The Lions announced their 2021 coaching staff yesterday, and there are a lot of new faces in Detroit.
Head coach Dan Campbell assembled a staff with good resumes, diverse skillsets and quite a bit of playing experience.
Which of the new hires are you most excited about? I asked the Detroitlions.com crew, and here's what they had to say:
Tim Twentyman: Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn
Glenn did a terrific job with New Orleans' secondary the last five years. He inherited one of the worst secondaries in the league, and turned them into a top 15 unit in just two years. New Orleans led the NFL in interceptions last season, and they recorded double-digit interception totals in each of the last four seasons.
Glenn wants to simplify the Lions' scheme and allow the young guys in the secondary to play faster and with more confidence. Glenn is a former All-Pro player, and should command the respect of everyone in the defensive meeting room. I think Glenn will have a good effect on all levels of Detroit's defense and help that side of the ball improve sooner rather than later.
Mike O'Hara: Assistant head coach/running backs coach Duce Staley
Staley is an intriguing assistant on Campbell's staff, and I can't wait to see him at work.
Staley has walked his talk as an assistant coach. He played 10 NFL seasons. The first seven were with the Eagles, and he went over the 1,000-yard mark three times. His last three seasons were with the Steelers, then he went into coaching with the Eagles for the last 10 years.
Staley showed a strong presence and a sense of command in his Zoom interview with the media after being hired. Those are good qualities for anyone in a leadership and teaching role.
D’Andre Swift had a promising rookie season with the Lions. I would expect Staley will get even more out of Swift in Year 2 -- as he will with other backs on the roster.
Tori Petry: Glenn
It's hard to pick just one name off the list of coaches Campbell has assembled, but this particular former player intrigues me. There's a lot of work to do on defense, and Glenn says he plans to fit his defense to his players rather than the other way around.
I'm interested to see what kind of scheme he implements and how he develops young players, including cornerback Jeff Okudah, who happens to play the position Glenn did as a player.
Editor's Pick: Offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn
I think there are a lot of hires to be excited about, but I'm going with Lynn. He was featured on Hard Knocks as head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers last season, and his leadership qualities really stood out to me while watching. Plus he just seems like a cool guy.
While Lynn is known for his emphasis on the run game, I think the work he did with rookie quarterback Justin Herbert last season was impressive, and that could be helpful for the Lions this year depending on what direction they want to go at the QB position.
