Tag: Emmanuel Moseley

Lions Dan Campbell’s recipe for success involves physicality with a dose of creativity

ALLEN PARK — From Day One, Lions coach Dan Campbell drew up a plan for a tough and physical team. Throw in a pinch of creativity and start stacking the wins.

Not only have the Lions opened a few eyes around the NFL with a 4-1 record, they’re also a team that’s getting a reputation as being fun to watch.

In Sunday’s 42-24 win over the Panthers, center Frank Ragnow direct-snapped the ball to running back David Montgomery through the legs of quarterback Jared Goff and it was good for 10 yards and a first down. Goff on a reverse flea flicker found a wide-open Sam LaPorta for a touchdown.

Going for it on fourth down is nothing unusual. Fake punt? Dial it up. Campbell and his coordinators thrive on creativity.

“I just think for our players they’re so used to, that’s who we are. They understand that’s part of our identity. We’ll always be known, in my opinion, as a tough team. We should be a tough, physical team – offense, defense, special teams,’’ coach Dan Campbell said on Monday.

“If you’re just tough and you’re just physical and you have no creativity you’re not going to do anything with it, you’ll bang away,” he added.

Campbell said he watched the 49ers’ 42-10 win over Dallas on Sunday night and credited Mike Shanahan with doing an “unbelievable job.”

“Those guys are physical, tough and very creative in the run and pass game. That’s what makes them so difficult and they play outstanding defense,’’ Campbell said.

He said his guys have gotten used to the sprinkling of unusual plays.

“If we’re going to go for it on fourth, nobody is batting an eye, there’s not pressure. This is a part of what we do, this is just another play for us to convert,’’ Campbell said.

“When we dial up some of the plays that we dial up, a little bit of the smoke and mirror plays, our guys know we’ve repped them enough that they’ve figured out, give them multiple looks, keep repping and they’ve done it enough to where they’ll make it right,’’ Campbell said.

After the win, Goff said they worked on the direct snap all week. The ball never hit his legs on the way back to Montgomery, the issue was the timing. Obviously they got that down.

The plays are effective and the players enjoy them.

“You’ve got to make it work, or they won’t call them again. Just being able to be creative and do some of the cool things that Ben (Johnson) has. I’ve never really seen some of the things he calls and how he calls it,’’ Montgomery said. “It’s fun, really fun. I’m excited to get some more of those in too.”

Campbell knows the guys enjoy running the plays.

“They have a good time when they’re able to do something a little bit out of the norm. They enjoy it. I know it’s a lot of eye candy out there,’’ Campbell said. “(Physicality) is always going to be the heart of because that’s what sets up all the other stuff.’’

INJURY UPDATE: CB Emmanuel Moseley, who was in Sunday’s game for two snaps, tore his ACL and is out for the season. He had been rehabbing from ACL surgery on his other knee which delayed his season debut until Sunday.

UP NEXT: Lions (4-1) at Tampa Bay Bucs (3-1), 4:25 p.m. on Sunday. Game was flexed from orignal time of 1 p.m.

Lions cornerbacks coach Dre Bly a good fit for Dan Campbell’s staff

Five things to know as team prepares for offseason work

ALLEN PARK — When coach Dan Campbell added Dre Bly to the Detroit Lions coaching staff as cornerbacks coach, it seemed like a good fit. Almost natural. 

Bly, who played corner for the Lions in 2003-06, has connections with the coaching staff including defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. Like Bly, several Lions coaches are former NFL players, including Campbell. 

Bly made the move from coaching cornerbacks at North Carolina where he found success and learned as a coach.

During a press conference on Wednesday, his excitement about getting going was noticeable. 

“We want these guys to learn from us but also have a chance to do what we weren’t able to do. That’s the whole point of us coaching, passing the torch,’’ Bly said.

Five things to know about Bly:

1. From his time in Detroit to now he said the fiery fans are the same, but the leadership is a lot different. “I’m actually a little jealous, just looking at how they finished last year, looking at all the excitement on the field, looking at how much fun they were having with Dan and the rest of the coaching staff,’’ Bly said. “They were on ‘Hard Knocks’, there was a lot of excitement … across the football world, there’s a lot of excitement. Me as a former player that’s something that you could wish to be a part of, I didn’t get a chance to experience some of that as a player. It’s pretty cool to be back on the other side and to see the drive that the guys have, the coaches, the camaraderie we have on top, the group of men that Dan has put together. It’s pretty cool to see.’’

2. Bly checked many (if not all) of the boxes that Campbell sought in a cornerbacks coach. “Me being who I am, I wasn’t the tallest player, I wasn’t the fastest, I was able to do some things in this league because I was instinctive, I was smart and I was very confident and competitive. That was one of the first things that Dan said he was looking for out of his corners coach was a guy who was very compeittive, a guy who had a certain amount of confidence about himself,’’ Bly said. “A lot of times we are creatures of habit. If your leaders are a certain way then the guys that are around him will move the same way. That’s why you were able to see the Lions last year play the way they played because Dan moves a certain way, AG (Glenn) moves a certain way. That’s the way I move, we have a lot in common. I think I bring something unique to the position, to the room, instant credibility. A guy who’s very passionate, a guy who’s very relatable. I like to interact with players. I’m still in shape, I can move, I can get out and teach technique. I would agree we’re a group of guys who have a lot to give to the game.’’

3. Bly’s connection with Glenn goes back to when he was assigned No. 31 at North Carolina. He sought out someone in the NFL with the same number who maybe he could look up to. “AG at the time might have been the only guy who resonated with me and that number. Our games were very similar. He was a guy who was dynamic as a player, he was explosive, he was a kick returner, he made plays,’’ Bly said. In 2017 he was able to shadow Glenn, who was with the Saints, for the entire preseason. Campbell was also on the Saints’ staff at the time.  Bly and Glenn stayed in touch. “He knew I had a passion to get to the NFL. The league is about teaching. The men who are here I have a lot in common with. College was great, I loved it, did a lot of great things in Chapel Hill, had a chance to mentor some players and learned a lot from Mack Brown,’’ Bly said. “To have a chance to teach ball for 24/7 is something that I love to do. I’m excited to be here …’’

4. Bly, a two-time Pro Bowl player, is excited about the three veteran free agent defensive backs that the Lions have added — Cameron Sutton, C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Emmanuel Moseley. “We’ve been able to bring in three guys that have been highly productive, they’re around the football,’’ Bly said. “That’s one of the things we were looking for, along with the rest of the guys that we have to add to the fold. We’re excited. Three veteran players, guys who have been successful in this league, cerebral players, smart, good leaders in the meeting room and off the field.’’

5. Bly is still in shape and said he’ll be able to teach technique on the field. As a player, he won a Super Bowl ring as a rookie with the St. Louis Rams. In fact, two of his first three seasons he played in the Super Bowl. Then the following eight seasons — including the four with the Lions — he didn’t even make it back to the playoffs. Now he’s on a new mission — getting back to the postseason as a coach.

(UPCOMING: Players report for offseason workouts on Monday, April 17. The NFL draft takes place April 27-29.)