ Campbell added.

Hutchinson’s injury is the second big hit for the defensive line that lost Marcus Davenport due to a season-ending injury three weeks ago.

Undrafted rookie Isaac Ukwu stepped in on Sunday to fill in for Hutchinson. It was his first NFL game action and while Campbell said it did appear that way, he’s seen Ukwu in practice and has faith he can improve.

Levi Onwuzurike, Josh Paschal and James Houston will be leaned on.

While Alim McNeill is an inside D-lineman, he can take some of the pressure off the ends. He had two sacks and seven pressures on Sunday.

“He’s one of those guys we’re going to lean on, he doesn’t have to be Superman but we’ve got to get that out of him every week and he’s got that ability,’’ Campbell said.

Hutchinson’s injury is a blow to the Lions, but doesn’t appear to be a death blow.

Overall in the first five games this season — Hutchinson’s third NFL season — he had been on fire with 7.5 sacks (he had 11.5 all of last year), 17 quarterback hits, 19 tackles, and one forced fumble.

He was a heavy favorite with 5/2 odds of winning the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year, per BetOnline.ag. Now he’s off the board and Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt has moved from 3/1 to the favorite at 3/2.

“Everybody feels for Hutch .. because they can put themselves in his shoes, it brings it back to reality. It’s part of this game and it’s hard,’’ Campbell said. “I think they also understand that man, we are a team and everybody is here for a reason and it takes every one of us.’’

NOTES:

— QB Jared Goff turned 30 on Monday. Among all quarterbacks in NFL history before turning 30 he ranked third in completions (2,763); tied for third in 300-yard games (38); fourth in yards (31,759); fourth in attempts (4,256);  tied for fourth in starts (122); and sixth in passing TDs (193).

— The Lions have produced at least three passing TDs and two rushing TDs in back-to-back games. The only other times they’ve done so were in 1962 and 1950.

— RB David Montgomery is the 10th player in NFL history to produce at least 70 scrimmage yards and a rushing TD in each of the first five games of a season. 

UP NEXT: Lions (4-1) at Vikings (5-0), 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Five things to watch as Lions try to bounce back against Cardinals; plus injury update and prediction

The Lions haven’t lost back-to-back games since late October 2022. It’s definitely a streak they want to keep alive heading to Arizona for Sunday’s matchup with the Cardinals.

“That’s kind of what we’re built for, is responding, and we’ve got another really good team we’re playing again this week with Arizona,’’ quarterback Jared Goff said. “On the road, it’ll be a tough environment, it’ll be a tough game to win, but we’ll be geared up and ready.”

The Lions (1-1)  are coming off a 20-16 loss to the Buccaneers at Ford Field while the Cardinals (1-1) upset the Rams 41-10 last Sunday.

Coach Dan Campbell has a team that will look adversity in the eye and spit in it.

“As much as we want rainbows and sunshine all the time, this happens. It’s not always going to be smooth sailing. Shoot, the last couple years I think of the New England game and the Dallas game early in the season where we didn’t get it rolling a couple years ago, and then last year we had some bumps in the road as well,’’ offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said. “So those things happen, we want to minimize those as much as possible, and I think that’s the mark of a good/great team is, each week we find a way to put enough points on the board to get us down to win the game at the end of it.’’

 Kickoff is Sunday at 4:25 p.m.

Five things to watch as Lions play at Cardinals:

ONE: Don’t let Arizona’s offense get off to a fast start. In the first two games they scored on each of the first three drives. Kyler Murray had a perfect quarterback rating – 17 of 21 for 266 yards and three touchdowns last week. He also carried the ball five times for 59 yards, including a 26-yard scamper. “I think this coordinator does a really, really good job because in passing situations he does a really good job of continuing to run the ball, so you have to really play true,’’ Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said. “That’s what I talk to our defensive guys about. This is not a team where you can just say, ‘OK, we’re putting in our pass defense.’ And then they’ll gut you by running the ball on those situations because they really feel good about their run game.’’

TWO: It will not be the Jared Goff vs. Budda Baker Show, but Baker, who defends well against the run and the pass, is “a football playing dude” in the words of Campbell. “He’s one of the top safeties in the League and a guy that I’ve played since college and have a ton of respect for,’’ Goff said.  “I’ve seen him flying around the field for almost 10 years now and he’s a hell of a player and a guy that will be out there that we will be aware of.

THREE: The offense moved the ball last week better than Week 1 but not when it mattered the most. “We actually had more winning grades as individuals than we had the week prior, so, just like coach is saying, our focus is on getting better. Individually that certainly happened as an offense. We moved the ball better, we didn’t have the three-and-outs that we had Week 1, but clearly, we didn’t finish the drives like we needed to,’’ Johnson said.  “A thing that’s kind of popped up for two weeks in a row now is not playing complementary football. The three-and-outs Week 1 kind of put unneeded stress on our defense, and then last week special teams comes through to extend a drive and we don’t end up with points, then our defense is coming through with – in the fourth quarter with multiple stops, and we don’t come up with points for us, so we’ve got to do a better job complementing the rest of the team, they’re doing a phenomenal job right now.’’

FOUR: Linebacker Alex Anzalone, who suffered a concussion against the Bucs, is questionable to play but Glenn said he is confident in Jack Campbell and Malcolm Rodriguez to step in if Anzalone is sidelined. “I have plenty of trust in that linebacker room. Jack has done a good job for us, going from OTAs and training camp, of backing Alex up and being able to make the calls and stand in front of that huddle, so I have no issue with that. Rigo was a starter for us for quite some time, so I am very comfortable with him coming in and getting those reps too,’’ Glenn said. “So that’s a room that I have the utmost confidence in regardless of who plays, even if (Jalen Reeves-Maybin) Germ has to play, I expect him to go out there and play up to the same level as every other linebacker that we have. So, I’m confident in those guys.”

FIVE: In a surprise to no one, Cardinals rookie WR Marvin Harrison Jr., has easily made the transition to the NFL. He scored Arizona’s first two touchdowns last week on 23-yard and 60-yard pass plays. There may not be much NFL film on him but he’s the same guy who played lights out at Ohio State. “I know this, he’s improved every week. He’s a talented athlete, he’s long, he’s got good ball skills, and he really kind of did a little bit of everything last week,’’ Campbell said. “ … He’s growing as he goes, and I think you just study what you see on tape, and we know what he is and, look, we’ve got – (Carlton Davis III) CD’s an experienced corner. He’s long, he can run, so I like the matchup and I like (CB Terrion Arnold) TA too. So, he’s getting better and hopefully he doesn’t catch fire against us.”

LIONS INJURY UPDATE: S Ifeatu Melifonwu (ankle) and CB Ennis Rakestraw (hamstring) are out. LB Alex Anzalone (concussion), CB Terrion Arnold (illness), G Graham Glasgow (knee) and WR Isaiah Williams (abdomen) are questionable.

FEARLESS PREDICTION: Lions 31, Cardinals 27.