Christian Mahogany – Lions Lowdown

Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley optimistic about new-look line

ALLEN PARK — Inconsistency was an issue for the Detroit Lions last season and one reason they were watching the playoffs instead of playing in them.

The offensive line has been addressed through the offseason and while it’s early, Hank Fraley, run game coordinator/offensive line coach, has reason to be optimistic about improvements.

“I like where we’re headed, we’ll see where we’re at, we’re still just in underwear there’s a lot of unknowns still, but I love the direction we’re heading in,’’ Fraley said at Tuesday’s veteran minicamp.

Last year the line did not live up to its high standards which are set by coach Dan Campbell.

“If we’re not living up to those standards ourselves then we’re not going to have the year we want to have,’’ Fraley said. “Really the thing I’m harping on these guys, it’s not necessarily always the strongest, the fastest, the most talented but you’ve got to be consistent. If you look back over last year we weren’t as consistent as we need to be in certain things, certain times, we’ve got to get that cleaned up and be more detailed.’’

Fraley, who was an NFL center for 11 seasons, says playing O-line involves a mindset.

“There’s not too many sports where you get to walk out and you get to bully people,’’ Fraley said. “Offensive linemen, the mentality is being a bully between those white lines and we can be as nice as we want once we get off the field.’’

While positions are not set in stone, the projected line could feature Penei Sewell at left tackle, Christian Mahogany at left guard, Cade Mays at center, Tate Ratledge at right guard and rookie Blake Miller at right tackle. Competition in training camp at guard could change the projections.

Sewell is making the transition from right tackle to fill the shoes of Taylor Decker.

“I told him it’s like riding a bike, you can go years without riding a bike mentally then you get on a bike you have to find your balance, your timing a little bit, how you pedal how, you do all that,’’ Fraley said. “It’s been a long time since he’s done it continually He’s transitioned pretty smoothly everybody knows he’s a great athlete — takes great pride in his work.’’

Mays, who has played in 52 NFL games (27 starts) since he was drafted in the sixth round by Carolina in 2022, gives more veteran presence.

Miller, the Lions’ first-round draft pick, has impressed Fraley so far. While he’s making some mistakes ,when he does make one it’s mental and he’s able to adjust and clean it up.

The run game also suffered last season which, of course, affects the whole offense. Fraley said the offense has to earn the right to run the ball to get the coordinator to call the next run and establish it.

The Lions wrap up the two-day veteran minicamp on Wednesday and then will be off until training camp starts in July.

Five reasons the Lions rolled in 44-22 win over Commanders

Campbell’s play-calling sparked the offense

That was more like it for the Detroit Lions who lived up to their standards in all three phases while defeating the Washington Commanders, 44-22, on Sunday.

With coach Dan Campbell taking over the play-calling on offense, the Lions scored on eight straight possessions before taking a knee late.

“I thought he did a great job, he was dialed in and had us really rolling there,’’ quarterback Jared Goff told FOX.

Campbell said he made the decision last week to handle the offensive play-calling instead of offensive coordinator John Morton.

“I know what I want to do, I know how I want to do it. This is a collaborative effort. I was taking input from John Morton that whole time and the other coaches,’’ Campbell said. “… This is all-encompassing, we all work together. The coaches did a helluva job. I just wanted to change it up a little bit. Let’s see if maybe a different play-caller can maybe get us more rhythm.’’

That is exactly what happened with the offense rolling up 546 yards.

Five reasons Lions won:

ONE: The Lions run game is back. While credit to the offensive line is due, running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery got blocks all around. Campbell emphasizes a good run game requires all 11 on the field to be precise. That’s exactly what he saw. Gibbs had a monster game with 15 carries for 142 yards with two rushing TDs and three catches for 30 yards and a receiving TD. Montgomery chipped in with 14 carries for 62 yards.Overall the Lions rushed for 226 yards.

TWO: The offensive line, even without left guard Christian Mahogany, played solidly – Goff was not sacked and threw for 320 yards and three touchdowns. “From the first time we ran the ball you could see the surge,’’ Campbell said. Right tackle Penei Sewell sat out a few plays early after an injury but got back in. Dan Skipper saw action as the sixth offensive lineman and then filled in for Taylor Decker in the final seven minutes when the game was firmly in Detroit’s control.

THREE: Wide receiver Jameson Williams got more involved. Remember him? Sometimes it seems that he’s not much of a factor in the offensive plans. Making sure he gets touches is key and that happened Sunday. Jamo had six catches for 119 yards and a touchdown. His speed is lethal but it does not matter unless they find a way to get him the ball like they did on Sunday. He’s been doing a great job, he’s been busting his rear every day he comes to work. “He’s been unbelievable, we just hadn’t connected,’’ Campbell said. “Today we got him going, Goff got him going, made some throws, he made some big-time plays. It was good to see, his confidence was up, he’s ripping and roaring, he’s very much a part of our guys.’’

FOUR: Detroit’s defense limited explosive plays and held the Commanders to 288 yards and 2-of-10 on third downs. The Commanders average 139.9 rushing yards per game and were held to 93. “Defensively to handle the tempo they had and played with over there that’s not easy if you don’t see that all the time,’’ Campbell said. “They do a lot of different things.’’

FIVE: It was a solid Lions effort across the board – in all three phases. Campbell preaches the need for this and usually gets it, but he didn’t in the loss to the Vikings a week ago. The Lions extend the streak of not having lost back-to-back games in more than three years. “Good to see our guys respond, I’m not surprised I knew they’d be ready to go, it’s just what they do,’’ Campbell said. “We’ve got the right guys, you could feel it all week — the intensity, the focus — they wanted to get back in the win column.

UP NEXT: Lions (6-3) at Philadelphia Eagles, 8:20 p.m., Sunday, Nov 16.The Eagles face the Packers on Monday Night Football.

Five things to watch as Lions face the Commanders; plus injury updates, prediction

Coach Dan Campbell wants to see his Lions play their brand of football for 60 minutes when they hit the road to face the Washington Commanders on Sunday.

The Lions (5-3) are coming off a loss to the Vikings while the Commanders (3-6) have lost four straight and five of their last six. The Lions have not lost back-to-back games since October 2022. The Vikings will be playing without starting quarterback Jayden Daniels.

“I want to see the urgency, the intensity, I want to see the focus, I want to see the finish on the football – offense, defense,’’ Campbell said. “I want to see our playmakers making plays within the scheme, within the system. I want to see our coaches coaching at a high level. I want us playing, coaching on a championship level.

“And more importantly, I want to play a hell of a lot better than we did last week. We need to amp this thing up and clean this up. Let’s play disciplined football for 60 minutes. Doesn’t have to be perfect, not looking for perfect. I just – let’s clean some of this stuff up,’’ the coach added.

The offense was sluggish in the loss but still ranks second in the league in scoring and 11th in total offense,

“A few weeks ago we were the greatest thing since sliced bread, and now we are a horrible offense apparently. It comes and goes. We try to get better, and we try to fix it, certainly there are things to fix in this game,’’ quarterback Jared Goff said. “I can go back a few weeks where there’s been things we need to get better at. Yeah, it’s not missing us. We know that, we’re not naïve to it, and planning to get things fixed.”

Five things to watch:

ONE: The Lions are ranked second in the NFL in scoring and yet they’re 25th in third-down offense which succeeds just 36.3 percent of time. Third down has been an area of focus. “It’s bizarre that’s the way it is. I don’t know why that is. Those numbers are so different,’’ Goff said. “And to fix the third down issues, I know I’ve said it a gazillion times now, but it’s just executing better. I know that’s not the answer that you guys want to hear, anyone wants to hear, but it’s really the truth. Knowing what our problems are, knowing our answers, our solutions, running good routes, protecting well, and then me being accurate with the ball. And I certainly have my hand in that and putting the ball where it needs to be at the right time and getting rid of it.”

TWO: Protection at the line of scrimmage was a major issue in the loss to the Vikings. Nothing works right when the protection isn’t there consistently. “It’s just that we’re protecting, getting the blitz and everything and all of the sudden, the back, maybe he did this wrong. Or the tackle did this wrong, or the receiver didn’t run the right route. That’s what’s going on,’’ offensive coordinator John Morton said. “It’s just doing it all together, 11 guys at the same time. I mean that’s where we have to get to because we’re not far away. I mean the score was still kind of close. That’s the biggest thing, just honing in on the details, refocus, OK do what you’re supposed to do. That’s the biggest thing. And we’ve got to fix this up front and protecting the quarterback. And we will and we’ve addressed it and we’re working on it. We have to do it because if you don’t address it, they’re just going to keep doing what teams are going to – what we’ve seen on tape. So, that’s the important thing, make the corrections and go on and make sure it doesn’t happen again. If it does, then you’ve got to make some changes.”

THREE: The run game is critical to the offensive success and last week it stumbled. The Vikings defense had something to do with that, but again it was protection related. It’s not an issue with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, as much as with the entire offense. “The most important thing is that you don’t over react. From ownership on down, we have a bunch of truth tellers in this building and there’s no mistaking why this play broke down or this play broke down,’’ said David Shaw, passing game coordinator. “The key is not to over-react, the key is to take a look at it, we’re inefficient, we’re not playing our best football and we’re a half-game out of first place in our division.’’

FOUR: The offensive line, which has struggled at times so far, will be without Christian Mahogany at left guard, possibly until late December. Look for Kayode Awosika to step in. Last year he played in 11 games and started two. This year he’s seen minimal time in all eight games. The line got pushed around last week, look for fixes. Morton said his biggest concern about the offense is the protection and much (not all) of that falls on the line. “I can draw up all of these plays we wanted. If you don’t protect and have sound protection so the quarterback can throw the ball, it doesn’t matter,’’ Morton said. “So, that’s the biggest thing. And listen, this is fixable, that’s the beauty of it. This is all fixable and we’ve addressed it.”

FIVE: The 10 penalties called against the Lions in the loss to Minnesota were a season high and contributed to the loss. “I think the biggest deal was that it was very hurtful watching the Lions beat the Lions — penalties, things that showed up in the rougher parts of the game,’’ said Scottie Montgomery, assistant head coach/wide receivers. “… The portion that you really have to look at getting cleaned up as soon as possible is the small details that did not show up in practice — a penalty here, a penalty there. Correctively that’s not on the players, that’s not on the coaches, that’s on the collective whole of what we’re doing. We have to be better there.’’

PREDICTION: Lions 35, Commanders 21

LIONS INJURIES: OUT — S Kerby Joseph, DL Pat O’Connor, RB Jacob Saylors, OL Miles Frazier and EDGE Josh Paschal; QUESTIONABLE — LT Taylor Decker, RB Craig Reynolds, LB Malcolm Rodriguez, T Dan Skipper, LB Grant Stuard and S Daniel Thomas.

COMMANDERS INJURIES: OUT — QB Jayden Daniels; QUESTIONABLE — DT Eddie Goldman, S Quan Martin and S Tyler Owens.