After the last few seasons of dismal results, Detroit Lions fans are happy to embrace the mantra out with the old and in with the new. But when it comes to the team’s linebacker group, new position coach Mark DeLeone isn’t ready to cast aside one of the poster children of the past regime’s shortcomings.
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Jahlani Tavai’s future with the Detroit Lions seems murky as a scheme-specific linebacker who has struggled in his first two NFL seasons. But new Lions linebackers coach Mark DeLeone insisted Thursday that he’s excited about Tavai and what he can do for the Lions’ defense this fall. “I’ve been really impressed with Jahlani,” DeLeone said. “He’s
Going into last month’s NFL draft, the position of wide receiver was arguably the great single team need for the Detroit Lions. Yet, the new regime in the Motor City refused to address that need until day three of the annual collegiate selection event. And while the selection of USC wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown in
Here we go again. Another embarrassment for the Detroit Lions. Another black eye for the franchise that’s had so many, it should change its color scheme to Honolulu Black and Blue. The latest punch to land on the Lions’ kisser came courtesy of Iowa State coach Matt Campbell, who reportedly spurned the team’s $68.5 million,
Aaron Rodgers may want out of Green Bay, but one current Detroit Lions assistant — someone who knows Rodgers well — has a hard time seeing it happen. Lions senior defensive assistant Dom Capers, who spent nine seasons as the Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator from 2009-17, said Thursday he thinks Rodgers and the Packers
Detroit Lions defensive passing game coordinator Aubrey Pleasant has worked with some elite cornerbacks during his relatively short NFL coaching career. In four seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, he had the pleasure of coaching Jalen Ramsey, Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters. Between them, that trio has been named to seven All-Pro first teams and selected to
In the NFL, you grow accustomed to secrecy and vague answers, all the name of competitive advantage. So when a coach offers any kind of schematic specifics, it’s refreshing. In his first interview session with local media, new Detroit Lions defensive line coach Todd Wash easily could have fallen back on cliché responses about needing to see the
Two years after he signed a $90 million contract that made him one of the highest-paid defensive ends in football, Trey Flowers is changing positions to fit the Detroit Lions‘ new defensive scheme. Defensive line coach Todd Wash confirmed Thursday that Flowers and Romeo Okwara will play outside linebacker in the Lions’ base defense this
Breshad Perriman had the best season of his NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2019, when he got the one thing he should have plenty of in Detroit: opportunity. Perriman, a first-round pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 2016, played most of his one season in Tampa as the team’s No. 3 receiver. But
Almost everything about the Detroit Lions receiving corps is a mystery, down to first-year position coach Antwaan Randle El. New coach, new scheme and, for the most part, new players. The questions extend to the incoming personnel. How will Tyrell Williams bounce back after missing last season with a shoulder injury? How quickly will rookie Amon-Ra St.
Much has been made about the turnover with the Detroit Lions’ receiving corps this offseason, but the team’s tight end room has also undergone a significant makeover. Sure, T.J. Hockenson, the central figure the past two seasons, is back and looking to build on last season’s Pro Bowl campaign. But the Lions still need to
Detroit Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley is well aware of the rumblings that one of his guys is on the trade block. But, if a market doesn’t develop, and Tyrell Crosby sticks for the 2021 season, Fraley still sees the lineman as a key piece to what the team wants to accomplish up front
Detroit Lions fans (Photo by Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports) The Detroit Lions impressed many at the draft. Now Dan Campbell is working on the unthinkable; changing 60 years of losing culture. Almost four months ago to the day, the Detroit Lions introduced Dan Campbell as their new head coach. Campbell’s opening statement was 20 minutes
They’re used to dealing with pressure. Almost by definition, that’s their job. But as the Lions begin the next phase of their offseason under head coach Dan Campbell, with three days of full-team workouts on the practice field next week, much of the attention will be focused on a group that generally avoids it. The
The Detroit Lions made some coaches available to reporters on Wednesday on a conference call that included offensive line Hank Fraley, who has three first-round draft picks on his unit and will be in charge of guiding the career of the team’s prized first-round pick, Penei Sewell. Also included on the call was Antwaan Randle
Show Caption Hide Caption Detroit Lions, NFL go to 17-game schedule, but is it all worth it? Dave Birkett, Carlos Monarrez and Shawn Windsor share their thoughts on NFL adding a 17th game to the schedule and more Detroit Lions news, March 30. Dave Birkett, Carlos Monarrez and Shawn Windsor, Detroit Free Press Mark Brunell
No one is giving the Detroit Lions much of a chance ahead of the 2021 season. They’re one of two teams, along with the Houston Texans, who aren’t favored in any of their 17 games, and only the Texans have longer Super Bowl odds. And outside of blind optimism, why should it be any other
Dan Campbell joked at his introductory news conference that he got the Detroit Lions head coaching job after he told his agent to make the team think he was Iowa State coach Matt Campbell. If they did, Campbell would have landed a whopper of a deal. According to CBS Sports, Matt Campbell turned down an
Hank Fraley was ready to head home to Minnesota to see his family during UCLA’s early-October bye in 2017 when he made an abrupt change of plans to visit one of the top high school offensive linemen in the country, Utah prep star Penei Sewell. Fraley, then an assistant at UCLA, made a lasting impression
It was supposed to be an off week for Hank Fraley. The UCLA Bruins were on a bye and he was going to make a trip home to see his wife and kids, who were still in Minnesota, where he had coached the previous three years. But the job never really stops for a coach.