Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and special teams coordinator Dave Fipp spoke to the media Thursday in preparation for Sunday's home opener vs. Seattle. Here are my 10 biggest takeaways from those media sessions:
1. Glenn said his defense quickly moved on from Kansas City to Seattle following their win over the Chiefs last Thursday. Glenn has a bad taste in his mouth from Seattle putting up 51 and 48 points, respectively, the last two years against his defense. "Our guys will be ready to play," he said.
2. One area where Johnson said his offense has to be better this week is in the 3rd and 2-to-6 yard range where they were just 2-of-7 converting last week. He expects to be at the very least at 50 percent conversion in that range.
3. It's been pretty well documented the success Fipp and the Lions' special teams have had when faking punts. They are 7-for-8 in Fipp and Dan Campbell's tenure here. Interestingly, Fipp said he could recall only faking a punt twice in his eight years coaching in Philadelphia with their special teams before Detroit. He said he loves playing for an offensive-minded head coach in Campbell who is aggressive.
4. Detroit's defense held Kansas City to just 316 yards of offense and 20 points last week. A terrific performance for that side of the ball. Glenn said what he liked most about the performance was the identity he was hoping to have on defense showing up: Max effort, physical, violent and able to take the football away. All those traits showed up in KC, especially in the second half.
5. Expect rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs to get more opportunity this week. Johnson used David Montgomery and Gibbs on the field together a few times last week and said that's something they could look to do more of moving forward, especially on third down.
6. The NFL set a record with the fewest kickoffs returned in a single week during Week 1. Fipp said the Lions actually tried to have KC return three kicks but the ball kind of sailed on Jack Fox a few times. Fipp said he feels good about his coverage units and their ability to pin opponents inside the 25 if they return it.
7. Defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson didn't record a sack last week but he had four hurries, three quarterback hits and seven total pressures. Glenn said Hutchinson played his butt off. Detroit had 17 total pressures and seven quarterback hits in that contest last week. Glenn said the thing he liked the most was how disciplined the defense was with their rush. He expects the same kind of effort this week against a Seattle team that is currently missing both their starting tackles.
8. What does Johnson expect from Seattle's defense Sunday? He said it's a unit that is fast, physical and plays hard. Rookie defensive back Devon Witherspoon is expected to make his debut this week. Johnson said the challenge of that is just the lack of film on him. He called safety Quandre Diggs a stud. Seattle is a different group upfront than in past years, and that will be a different challenge for Johnson and Detroit's offensive line. Overall, after giving up 30 points to the Rams last week, Johnson is expecting Seattle's best effort defensively this week.
9. Expect to see more of second-year defensive lineman Josh Paschal this week, according to Glenn. Paschal played 17 snaps Week 1 and made a huge play with a three-yard tackle for loss on a 3rd and 1 play that forced a KC punt late in the fourth quarter. He also recorded two hurries in just 13 pass-rush reps.
10. Veteran wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. didn't have a particularly good game Week 1 with some drops and a fumble. Johnson said Jones Jr. was very disappointed with his performance. He also said Jones Jr. is a pro's pro, and he expects the veteran to bounce back this week and make some plays for them.
