Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and special teams coordinator Dave Fipp spoke to the media Thursday. Here are my 10 biggest takeaways from those media sessions:
1. Glenn opened up his press conference saying the most standout player to him in last week's win over Houston wasn't even on his side of the football. It was quarterback Jared Goff. Glenn praised the leadership Goff showed and his ability to not blink in the face of adversity while coming back after five interceptions and leading scoring drives on their last three possessions to help win the game.
2. Johnson still feels like his offense hasn't played to their capability for 60 minutes yet this season. He said the first half last week was the poorest they've played on offense in the last two and a half years and he was just happy 'we got our act together' at halftime.
3. Jake Bates is 14-for-14 kicking field goals, he hit his second game-winner of the season and was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for the second time this season. Fipp said Thursday Bates is still a developing player and he joked they can still work on getting those kicks centered a little more and not so close to the upright.
4. Za’Darius Smith will make his Lions debut Sunday at Ford Field and it's been evident to Glenn since Smith arrived in Detroit how excited he is about this opportunity. Glenn has been conscious of not throwing too much at Smith, but he does feel really good about him providing some juice upfront both as a pass rusher and setting the edge in the run game on Sunday.
5. "Best defense I've ever been around." Johnson has been coaching in the NFL for 13 years and that's what he thinks of the 2024 version of the Lions' defense.
"It is a comforting thought knowing that we're putting them in some tough spots at times and they're just powering through. They don't blink an eye. Turnover, poor field position, three-and-out by us, they just go out there and get us the ball right back right away. It's a very comforting thought, and the challenge for us as an offense right now is to pull our weight because we feel like those two other units (defense & special teams) are on their side of the ball."
6. The key stretch Fipp thought really started to flip that game last week started late in the third quarter when Jack Fox pinned Houston at their own 9-yard line. That led to a Houston punt, which Detroit turned into a touchdown. Another Houston punt led to Bates' 58-yard field goal. Houston then missed a 58-yard field goal, leading to Bates' 52-yard winner. In a game where Fox wasn't at his best, that punt late in the third quarter helped start Detroit's run.
7. One thing Glenn said he'd like to see get more consistent from his unit the second half of the season is their run defense. His defense was very good in that regard last week (56 yards and 2.0 avg.). Glenn is hoping that's a trend that continues after three straight games against Minnesota, Tennessee and Green Bay leading into the Houston game where he thought their run defense was below their standard.
8. The level of confidence in wide receiver Jameson Williams' hands continues to grow for Johnson after some of the tough catches Williams made last week in Houston. Johnson said he challenged Williams on the sideline in the third quarter after the angle of his route wasn't good on Goff's last interception. He challenged Williams to make up for it and the third-year receiver did in the fourth quarter with that tough catch while being hit from both sides that kept a scoring drive alive.
9. A little aerodynamics lesson from Fipp on Thursday. We don't typically see a lot of movement in Bates' ball off his foot. He kicks a pretty straight ball because Fipp said he kicks it so hard and it's traveling so fast it's less susceptible to the effect of wind or the elements.
10. Josh Paschal had a terrific game in Houston last week with four hurries and a sack. Despite Smith not playing last week, he was seen spending time with Paschal on the sideline between series. Glenn said he saw Paschal using some of Smith's tricks they went over on the sideline. Glenn has been really impressed with how Paschal has stepped up and played all year. Glenn believes he's an ascending player in this league.
