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. Where are two areas Glenn would like to see his defense improve the most from Week 1 to Week 2? First, he said they have to tackle better. There were way too many missed tackles and a few from some players we don't typically expect them from. Second, there were opportunities to make plays both with sacks and interceptions they let slip through their grasp. Glenn said his guys have to do a better job making those plays.
2. What was the No. 1 disappointment for Johnson regarding the play of the offense Week 1? He particularly lamented the four three-and-outs the offense had in the contest. He said they can't put their defense in a bad spot like that. The Lions were 6-of-13 (46.2 percent) on third down.
3. Fipp said the data from Week 1 showed that all kickoffs returned out of the end zone had an average starting point of the 29-yard line. It will be interesting to see if teams opt to return more of those kicks given the average starting point being close to a fair catch point (30-yard line) but with the chance for a big return always in play.
4. Glenn said veteran cornerback Carlton Davis III got up in front of the defense and gave the best introduction to an opposing unit's skill weapons he's ever seen from a player. Davis spent six years in Tampa Bay before being traded to Detroit this offseason.
"The way he articulated how these guys are, how they act, how they operate, was pretty amazing yesterday," Glenn said. "I wish I actually taped that just for my own, just so I can show other players like, 'This is how you do it.' But he does have a little something in him, and he's not going to show that, that's just who he is, but you can tell that it's Bucs week for him."
5. Johnson wasn't surprised at all by the 100-yard receiving performance and a touchdown from Jameson Williams Week 1 given what Johnson had seen from Williams over the last few months. Johnson made a great point when he said the difference between a good player and a great player in this league is consistency. Can Williams do it again this week?
6. One of the takeaways Fipp has from working with kicker Jake Bates over the last few months is he said Bates has a unique ability to keep himself calm when the pressure goes up. That served Bates well in the game-tying kick at the end of regulation last week that essentially amounted to a game-winning kick as Detroit got the ball in overtime and drove the field to win with a touchdown.
7. DJ Reader is expected to make his Lions debut this week. Glenn referred to Reader as a man's man on the field. Glenn touted Reader's obvious ability to help stop the run, but he also talked about Reader's 'sneaky athleticism' and ability to push the pocket and affect the passing game.
8. What is Detroit's identity on offense? Johnson said he'd love their identity to be a unit that can do anything. They have a dominant offensive line they feel they can run behind consistently, but they also have speed on the outside to play the long game. They have a versatile tight end and an All-Pro slot receiver working in the middle of the field. Good offenses are able to counter what a defense tries to take away and Johnson feels like he has that here in Detroit.
9. Marcus Davenport was really good as an edge rusher for the Lions' defense against the Rams with a sack and four QB hits, and he nearly blocked a field goal too. He's a good addition there with his length and power. The Lions have had at least one blocked kick every year Fipp has been in Detroit, and it wouldn't be surprising if they have multiple this year with Davenport, Alim McNeill and Mekhi Wingo in the center of the block line for Detroit.
10. Glenn was happy with the performance from rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold in his first game last week. Arnold was thrown at 10 times and gave up eight catches for 57 yards. He gave up one 21-yard completion to Cooper Kupp, but other than that it was a lot of short throws amounting to seven receptions for 36 yards for an average of 5.1 per catch. Arnold has two interference penalties, and Glenn said they worked on some of the fundamentals associated with those this week, but Glenn certainly isn't going to take away Arnold's aggressiveness. Glenn thought Arnold played pretty well for his first time out.
