It that's the case I have to think there were other reasons.
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2025 Detroit Lions: 0-1 Green Bay Parsons 27-Detroit Lions 13 (128 Viewers)
- Thread starter Da Guru
- Start date
Hot Sauce Guy
Footballguy
I’m still trying to figure out what in the world they were doing in the 4th quarter, down 3 scores, in 2nd & 16, then 3rd & 15, and their master plan was to… run David Montgomery?
Shocker, he netted 2 yards on those 2 carries.
Never seen anything like it. Were they thinking they’d surprise the packers by calling the dumbest possible plays? “They’ll never expect us to run Monty up the gut on 3rd & 16! It’s so crazy it just might work!!”
I’m at a loss for words over that series.
Shocker, he netted 2 yards on those 2 carries.
Never seen anything like it. Were they thinking they’d surprise the packers by calling the dumbest possible plays? “They’ll never expect us to run Monty up the gut on 3rd & 16! It’s so crazy it just might work!!”
I’m at a loss for words over that series.
They were at their own one do they were probably trying to get a few yards to get a little more room for the punt. The game was over at that point. I don't agree with doing that.
Hot Sauce Guy
Footballguy
I mean, not like they’d had any success running the ball all game. What’s the adage about the definition of insanity?
Da Guru
Fair & Balanced
Bo Schembechler always said "You have to establish the ground game"
My thoughts after a day of letting it set in.
I think two minor choices would have helped both glaring holes yesterday.
Bringing back Smith and Zeitler. Neither cost a lot of money and both would have provided much needed help and leadership.
I don't know why Zeitler wasn't brought back.
Also, I wasn't a fan of either coordinator. Especially the DC. I wanted Dennis Allen.
But after seeing the Jets play and HOW they played and seeing how our defense looked Sunday, I think Glenn was far better than I gave him credit for.
The team was flat Sunday. Meanwhile Glenn was fired up on the Jets sideline. Think he meant more than I realized.
I think two minor choices would have helped both glaring holes yesterday.
Bringing back Smith and Zeitler. Neither cost a lot of money and both would have provided much needed help and leadership.
I don't know why Zeitler wasn't brought back.
Also, I wasn't a fan of either coordinator. Especially the DC. I wanted Dennis Allen.
But after seeing the Jets play and HOW they played and seeing how our defense looked Sunday, I think Glenn was far better than I gave him credit for.
The team was flat Sunday. Meanwhile Glenn was fired up on the Jets sideline. Think he meant more than I realized.
Snotbubbles
Footballguy
You have to give new coordinators time, probably around 4 games.
ignatiusjreilly
Footballguy
How long do you have to wait before bringing in Matt Patricia?
(Just yanking your chain. And I agree with you; that's the main reason I'm not freaking out too much about Week 1)
Jets gave up more points to a worse offense than the Lions did . . .
But Engstrand sure seemed to do a great job for them.
Snotbubbles
Footballguy
You'll have a sense by week 8 there's a problem. By week 10 or 11, you'll know there's a problem. By week 14 you'll be happy with anyone other than the current guy.
They don't have four weeks.
Snotbubbles
Footballguy
2024 Eagles were 2-2 after 4 weeks. Beating Green Bay in Brazil, losing to Atlanta, barely beating the New Orleans Saints and getting embarrassed by the Tampa Bay Bucs. They came back in week 6 after a bye and nearly lost the to the Cleveland Browns with DeShaun Watson. They have 4 weeks.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Detroit Lions film review: How did the Packers stymie the Lions' high-powered offense?
Allen Park — Even before the Green Bay Packers added All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons, the team’s re-worked defense under coordinator Jeff Hafley presented problems for Detroit.
In the first matchup between the teams a year ago, the Lions were reasonably efficient in inclement conditions at Lambeau, but mustered just 261 yards and 17 points from the offense in a 24-14 win fueled by Kerby Joseph’s pick-six.
Detroit looked more like itself in the second matchup, putting up 34 in a win at Ford Field. Still, the Packers made them work for every inch in that one, particularly on the ground, limiting the backfield led by Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery to 3.3 yards per carry.
When you consider the Packers are now in the second year of Hafley’s system, while the Lions have a new play-caller and underwent significant changes along the offensive line, maybe Sunday’s results weren’t as surprising as they initially seemed.
Consistency was difficult to pin down, but the Lions did have four drives of nine or more plays, each at least 50 yards. The biggest problem was an inability to finish, with the first three trips into the red zone resulting in six points and a turnover. It was reminiscent of last year’s Week 2 matchup against Tampa Bay, when the Lions capitalized on just one of seven red-zone trips in the 20-16 loss.
The Lions will look to get things on track this week against the Chicago Bears. Before that, let’s dissect the film and look at what went so wrong against Green Bay.
We’re going to go through this thing drive by excruciating drive. As usual, there will be some concluding thoughts at the end of the post if you aren’t interested in the blow-by-blow.
Detroit opened with an I-formation handoff to Gibbs, a zone concept going left, looking to establish the run early. Instead, tight end Sam LaPorta failed to sustain a block on Lucas Van Ness early in the snap, resulting in a gain of just one.
Green Bay flexed its eye discipline on second-and-9. The Lions attempted to manufacture space for Gibbs on a swing pass to the right flat by having LaPorta run a crossing pattern going right to left. However, the Packers linebackers, particularly Quay Walker, didn’t bite, reading inline tight end Brock Wright's detachment to act as a lead blocker for Gibbs, leading to a quick stop.
Pocket pressure from Parsons ended the drive. On the third-down snap, he got initial knockback working against Penei Sewell before beating the right tackle to the inside and flushing quarterback Jared Goff from the pocket. That forced a checkdown to Gibbs, which was quickly swallowed up by the Packers’ forward-facing secondary, which was in a Tampa-2 zone look.
Three snaps later, the Lions would get another chunk, a 19-yard pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown. Unfortunately, this would end up their second-longest gain of the day.
Detroit ran play-action on the snap with the Packers in a Cover-3. St. Brown motioned into a stack on the right side and ran an 18-yard out route behind Jameson Williams’ vertical clearout. Complicating matters was Ratledge allowing Karl Brooks to penetrate the pocket, altering Goff’s follow-through, which led St. Brown close enough to the sideline that he had to make a toe-tapping grab while falling out of bounds.
That led to four consecutive handoffs to Montgomery. The first three were hard runs, but secured another first down. Guard Christian Mahogany delivered a punishing pulling block on a pin-and-pull that should make his season-ending highlight reel.
However, Mahogany was the culprit putting the Lions behind the sticks on first-and-10, when he was overpowered by defensive lineman Colby Wooden on a zone run, resulting in Montgomery being tackled behind the line.
The Lions got it to third-and-manageable with a checkdown toss to Gibbs. And, as he’s done so many times the past few seasons, St. Brown provided Goff a reliable target on third down, powering through a jam at the line of scrimmage and securing a slant that kept the drive alive and put Detroit into the red zone.
A 5-yard flare to Gibbs, which might have been more with an accurate throw, set up second-and-5. The back would get stopped for no gain on the next snap when Walker’s late pre-snap shift inside put him out of range for LaPorta to block.
On third down, Goff looked St. Brown’s way again, but this time the receiver couldn’t get off the jam of cornerback Keisean Nixon. Goff stepped up in the pocket while progressing to his next read, LaPorta, who broke his sitdown route toward the sideline. However, an unnecessary shoulder fake, feigning an upfield turn, disrupted the timing of Goff’s tight-window throw, causing an incompletion.
Had the pocket held up better on the first snap, Goff had Williams on a sail route. Instead, interior pressure surrendered by Ratledge forced a sidearm checkdown to the running back for 6 yards.
Finding themselves in third-and-2 near midfield, the Lions dialed St. Brown’s number again and he delivered with another successful slant to reset the sticks.
Still, the Packers kept the pressure on, getting the Lions into a fourth-and-2 situation with that fresh set of downs. Running dualing shallow crosses, the Lions took advantage of the Packers’ doubling St. Brown to get the ball to Williams for the conversion.
The Lions wanted a wheel to LaPorta out of motion on first down in the red zone, but the Packers were in a quarters look that took away any hope of pushing the ball vertically. Pressured to roll away from his checkdown in the left flat, Goff threw the ball away.
A short run on second down by Montgomery set up third-and-7 from the Packers’ 16-yard line. Where else would you expect Goff to look first on such a critical play? The Packers anticipated it, too, with deep safety Evan Williams, playing robber in the Cover-3 look, breaking hard toward St. Brown at the snap and jumping the throw for an interception.
It was recognition and placement errors by Goff that led to the turnover. Still, pressure by Parsons, who badly beat Sewell to the inside, was also a factor.
That’s not counting the first snap, which is the first time I felt Goff missed a downfield opportunity. There was some questionable spacing with the route combination to the left side, which may have been a factor. Still, it felt like a missed opportunity on a post pattern to Williams before the QB checked it down to Gibbs.
Goff and the offense rebounded with their longest play of the day, a 32-yard catch and run to LaPorta on a zone-beating crossing pattern into space created by Jameson Williams’ vertical route and St. Brown occupying a defender by sitting down across the middle.
Three snaps later, on third-and-5, LaPorta added another 16 yards with a slick route that saw the tight end sprint past Walker in the middle of the field. Then, after clearing the linebacker’s zone responsibility, LaPorta slammed on the brakes and drifted into unoccupied space.
That’s a smart way to take advantage of a zone defender with eyes committed to the quarterback.
Now with first-and-goal from the 10, things quickly fell apart for Detroit. Running play-action, the Packers didn’t bite, blanketing Goff’s downfield reads with their Cover-3 look. Even the checkdown window to Montgomery was too tight for the quarterback, leading to a throwaway.
Disaster struck on second down when center Graham Glasgow couldn’t get a body on Kingsley Enagbare (55) in the second level on a zone run going right. Gibbs spun out of the defender’s grasp, but went backward, where he was swarmed by multiple defenders and dropped for a loss of 6, effectively ending the threat.
More pressure allowed by Sewell led to a desperation checkdown throw to Gibbs on first down for 4 yards, followed by an ineffective shotgun handoff to Montgomery, where left tackle Taylor Decker whiffed on his blocking assignment.
Facing third-and-6, both Sewell and Mahogany were bulled into the pocket before the play could develop, resulting in Goff being sacked before he could fire the ball to LaPorta across the middle.
In the first matchup between the teams a year ago, the Lions were reasonably efficient in inclement conditions at Lambeau, but mustered just 261 yards and 17 points from the offense in a 24-14 win fueled by Kerby Joseph’s pick-six.
Detroit looked more like itself in the second matchup, putting up 34 in a win at Ford Field. Still, the Packers made them work for every inch in that one, particularly on the ground, limiting the backfield led by Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery to 3.3 yards per carry.
When you consider the Packers are now in the second year of Hafley’s system, while the Lions have a new play-caller and underwent significant changes along the offensive line, maybe Sunday’s results weren’t as surprising as they initially seemed.
Consistency was difficult to pin down, but the Lions did have four drives of nine or more plays, each at least 50 yards. The biggest problem was an inability to finish, with the first three trips into the red zone resulting in six points and a turnover. It was reminiscent of last year’s Week 2 matchup against Tampa Bay, when the Lions capitalized on just one of seven red-zone trips in the 20-16 loss.
The Lions will look to get things on track this week against the Chicago Bears. Before that, let’s dissect the film and look at what went so wrong against Green Bay.
We’re going to go through this thing drive by excruciating drive. As usual, there will be some concluding thoughts at the end of the post if you aren’t interested in the blow-by-blow.
Possession 1 (Three plays, -4 yards)
The Packers established some hallmarks of their performance on the opening drive: Clogged run lanes, smothering zone coverage taking away deeper throws, and outstanding tackling in space after forcing a checkdown.Detroit opened with an I-formation handoff to Gibbs, a zone concept going left, looking to establish the run early. Instead, tight end Sam LaPorta failed to sustain a block on Lucas Van Ness early in the snap, resulting in a gain of just one.
Green Bay flexed its eye discipline on second-and-9. The Lions attempted to manufacture space for Gibbs on a swing pass to the right flat by having LaPorta run a crossing pattern going right to left. However, the Packers linebackers, particularly Quay Walker, didn’t bite, reading inline tight end Brock Wright's detachment to act as a lead blocker for Gibbs, leading to a quick stop.
Pocket pressure from Parsons ended the drive. On the third-down snap, he got initial knockback working against Penei Sewell before beating the right tackle to the inside and flushing quarterback Jared Goff from the pocket. That forced a checkdown to Gibbs, which was quickly swallowed up by the Packers’ forward-facing secondary, which was in a Tampa-2 zone look.
Possession 2 (16 plays, 68 yards)
Despite starting with an offside penalty, the Lions got things going with a 14-yard run by Gibbs. It was a strong individual effort by the speedy back, who rerouted after his initial left-side lane was clogged. Making a man miss in the backfield and benefiting from a missed hold by rookie Tate Ratledge, Gibbs was able to get the right edge for the chunk gain.Three snaps later, the Lions would get another chunk, a 19-yard pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown. Unfortunately, this would end up their second-longest gain of the day.
Detroit ran play-action on the snap with the Packers in a Cover-3. St. Brown motioned into a stack on the right side and ran an 18-yard out route behind Jameson Williams’ vertical clearout. Complicating matters was Ratledge allowing Karl Brooks to penetrate the pocket, altering Goff’s follow-through, which led St. Brown close enough to the sideline that he had to make a toe-tapping grab while falling out of bounds.
That led to four consecutive handoffs to Montgomery. The first three were hard runs, but secured another first down. Guard Christian Mahogany delivered a punishing pulling block on a pin-and-pull that should make his season-ending highlight reel.
However, Mahogany was the culprit putting the Lions behind the sticks on first-and-10, when he was overpowered by defensive lineman Colby Wooden on a zone run, resulting in Montgomery being tackled behind the line.
The Lions got it to third-and-manageable with a checkdown toss to Gibbs. And, as he’s done so many times the past few seasons, St. Brown provided Goff a reliable target on third down, powering through a jam at the line of scrimmage and securing a slant that kept the drive alive and put Detroit into the red zone.
A 5-yard flare to Gibbs, which might have been more with an accurate throw, set up second-and-5. The back would get stopped for no gain on the next snap when Walker’s late pre-snap shift inside put him out of range for LaPorta to block.
On third down, Goff looked St. Brown’s way again, but this time the receiver couldn’t get off the jam of cornerback Keisean Nixon. Goff stepped up in the pocket while progressing to his next read, LaPorta, who broke his sitdown route toward the sideline. However, an unnecessary shoulder fake, feigning an upfield turn, disrupted the timing of Goff’s tight-window throw, causing an incompletion.
Possession 3 (13 plays, 55 yards)
Detroit went on a mini march with their next possession, as well, starting with five consecutive touches for Montgomery.Had the pocket held up better on the first snap, Goff had Williams on a sail route. Instead, interior pressure surrendered by Ratledge forced a sidearm checkdown to the running back for 6 yards.
Finding themselves in third-and-2 near midfield, the Lions dialed St. Brown’s number again and he delivered with another successful slant to reset the sticks.
Still, the Packers kept the pressure on, getting the Lions into a fourth-and-2 situation with that fresh set of downs. Running dualing shallow crosses, the Lions took advantage of the Packers’ doubling St. Brown to get the ball to Williams for the conversion.
The Lions wanted a wheel to LaPorta out of motion on first down in the red zone, but the Packers were in a quarters look that took away any hope of pushing the ball vertically. Pressured to roll away from his checkdown in the left flat, Goff threw the ball away.
A short run on second down by Montgomery set up third-and-7 from the Packers’ 16-yard line. Where else would you expect Goff to look first on such a critical play? The Packers anticipated it, too, with deep safety Evan Williams, playing robber in the Cover-3 look, breaking hard toward St. Brown at the snap and jumping the throw for an interception.
It was recognition and placement errors by Goff that led to the turnover. Still, pressure by Parsons, who badly beat Sewell to the inside, was also a factor.
Possession 4 (1 plays, -1 yards)
Goff took a knee to end the first half. Nothing to see here.Possession 5 (9 plays, 59 yards)
The Lions worked it into the red zone for the third consecutive series, excluding the kneel down, with what I thought was their best executed drive.That’s not counting the first snap, which is the first time I felt Goff missed a downfield opportunity. There was some questionable spacing with the route combination to the left side, which may have been a factor. Still, it felt like a missed opportunity on a post pattern to Williams before the QB checked it down to Gibbs.
Goff and the offense rebounded with their longest play of the day, a 32-yard catch and run to LaPorta on a zone-beating crossing pattern into space created by Jameson Williams’ vertical route and St. Brown occupying a defender by sitting down across the middle.
Three snaps later, on third-and-5, LaPorta added another 16 yards with a slick route that saw the tight end sprint past Walker in the middle of the field. Then, after clearing the linebacker’s zone responsibility, LaPorta slammed on the brakes and drifted into unoccupied space.
That’s a smart way to take advantage of a zone defender with eyes committed to the quarterback.
Now with first-and-goal from the 10, things quickly fell apart for Detroit. Running play-action, the Packers didn’t bite, blanketing Goff’s downfield reads with their Cover-3 look. Even the checkdown window to Montgomery was too tight for the quarterback, leading to a throwaway.
Disaster struck on second down when center Graham Glasgow couldn’t get a body on Kingsley Enagbare (55) in the second level on a zone run going right. Gibbs spun out of the defender’s grasp, but went backward, where he was swarmed by multiple defenders and dropped for a loss of 6, effectively ending the threat.
Possession 6 (5 plays, 11 yards)
This drive started strong with a well-designed receiver screen to a motioning Kalif Raymond out of play-action for 9 yards and a first down. That was the extent of the success.More pressure allowed by Sewell led to a desperation checkdown throw to Gibbs on first down for 4 yards, followed by an ineffective shotgun handoff to Montgomery, where left tackle Taylor Decker whiffed on his blocking assignment.
Facing third-and-6, both Sewell and Mahogany were bulled into the pocket before the play could develop, resulting in Goff being sacked before he could fire the ball to LaPorta across the middle.
King of the Jungle
Footballguy
With the schedule they have this Bears game is a near must win already.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Possession 7 (3 plays, -7 yards)
Pinned deep in their own territory to open the fourth quarter, things went from bad to worse when Decker got pushed into the pocket by Gary’s long arm move, nearly resulting in a safety.
In terms of the coverage, the Packers were in Cover 3, and nothing was open for Goff before the pressure got home.
The Packers nearly got a safety again when Ratledge clearly wasn’t on the same page with the play call. The rookie guard abandoned the A-gap blocking responsibility, leaving Montgomery to fend for himself to salvage the third-down run.
On fourth down, it was more of the same, with Ratledge getting smoked at the snap by Devonte Wyatt for a drive-ending snap.
The Lions also survived a bone-headed play by Williams, who backtracked after making a fourth-down grab, forcing him to lunge for the sticks to get the first down.
We’ll cap this drive-by-drive review with some good vibes, an end-zone angle of rookie Isaac TeSlaa’s incredible touchdown catch. It may not have mattered to the result, but it doesn’t hurt his push for more playing time.
Worse, the issues weren’t isolated to a single lineman. All five have moments where they cost the Lions, including the typically dominant Sewell.
In terms of play-calling, I didn’t see any critical flaws. The Lions tried to create downfield opportunities, but the Packers were intent on taking them away and did an excellent job with their rush four/drop seven scheme and executing their zone principles in the back end, forcing the Lions to repeatedly check the ball down. Furthering the Packers’ success, they hardly missed any tackles, which is difficult to accomplish against the Lions.
If anything, I thought the Lions didn’t dial up enough intermediate zone-beating route concepts, like the vertical clearout for LaPorta’s big gain on the crossing pattern.
In terms of running the ball, the Lions looked better running power concepts compared to zone looks. The sample size is far too small to make a sweeping assessment. However, it will be interesting to see how this develops over the next few weeks, as the unit forges its chemistry and identity. The Lions shifted more heavily to zone runs a year ago. Regardless, Gibbs and Montgomery are talented enough to thrive in any blocking scheme.
The red zone struggles boiled down to sloppy execution. LaPorta being on the same page with Goff on the scramble drill potentially extends the first. And if the QB makes a better read and throw, plus Sewell doesn't allow quick pressure, it avoids a turnover. Maybe it's not seven points, but it's not zero. Finally, a blown block by Glasgow was the downfall on the third failed trip.
As coach Dan Campbell would say, “It’s all correctable.”
Offense, in particular the passing game, can take a little longer to smooth out the wrinkles at the start of the season. Facing a good defense with schematic continuity and a premium pass rusher added to the mix made the Packers look like a well-oiled machine.
Pinned deep in their own territory to open the fourth quarter, things went from bad to worse when Decker got pushed into the pocket by Gary’s long arm move, nearly resulting in a safety.
In terms of the coverage, the Packers were in Cover 3, and nothing was open for Goff before the pressure got home.
The Packers nearly got a safety again when Ratledge clearly wasn’t on the same page with the play call. The rookie guard abandoned the A-gap blocking responsibility, leaving Montgomery to fend for himself to salvage the third-down run.
Possession 8 (4 plays, 0 yards)
Now down 18 with under eight minutes remaining, the Lions had to leave the run game behind. Facing collapsing pockets each of the first three snaps, Goff completed two passes for 8 yards before sailing a throw to well-covered LaPorta out of bounds.On fourth down, it was more of the same, with Ratledge getting smoked at the snap by Devonte Wyatt for a drive-ending snap.
Possession 9 (13 plays, 60 yards)
I don’t have much to say about a garbage-time touchdown drive. Frankly, Goff should have been picked off on the first play, when he tried to force a post pattern to Raymond but failed to clear Walker’s drop.The Lions also survived a bone-headed play by Williams, who backtracked after making a fourth-down grab, forcing him to lunge for the sticks to get the first down.
We’ll cap this drive-by-drive review with some good vibes, an end-zone angle of rookie Isaac TeSlaa’s incredible touchdown catch. It may not have mattered to the result, but it doesn’t hurt his push for more playing time.
Concluding thoughts
In many ways, this review likely reaffirms your thoughts watching the contest live. The blocking was problematic, both in the ground game and the pass protection.Worse, the issues weren’t isolated to a single lineman. All five have moments where they cost the Lions, including the typically dominant Sewell.
In terms of play-calling, I didn’t see any critical flaws. The Lions tried to create downfield opportunities, but the Packers were intent on taking them away and did an excellent job with their rush four/drop seven scheme and executing their zone principles in the back end, forcing the Lions to repeatedly check the ball down. Furthering the Packers’ success, they hardly missed any tackles, which is difficult to accomplish against the Lions.
If anything, I thought the Lions didn’t dial up enough intermediate zone-beating route concepts, like the vertical clearout for LaPorta’s big gain on the crossing pattern.
In terms of running the ball, the Lions looked better running power concepts compared to zone looks. The sample size is far too small to make a sweeping assessment. However, it will be interesting to see how this develops over the next few weeks, as the unit forges its chemistry and identity. The Lions shifted more heavily to zone runs a year ago. Regardless, Gibbs and Montgomery are talented enough to thrive in any blocking scheme.
The red zone struggles boiled down to sloppy execution. LaPorta being on the same page with Goff on the scramble drill potentially extends the first. And if the QB makes a better read and throw, plus Sewell doesn't allow quick pressure, it avoids a turnover. Maybe it's not seven points, but it's not zero. Finally, a blown block by Glasgow was the downfall on the third failed trip.
As coach Dan Campbell would say, “It’s all correctable.”
Offense, in particular the passing game, can take a little longer to smooth out the wrinkles at the start of the season. Facing a good defense with schematic continuity and a premium pass rusher added to the mix made the Packers look like a well-oiled machine.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
- CB Terrion Arnold's groin injury is not considered serious. Had an MRI Monday. While his status for Sunday is up in the air, TA said it’s tolerable & he can play through. Given how easy it can be to aggravate those kind of injuries I’m hoping they just roll with Robertson.
- S Daniel Thomas (mostly STer) broke a bone in his hand but plans to get a cast and try to play through it.
Da Guru
Fair & Balanced
Playing through pully hammys and groins never seems to work out well. If something is wrong Missing a week is much better than missing 4-5 weeks
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Yeah I think they’ll err on the side of caution with TA. Vaki has been battling a hamstring all summer. Sometimes the team / medical staff have a duty to protect the player from themselves. It’s a long season, need them both for the stretch run.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Detroit Lions adding massive offensive tackle
The Detroit Lions are signing Devin Cochran, a massive offensive tackle that can help with OT depth issues.On Monday, Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell revealed that veteran offensive tackle Jamarco Jones is out for the season with an ankle injury suffered during last week’s practice. It appears they have found a potential replacement.
According to his agency, offensive tackle Devin Cochran has signed with the Lions. At this point, because the transaction is unofficial, it’s unclear if Cochran is signing to the 53-man roster or the practice squad. There is an open spot on the practice squad after the Lions signed running back Jacob Saylors to the active roster on Saturday, but if the Lions were to sign Cochran to the 53-man roster, it would require a corresponding move, as the Lions are currently at the maximum.
Cochran is a massive human being, standing at 6-foot-7, 330 pounds, nearly matching the size of Giovanni Manu (6-foot-7, 350). He went undrafted in 2022 and spent the next three seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. His first season was entirely on their practice squad. He lost his 2023 season to a knee injury.
But last year, he was finally called up from the practice squad and made nine game appearances for the Bengals, including one start at left tackle. Additionally, he logged 83 snaps at right tackle as a mid-game fill-in over three games. Over 100 pass blocking snaps, PFF charged him with eight pressures allowed, one sack, and a 50.8 pass blocking grade. Per PFF, he was slightly more successful over 52 run blocking snaps, earning a 57.5 grade.
Cochran didn’t make the Bengals’ 53-man roster in 2025, but did sign with their practice squad initially. However, he was cut shortly thereafter.
The Lions are currently going through some depth issues at offensive tackle. With Jones out for the year, practice squad tackle Dan Skipper is likely their best option, but he missed all of last week’s practice with an undisclosed injury. That left second-year developmental tackle Giovanni Manu to serve as the primary backup against the Packers in Week 1.
According to his agency, offensive tackle Devin Cochran has signed with the Lions. At this point, because the transaction is unofficial, it’s unclear if Cochran is signing to the 53-man roster or the practice squad. There is an open spot on the practice squad after the Lions signed running back Jacob Saylors to the active roster on Saturday, but if the Lions were to sign Cochran to the 53-man roster, it would require a corresponding move, as the Lions are currently at the maximum.
Cochran is a massive human being, standing at 6-foot-7, 330 pounds, nearly matching the size of Giovanni Manu (6-foot-7, 350). He went undrafted in 2022 and spent the next three seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. His first season was entirely on their practice squad. He lost his 2023 season to a knee injury.
But last year, he was finally called up from the practice squad and made nine game appearances for the Bengals, including one start at left tackle. Additionally, he logged 83 snaps at right tackle as a mid-game fill-in over three games. Over 100 pass blocking snaps, PFF charged him with eight pressures allowed, one sack, and a 50.8 pass blocking grade. Per PFF, he was slightly more successful over 52 run blocking snaps, earning a 57.5 grade.
Cochran didn’t make the Bengals’ 53-man roster in 2025, but did sign with their practice squad initially. However, he was cut shortly thereafter.
The Lions are currently going through some depth issues at offensive tackle. With Jones out for the year, practice squad tackle Dan Skipper is likely their best option, but he missed all of last week’s practice with an undisclosed injury. That left second-year developmental tackle Giovanni Manu to serve as the primary backup against the Packers in Week 1.
Boy are they terrified of putting Manu on the field. Starting to feel like Brodric all over again.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Detroit Lions film review: The good, bad and correctable from team's defensive performance in Green Bay
Even for players, it's not easy to process the totality of a game in real time.
Following the Detroit Lions’ season-opening loss to the Green Bay Packers, I approached linebacker Alex Anzalone in the locker room with some questions about the defeat. The defensive captain was still looking over the stat sheet, uncertain how to interpret the overall performance of the unit based on the numbers and the results.
There was unquestionably a strange flow to the game. The defense got off to a rough start, allowing the Packers to drive 83 yards on 12 plays for a game-opening touchdown. Then there was the two-play, 65-yard scoring drive early in the second quarter.
The rest of the game, Detroit’s defense surrendered 133 yards and seven first downs. Sure, the Packers scored another 13 points, but the average starting field position on those possessions was the Lions’ 38-yard line.
So was it a good showing or a disappointing effort for a unit that entered the season with lofty expectations? As usual, the answer lies somewhere in between.
Following up on our morning film study of Detroit’s dismal showing on offense, let’s explore what the tape revealed about the defensive performance.
Let’s start with that opening drive.
During that opening sequence, Detroit established that it meant business against the run. Josh Jacobs, one of the NFL’s most productive ball carriers, found no breathing room during the 12-play possession.
The Packers handed the ball to their lead back four times during the series. He gained 3 yards. The fourth touch, a no-gain stop for rookie Tyleik Williams, was wiped off the books because of an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against safety Brian Branch away from the ball. Regardless, it doesn’t take away from the dominance, with every layer of the defense contributing.
You had control at the point of attack, linebackers filling gaps and cornerbacks flying to offer perimeter support, with cornerback Terrion Arnold contributing to two of the stops. That's how it should look when all 11 are committed and executing.
Detroit's success with stopping the run put Green Bay in multiple third-and-long situations, where the defense failed to capitalize. In those downs-and-distances, you need a marriage of rush and coverage. For the Lions, those two facets need some couples counseling.
On an early third-and-10, the Lions lined up linebackers over each A gap, blitzed both, and got no pressure on the pocket. And on the back end, Arnold got beat on a dig route by Dontayvion Wicks for 16 yards.
On third-and-6, DJ Reed had his second communication issue in five snaps, not getting the assignment switch he expected. That left rookie receiver Matthew Golden wide open on a crossing pattern for the conversion.
Additionally, the Lions dropped their edges on the play. That’s not inherently bad, but, at 2 yards from the line of scrimmage, linebacker Derrick Barnes didn’t have nearly enough depth to impact the throw in a meaningful way.
Detroit had a chance to limit the damage to three points with a third-and-9 in the red zone. However, linebacker Jack Campbell’s lingering liability in man-to-man coverage was exposed for the second time on the drive.
On the first, Campbell was beaten on a vertical route by tight end Tucker Kraft, but Love overshot his open target down the left sideline. However, in the red zone, the two connected, with Campbell sluggish to flip his hips, failing to stay in phase on Kraft’s skinny post down the seam.
The Packers moved to four-for-four on third downs during their second drive, with a 26-yard throw from Love to slot receiver Jaylen Reed. The spacing between layers of Detroit’s Cover-2 zone was the biggest culprit, again partially due to an edge, this time Marcus Davenport, failing to get proper depth on his coverage drop.
As for the other half of the marriage, the rush, the Lions sent five, but Branch was picked up by the back, leaving Love unbothered in the pocket.
Detroit finally stopped the bleeding three plays later when Arnold broke up a back-shoulder fade to the goal line intended for Romeo Doubs, forcing the Packers to settle for a field goal.
Arnold’s triumph was short-lived as the Packers attacked him on both snaps of a two-play, 65-yard touchdown drive.
Watching the film, I’m less convinced that the first is solely Arnold’s fault. And I’m not talking about a lack of pressure from a five-man front, but I will come back to that. No, I’m more concerned about safety Kerby Joseph’s role in the zone blitz. Although we can’t say for certain without knowing the play call, it at least appears he has center field responsibilities in Cover-3, abandoning his post to drive on an over route.
It’s the type of pick-hunting risk we’d see Joseph take frequently earlier in his career. Love saw it, adjusted, and took advantage of the deep shot without Joseph there to provide over-the-top help for Arnold.
As for the rush, Hutchinson found an inside lane running a stunt, but was slowed just enough by a chip from Kraft early in the snap that the defender couldn’t get home in time to affect the throw.
The Packers scored on the next play, which, frankly, was perfectly executed. I’m sure there are small technical adjustments Arnold could make that are beyond my scope of knowledge. However, he was picked legally and cleanly at the time of scrimmage, creating a step of separation for Jayden Reed on a wheel route from the right slot. On the throw, Love’s placement was pristine.
The Lions rushed five on that snap, too, but again got no pressure on the quarterback.
Following that score, the Lions’ defense forced three consecutive punts. On the first, at the end of the first half, DJ Reader and Jack Campbell combined to stuff a direct snap to Jacobs on third-and-1.
Reader also came up big on Green Bay’s first possession of the third quarter, clogging the middle and forcing Jacobs to bounce outside, where he was dropped by Barnes for a loss.
The third of the three drives was arguably the game’s most important. After giving up a contested 14-yard pass to start the series, the rush impacted back-to-back throws that nearly resulted in turnovers.
On the first, Hutchinson beat two blockers and hit Love, who was funneled Hutchinson's direction by Pat O’Connor crushing the pocket from the opposite edge. That hurried Love’s throw, which he put into the arms of Anzalone, who dropped the freebie.
Following the Detroit Lions’ season-opening loss to the Green Bay Packers, I approached linebacker Alex Anzalone in the locker room with some questions about the defeat. The defensive captain was still looking over the stat sheet, uncertain how to interpret the overall performance of the unit based on the numbers and the results.
There was unquestionably a strange flow to the game. The defense got off to a rough start, allowing the Packers to drive 83 yards on 12 plays for a game-opening touchdown. Then there was the two-play, 65-yard scoring drive early in the second quarter.
The rest of the game, Detroit’s defense surrendered 133 yards and seven first downs. Sure, the Packers scored another 13 points, but the average starting field position on those possessions was the Lions’ 38-yard line.
So was it a good showing or a disappointing effort for a unit that entered the season with lofty expectations? As usual, the answer lies somewhere in between.
Following up on our morning film study of Detroit’s dismal showing on offense, let’s explore what the tape revealed about the defensive performance.
Let’s start with that opening drive.
During that opening sequence, Detroit established that it meant business against the run. Josh Jacobs, one of the NFL’s most productive ball carriers, found no breathing room during the 12-play possession.
The Packers handed the ball to their lead back four times during the series. He gained 3 yards. The fourth touch, a no-gain stop for rookie Tyleik Williams, was wiped off the books because of an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against safety Brian Branch away from the ball. Regardless, it doesn’t take away from the dominance, with every layer of the defense contributing.
You had control at the point of attack, linebackers filling gaps and cornerbacks flying to offer perimeter support, with cornerback Terrion Arnold contributing to two of the stops. That's how it should look when all 11 are committed and executing.
Detroit's success with stopping the run put Green Bay in multiple third-and-long situations, where the defense failed to capitalize. In those downs-and-distances, you need a marriage of rush and coverage. For the Lions, those two facets need some couples counseling.
On an early third-and-10, the Lions lined up linebackers over each A gap, blitzed both, and got no pressure on the pocket. And on the back end, Arnold got beat on a dig route by Dontayvion Wicks for 16 yards.
On third-and-6, DJ Reed had his second communication issue in five snaps, not getting the assignment switch he expected. That left rookie receiver Matthew Golden wide open on a crossing pattern for the conversion.
Additionally, the Lions dropped their edges on the play. That’s not inherently bad, but, at 2 yards from the line of scrimmage, linebacker Derrick Barnes didn’t have nearly enough depth to impact the throw in a meaningful way.
Detroit had a chance to limit the damage to three points with a third-and-9 in the red zone. However, linebacker Jack Campbell’s lingering liability in man-to-man coverage was exposed for the second time on the drive.
On the first, Campbell was beaten on a vertical route by tight end Tucker Kraft, but Love overshot his open target down the left sideline. However, in the red zone, the two connected, with Campbell sluggish to flip his hips, failing to stay in phase on Kraft’s skinny post down the seam.
The Packers moved to four-for-four on third downs during their second drive, with a 26-yard throw from Love to slot receiver Jaylen Reed. The spacing between layers of Detroit’s Cover-2 zone was the biggest culprit, again partially due to an edge, this time Marcus Davenport, failing to get proper depth on his coverage drop.
As for the other half of the marriage, the rush, the Lions sent five, but Branch was picked up by the back, leaving Love unbothered in the pocket.
Detroit finally stopped the bleeding three plays later when Arnold broke up a back-shoulder fade to the goal line intended for Romeo Doubs, forcing the Packers to settle for a field goal.
Arnold’s triumph was short-lived as the Packers attacked him on both snaps of a two-play, 65-yard touchdown drive.
Watching the film, I’m less convinced that the first is solely Arnold’s fault. And I’m not talking about a lack of pressure from a five-man front, but I will come back to that. No, I’m more concerned about safety Kerby Joseph’s role in the zone blitz. Although we can’t say for certain without knowing the play call, it at least appears he has center field responsibilities in Cover-3, abandoning his post to drive on an over route.
It’s the type of pick-hunting risk we’d see Joseph take frequently earlier in his career. Love saw it, adjusted, and took advantage of the deep shot without Joseph there to provide over-the-top help for Arnold.
As for the rush, Hutchinson found an inside lane running a stunt, but was slowed just enough by a chip from Kraft early in the snap that the defender couldn’t get home in time to affect the throw.
The Packers scored on the next play, which, frankly, was perfectly executed. I’m sure there are small technical adjustments Arnold could make that are beyond my scope of knowledge. However, he was picked legally and cleanly at the time of scrimmage, creating a step of separation for Jayden Reed on a wheel route from the right slot. On the throw, Love’s placement was pristine.
The Lions rushed five on that snap, too, but again got no pressure on the quarterback.
Following that score, the Lions’ defense forced three consecutive punts. On the first, at the end of the first half, DJ Reader and Jack Campbell combined to stuff a direct snap to Jacobs on third-and-1.
Reader also came up big on Green Bay’s first possession of the third quarter, clogging the middle and forcing Jacobs to bounce outside, where he was dropped by Barnes for a loss.
The third of the three drives was arguably the game’s most important. After giving up a contested 14-yard pass to start the series, the rush impacted back-to-back throws that nearly resulted in turnovers.
On the first, Hutchinson beat two blockers and hit Love, who was funneled Hutchinson's direction by Pat O’Connor crushing the pocket from the opposite edge. That hurried Love’s throw, which he put into the arms of Anzalone, who dropped the freebie.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Then, on third down, a six-man rush again hurried Love on a crossing throw to Kraft that Branch undercut and intercepted. Of course, that takeaway was taken away by a holding call against cornerback Rock Ya-Sin. Looking at it again, I’m not sure Ya-Sin held the receiver, but there was definitely too much contact beyond 5 yards, so there’s nothing to complain about.
Jacobs would finally pop a run for 10 yards two plays later, taking advantage of a light box with defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad aligned at nose tackle.
That was a unique look the Lions deployed a few times in the second half, where they believed they had the Packers in obvious passing situations. That included a drive-ending deep shot to Reed down the left sideline, where Muhammad beat the center and got a hit on Love, while DJ Reed provided tight coverage to force an incompletion.
The dam the defense had been building after their early struggles broke midway through the fourth quarter, when the Packers took over at the Lions’ 36-yard line following a Detroit punt from its own endzone.
After struggling most of the game, Jacobs was the catalyst during the series with five carries for 29 yards, including a 3-yard touchdown run. The big gain was a 15-yard romp around the right side, where Branch got outmuscled from his gap responsibility.
Officials missed Ya-Sin being held at the end of that run. It didn’t cause the failure at the front, but still would have negated the gain.
The Packers later converted a fourth-and-1 with a successful QB sneak, setting up first-and-goal at the 8. From there, Jacobs needed two shots to power it across the goal line, sealing the victory.
Green Bay would possess the ball twice more. They went three-and-out, taking a field goal following a turnover on downs. They later took a knee to run the final seconds off the clock.
Jacobs would finally pop a run for 10 yards two plays later, taking advantage of a light box with defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad aligned at nose tackle.
That was a unique look the Lions deployed a few times in the second half, where they believed they had the Packers in obvious passing situations. That included a drive-ending deep shot to Reed down the left sideline, where Muhammad beat the center and got a hit on Love, while DJ Reed provided tight coverage to force an incompletion.
The dam the defense had been building after their early struggles broke midway through the fourth quarter, when the Packers took over at the Lions’ 36-yard line following a Detroit punt from its own endzone.
After struggling most of the game, Jacobs was the catalyst during the series with five carries for 29 yards, including a 3-yard touchdown run. The big gain was a 15-yard romp around the right side, where Branch got outmuscled from his gap responsibility.
Officials missed Ya-Sin being held at the end of that run. It didn’t cause the failure at the front, but still would have negated the gain.
The Packers later converted a fourth-and-1 with a successful QB sneak, setting up first-and-goal at the 8. From there, Jacobs needed two shots to power it across the goal line, sealing the victory.
Green Bay would possess the ball twice more. They went three-and-out, taking a field goal following a turnover on downs. They later took a knee to run the final seconds off the clock.
Concluding thoughts
- The run defense looks awesome and has the potential to be a true strength. Looking at PFF’s grades after my own review, I don’t understand how they graded Reader so poorly. I thought the veteran defensive tackle was excellent in this area until a couple of hiccups in the fourth quarter.
- The pass-rush is a legitimate concern. Hutchinson will undoubtedly find a way to fight through the steady stream of double-teams, chips and nudges he faced against Green Bay. Nonetheless, I’m unsure where else pressure is going to come from. Davenport and O’Connor can definitely crush the pocket from the opposite edge, but if the Lions don’t find a way to get more from their blitzers, a secondary playing a heavy amount of man-to-man is going to struggle. It’s too hard to cover in this league if the QB consistently has a clean pocket.
- Tyleik Williams’ debut was predictably a mixed bag. I thought he held up well enough against the run and got occasional knockback as a pass rusher. However, there were times he got undisciplined with his responsibilities, including overrunning the quarterback and creating a scramble lane in the fourth quarter.
- Reed seemed to settle in after the two communication errors on the first drive. Much like we’ve talked about with the offensive line, some chemistry and communication issues will need to be ironed out in the secondary. I don’t anticipate it will be an issue that will linger long.
- That erased interception by Branch was an incredible individual effort against a really good tight end. I expect more of that, and I think if anyone is going to start popping as a blitzer, it will be the third-year safety. Obviously, you hate the dumb personal foul stuff. Regardless, if he stays healthy, I think we could be talking about an All-Pro-caliber season at year's end.
- I don’t understand why Muhammad played so little. Maybe the Lions didn’t like something about the matchup. Either way, he was effective in limited snaps and probably merits consideration for a larger role.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Interestingly, that's actually S.O.P. for the Lions and was throughout the AG era. Pretty much every DI has a handful of snaps per year they drop in coverage, and the ED rushers get 1-4 a game. Just part of mixing up the fronts and rush lanes so you're not too predictable,
Plus Hutch is pretty good at it - like, best-coverage-grade-on-the-team-for-two-seasons good at it.
- 2022 84.7 on 27 coverage snaps, 1/5 for 5 yards with 3 INT when targeted. #2 on the team was John Cominsky, 79.4 on 15 coverage snaps. For the season, 155 snaps from guys who lined up at DI/ED but then dropped into zone coverage. 71 of those were LBs who were lined up as DL, so guess we should say 84 in 17 games.
- 2023 85.2 on 47 coverage snaps, 4/5 for 28 yards with 1 INT when targeted. BB was 2nd best on the team in coverage grade. 125 coverage snaps by DL over 20 g (including playoffs.)
- 2024 only 5 coverage snaps for Hutch in 5 g, 63 coverage snaps by DL over 18 g.
One thing I am noticing in All 22 about the Packers Cover 2 and Cover 3 is they did a good job of disguising their rotations. Show man, play zone. What the Packers were running this week was the same way a lot of teams tried for 3 years to do against Ben Johnson - clog the middle and take away the in breakers. Those 14-to-18 yard throws right down the hash marks where Goff throws it before ARSB or LaPorta haven't even stuck their toe in the ground yet, that's their bread and butter.
Only 3 attempts that traveled between 10-19 over the middle (2 completions, 48 yards.)
Last year Goff checked down a lot in Lambeau, but it was raining all night. JG only threw for 145 but didn't matter because David and Jah were both effective running the ball. Love fumbled 3 times in the wet conditions. In the rematch in Detroit (TNF, the four scrubs off the street playing defense game), JG went 6/8 for 106 over the middle on in breakers. 2 to Jamo, 3 to Sam, 1 to Patrick, 2 to ARSB.
THAT'S what I want to see Sunday. Sure, take a deep shot with Jamo here and there, but man just get back to what they do best. Run the ball effectively, then kill 'em with play action. When Goff is hitting the in breakers we're almost always cooking with gas that day.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
In addition to adding OT Devin Cochran to the practice squad, the Lions also signed LB Monty Rice to that unit and released Anthony Pittman.
Rice is a former third-round pick out of Georgia who has appeared in 38 games and made 11 starts across four seasons with Tennessee and New England. Athletic and fast.
Rice is a former third-round pick out of Georgia who has appeared in 38 games and made 11 starts across four seasons with Tennessee and New England. Athletic and fast.
rockaction
Footballguy
Monty Rice is a special teamer that was almost a starter in Tennessee and then wasn't and then sort of disappeared from the team under mysterious circumstances. And Mike Vrabel had no idea where he actually was until Rice showed back up and declared himself ready to play. Only his story that he offered a day or two later about where he'd been didn't match the coach's story and it left both attentive fans and media with a really embarrassing sort of situation where they knew the principals were lying but you can't really come out and say that to a man unless you've got balls (like I have sometimes that do me no good), and so everybody sort of looked at their pens and notepads and shuffled their feet and Rice rejoined the Tennessee Titans special teams unit and nobody said anything further except to console themselves that this is how the world works sometimes.
Enjoy!
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Yeah, there has always been stuff BTS that happens & it’s just better for everyone to leave the fans & media in the dark.
Hall of Fame Lions CB missing TC because he was kicking a heroin addiction comes to mind.
For some reason this also reminded me of the time the Lions signed Rudi Johnson right after TC. To make room on the roster they cut Tatum Bell - who responded, on his way out the door, by stealing two Gucci bags that belonged to the guy replacing him.
Can’t make this stuff up.
Leroy Hoard
Footballguy
For years the question has been what motivates Tatum Bell. Now we know the answer. It's Gucci.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
All 22 Films
"BURST vs BUST" - CAN JOHN MORTON AND THE LIONS FIX THEIR OFFENSIVE ISSUES IN WEEK 2?
Coach breaks down 14 offensive plays from Week 1
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
What's new with the Bears since getting swept by the Lions in 2024? Oh, yeah, that
Allen Park — It’s been a rough stretch for the Chicago Bears. They’ve finished last in the NFC North three consecutive years, haven’t been to the postseason since the 2020 season, and haven’t won a playoff game since former Chicago community organizer Barack Obama’s first term as president.
Within those larger struggles, the Bears have predictably had their issues with the Detroit Lions, dropping five of the past six in the divisional rivalry, including Detroit's season sweep in 2024.
Certainly, the Bears didn't rest on whatever the opposite of laurels might be. They must have made changes this offseason in an effort to reverse their fortunes. Oh, that’s right, they took the if-you-can’t-beat-them-hire-them route.
After getting embarrassed by the trickiest of trick plays last season, “the stumblebum,” a simulated fumble designed to freeze the linebackers, the Bears poached the man who dialed it up against them, former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. He'll serve as the 19th head coach in franchise history.
Lions fans had braced for losing Johnson for years after he orchestrated a top-five scoring offense each of his three seasons at the helm, including a rewriting of the franchise record books for most points last season. However, they weren’t prepared to see him jump ship to a loathed division rival.
While many Lions fans are openly rooting for former defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn’s success with the New York Jets, they're struggling to remember if they ever even liked Johnson. They might even think twice before tossing him a life preserver if he slipped overboard the Lake Express Ferry, which shuttles between Chicago and Muskegon.
When the Bears come to town on Sunday, Johnson can expect a welcome as warm as Kelly Stafford imagined her kids got when the Rams came to Ford Field to play the Lions in the playoffs two years ago.
Johnson, of course, has reshaped the Bears coaching staff with layers of Detroit influence, bringing former Lions assistants Antwaan Randle El and J.T. Barrett with him. Johnson also hired some others from the same Sean Payton tree that sprouted Dan Campbell, including defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, non-play-calling offensive coordinator Declan Doyle and respected offensive line coach Dan Roushar.
Johnson will be the first to tell you he learned an immeasurable amount under Campbell. Johnson has Detroit’s coach to thank for giving him the opportunities that led to this opportunity, so it’s hardly surprising that he would add a Campbell-esque flavor to his staff.
Of course, there have been plenty of roster changes in Chicago, too. It's the type of comprehensive makeover you often see when a general manager wants to kickstart the implementation of a new coach’s vision.
Let’s start with the offense, which is Johnson’s domain.
In Detroit, his success wouldn’t have been possible without the team’s ultra-talented offensive line, which Johnson frequently referred to as the engine of his system. That looked to be priorities one, two and three for GM Ryan Poles, who traded for veteran guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson — remember him? — before signing the consensus best center on the free agent market, Drew Dalman.
Poles also got Johnson some shiny new weapons via the draft, using the team’s first two picks on Michigan tight end Colston Loveland and shifty Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden. Those additions should offset the loss of productive but aging receiver Keenan Allen, who provided 70 receptions for 744 yards and seven scores in his one season with Chicago.
The intent of the overhaul is to set up last year’s No. 1 overall pick, quarterback Caleb Williams, for long-term success. The franchise’s future would seem to hinge on the coach/quarterback relationship, with Johnson being brought on to get the best out of the ultra-talented dual-threat out of USC, who flashed his abilities as a rookie but ate an absurd number of sacks.
Defensively, Johnson is handing the keys to a talented unit to Allen, the former Saints head coach and respected defensive mind. Poles similarly upgraded Allen’s group this offseason, specifically the trenches, awarding large, multi-year contracts to defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and edge rusher Dayo Odeyingbo, then drafting interior lineman Shemar Turner in the second round.
A big question for Sunday is who will be absent from the Bears' lineup? It won't be safety Jaquan Brisker, who is back after a lengthy recovery from a vestibular concussion last season.
However, there are legitimate concerns with linebacker T.J. Edwards and cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon. The three starters missed Monday’s game against the Vikings after each had been listed as questionable.
That could pave the path for some other unfamiliar faces to see action against Detroit, including Penei Sewell’s brother, Noah, who logged more defensive snaps in Week 1 than he had the previous two seasons combined.
Additionally, cornerback Nahshon Wright, who played sparingly for Dallas from 2021-23, stepped in for Jaylon Johnson and had a pick-six against the Vikings.
It might feel like a whole new team outside of Williams and running back D’Andre Swift. You remember him? The former first-round pick, who was seemingly always injured while in Detroit, yet has missed only one game the past two seasons.
He must have had that Honolulu flu everyone is always talking about.
Of course, Johnson is going to be the headline story. You’ll be sick of it by kickoff. You might be sick of it now. It is what it is.
More than anything, Sunday will be about two teams looking to avoid starting 0-2 on the season, and more importantly, 0-2 in the division.
Within those larger struggles, the Bears have predictably had their issues with the Detroit Lions, dropping five of the past six in the divisional rivalry, including Detroit's season sweep in 2024.
Certainly, the Bears didn't rest on whatever the opposite of laurels might be. They must have made changes this offseason in an effort to reverse their fortunes. Oh, that’s right, they took the if-you-can’t-beat-them-hire-them route.
After getting embarrassed by the trickiest of trick plays last season, “the stumblebum,” a simulated fumble designed to freeze the linebackers, the Bears poached the man who dialed it up against them, former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. He'll serve as the 19th head coach in franchise history.
Lions fans had braced for losing Johnson for years after he orchestrated a top-five scoring offense each of his three seasons at the helm, including a rewriting of the franchise record books for most points last season. However, they weren’t prepared to see him jump ship to a loathed division rival.
While many Lions fans are openly rooting for former defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn’s success with the New York Jets, they're struggling to remember if they ever even liked Johnson. They might even think twice before tossing him a life preserver if he slipped overboard the Lake Express Ferry, which shuttles between Chicago and Muskegon.
When the Bears come to town on Sunday, Johnson can expect a welcome as warm as Kelly Stafford imagined her kids got when the Rams came to Ford Field to play the Lions in the playoffs two years ago.
Johnson, of course, has reshaped the Bears coaching staff with layers of Detroit influence, bringing former Lions assistants Antwaan Randle El and J.T. Barrett with him. Johnson also hired some others from the same Sean Payton tree that sprouted Dan Campbell, including defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, non-play-calling offensive coordinator Declan Doyle and respected offensive line coach Dan Roushar.
Johnson will be the first to tell you he learned an immeasurable amount under Campbell. Johnson has Detroit’s coach to thank for giving him the opportunities that led to this opportunity, so it’s hardly surprising that he would add a Campbell-esque flavor to his staff.
Of course, there have been plenty of roster changes in Chicago, too. It's the type of comprehensive makeover you often see when a general manager wants to kickstart the implementation of a new coach’s vision.
Let’s start with the offense, which is Johnson’s domain.
In Detroit, his success wouldn’t have been possible without the team’s ultra-talented offensive line, which Johnson frequently referred to as the engine of his system. That looked to be priorities one, two and three for GM Ryan Poles, who traded for veteran guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson — remember him? — before signing the consensus best center on the free agent market, Drew Dalman.
Poles also got Johnson some shiny new weapons via the draft, using the team’s first two picks on Michigan tight end Colston Loveland and shifty Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden. Those additions should offset the loss of productive but aging receiver Keenan Allen, who provided 70 receptions for 744 yards and seven scores in his one season with Chicago.
The intent of the overhaul is to set up last year’s No. 1 overall pick, quarterback Caleb Williams, for long-term success. The franchise’s future would seem to hinge on the coach/quarterback relationship, with Johnson being brought on to get the best out of the ultra-talented dual-threat out of USC, who flashed his abilities as a rookie but ate an absurd number of sacks.
Defensively, Johnson is handing the keys to a talented unit to Allen, the former Saints head coach and respected defensive mind. Poles similarly upgraded Allen’s group this offseason, specifically the trenches, awarding large, multi-year contracts to defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and edge rusher Dayo Odeyingbo, then drafting interior lineman Shemar Turner in the second round.
A big question for Sunday is who will be absent from the Bears' lineup? It won't be safety Jaquan Brisker, who is back after a lengthy recovery from a vestibular concussion last season.
However, there are legitimate concerns with linebacker T.J. Edwards and cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon. The three starters missed Monday’s game against the Vikings after each had been listed as questionable.
That could pave the path for some other unfamiliar faces to see action against Detroit, including Penei Sewell’s brother, Noah, who logged more defensive snaps in Week 1 than he had the previous two seasons combined.
Additionally, cornerback Nahshon Wright, who played sparingly for Dallas from 2021-23, stepped in for Jaylon Johnson and had a pick-six against the Vikings.
It might feel like a whole new team outside of Williams and running back D’Andre Swift. You remember him? The former first-round pick, who was seemingly always injured while in Detroit, yet has missed only one game the past two seasons.
He must have had that Honolulu flu everyone is always talking about.
Of course, Johnson is going to be the headline story. You’ll be sick of it by kickoff. You might be sick of it now. It is what it is.
More than anything, Sunday will be about two teams looking to avoid starting 0-2 on the season, and more importantly, 0-2 in the division.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
House of Dysfunction: the curious case of Caleb Williams
Ran across this on my SubStack feed.
Discussion on Bears podcast( Hoge & Jahns. Link to their YouTube discussion on it and Tyler Dunne's article below:
www.youtube.com
www.golongtd.com
Very long story, very short:
These two very condensed bullets don't come close to covering the entirety of the report. The language itself is really important. I've provided a few snippets below:
If Williams didn’t like a coach’s teaching point, he was liable to strut away in a huff. This started early, in training camp, and lingered into the season. Specific examples are shared. Nobody was off limits, but Waldron was easily iced out the most. Quieter and non-confrontational, Waldron never wanted to escalate the situation.
Practices. Games. The setting never mattered. Williams acted as if he was above correction.
“He didn’t want to hear anything,” one coach says. “He didn’t like criticism, so he’d just ****ing get up and leave. We’d be like, ‘This mother****er.’ Get up and leave! I would see this guy storming off and hear them talking in the headset about Caleb. You look over, and there’s Caleb ****ing walking away all pouty. Then, he would sit all the way on the other side of the benches.
Most telling, there were many players who supported a move to Bagent. As everything got worse and worse — and the Bears dropped to 4-5 — a growing number started to look at each other and ask, “When are we going to make a change?” Initially, one offensive coach pointed to the vets Moore and Lewis as “ringleaders” who wanted Williams benched. But they were not alone. Another coach on offense states there were far more than two players advocating for a quarterback swap and that the players’ message was absolutely conveyed to Poles.
That same game also hinted at an underlying condition ailing the Bears all season. Not once, not twice, but three times, the Bears rehearsed their first offensive play the night before. Williams trots onto the field, play-by-play man Al Michaels praises the rookie’s 4:1 TD-to-INT ratio and you can see the quarterback closely reading the play call off his wristband. As he walks to the line, he stares at the wristband again, sticks his mouthpiece in and completely forgets to motion tight end Cole Kmet over to the right side.
Running back D’Andre Swift rams into a swarm of white jerseys for a two-yard gain.
“Caleb looks over to the sideline at Thomas,” one coach says, “like it’s Thomas’ fault.”
Right on through Chicago selecting Williams, sources in the room emphatically state that red flags were not properly examined. They say the Bears never delved into his questionable work ethic, handled very real on-field concerns with kid gloves and — whereas medical issues are discussed at length on all other prospects — nothing ever came up in all Williams talk.
Multiple personnel men tell Go Long they saw evidence that Williams has dyslexia. The matter, however, was never a topic in draft meetings.
“Completely hidden,” adds one scout.
One source in the front office believes Poles was in so deep by the time he discovered the condition that it was best to act like it didn’t exist. Go full ostrich mode. Nor does one personnel man believe head coach Matt Eberflus was privy to this intel because he says it would’ve been smart for Poles to have a sacrificial lamb handy in case Year 1 went haywire. Word did not spread to coaches until late in the ’24 season. Of course, it’s a bottom-line business. You’d also think the GM would have every incentive for Williams to succeed out of the gate as well. Eberflus did not return Go Long’s messages.
Discussion on Bears podcast( Hoge & Jahns. Link to their YouTube discussion on it and Tyler Dunne's article below:
- YouTube
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www.youtube.com
House of Dysfunction, Part I: The Curious Case of Caleb Williams
Our series on the Chicago Bears begins with a look at the quarterback. His coaches from 2024 open up on a season from hell. ("There’s no substitute for the work. That’s something he needs to learn.")
www.golongtd.com
Very long story, very short:
- Caleb Williams refuses to work with others or be held accountable.m
- Ryan Poles never allowed a discussion on which quarterback to select.
These two very condensed bullets don't come close to covering the entirety of the report. The language itself is really important. I've provided a few snippets below:
If Williams didn’t like a coach’s teaching point, he was liable to strut away in a huff. This started early, in training camp, and lingered into the season. Specific examples are shared. Nobody was off limits, but Waldron was easily iced out the most. Quieter and non-confrontational, Waldron never wanted to escalate the situation.
Practices. Games. The setting never mattered. Williams acted as if he was above correction.
“He didn’t want to hear anything,” one coach says. “He didn’t like criticism, so he’d just ****ing get up and leave. We’d be like, ‘This mother****er.’ Get up and leave! I would see this guy storming off and hear them talking in the headset about Caleb. You look over, and there’s Caleb ****ing walking away all pouty. Then, he would sit all the way on the other side of the benches.
Most telling, there were many players who supported a move to Bagent. As everything got worse and worse — and the Bears dropped to 4-5 — a growing number started to look at each other and ask, “When are we going to make a change?” Initially, one offensive coach pointed to the vets Moore and Lewis as “ringleaders” who wanted Williams benched. But they were not alone. Another coach on offense states there were far more than two players advocating for a quarterback swap and that the players’ message was absolutely conveyed to Poles.
That same game also hinted at an underlying condition ailing the Bears all season. Not once, not twice, but three times, the Bears rehearsed their first offensive play the night before. Williams trots onto the field, play-by-play man Al Michaels praises the rookie’s 4:1 TD-to-INT ratio and you can see the quarterback closely reading the play call off his wristband. As he walks to the line, he stares at the wristband again, sticks his mouthpiece in and completely forgets to motion tight end Cole Kmet over to the right side.
Running back D’Andre Swift rams into a swarm of white jerseys for a two-yard gain.
“Caleb looks over to the sideline at Thomas,” one coach says, “like it’s Thomas’ fault.”
Right on through Chicago selecting Williams, sources in the room emphatically state that red flags were not properly examined. They say the Bears never delved into his questionable work ethic, handled very real on-field concerns with kid gloves and — whereas medical issues are discussed at length on all other prospects — nothing ever came up in all Williams talk.
Multiple personnel men tell Go Long they saw evidence that Williams has dyslexia. The matter, however, was never a topic in draft meetings.
“Completely hidden,” adds one scout.
One source in the front office believes Poles was in so deep by the time he discovered the condition that it was best to act like it didn’t exist. Go full ostrich mode. Nor does one personnel man believe head coach Matt Eberflus was privy to this intel because he says it would’ve been smart for Poles to have a sacrificial lamb handy in case Year 1 went haywire. Word did not spread to coaches until late in the ’24 season. Of course, it’s a bottom-line business. You’d also think the GM would have every incentive for Williams to succeed out of the gate as well. Eberflus did not return Go Long’s messages.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
House of Dysfunction, Part II: Inside the Chicago Bears' "rigged trial" at No. 1 overall
“The Caleb Williams draft pick was the most embarrassing lack of a process — a fair, impartial process to scouting — that I’ve ever seen in my life." Take a seat inside Chicago's draft meetings.
The worst football moments of Drake Maye’s collegiate football life were plastered on the screen for all to breathe in. This was no accident. Multiple people inside this 2024 draft meeting say they knew exactly what Ryan Poles was up to. “He’s not sneaky,” recalls one scout, “and he thinks he is.” The Chicago Bears general manager, it appeared, was implanting the worst possible first impression he could inside the minds of his personnel men.
It wasn’t pretty. Under constant duress, he completed less than half of his passes vs. Clemson. He ran for his life vs. Miami.
Clicker in hand, at the center of the room, Poles repeatedly hit rewind on errant passes and it didn’t take long for those echoes of “Geez!” to turn into outright laughter. Poles and his confidants were not interested in sparking a substantive conversation about the North Carolina quarterback. This draft meeting resembled a bully in the high school cafeteria seeking toadies — any veneer of scouting objectivity was shed.
Maye escaped free runners, threw at awkward angles, sailed incompletions. At times, the spiral of his ball was off. Other times, the receiver broke in and the ball was thrown out. All funky plays were magnified and mocked to make it appear as if this is exactly who he’d become as a pro quarterback.
Poles chimed in.
“This tape makes my chest tight,” one source recalls the GM saying.
All but a select few scouts broke out in laughter.
One brave soul did speak up. Chris White, the team’s assistant director of pro scouting that spring, called out Poles. “We’re dragging this kid through the mud,” he said. North Carolina’s receiving corps was hurting that final ’23 season. White asked his boss to show another game out of fairness. So, he did. Maye started gunning NFL-level throws downfield and White spoke up again. “I like that there,” he said. Two narratives were now clashing. Poles didn’t hit rewind on these plays. Inside the room, one scout recalls the mood turning tense.
After negative plays, Poles made a wry comment: “Dirt ball there” or “You like that, too?”
Laughter picked back up. The team’s area scout, Ryan Cavanaugh, flatly stated that he didn’t believe Maye was a very good player and Poles jumped in to reset the temperature of the room. “I agree,” he said.
Eventually, the GM set the clicker down. “This guy,” he repeated, “makes my chest tight watching this.”
Case closed. Maye was stacked out of the first round.
“They made fun of him,” says one Bears scout in the room. “They laughed. The GM laughed Drake Maye off the screen, and cut the tape off.”
Jayden Daniels wasn’t stacked much higher. The Heisman Trophy winner who filleted defenses with horsepower the sport hadn’t seen since Lamar Jackson was never a serious contender for the No. 1 pick. Not once, sources in the room say, did Poles open up the floor to ask a simple question: Who’s a better quarterback: Caleb Williams or Jayden Daniels? “Jayden Daniels was clearly — clearly — a better quarterback,” says one scout. “If he didn’t want to go with Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels was clearly a better quarterback to anyone with an eye.”
And when it was time to discuss Williams, the tenor in the room changed drastically. His film was massaged in a manner to present the USC quarterback at his absolute best. Nobody dared to chuckle. The Bears didn’t dissect his wretched performance against Notre Dame on tape, only discussing that three-interception, 48-20 defeat through rose-colored glasses. No magnifying glass was panned over this quarterback’s flaws.
To those seeking a vibrant debate, these draft meetings were a farce.
“The quarterback process? I would not even call it a process,” says one scout in the room. “The Caleb Williams draft pick was the most embarrassing lack of a process — a fair, impartial process to scouting — that I’ve ever seen in my life. There wasn’t any type of actual comparison on a fair slate to which quarterback is actually better.
“They had it all lined up. It was a rigged trial.”
Reality is, the decision was likely made long before the decision was even discussed.
Poles was struck by Cupid’s arrow during the 2022 college season. By the time Chicago landed the No. 1 overall pick in 2024, roles reversed. This was not an NFL Organization prodding and investigating and interviewing a College Football Player for the No. 1 overall pick. The threat of Williams pulling an ‘04 Eli Manning or ‘83 John Elway was real, so the GM appeared to play by the quarterback’s rules. When critical thinking was needed most inside Halas Hall, it was instead purged from the building.
One scout likens that Maye scene to a “pack of hyenas” all trying to keep their jobs.
Anyone who steps out of line and speaks the truth, he adds, puts a target on their back.
Which created blind spots for the Chicago Bears.
Not only were five other quarterbacks in a historic draft class outright dismissed. When red flags were discovered, those red flags flatly were not discussed out loud in meetings.
In Part II of our series, Go Long continues to chat with Bears sources — past and present — to guide you through a draft that witnesses paint as a slap in the face to everyone who fills Soldier Field on Sundays. Several other GMs and execs around the NFL share their own odd interactions with Williams. And we explore what easily could become the next all-time “What if?” in Bears history — the Jayden Daniels whiff — because, thus far, the juxtaposition in how the two players work is jarring.
Finally, we’ll examine this new union: Williams and new head coach Ben Johnson.
The honeymoon period is over. Game No. 1 is closing in.
Years from now, when all legacies for all six quarterbacks taken in Round 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft are written in stone and the lessons are obvious for all 32 teams, a few private words spoken by the Bears GM may ring loudest. Words two team sources will never forget.
It wasn’t pretty. Under constant duress, he completed less than half of his passes vs. Clemson. He ran for his life vs. Miami.
Clicker in hand, at the center of the room, Poles repeatedly hit rewind on errant passes and it didn’t take long for those echoes of “Geez!” to turn into outright laughter. Poles and his confidants were not interested in sparking a substantive conversation about the North Carolina quarterback. This draft meeting resembled a bully in the high school cafeteria seeking toadies — any veneer of scouting objectivity was shed.
Maye escaped free runners, threw at awkward angles, sailed incompletions. At times, the spiral of his ball was off. Other times, the receiver broke in and the ball was thrown out. All funky plays were magnified and mocked to make it appear as if this is exactly who he’d become as a pro quarterback.
Poles chimed in.
“This tape makes my chest tight,” one source recalls the GM saying.
All but a select few scouts broke out in laughter.
One brave soul did speak up. Chris White, the team’s assistant director of pro scouting that spring, called out Poles. “We’re dragging this kid through the mud,” he said. North Carolina’s receiving corps was hurting that final ’23 season. White asked his boss to show another game out of fairness. So, he did. Maye started gunning NFL-level throws downfield and White spoke up again. “I like that there,” he said. Two narratives were now clashing. Poles didn’t hit rewind on these plays. Inside the room, one scout recalls the mood turning tense.
After negative plays, Poles made a wry comment: “Dirt ball there” or “You like that, too?”
Laughter picked back up. The team’s area scout, Ryan Cavanaugh, flatly stated that he didn’t believe Maye was a very good player and Poles jumped in to reset the temperature of the room. “I agree,” he said.
Eventually, the GM set the clicker down. “This guy,” he repeated, “makes my chest tight watching this.”
Case closed. Maye was stacked out of the first round.
“They made fun of him,” says one Bears scout in the room. “They laughed. The GM laughed Drake Maye off the screen, and cut the tape off.”
Jayden Daniels wasn’t stacked much higher. The Heisman Trophy winner who filleted defenses with horsepower the sport hadn’t seen since Lamar Jackson was never a serious contender for the No. 1 pick. Not once, sources in the room say, did Poles open up the floor to ask a simple question: Who’s a better quarterback: Caleb Williams or Jayden Daniels? “Jayden Daniels was clearly — clearly — a better quarterback,” says one scout. “If he didn’t want to go with Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels was clearly a better quarterback to anyone with an eye.”
And when it was time to discuss Williams, the tenor in the room changed drastically. His film was massaged in a manner to present the USC quarterback at his absolute best. Nobody dared to chuckle. The Bears didn’t dissect his wretched performance against Notre Dame on tape, only discussing that three-interception, 48-20 defeat through rose-colored glasses. No magnifying glass was panned over this quarterback’s flaws.
To those seeking a vibrant debate, these draft meetings were a farce.
“The quarterback process? I would not even call it a process,” says one scout in the room. “The Caleb Williams draft pick was the most embarrassing lack of a process — a fair, impartial process to scouting — that I’ve ever seen in my life. There wasn’t any type of actual comparison on a fair slate to which quarterback is actually better.
“They had it all lined up. It was a rigged trial.”
Reality is, the decision was likely made long before the decision was even discussed.
Poles was struck by Cupid’s arrow during the 2022 college season. By the time Chicago landed the No. 1 overall pick in 2024, roles reversed. This was not an NFL Organization prodding and investigating and interviewing a College Football Player for the No. 1 overall pick. The threat of Williams pulling an ‘04 Eli Manning or ‘83 John Elway was real, so the GM appeared to play by the quarterback’s rules. When critical thinking was needed most inside Halas Hall, it was instead purged from the building.
One scout likens that Maye scene to a “pack of hyenas” all trying to keep their jobs.
Anyone who steps out of line and speaks the truth, he adds, puts a target on their back.
Which created blind spots for the Chicago Bears.
Not only were five other quarterbacks in a historic draft class outright dismissed. When red flags were discovered, those red flags flatly were not discussed out loud in meetings.
In Part II of our series, Go Long continues to chat with Bears sources — past and present — to guide you through a draft that witnesses paint as a slap in the face to everyone who fills Soldier Field on Sundays. Several other GMs and execs around the NFL share their own odd interactions with Williams. And we explore what easily could become the next all-time “What if?” in Bears history — the Jayden Daniels whiff — because, thus far, the juxtaposition in how the two players work is jarring.
Finally, we’ll examine this new union: Williams and new head coach Ben Johnson.
The honeymoon period is over. Game No. 1 is closing in.
Years from now, when all legacies for all six quarterbacks taken in Round 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft are written in stone and the lessons are obvious for all 32 teams, a few private words spoken by the Bears GM may ring loudest. Words two team sources will never forget.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
House of Dysfunction, Part III: Who's the boss?
“The great ruse is ‘Hey, everything is great here in Camelot.' Well, it’s not actually Camelot." Our series wraps up with a look inside how these Bears are run. Can new HC Ben Johnson overcome it all?
The FBI did not, in fact, raid the facility. That online rumor was a hoax.
So, hey, there’s some good news for the Chicago Bears.
All humiliation was shrouded in platitudes publicly. Inside the building, this flagship organization crashed to a new low through the 2023 season when two assistant coaches were let go for crude workplace behavior.
First, there was the peculiar case of Alan Williams. Fellow coaches noticed the team’s defensive coordinator acting strange during staff meetings on Sept. 12 of that season. He didn’t want to go home. The next day, Bears security searched his office. On Sept. 15, it was reported that Williams would not travel to the team’s game in Tampa Bay due to personal reasons. On Sept. 17, the Bears played the Buccaneers.
One day felt like a year as the Bears — waiting and waiting and waiting — inexplicably fueled curiosity into the mystery themselves. What did Williams do exactly?
One person involved with the fallout told us the Bears determined Williams, inside his office, engaged in sexually inappropriate behavior on an electronic device with a woman. “Between meetings. After practice. Before practice. All the time,” this source adds. The woman, we’re told, then tried to extort him — the Bears logo was in the background of one photo sent. This triggered an investigation and prolonged the situation. Internally, those involved with the crisis management found it strange that neither GM Ryan Poles or head coach Matt Eberflus were in charge of punishment. Final jurisdiction rested in the hands of Kevin Warren and, for whatever reason, the team president opted to slow-play the PR nightmare. Warren stressed the need to talk to the coach.
Others insisted the Bears cannot tolerate such behavior and must act fast. This was getting out of control.
On Sept. 20, Williams finally submitted his resignation, and was paid his full salary due.
The next week, things got weird during an all-staff meeting inside the PNC Center at Halas Hall. Typically, these meetings are scheduled far in advance. This was obviously an emergency address in the wake of the Williams mess. In front of all employees in all departments, the CEO derided “closed doors” in the building. And to wrap it all up, he played a video of Roger Bannister running the first ever four-minute mile.
“We’re all sitting there watching this thing,” recalls one source in the front office, “wondering, ‘What the **** is this? We just had a guy fired — we don’t know what he did, it could’ve been something really bad — and you’re showing this ****ing video?” There was no mention of Alan Williams, no clarity at all.”
As everyone filed out, they wondered what in the hell they just heard.
Then, there was David Walker. Two months later, the running backs coach was let go. One high-ranking source tells us the Bears concluded Walker harassed several females in the building via text and was warned by HR to stop. The father of an intern whom Walker was texting finally contacted the Bears and threatened to take action. On Nov. 1, Eberflus announced that Walker had been terminated. This source does not believe the Bears did nearly enough to support the women who the Bears determined received those text messages.
“You want to treat people the right way,” this source says. “There’s more to the support system than, ‘Hey, we fired him. The problem’s over.’”
Neither coach responded to Go Long for comment.
Two major crises. Two hollow responses. It can often feel as if you’ve stumbled into an alternate reality here.
True: The 2024 draft was a charade and Caleb Williams was a problem last season.
Also, true: A combustible environment is required to set all of this in motion. Methane so potent that a team never even considers other quarterbacks. Look closely at how business is done inside Halas Hall and it’s no secret how bad so easily turns to worse. There’s the GM. The accounts of how Poles fires people are callous. There’s the grand poobah. Warren, the president, hasn’t yet fulfilled his promise of “shovels in the ground” on a new stadium nearly 1,000 days in. Worse, employees in all departments describe a culture of fear.
Poles is the GM. Warren is dubbed the “end all, be all” by one VP.
All roads — as always — lead back to ownership. George McCaskey took the reins on May 5, 2011. He’s currently 94-134 at the helm with zero playoff victories over 14 seasons. As one source in player development says, “losing organizations tend to have losing habits” and those habits deeply embedded into this franchise are especially hard to break.
Are they impossible? The ray of hope is a 39-year-old, first-time head coach: Benjamin David Johnson.
So, hey, there’s some good news for the Chicago Bears.
All humiliation was shrouded in platitudes publicly. Inside the building, this flagship organization crashed to a new low through the 2023 season when two assistant coaches were let go for crude workplace behavior.
First, there was the peculiar case of Alan Williams. Fellow coaches noticed the team’s defensive coordinator acting strange during staff meetings on Sept. 12 of that season. He didn’t want to go home. The next day, Bears security searched his office. On Sept. 15, it was reported that Williams would not travel to the team’s game in Tampa Bay due to personal reasons. On Sept. 17, the Bears played the Buccaneers.
One day felt like a year as the Bears — waiting and waiting and waiting — inexplicably fueled curiosity into the mystery themselves. What did Williams do exactly?
One person involved with the fallout told us the Bears determined Williams, inside his office, engaged in sexually inappropriate behavior on an electronic device with a woman. “Between meetings. After practice. Before practice. All the time,” this source adds. The woman, we’re told, then tried to extort him — the Bears logo was in the background of one photo sent. This triggered an investigation and prolonged the situation. Internally, those involved with the crisis management found it strange that neither GM Ryan Poles or head coach Matt Eberflus were in charge of punishment. Final jurisdiction rested in the hands of Kevin Warren and, for whatever reason, the team president opted to slow-play the PR nightmare. Warren stressed the need to talk to the coach.
Others insisted the Bears cannot tolerate such behavior and must act fast. This was getting out of control.
On Sept. 20, Williams finally submitted his resignation, and was paid his full salary due.
The next week, things got weird during an all-staff meeting inside the PNC Center at Halas Hall. Typically, these meetings are scheduled far in advance. This was obviously an emergency address in the wake of the Williams mess. In front of all employees in all departments, the CEO derided “closed doors” in the building. And to wrap it all up, he played a video of Roger Bannister running the first ever four-minute mile.
“We’re all sitting there watching this thing,” recalls one source in the front office, “wondering, ‘What the **** is this? We just had a guy fired — we don’t know what he did, it could’ve been something really bad — and you’re showing this ****ing video?” There was no mention of Alan Williams, no clarity at all.”
As everyone filed out, they wondered what in the hell they just heard.
Then, there was David Walker. Two months later, the running backs coach was let go. One high-ranking source tells us the Bears concluded Walker harassed several females in the building via text and was warned by HR to stop. The father of an intern whom Walker was texting finally contacted the Bears and threatened to take action. On Nov. 1, Eberflus announced that Walker had been terminated. This source does not believe the Bears did nearly enough to support the women who the Bears determined received those text messages.
“You want to treat people the right way,” this source says. “There’s more to the support system than, ‘Hey, we fired him. The problem’s over.’”
Neither coach responded to Go Long for comment.
Two major crises. Two hollow responses. It can often feel as if you’ve stumbled into an alternate reality here.
True: The 2024 draft was a charade and Caleb Williams was a problem last season.
Also, true: A combustible environment is required to set all of this in motion. Methane so potent that a team never even considers other quarterbacks. Look closely at how business is done inside Halas Hall and it’s no secret how bad so easily turns to worse. There’s the GM. The accounts of how Poles fires people are callous. There’s the grand poobah. Warren, the president, hasn’t yet fulfilled his promise of “shovels in the ground” on a new stadium nearly 1,000 days in. Worse, employees in all departments describe a culture of fear.
Poles is the GM. Warren is dubbed the “end all, be all” by one VP.
In Part 3 of our series, we explore how an NFL franchise malfunctions through the eyes of those in-house. The difference between perennial winners and losers in the NFL isn’t as Point A-to-Point B direct as a quarterback botching a play call or a cornerback taunting fans during a Hail Mary play. How the Bears conduct business the other six days of the week has a unique way of poisoning gameday and, frankly, you can see why any young QB would be hesitant to play here.
All roads — as always — lead back to ownership. George McCaskey took the reins on May 5, 2011. He’s currently 94-134 at the helm with zero playoff victories over 14 seasons. As one source in player development says, “losing organizations tend to have losing habits” and those habits deeply embedded into this franchise are especially hard to break.
Are they impossible? The ray of hope is a 39-year-old, first-time head coach: Benjamin David Johnson.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Those 3 articles from Tyler Dunne (Go Long substack) are behind a paywall & I'm not ponying up $8 for a month's access. But the lengthy previews are insightful and certainly give you the tenor.
If I come across the full 27,000 word piece will figure out a way to post here.
If I come across the full 27,000 word piece will figure out a way to post here.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Dan Campbell On The Lions Week 1 Loss To Green Bay
| Costa & Jansen |97.1 The Ticket
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Coach Campbell speaks at noon, followed by Ast HC/WR Coach Scottie Montgomerie, then a TBD Assistant.
Game plan install day; 3rd down tomorrow, Red Zone & Specials on Friday. One of the reasons we only saw TeSlaa 3 snaps last week was he was out sick with a bug on Wednesday.
On 97.1 Campbell said the biggest issues week 1 was communication & missed assignments. If they clean those up they should be OK this week.
Honestly not sure what the answer is on defense. They did fine stopping the run for the most part until the short field drive mid-4th. TA was really outstanding on run support last week, but if it’s Robertson at RCB and Ya-Sin covering the slot I’m not too worried. Reed played bad but he should bounce back, been a good player for a long time.
WRT the pass rush they blitzed 12 out of 23 drop backs. We’re kind of back to where we were often in the AG era; guys have to win their 1-on-1s. Aidan getting double & triple teamed is just the world he’ll live in without a threat opposite him.
If Anzalone catches his INT or Branch’s pick 6 doesn’t get wiped out - say what you will about Hutch pushing Love off balance, the Amik penalty was really weak - then they have a puncher’s chance chance to steal that game. Just wasn’t their day.
Team is too talented in all 3 phases to lose consecutive games. Bears have secondary issues & Caleb is a bit of a hot mess. This team has a lot of pride and I think they come up with cleaner effort thus week.
Noticed a lot of detail mistakes on the rewatch. Second drive, crucial 3rd & 5 on the red zone, LaPorta has a clean release & runs a quick out. We’ve seen this play often, it’s very hard to defend. But some reason he decides to throw in a shoulder fake upfield before continuing the route. JG throws it where he should have been.
The IOL was not great but even Sewell had a bad game. Of course, understand bad by Penei is a low 70s grade instead of his typical 88-96. They ran A LOT of zone blocking concepts. Would like to see them throw in more duo and gap scheme. One of the reasons they’ve been so good rushing the ball is they’ve historically been good in both & it’s hard to game plan.
Game plan install day; 3rd down tomorrow, Red Zone & Specials on Friday. One of the reasons we only saw TeSlaa 3 snaps last week was he was out sick with a bug on Wednesday.
On 97.1 Campbell said the biggest issues week 1 was communication & missed assignments. If they clean those up they should be OK this week.
Honestly not sure what the answer is on defense. They did fine stopping the run for the most part until the short field drive mid-4th. TA was really outstanding on run support last week, but if it’s Robertson at RCB and Ya-Sin covering the slot I’m not too worried. Reed played bad but he should bounce back, been a good player for a long time.
WRT the pass rush they blitzed 12 out of 23 drop backs. We’re kind of back to where we were often in the AG era; guys have to win their 1-on-1s. Aidan getting double & triple teamed is just the world he’ll live in without a threat opposite him.
If Anzalone catches his INT or Branch’s pick 6 doesn’t get wiped out - say what you will about Hutch pushing Love off balance, the Amik penalty was really weak - then they have a puncher’s chance chance to steal that game. Just wasn’t their day.
Team is too talented in all 3 phases to lose consecutive games. Bears have secondary issues & Caleb is a bit of a hot mess. This team has a lot of pride and I think they come up with cleaner effort thus week.
Noticed a lot of detail mistakes on the rewatch. Second drive, crucial 3rd & 5 on the red zone, LaPorta has a clean release & runs a quick out. We’ve seen this play often, it’s very hard to defend. But some reason he decides to throw in a shoulder fake upfield before continuing the route. JG throws it where he should have been.
The IOL was not great but even Sewell had a bad game. Of course, understand bad by Penei is a low 70s grade instead of his typical 88-96. They ran A LOT of zone blocking concepts. Would like to see them throw in more duo and gap scheme. One of the reasons they’ve been so good rushing the ball is they’ve historically been good in both & it’s hard to game plan.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
missed this yesterday - Goff's weekly call in segment
Jared Goff On The Lions Week 1 Loss To The Packers
| Karsch and Anderson | 97.1 The Ticket
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
No Taylor Decker or Jack Campbell on the practice field today. Sione Vaki and Trevor Nowaske are back in the window open to the media. Terrion Arnold is also out here.
Injury report comes out at 4 p.m.
Injury report comes out at 4 p.m.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Taylor Decker after practice:
If anyone was wondering, like me, it was an Achilles for Jamarco Jones. Super unfortunate.
So we’re looking at Kayode Awosika playing OT this weekend? That or call up Justin Herron or Colby Sorsdal from the practice squad. We know they don’t trust Colby. Herron was a turnstile in NE for 2 years and has played 34 NFL snaps the last 3 seasons.
Mystery man Manu ain’t ready so this could be a sticky situation if Deck is out.
Presumably Penei flips.
If anyone was wondering, like me, it was an Achilles for Jamarco Jones. Super unfortunate.
So we’re looking at Kayode Awosika playing OT this weekend? That or call up Justin Herron or Colby Sorsdal from the practice squad. We know they don’t trust Colby. Herron was a turnstile in NE for 2 years and has played 34 NFL snaps the last 3 seasons.
Mystery man Manu ain’t ready so this could be a sticky situation if Deck is out.
Presumably Penei flips.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Injured list updates
- OT Jamarco Jones, Reserve/IR — Season ending
- G Miles Frazier, Reserve/PUP — eligible to return in Week 5
- EDGE Josh Paschal, Reserve/NFI — eligible to return in Week 5
- DT Alim McNeill, Reserve/PUP — eligible to return in Week 5
- LB Malcolm Rodriguez, Reserve/PUP — eligible to return in Week 5
New Injuries
- LT Taylor Decker (shoulder) — New injury
- LB Jack Campbell (ankle) — New injury
Skipper was wearing a compression sleeve on his knee & working on the side today so that’s likely not an option.
King of the Jungle
Footballguy
If we get the number one overall pick who are we taking? Kidding…
It is a tough league and you are not guaranteed anything. I expect to see a better version of ourselves in week two, regardless of who is injured. Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. It is possible we needed this to grab our edge that rounded, I expect to see a good response this coming week.
It is a tough league and you are not guaranteed anything. I expect to see a better version of ourselves in week two, regardless of who is injured. Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. It is possible we needed this to grab our edge that rounded, I expect to see a good response this coming week.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Pressers and Scrums: Lions' coaches, players talk communication woes, double teams, Ben Johnson's trick plays & more
Allen Park — Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell, wide receivers and assistant head coach Scottie Montgomery, offensive tackle Taylor Decker, quarterback Jared Goff and defensive tackle Aidan Hutchinson met with the media on Wednesday.
Here are the highlights from those media sessions.
“What fuels my tank is losing,” Campbell said. “That fuels me because I don’t like losing. Our players don’t like it, and you go back to work, man. And you get back to the basics of what you, man, and you hit it head on. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, we’re all accountable. And if we want to win, we have to do the little things right and prepare that way. And then we have to play that way, so that’s what gets me going.”
That tracks. It’s been a couple of years since the Lions have lost back-to-back games, so there’s little question about the franchise’s ability to rebound after a loss under Campbell.
As for some of the harsh reactions to last weekend’s loss to Green Bay, Campbell said he understands it, and frankly, welcomes it.
“That’s where the standards are at now,” Campbell said. “That’s the nature of what we’re in right now. That’s a good thing. That means we’ve risen above what we were at one time. That’s our world, man. That’s our world. But I know that if we felt that way and acted that way, we’d be in trouble. So, we can’t worry about all that. I mentioned this the other day, all you worry about is getting better. You really do. We have to get much better about our fundamentals and communication, just those two things alone. And if improve that, a whole other step above what we did last week, we’re going to be much better.”
Coming off a Super Bowl appearance while working as Pittsburgh’s receiver coach, the Steelers traveled to Baltimore to play the Ravens in the season opener of the following season.
Even more than Detroit last Sunday, Pittsburgh got trucked in the divisional matchup, 35-7. On the plus side, the Steelers rebounded in a big way, winning 12 of their final 15 games.
The downside, not mentioned by Montgomery, is that Pittsburgh lost both games to Baltimore that season and the tie-breaker for the AFC North crown. And with the Wild Card berth that season, the Steelers suffered an infamous overtime loss to Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos.
Here’s what Campbell said he’s come to expect from an Allen-led defense.
“Very detailed,” Campbell said. “He’s very detailed. His guys always play hard. Man, that’s the essence of defense: They run, they hit, they challenge. They make it hard on you. Nothing comes easy.
“He covers himself a lot, man,” Campbell continued. “He’s kind of been through it all. He knows where people are trying to expose that defense and so he’s got answers for everything. Like I say, when you accompany that with the way they play, that’s why he’s always had really good defenses. He’s an excellent communicator, knows how to teach, energetic, passionate. So, all of those things are always going to rub off on your players.”
The Bears’ defense played well at times in the season opener, surrendering just 254 yards, but was undone by allowing three fourth-quarter touchdowns to Minnesota in the 27-24 loss.
Chicago was missing three key starters for the game — cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon, as well as linebacker T.J. Edwards. Campbell doesn’t expect the Lions to be blessed with the same good fortunes as the Vikings, in regard to those absences.
“Those are three really good players for them,” Campbell said. “I think at least two of them will be back. Getting any two of those three is going to significantly raise the bar and help those guys a lot, just the type of player and the communication. But what you see is a sound defense that plays hard. And if they get those pieces back, it just gives them more flexibility to do more things.”
Campbell was asked how he plans to protect against that element of Johnson’s game-planning.
“I don’t really care about trick plays,” Campbell said. “Let’s just handle the meat and potatoes of an offense, a defense, what we think they’re going to hang their hat on. Let’s stop that first. Let’s worry about that. Let’s make sure we’re all on point, and we’ll handle the other stuff with our rules. You have to have proper eyes, man. We give you those rules for a reason. And look, they may hit us on one. That’s all right. That happens. You get back in the huddle and let’s go to the next play.”
"You can’t sit there and paralyze yourself with what if, what if, what if,” Campbell said. “The most important thing is you’ll get in trouble if you don’t handle the nuts and bolts of an offense. If you can’t stop the run, we bleed out explosives, then that’s where you can get in trouble. I’m not worried about the other stuff.”
Within the meat and potatoes of Chicago’s offense, they’re still working on integrating rookies Colston Loveland and Luther Burden, the team’s first two draft picks. The pair combined for three catches in the season opener, for a paltry 9 yards. Regardless, both of their roles will inevitably grow as the season progresses.
“Both of those guys are good players,” Campbell said. “We like both of them. Loveland, he’s a mismatch piece. Look, he’ll mix it up in the run game, but he’s a pretty dynamic receiver, has dynamic ability. He can stretch the field. He’s big, he’s long, he’s got really good hands. There’s no secret they’ll try to use him.”
With Hutchinson, Campbell said it’s the same approach he’d take as a coach.
“I always think, what would I do?” Campbell said. “I would not let Hutch wreck a game. There’s no way. So, they will have answers. They’re not going to let him — particularly on passing downs — they’re not going to let him ever have a one-on-one. And if they do, it would be rare or ball’s out really quick.
“He knows that,” Campbell said. “We know that. It’s understood. That’s the game he has to play. That’s not for the faint of heart, that’s for sure. But it also means other guys have to step up and win. It’ll be about it putting other guys in positions to where we think we’ll draw some of those (one-on-one matchups), and they have to win and win quickly.”
Detroit got next to nothing from its interior rush against the Packers. Regardless, Campbell expects the collective to provide more as the season progresses.
“Look, there’s more to give everywhere,” Campbell said. “I mean, that’s the most obvious. The coaches, the players, what we do fundamentally, technique-wise, how we set it up a little bit. And so, I would anticipate us being much better this week.”
As for St. Brown, Montgomery acknowledged that knowing opponents are skewing coverage the All-Pro receiver’s way can be a schematic advantage. However, like Campbell said about Detroit’s defenders working in conjunction with Hutchinson, the team’s other pass-game weapons have to be able to capitalize.
And once that happens, some of that attention should shift back off St. Brown.
“As soon as we can start making those plays at the (No.) two position, at the (No.) three position, at the (No.) four position, out of the backfield, now the brackets start to go to other people, now we can pick and choose how we want to go use Saint,” Montgomery said. “We know exactly what we have with Saint. “…So we do need to use that schematic advantage, and I know people understand it. Our weapons are starting to develop. So in the near future here, you’ll start to see a little bit more of that.”
Here are the highlights from those media sessions.
Only motivation needed
From the sky-is-falling department, Campbell was asked how much the flood of outside criticism this week has affected the team and whether he intends to use any of it as motivation ahead of the Week 2 matchup with Chicago.“What fuels my tank is losing,” Campbell said. “That fuels me because I don’t like losing. Our players don’t like it, and you go back to work, man. And you get back to the basics of what you, man, and you hit it head on. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, we’re all accountable. And if we want to win, we have to do the little things right and prepare that way. And then we have to play that way, so that’s what gets me going.”
That tracks. It’s been a couple of years since the Lions have lost back-to-back games, so there’s little question about the franchise’s ability to rebound after a loss under Campbell.
As for some of the harsh reactions to last weekend’s loss to Green Bay, Campbell said he understands it, and frankly, welcomes it.
“That’s where the standards are at now,” Campbell said. “That’s the nature of what we’re in right now. That’s a good thing. That means we’ve risen above what we were at one time. That’s our world, man. That’s our world. But I know that if we felt that way and acted that way, we’d be in trouble. So, we can’t worry about all that. I mentioned this the other day, all you worry about is getting better. You really do. We have to get much better about our fundamentals and communication, just those two things alone. And if improve that, a whole other step above what we did last week, we’re going to be much better.”
Speaking from experience
If you’re looking for inspiration about bouncing back from a rough season opener, Montgomery has you covered.Coming off a Super Bowl appearance while working as Pittsburgh’s receiver coach, the Steelers traveled to Baltimore to play the Ravens in the season opener of the following season.
Even more than Detroit last Sunday, Pittsburgh got trucked in the divisional matchup, 35-7. On the plus side, the Steelers rebounded in a big way, winning 12 of their final 15 games.
The downside, not mentioned by Montgomery, is that Pittsburgh lost both games to Baltimore that season and the tie-breaker for the AFC North crown. And with the Wild Card berth that season, the Steelers suffered an infamous overtime loss to Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos.
Don’t forget about Allen
A lot is understandably being made about the Lions’ first head-to-head matchup with former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. However, Campbell’s ties to the Bears staff run deeper than Chicago’s first-year head coach. In New Orleans, he was on staff with Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen for multiple years.Here’s what Campbell said he’s come to expect from an Allen-led defense.
“Very detailed,” Campbell said. “He’s very detailed. His guys always play hard. Man, that’s the essence of defense: They run, they hit, they challenge. They make it hard on you. Nothing comes easy.
“He covers himself a lot, man,” Campbell continued. “He’s kind of been through it all. He knows where people are trying to expose that defense and so he’s got answers for everything. Like I say, when you accompany that with the way they play, that’s why he’s always had really good defenses. He’s an excellent communicator, knows how to teach, energetic, passionate. So, all of those things are always going to rub off on your players.”
The Bears’ defense played well at times in the season opener, surrendering just 254 yards, but was undone by allowing three fourth-quarter touchdowns to Minnesota in the 27-24 loss.
Chicago was missing three key starters for the game — cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon, as well as linebacker T.J. Edwards. Campbell doesn’t expect the Lions to be blessed with the same good fortunes as the Vikings, in regard to those absences.
“Those are three really good players for them,” Campbell said. “I think at least two of them will be back. Getting any two of those three is going to significantly raise the bar and help those guys a lot, just the type of player and the communication. But what you see is a sound defense that plays hard. And if they get those pieces back, it just gives them more flexibility to do more things.”
Tricks of no concern
During his time with the Lions, Johnson was known for his affinity for trick plays, meeting weekly with the offensive staff for unique ideas on how to attack the upcoming opponent.Campbell was asked how he plans to protect against that element of Johnson’s game-planning.
“I don’t really care about trick plays,” Campbell said. “Let’s just handle the meat and potatoes of an offense, a defense, what we think they’re going to hang their hat on. Let’s stop that first. Let’s worry about that. Let’s make sure we’re all on point, and we’ll handle the other stuff with our rules. You have to have proper eyes, man. We give you those rules for a reason. And look, they may hit us on one. That’s all right. That happens. You get back in the huddle and let’s go to the next play.”
"You can’t sit there and paralyze yourself with what if, what if, what if,” Campbell said. “The most important thing is you’ll get in trouble if you don’t handle the nuts and bolts of an offense. If you can’t stop the run, we bleed out explosives, then that’s where you can get in trouble. I’m not worried about the other stuff.”
Within the meat and potatoes of Chicago’s offense, they’re still working on integrating rookies Colston Loveland and Luther Burden, the team’s first two draft picks. The pair combined for three catches in the season opener, for a paltry 9 yards. Regardless, both of their roles will inevitably grow as the season progresses.
“Both of those guys are good players,” Campbell said. “We like both of them. Loveland, he’s a mismatch piece. Look, he’ll mix it up in the run game, but he’s a pretty dynamic receiver, has dynamic ability. He can stretch the field. He’s big, he’s long, he’s got really good hands. There’s no secret they’ll try to use him.”
Time to step up
Good football players draw double-teams. The Lions saw that on both sides of the ball against Green Bay, with defensive end Aidan Hutchinson facing a steady stream of blocking help that limited his effectiveness rushing the passer, and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown drawing extra attention, particularly on third down. That schematic decision generated an interception for the Packers in the red zone.With Hutchinson, Campbell said it’s the same approach he’d take as a coach.
“I always think, what would I do?” Campbell said. “I would not let Hutch wreck a game. There’s no way. So, they will have answers. They’re not going to let him — particularly on passing downs — they’re not going to let him ever have a one-on-one. And if they do, it would be rare or ball’s out really quick.
“He knows that,” Campbell said. “We know that. It’s understood. That’s the game he has to play. That’s not for the faint of heart, that’s for sure. But it also means other guys have to step up and win. It’ll be about it putting other guys in positions to where we think we’ll draw some of those (one-on-one matchups), and they have to win and win quickly.”
Detroit got next to nothing from its interior rush against the Packers. Regardless, Campbell expects the collective to provide more as the season progresses.
“Look, there’s more to give everywhere,” Campbell said. “I mean, that’s the most obvious. The coaches, the players, what we do fundamentally, technique-wise, how we set it up a little bit. And so, I would anticipate us being much better this week.”
As for St. Brown, Montgomery acknowledged that knowing opponents are skewing coverage the All-Pro receiver’s way can be a schematic advantage. However, like Campbell said about Detroit’s defenders working in conjunction with Hutchinson, the team’s other pass-game weapons have to be able to capitalize.
And once that happens, some of that attention should shift back off St. Brown.
“As soon as we can start making those plays at the (No.) two position, at the (No.) three position, at the (No.) four position, out of the backfield, now the brackets start to go to other people, now we can pick and choose how we want to go use Saint,” Montgomery said. “We know exactly what we have with Saint. “…So we do need to use that schematic advantage, and I know people understand it. Our weapons are starting to develop. So in the near future here, you’ll start to see a little bit more of that.”
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Communication woes
Regarding communication issues in the loss to Green Bay, offensive tackle Taylor Decker said the offense didn’t have any problems getting in and out of the huddle. Most of the issues cropped up at the line of scrimmage.Quarterback Jared Goff acknowledged he has to do a better job getting the unit on the same page before the ball is snapped.
“Just sloppy,” Goff said. “Just have to be better in the details and communicate better. I mentioned this after the game, it starts with me. I’ve got to communicate better and take a little bit of stress off of those guys from a communication aspect. …Just clearer and making sure everyone’s on the same page. Very often we’ll have two or three plays that are called in my headset, that are called in the huddle and making sure that we all know which one of those two or three that we’re going to run.”
There was one play, in particular, that’s been frequently referenced as a demonstration of the team’s communication woes. Backed up against their own goal line, rookie guard Tate Ratledge appeared to bail on a blocking assignment, nearly causing a safety.
Decker explained Ratledge wasn’t alone in having the wrong call at the line.
“I ran the same play that Tate was running,” Decker said. “Everybody else, the other three, ran a different play. So, no, it’s not on the two (young) guards. It’s everybody. It’s all of us together. There was just miscommunication. It’s not any one person or two people’s fault.”
Dropping the drop
When Hutchinson struggles to pressure the pocket, it’s disappointing. When he isn't even afforded the opportunity, because the team occasionally chooses to drop him into coverage, it's enough to have fans pulling out their own hair.From the sounds of it, the Lions didn't think much of their own strategy after deploying it early in the game against the Packers.
“Yeah, I think we adjusted as the game moved on, and got out of that a little bit more,” Hutchinson said. “Just happened to be in those positions in that game, which is, obviouisly, not the most ideal situation. Bu the important thing is we adjusted and we evolved.”
So, it's something we should expect to see as a core part of Detroit’s defensive scheme moving forward?
“No, I don’t think so,” Hutchinson said with a smile.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
No, I won't.
Think it would be 15-20 posts, ain't nobody got time for that.
I'm agnostic on Caleb. Don't think he's worth having on my redraft team, beyond that I don't care how he plays as long as he sucks 2x a year when he plays Detroit.
I do think Bagent is a better QB on the field and a better leader in the locker room, but there's no way to make that move until Ryan Poles gets fired. He's the least likely to succeed NFC North GM by a fairly big margin IMO, just based on his roster construction in the four seasons he has had the reins. If those articles are at all accurate about their evaluation process, I honestly feel bad for Ben Johnson. Could have had Jayden Daniels and a revitalized franchise, instead he's stuck in a dysfunctional poverty franchise. Sounds toxic af over there.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
move up 8 spots to take ED LT Overton Alabama at #24
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
"Carlos, good to see you again."
- Ben Johnson when asked if he considered Detroit Lions' fans feelings when he took the job in Chicago
- Ben Johnson when asked if he considered Detroit Lions' fans feelings when he took the job in Chicago
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Pretty sure my 6th grade book report on Tom Sawyer (The Adventures of, as the single off Moving Pictures came 8 years later) was titled “What I liked and disliked about this book”
What Lions' rookie Tyleik Williams liked and disliked about debut performance
Allen Park — In the minutes leading up to the kickoff of the Detroit Lions' season opener last weekend, defensive tackle Tyleik Williams battled the jitters any normal human being might heading into their first real day on the job.
Reasonably, who wouldn’t when that performance is taking place in front of more than 77,000 in attendance — nearly double the population of his hometown, Manassas, Virginia — and watched on television by an average of 24 million around the country?
This wasn’t a new sensation. Hell, Williams made his college debut in 2021 with more than 100,000 in attendance at Ohio State’s ‘Horseshoe,' as the Buckeyes hosted the Oregon Ducks in an early-season tilt between the two highly ranked programs.
“Yeah, definitely. It's just that you’re recognizing you’re getting ready to go against better people now,” Williams said.
But before the ball was put in play on Sunday, Williams found his emotional level thanks to the calming words of veteran teammates like DJ Reader, a 10-year veteran who has a track record of taking a roster’s young defensive linemen under his wing.
“I think everyone pitched in and basically told me, ‘You don't have to be a superhero. Just go out there and do your job and you'll be fine.’”
Obviously, it was far from a perfect debut. Still, Williams looked comfortable early, swallowing up Packers running back Josh Jacobs at the line of scrimmage for a no-gain stop on the game’s opening drive.
That was part of a largely frustrating day for Jacobs, the Packers’ backfield workhorse who rushed for 1,329 yards and 15 touchdowns a year ago. He, too, found his level with 36 yards and a touchdown in the final quarter to help seal Green Bay's win. However, it was tough sledding through the first three frames, when he amassed just 30 yards on 11 carries.
“I'd say we played well together,” Williams said. “…I think we're built to stop the run. I think we showed it in those three quarters.”
While Williams walked away from the performance pleased with how he and the group handled the Packers' ground game, the rookie wasn’t content with his contributions as a pass rusher.
“I know I’ve got the ability, but if they're passing it quickly, you can't really get to them,” Williams said. “They're max protecting, everybody's double-teamed, it’s hard to get to the quarterback. Just working through that and just affecting the quarterback as much as I can (is where I want to improve).”
That goes back to the superhero point. Williams has been put in a tough spot as a rookie. Obviously, some expectations come with being a first-round pick. Still, he’s being asked to temporarily fill in for Alim McNeill, a proven interior pass rusher, when it wasn’t something Williams was regularly tasked with doing at Ohio State.
Both his former and current coaches have praised Williams' unique physical gifts, given his massive, 330-pound frame. However, McNeill had similar big-man athleticism as a rookie, but his pocket disruption didn’t take off until he slimmed down, dropping approximately 30 pounds in advance of a role change in 2023.
Williams finished Sunday's game with two tackles and one of the team’s seven quarterback pressures. The urgency he feels to affect the quarterback extends throughout the defense as opponents focus their attention on slowing Pro Bowl edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson with a steady stream of chips, nudges and doubles.
“He's going to draw a lot of attention,” Williams said. “We’ve definitely got to help him. Other guys have got to show up. He can’t be the only guy making plays. We know that and just have to fix it.”
Reasonably, who wouldn’t when that performance is taking place in front of more than 77,000 in attendance — nearly double the population of his hometown, Manassas, Virginia — and watched on television by an average of 24 million around the country?
This wasn’t a new sensation. Hell, Williams made his college debut in 2021 with more than 100,000 in attendance at Ohio State’s ‘Horseshoe,' as the Buckeyes hosted the Oregon Ducks in an early-season tilt between the two highly ranked programs.
“Yeah, definitely. It's just that you’re recognizing you’re getting ready to go against better people now,” Williams said.
But before the ball was put in play on Sunday, Williams found his emotional level thanks to the calming words of veteran teammates like DJ Reader, a 10-year veteran who has a track record of taking a roster’s young defensive linemen under his wing.
“I think everyone pitched in and basically told me, ‘You don't have to be a superhero. Just go out there and do your job and you'll be fine.’”
Obviously, it was far from a perfect debut. Still, Williams looked comfortable early, swallowing up Packers running back Josh Jacobs at the line of scrimmage for a no-gain stop on the game’s opening drive.
That was part of a largely frustrating day for Jacobs, the Packers’ backfield workhorse who rushed for 1,329 yards and 15 touchdowns a year ago. He, too, found his level with 36 yards and a touchdown in the final quarter to help seal Green Bay's win. However, it was tough sledding through the first three frames, when he amassed just 30 yards on 11 carries.
“I'd say we played well together,” Williams said. “…I think we're built to stop the run. I think we showed it in those three quarters.”
While Williams walked away from the performance pleased with how he and the group handled the Packers' ground game, the rookie wasn’t content with his contributions as a pass rusher.
“I know I’ve got the ability, but if they're passing it quickly, you can't really get to them,” Williams said. “They're max protecting, everybody's double-teamed, it’s hard to get to the quarterback. Just working through that and just affecting the quarterback as much as I can (is where I want to improve).”
That goes back to the superhero point. Williams has been put in a tough spot as a rookie. Obviously, some expectations come with being a first-round pick. Still, he’s being asked to temporarily fill in for Alim McNeill, a proven interior pass rusher, when it wasn’t something Williams was regularly tasked with doing at Ohio State.
Both his former and current coaches have praised Williams' unique physical gifts, given his massive, 330-pound frame. However, McNeill had similar big-man athleticism as a rookie, but his pocket disruption didn’t take off until he slimmed down, dropping approximately 30 pounds in advance of a role change in 2023.
Williams finished Sunday's game with two tackles and one of the team’s seven quarterback pressures. The urgency he feels to affect the quarterback extends throughout the defense as opponents focus their attention on slowing Pro Bowl edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson with a steady stream of chips, nudges and doubles.
“He's going to draw a lot of attention,” Williams said. “We’ve definitely got to help him. Other guys have got to show up. He can’t be the only guy making plays. We know that and just have to fix it.”
FarFromHome
Footballguy
You mention your 6th grade book report and for some reason the classroom on Little House and Prairie pops in my head. You sitting there writing it on a chalk board with a metal lunch pail by your side. Ha ha
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Well the chalk board & metal lunchbox tracks so you’re not wrong. I didn’t grow up on the prairie, but a village of 200 is about as far removed from my present life as could be.
I have the fondest memories of junior high, truly. It was the same building my parents went to high school in (the town built a new one), a block from my grandparents house, the place where I met Hall of Fame TE Charlie Sanders - incredibly, the Lions players used to barnstorm across Michigan every winter playing alumni basketball teams.
It was the place I became the first boy in our to French kiss a girl…technically off campus at science camp - a HUGE scandal in our small town lol. Also where I had my first 2 concussions. Smelling salts, “How many fingers am I holding up? Go sit down & drink some water.” Our team doctor was the same guy that fixed my dad’s broken nose by shoving a metal rod up his nostrils to straighten it out.
The summer after we completed 8th grade we went to a nearby hill above Black Field (football stadium) every day to watch the wrecking ball take it down. When the workers went home we’d comb through the wreckage for anything interesting. Was amazing what got left behind - got some tri-beam scales, clocks, lumber for our fort, enough copper to fund pizza & the movies until Labor Day.
I still keep in touch with my four closest friends from those days, they’ve all visited me in NYC. The girl I kissed married a guy from Long Island and they’ve become friends with my wife. I haven’t been back since the Caldwell era but my little (h.s.) hometown of 7K - 8 miles from the village - is chock full of diehard Lions fans.
It was the place I became the first boy in our to French kiss a girl…technically off campus at science camp - a HUGE scandal in our small town lol. Also where I had my first 2 concussions. Smelling salts, “How many fingers am I holding up? Go sit down & drink some water.” Our team doctor was the same guy that fixed my dad’s broken nose by shoving a metal rod up his nostrils to straighten it out.
The summer after we completed 8th grade we went to a nearby hill above Black Field (football stadium) every day to watch the wrecking ball take it down. When the workers went home we’d comb through the wreckage for anything interesting. Was amazing what got left behind - got some tri-beam scales, clocks, lumber for our fort, enough copper to fund pizza & the movies until Labor Day.
I still keep in touch with my four closest friends from those days, they’ve all visited me in NYC. The girl I kissed married a guy from Long Island and they’ve become friends with my wife. I haven’t been back since the Caldwell era but my little (h.s.) hometown of 7K - 8 miles from the village - is chock full of diehard Lions fans.
FarFromHome
Footballguy
Thanks for sharing. Being the first boy in your school to French kiss a girl is a damn badge of honor. Ha ha
