Tag: James Houston

Lions Dan Campbell says the real fun starts now; injury update on LaPorta, others

ALLEN PARK — The wildcard home matchup against the Los Angeles Rams excites Lions coach Dan Campbell. No surprise there. He lives for this.

The coach loves that the Rams are a hot team – they’ve won seven of their last eight. They are also a team the LIons haven’t faced since 2021, a regular season loss in L.A.

“I like that, I like the newness of it,’’ Campbell said on Monday.

The Lions wrapped up the regular season with a  30-20 win over the Vikings on Sunday at Ford Field and a 12-5 record. They clinched the NFC North title a few weeks ago.

“It’s been fun, but this is when it gets really fun. This is why you do, this is why you coach, why you play for these moments right here,’’ Campbell said.

While he is more into game-planning he certainly does understand the underlying storyline of Matthew Stafford returning to Detroit and Goff facing his former team. Oh, and GM Brad Holmes came to Detroit via the Rams.

The coach gets it.

“It’s a reminder too, though, and Goff knows this, for example. We win as a team,’’ Campbell said. “This is about the Lions vs. the Rams. We win with three phases here and he’s a huge part of that and all he has to do is his part and he knows that, do what he’s been doing all year.’’

Injury update

Tight end Sam LaPorta has an outside shot at playing on Sunday, according to Campbell. They will know more in 48 hours. LaPorta left Sunday’s game with a knee injury. The coach said he is  talking days, not weeks. 

Immediately after the game, Campbell said LaPorta’s injury wasn’t as bad as it looked. It would be a boost if he can get in against the Rams.

The coach also said WR/PR Kalif Raymond (knee) is basically in the same situation as LaPorta although maybe a little behind.

WR Jameson Williams, who did not play Sunday due to an ankle injury and illness, is expected back at practice this week and should be ready to play against the Rams. 

LB James Houston (ankle) will practice, but it’s unclear if he’ll be ready to go. TE Brock Wright (hip) could also practice this week after missing a month of play.

Also, DE John Cominsky was inactive Sunday because Campbell wanted to give him a rest. Said he’d put on a lot of hard miles this season with all the dirty work he does.

NEXT UP: Los Angeles Rams (10-7) at Detroit Lions (12-5), 8 p.m. on Sunday at Ford Field in the wildcard playoff game.

Lions Dan Campbell says next battle is fighting complacency to win No. 2 seed.

ALLEN PARK — The Detroit Lions checked one box winning the NFC North division with the win over the Vikings on Christmas Eve.

It’s all good, the first division win in 30 years and  it results in, at the very least, a home playoff game.

However, the Lions are not done. If they win out -— at the Dallas Cowboys (10-5) on Saturday and hosting the Vikings (7-8) on Jan. 7 — they will be the No. 2 seed in the NFC.

“At this point now we’re fighting for the 2 seed, if you’re able to get to the one then so be it, but right now what we know we can achieve on our own is the two,’’ coach Dan Campbell said on Tuesday. “That’s no easy task. We have to go to Dallas. They haven’t lost in I don’t know how many games at home.’’

The Cowboys are 7-0 at home this season and 15-1 in last two years. They are coming off two straight road losses — at Buffalo and at MIami.

“It will be loud, but we’re looking forward to it. I’m looking forward to going out there and playing a really good opponent at their place,’’ Campbell said.

The Lions have been road warriors this season with a 6-2 record in away games and 5-2 at home.

Campbell said the biggest opponent right now is satisfaction and complacency.

“That is what we’re going to fight from here on out. They’re going to know that, we’re going to have a meeting in a little bit and we’ve got smart guys, they understand that,’’ Campbell said.

The coach compared it to winning in the postseason.

“It’s really no different than what happens in the playoffs — you win a big game in the playoffs you don’t have time to really enjoy, you have to get ready for the next one,’’ Campbell said. “That’s where we’re at. It’s a great thing, I wish we had more time to enjoy it, but we don’t. We’re off to the next one. We have to want more, we’ve got to stay hungry or we won’t be able to get the next one.’’

INJURY UPDATE: Veteran defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson will practice for the second week, coming off IR. Campbell said they’ll see how he does this week before making a decision on if he will be play on Saturday. … LB James Houston, who is on IR, could start practicing this week but Campbell wouldn’t say it’s a certainty. They could wait another week on him.

Lions GM Brad Holmes not surprised about success of rookie class

A look at each rookie’s stats

ALLEN PARK — While veterans were key to the Detroit Lions 9-8 season including the big turnaround after a horrid start, the rookies played a huge role. A glance at the stat sheet is all the proof that is needed.

The 1-6 start was rough on one of the NFL’s youngest teams, but the rookies matured and as they grew they found a certain confidence and won eight of their last ten. 

It’s official the 2022 Lions draft class met and in some cases exceeded expectations.

“I’m not surprised about the success (of the rookie class). You don’t know if Kerby Joseph is going to pick off Aaron Rodgers three times in a season. You don’t know when James Houston gets going that he’s going to have eight sacks in just that small sample size. I can’t say we have that crystal ball, but we do know about who they were as football players,’’ Lions GM Brad Holmes said during his season-ending press conference on Tuesday.

“We knew Kerby Joseph was a ball guy, we knew he was a ball hawk, we knew he had outstanding instincts to get the football. So that’s not a surprise. We knew James Houston had all of the development or attributes and traits and the football character and intangibles to work with the development. Him having production is not a surprise,’’ Holmes added.

Houston may have been a surprise to others because he was a sixth-round pick. So was Malcolm Rodriguez who started 14 games. Joseph was a third-round pick. 

All eyes were on Aidan Hutchinson, the second overall pick, and he didn’t disappoint. 

“Ultimately, any of your draft picks, you just want to see them develop. You want to see them get a little bit better every week. You want to see that a mistake that they made early, they don’t make again, and really, they’ve all done that, and that includes Aidan,’’ coach Dan Campbell said. “And I go back to this, I mean he – he didn’t just walk in the door and all of a sudden, all these great things happen. I mean he goes into Washington, he has three sacks, and then it’s expected that he’ll have three sacks every week from then on, and that’s just not the reality, but the fact is he was disruptive, and he’s a football player, and he did improve.’’

A first-round pick is expected to contribute from Day One and Hutchinson did just that.

“We knew Aidan, we pretty much knew what his skillset was and what  his drive and determination and intangibles were,’’ Holmes said. “I don’t want to say we knew that the statistics would be what they were but we’re not really surprised that (the rookies) had success. That’s why we do all the work that we do.’’

Here’s a look at the 2022 Lions draft class and how they contributed:

— Defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson, second overall pick. In 17 starts, he’s had three  interceptions (he never had one in college), 9.5 sacks to lead all NFL rookies, two fumble recoveries and 52 tackles. His coming out party was in Week 2 when he had 3 sacks in the win over the Commanders.  

— WR Jameson Williams, first round (12th overall). He played in first game on Dec. 4 after recovering from ACL surgery last January. His first and only reception was a 41-yard touchdown catch. He also had a 40-yard scamper for a touchdown. With no training camp and limited practice he was at a disadvantage with a lack of experience, but his speed was on full display. Expectations are high for next season.

— Defensive lineman Josh Paschal, second round, (46th overall). In 10 games with four starts, Paschal had a pair of sacks in Week 17 against the Bears and 16 tackles overall. He can be a force and the stats don’t always tell the story.

— Safety Kerby Joseph, third round (97th overall). In 17 games (14 starts) he became Aaron Rodgers’ biggest nightmare. Of his four interceptions three were against Rodgers with 2 in the Lions win at Ford Field and one at Lambeau on Sunday. Joseph was a standout with 2 forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and 82 tackles.

— TE James Mitchell, fifth round (177th overall). In 14 games he was targeted 11 times and caught every one with 1 touchdown. His role has developed after T.J. Hockenson was traded to the Vikings.

— LB Malcolm Rodriguez, sixth round (188th overall). He’s a dynamo who got the eyes of coaches and fans from the start of training camp. He was a “Hard Knocks” star.. In 16 games (15 starts), he’s had 87 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery. Look for the ball and you’ll find Rodrigo.

— Linebacker James Houston, sixth round (217th overall). He opened eyes with  five sacks in his first four games, starting on Thanksgiving. He set an NFL record with seven sacks in his first six games and  finished the season with eight sacks. He’s a force who spent the first three months on the practice squad. He had a pair of sacks and a special teams fumble recovery in his first game on Thanksgiving. 

— Cornerback Chase Lucas, seventh round (237th overall). In six games mostly on special teams, he had three tackles. He was placed on injured reserve on Dec. 10 with a hamstring injury. He missed time earlier in the season with an ankle injury.