From the Athletic, which is pay for but it is a great article. Here is the first paragraph which I think is ok to post. Author, not the normal Lion beat writers does an excellent job discussing the Lions offense.
Two weeks into the 2022 season, the Lions have one of the NFL’s most explosive offenses, leading the league in points per drive (2.79) and points per game (34.5). In the age of analytics and airing it out, Detroit head coach Dan Campbell’s old-school approach and commitment to running the ball stands in contrast to much of the league — and it’s working. The Lions are making life miserable for defenses, bludgeoning them with a gap scheme run game that’s successful, in part, because it’s different from other offenses.
He states the Lions have a similar group of WR that the Rams had when they had T Gurley at RB.
I just found it really interesting that the Lions, the LIONS, are doing something different from most of the league and two games in it is producing even if different is going to something old.
If most teams are used to running a nickel base defense to combat the Tom Brady-esque short passing attack, it makes sense that being dedicated to running the ball is going to be playing into the weakness of most opposing defenses.
There isn’t anything magic about the Bully Ball offense; if 3/4 of the league were running it, defenses would adapt. The thing that’s special is doing something that other teams aren’t currently building their defense to stop.
Lots of Jumbo packages with extra lineman and TEs similar to the 49ers under Harbaugh. What’s impressive is how well it’s all working in sync, especially with 3 backup OL.
I think that Dan wanted to run more of this last year but with injuries to the OL/Hock and a very young TE room we didn’t have the horses.
With another year and a lot more experienced depth on the line, we’re going for it. I like it.
Built for 3 yards and a cloud of dust, this offense is anything but that. With speed at WR and RB, we can gash in chunks.
I suppose if the Lions are putting up as many points as they did back in the 1953 season, maybe it’s time to bust out the greaser jackets and start rolling my pack of cigarettes up in my t -shirt sleeve?
Let’s go really old school! Like, old school winning championships again!
Taking bits and pieces of what’s worked in the past … refreshing. Wouldn’t it be cool if the supposed meathead is actually ahead of the curve, and they start calling our offense the Campbell-Johnson (Camp John?) offense!
To me, it feels like our o is set up like → Team with the biggest horses wins…and we have the biggest horses.
I was saying this in a post yesterday → The NFCN is going to have to start drafting players to attempt to stop what we are doing. They won’t have a choice.
We are going to run the ball down their throat. This feels like the NYG offenses that Bill Parcells had with Simms, Morris, McKonkey, Bravaro, Meggit and the boys.
Man, that was an excellent article, its why I subscribe to the Athletic, and almost nothing else.
I mentioned this in a different thread - I noticed our OL often pulling, trapping, etc. which I had not seen previously. Excellent breakdown of why a variety of gap scheme concepts is likely to work against modern defenses.
But the article mentions several other things – which amounts to anticipating how the defense will react - not only to the formation on the field, but to looks they have seen during the course of the game. The next challenge will be to stay one step ahead, I’m sure the other side is already analyzing what we’re doing and putting in wrinkles that they think will work. Now, can we anticipate the wrinkles and stay a step ahead?
To me, the take-away from this is not that we are a smash-mouth bigger, stronger team than the opposition, its that we’re finally a team that is smarter, and one step ahead. Kudo’s to Dan (the late nights and mega-doses of caffeine seem to be working), and Ben, who seems to be smarter than anyone we’ve ever had in that position.
Yes, yes, yes. The NFL catches up in a hurry, but hopefully not in this instance because as I learned today, their blocking concepts are so diverse and vary from play to play. When are Fraley and Johnson gonna get game balls? LOL