Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and special teams coordinator Dave Fipp spoke to the media Thursday as they do every week. Here are my 10 biggest takeaways from those media sessions:
1. Glenn and Johnson will be taking head coaching interviews Friday and Saturday but were both adamant it wouldn't interfere with anything related to the game plans for this week and putting Detroit in the best possible position to beat Tampa Bay Sunday.
A little human element to it: Johnson said it's his family time that suffers in a week like this. He normally picks his daughter up from school on Fridays and the two spend time together. He said that won't happen this week because of the interviews.
2. Glenn doesn't see a lot of difference schematically or personnel-wise from Tampa Bay since the first time these two teams played Week 6. He said the biggest reason why they've won five of their last six is simply their execution level. Glenn sees a commitment for the Bucs to run the football, even being stubborn with it at times.
Glenn said being good against the run is critical for his defense Sunday. Detroit ranked in the top three stopping the run all season.
3. Detroit's special teams had a great performance in the Wild Card win over the Rams. Jack Fox dropped three punts inside the 10-yard line. Michael Badgley booted a 54-yard field goal that proved to be the difference. The coverage units were all stellar. Fipp credited his players' practice habits all week and how they never take a play off, whether it's Week 1 or Wild Card weekend.
4. Where has Johnson seen quarterback Jared Goff grow the most over the last two years? He said Goff's understanding of situational football and his knowledge of protections.
5. The Lions didn't have the services of nickel cornerback Brian Branch in the first matchup between these two teams. Will Harris filled in nicely and had an interception in that contest, but Glenn said Branch's toughness, grit and his instincts bring a lot to the table. His ability to disguise what he is doing and put himself in a position to make plays is one of his biggest attributes, per Glenn.
6. Glenn really likes how the rotation at safety is going between Kerby Joseph, Ifeatu Melifonwu and C.J. Gardner-Johnson. He said all three players have been selfless to make it work. He was even able to work all three onto the field at the same time in some packages and said he plans to continue that moving forward.
7. Fox has really come on the last couple of weeks, according to Fipp. He was an under-the-radar star last week dropping three punts inside the Rams' 10-yard line.
8. How long does it typically take Johnson to put together a game plan for the week? He joked that he's notoriously slow in that regard. He said he has about 90 to 95 percent of it installed by Friday afternoon. The last five to 10 percent rolls in Saturday afternoon.
9. Glenn coached in New Orleans where the SuperDome is known for being a rowdy and noisy place to play, but he said Ford Field last Sunday might have been the loudest environment he's ever been in. He said it's a joy to play at home and the home crowd does a hell of a job making it a true home-field advantage.
10. The Bucs will put six and seven defenders in the box and will blitz from all over the place. Their 40.1 blitz percentage is third most in the NFL. Detroit's secret weapon, according to Johnson, is veteran All-Pro center Frank Ragnow and his ability to diagnose blitzes and get Detroit into the right protections, along with Goff.
