The Detroit Lions’ defense lacks discipline and it’s already a concern — again

[frm710]

Carlos with a good article this am on AG and the defense, story hasn’t appeared on Yahoo sports yet. Think we heard this before…

The second time I asked Aaron Glenn about the lack of discipline on defense against Seattle, he pointed at me.
A few snippets:

“You might have asked the same question last year,” the defensive coordinator said Thursday while he fittingly wore a shirt with the word “SALTY” on it. “You might have been the one talking about this from the last year.

“And you know what? Those guys got better. Yeah, you’re the discipline guy.”

With all due respect, coach, someone has to be.
…
“You get one guy who’s doing it right and a couple of guys, and the next guy’s not and we give them a void,” Campbell said Monday. “So we’ve got to get back to the discipline and just doing your job.”

Teams can live with mistakes of execution: an interception, a fumble, a penalty. What they can’t live with is players who aren’t doing what they’re supposed to be doing — either willfully or unintentionally. That lack of discipline speaks to a potentially enormous problem that can metastasize if it isn’t fixed.

So I asked Glenn whether the fault lies with the players or the coaches over the lack of discipline.

“I’ve said this several times that coaching staff and us as a defense, man, this is a partnership,” he said. “We don’t look at things as player, coach. No, we look at this as a defense.

When asked about buy in from the players:
“Absolutely,” he said, “absolutely there’s buy-in and you keep going to the discipline part when you look at this in one game. I don’t see that as an issue for us.

“I just see that as us having new players that are trying to get themselves — they have to understand exactly what A.G. wants, as far as secondary play. That was the same thing that went on last year.”

It sure was. Right, Aubrey Pleasant?

https://www.freep.com/story/sports/columnists/carlos-monarrez/2023/09/22/detroit-lions-still-havent-fixed-their-discipline-on-defense/70919862007/

[FreebirdPartDeux]

https://sports.yahoo.com/detroit-lions-defense-lacks-discipline-101011081.html

[LionsfaninGA]

But how can this be!??? All we have heard all off season and training camp is how MASSIVELY upgraded this defense was and how it was going to shock people. So far I am shocked! Shocked at how this defense looks EXACTLY like the defense that started last season (they went 1-6). Yep no worries about defense

[Thats2]

It works in New Orleans so there has to be a way to pull off the aggressive D Glenn wants to run without it all falling apart. And I’d argue their DL doesn’t - and hasn’t - had any more talent than ours right now. The back 7 though…

[NowFromTN]

From the article
“And the Seahawks’ three non-Pro Bowl tight ends ran free and wild for 132 yards on nine catches (on 10 targets).”

Yikes!!

[stephenboyd57]

@LionsfaninGA

But how can this be!??? All we have heard all off season and training camp is how MASSIVELY upgraded this defense was and how it was going to shock people. So far I am shocked! Shocked at how this defense looks EXACTLY like the defense that started last season (they went 1-6). Yep no worries about defense

I mean last year we gave up 48 points to the Hawks and we didn’t even see the punter. This year was way better.

[stephenboyd57]

@Thats2

It works in New Orleans so there has to be a way to pull off the aggressive D Glenn wants to run without it all falling apart. And I’d argue their DL doesn’t - and hasn’t - had any more talent than ours right now. The back 7 though…

AG wasn’t calling the plays though in NO.

[Thats2]

No but that’s the defense he wants to run. There’s proof on concept for the style, but something’s getting lost in translation. Could be that we just don’t have the right horses yet.

[stephenboyd57]

And if he wants to be aggressive than why are corners playing 10 yards off at the LOS, allowing cupcake first downs. It really has me confused with what he’s trying to do.

Lost in translation is right.

[LineBusy]

@Thats2

ad any more talent than ours right now.

Bro, chill.

(AG’s last year there)

@Thats2

Could be that we just don’t have the right horses yet.

Not even a question.

[Thats2]

It’s better, but I don’t think it’s miles better. A lot of those guys have gone on to become really good in their own right, but plenty were still taking their lumps then, which is what I’m hoping is happening here.

And that unit has done nothing but get worse since then and they’re still playing the same style, and it’s working.

[LineBusy]

I haven’t watched any of their games. I can’t say how good or bad they are, but one thing about football we both know; no scheme is going to work that leave a QB comfortable in the pocket or by making it easy on him to step up to throw. Whatever their names are on their jerseys, they’re performing better than our interior DL if their system is working.

[SirLion]

@stephenboyd57

to be aggressive than why are corners playing 10 yards off at the LOS, allowing cupcake first downs. I

My thoughts as well.

In what aspect does anyone see our defense as an aggressive defense.

[Mr.Peabody]

In piecing together the coaches interviews, the players interviews and the game film…I think I know where AG is coming from.

Some guys are playing out of position as an execution error. Every team has that, particularly to begin the season. But the Lions are dealing with another issue. Dan is a “run thru the wall” type of coach. So some guys are playing a bit of hero ball. This was a big part of the players meeting last year. Guys “trying too hard” to make a play, so they end up out of position.

Dan made a comment that “our reliable players need to be just that…reliable. That’s all I’ll say.” That means some of our top guys who can be expected to be where they are supposed to be without execution errors…chose a different path. Let e paint a different reality that what we thought we saw on Sunday. I showed a play where the secondary wasn’t matching up with the pass rush scheme. I showed CJGJ “blitzing” off the edge, but not committing to it. As soon as he saw it was a pass instead of a run, he hit the breaks as hard as he could and Geno easily dumped a pass over his head to the TE. What if that wasn’t a blitz call? What if CJGJ crashed down because he was playing hero ball against the run. What if he saw it was playaction and quickly thought “OMG I am supposed to be helping in coverage right now.” What if Rodrigo made his decisions on the play based on the idea that he was getting help from CJGJ on a drag route that never happened?

It may not be true. But that is a big part of the concept that the coaches and players are echoing in their interviews. Things like that are happening and its not what AG called.