Tag: dan campbell

Five things to watch as Lions host Falcons; plus prediction

ALLEN PARK —  No excuses for the Lions coming off a loss. They’ve watched the tape, learned their lessons, now it’s time to put them to work.

The Atlanta Falcons (2-0) visit Ford Field at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

“We know the opponent coming in, this is a physical, violent team coming off two wins, playing pretty good football right now,’’ coach Dan Campbell said. “Certainly we’ve got our hands full, we have to be on top of our game to try to get a win here at home.’’

The loss to the Seahawks took a toll on the Lions physically. A handful of starters could be sidelined. Time for the next man up.

Five things to watch:

1. Stopping the Falcons’ dual-pronged run attack — Campbell expects them to run at least 30 times — will be key. In the first two games Detroit has allowed 85 rushing yards per game which ties them for eighth in the NFL. But they haven’t faced Falcons’ running backs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier. Robinson has 180 rushing yards and 75 receiving yards in the first two games. It’s not a one-man show.  “Now that guy (Allegeier), he’s about running through your face,’’ Campbell said. And so, it’s a one-two punch, totally two different styles and we’ve got to be ready to adapt quickly with the way they do it.’’

2. On the opposite end, the Lions offense must generate more of a rushing offense than in the first two weeks when they’ve averaged 110 rushing yards per game which is in the middle of the pack. Of the Lions five offensive touchdowns, two have come on the ground by back David Montgomery who is doubtful with a thigh bruise. Look for rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who has 14 carries in the first two games, to pick up many more reps. “He’s not a fragile back. … He’s a rookie, he’s learning, he’s gotten better every week, he’s gotten better every game and he’ll continue to get better the more reps he gets,’’ Campbell said. Look for more touches for running back Craig Reynolds and, perhaps, fullback Jason Cabinda.

3. Turnovers were the story in the overtime loss to Seattle. The Lions offense had two critical errors — an interception thrown by Jared Goff and a fumble by Montgomery. Another fumble as the clock ran out at the half made no difference. At the same time, the defense has just one takeaway — an interception by Brian Branch — in the first two games. It’s a situation that must change if the Lions want to give themselves a chance.

4. The pass rush has been an issue, While there was some pressure put on Seattle’s Geno Smith, he was sacked just once. In Week 1, Patrick Mahomes was not sacked.  “We’ve got to do a better job with our pass rush and that’s us as coaches trying to scheme guys into doing things,’’ defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said. “That’s players also, just executing their job, so that’s one thing that we have to get better at and also, when you look at the pass defense, man you’ve just got to win and we’ve got to make sure we put guys in positions to win.”

5. Take advantage of the home crowd. Ford Field was electric on Sunday and would expect the same this week. Players and coaches noticed, and they were appreciative. Cornerback Cam Sutton said they need that same noise factor in every game at Ford Field this season. Got that?

INJURIES

OUT: LT Taylor Decker (ankle), S Kerby Joseph (hip), CB Emmanuel Moseley (knee/hamstring), RG Halapoulivaati Vaitai (knee).

DOUBTFUL: RB David Montgomery (thigh).

QUESTIONABLE: WR Josh Reynolds (groin) and WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (toe).

PREDICTION: Lions 24, Falcons 21. Detroit plays well with its back against the wall. Even with injuries expect to see resilience and a home win.

Lions coach Dan Campbell: ‘We’re back to reality, back in the mud’

Coach hates losing but likes where his team is

ALLEN PARK — Despite a host of injuries and a disappointing overtime loss in the home opener, Lions coach Dan Campbell is not hanging his head. That’s not who he is.

The Lions (1-1) have got work to do with the Atlanta Falcons (2-0) coming to town on Sunday.

“I hate losing, but I love this. I just feel that this is what we’re all about. We’re back to reality, we’re back in the mud. It’s doom and gloom outside of this building and this world so let’s hunker down and go back to work,’’ Campbell said on Wednesday.

“Let’s get it back to what we do well. It’s going to take all of us to win – all three phases. I know our guys, I know our coaches, this is challenge accepted. I feel really good, I do,” the coach said. “If we don’t get back to our identity this team will take your soul so that’s the motivation.’’

Safely C.J. Gardner-Johnson (torn pec) and linebacker James Houston (fibula) are out but Campbell said there’s a chance — he was not guaranteeing anything — the two could be back by the end of the season. Both are on injured reserve.

Veteran Tracy Walker will step up at safety. 

“We’re fortunate to have depth in a number of areas and that’s one of them at that position,’’ Campbell said. “Having a guy like Tracy who’s got time on task, somebody we have a lot of faith in, trust in. That alleviates a lot of pressure and stress for us.’’

Running back workhorse David Montgomery (thigh) is day to day.

“We’re going to do what we do. Our focus is on how we’ attack this opponent more than the backs we have,’’ Campbell said.

Can rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs fill his shoes?
“We’ll see,’’ Campbell said.

The coach said his focus is on Sunday but when it comes down to making decisions on some players’ availability the Lions have a short week next week, playing at Green Bay on Thursday night, Sept. 28.

“There are a couple guys if it’s close enough, do you try to play them this week knowing that maybe if you do then they’re probably out for Green Bay anyway?’’ Campbell said without identifying those players.

Those who did not practice on Wednesday: St. Brown (toe), Montgomery (thigh), LT Taylor Decker (ankle), S Kerby Joseph (hip), CB Emmanuel Moseley (knee/hamstring) and G Halapoulivaati Vaitai (knee). Also, WR Joshy Reynolds (groin) was limited in practice.

“A lot of them are day to day. It’s going to feel that way for a little bit here. It’s business as usual,  back to work here,’’ Campbell said.

Lions defense has much work to do starting with better tackling

ALLEN PARK — After the Lions’ overtime loss to Seattle, no player or coach can escape scrutiny. 

The offense’s two turnovers — Jared Goff’s interception and David Montgomery’s fumble — were beyond costly. 

Yet, don’t overlook the defense that allowed Seattle to sail downfield to score on the first possession and then again in overtime to win the game. 

Certainly coach Dan Campbell has a few thoughts on the defense.

“We need our most reliable players to be reliable. I expect more reliability,’’ Campbell said on Monday.

The pass rush is anemic at best. While they put some pressure on Geno Smith he was basically untouched until linebacker Alex Anzalone sacked him for a 17-yard loss in the fourth quarter. That was the Lions only sack in the first two games.

Campbell said the transition on defense from run to pass must be quicker. 

“Our urgency has to go up and our violence has to go up to shed those blockers. That will go a long way,’’ Campbell said.

He emphasized the need for discipline for each player to do his job and trust the guy next to you is doing his. 

“And perimeter, we can’t rush high. We’ve got to close this in on the quarterback. We rush high and we don’t have somebody that can cover, we’re going to be in trouble,’’ Campbell said.

Even after the big win at Kansas City, the Lions knew there was much work to be done. Now after the loss at home, perhaps there will be more urgency to get miscues corrected.

Immediately after the game, Anzalone said they need to be better at tackling.

Pretty basic, but cornerback Cam Sutton reiterated that on Monday. He said tackling in space is something they can control.

It looked like the defense took a step back after the win over the Chiefs, but Campbell said it was a totally different opponent, different style.

“There were a number of things we did really well against Kansas City and a number of things we didn’t do well that didn’t bite us and this was a totally different opponent than Kansas City. Totally different style, totally different scheme and so, we didn’t handle that scheme well consistently,’’ Campbell said.

“We had a number of stops in there and really, I felt like – now it’s a huge part of it, but talk about starting fast and we didn’t do that. They drove the length of the field and they get a score, but you start with a score, you end with a score and that’s really the – man, those are the two that really – that’s the frustrating (part) because there was a lot of good stuff in between there that I thought we did pretty well, but look, we’ve got a ton of room for improvement,’’ Campbell said.

“I say it all the time, ‘We’re in a race to improve.’ We’re in a race with everybody that we’re getting ready to play. We’re in a race with everybody in our division too,’’ the coach added. “How fast can we improve?”

Injury update

Linebacker James Houston (fibula) will be out for a while according to Campbell. The coach is uncertain on how long RG Halapoulivaati Vaitai (knee) will be out, but he’ll know more in the next few days. RB David Montgomery (bruised thigh) is day to day. LT Taylor Decker, who did not play due to an ankle, is improving but Campbell isn’t sure if he’ll be ready to play on Sunday.