For the last two years, Kelvin Sheppard has been preparing to be a play caller and defensive coordinator in the NFL.
He had a little exercise in the linebacker room where he pulled film of prior games and went through the entire game, calling out the defensive plays. He had the linebackers in the room do it too.
Sheppard said the goal of the exercise was to get everyone to think like then Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. For him, it was watching games, calling plays, going through situations and preparing himself for what he hoped would be an eventual defensive coordinator role.
It was something he wanted his linebackers to do to think like a coordinator while looking at personnel grouping, down and distance, and being able to make calls on their own and have a better perspective of the bigger picture on defense.
"You guys should know what he's about to call," Sheppard said of his message to the room. "Ford Field has gotten to a point you might not be able to hear the microphone. You should be able to look at the personnel and the down and distance and be able to make a call.
"All and all, I didn't realize how much it was helping me. That's the biggest thing I tell people. The more I started helping other people, the better I got."
It's a drill that accelerated Sheppard's understanding of defense and how to call a game, and he said it led to him thinking he was ready to assume this defensive coordinator role in Detroit.
It took time and countless hours, but Sheppard and the players respected the exercise and Sheppard earned their respect because of it.
"I've always believed Shep could be an outstanding coach," Lions head coach Dan Campbell said Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine. "About two years ago I just felt like, 'This guy is going to be ready to be a coordinator sooner rather than later.' So, AG (Glenn) and I talked about it and tried to give him more responsibility over the last two years with that in mind for him ... without telling him and nothing was ever promised."
Sheppard had a heavy hand in the first and second down game planning last season as Glenn added that to Sheppard's plate in preparation for him earning a bigger coaching role in the future.
"That's something he didn't have to do," Sheppard said of Glenn. "The trajectory and the outlook they had for me ... to see that stuff for you and try to put you in position to get there. That's why I owe those guys everything."
When it comes to his defensive philosophy and personnel on defense, Sheppard had a great line Tuesday. He values versatility and that's been a staple of his linebacker room over the years. He wants to incorporate that throughout his defense, but said he doesn't want to get caught up in a player that can do a lot of things OK and not one thing great.
"That's something I've learned," he said. "Cause you have a bunch of those guys and it's too many and you fall into deficiencies at certain spots. I have blind trust in Brad Holmes. He knows my vision. That's another thing.
"To have the GM walk into your office and ask, 'What's your vision? What do you want this to look like? I'm going to try to get the players per what you tell me.' Giving me an input on that stuff has been incredible. I tell everyone it's the best work environment I've ever been in been a part of or heard of."
Sheppard said his vision for his defense is to be multiple for offenses, but not multiple for his players. It essentially means creating a defense that's easy for his players to grasp where they don't have to think as much, but a defense that makes opposing offenses think. He believes a good defense in the NFL is one that when the huddle breaks, the offense has to be thinking a lot, but the defense doesn't. He said that takes time on task and a good staff to accomplish, but he believes he has just that in Detroit.
Sheppard is big on conforming his defense to the players and the talent on that side of the ball. Detroit's played four different variations of defense over the last four years based on personnel, per Sheppard.
It's not about his scheme. He knows what he wants but if that's not what's in the room, he thinks a good coordinator has to adapt and adjust – recognizing what a player does well and putting them in position to make plays and not making it about the coach. It's a player-driven league, and Sheppard knows that being a former player himself.
"Listen, Kel's been a guy I've been mentoring for a while. He's tough. He's gritty. He understands ball from a number of different perspectives," Glenn said of Sheppard Tuesday. "And listen, I just totally have a lot of confidence in that man. I think he's gonna do a hell of a job."
