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With the departure of Larry Foote and the offseason trade of Ernie Sims, the Detroit Lions knew going into training camp that two-thirds of their linebacker corps would be different for the start of the regular season.
 
Now, with third-year pro Jordon Dizon out for the year with a knee injury, the Lions have one less linebacker that has played in Defensive Coordinator Gunther Cunningham’s system.
 
“It was disappointing, obviously,” said linebacker coach Matt Burke of the injury. “He played well in the game and he was playing well for us.
 
“His position versatility helped us out a lot, with him playing inside and outside in different packages. It’s a blow obviously, but it’s part of the sport and we’ve got to move on.”
 
The linebackers are a tight-knit group and have picked up the slack for the players who have gotten hurt.
 
Second-year pro DeAndre Levy, the team’s starter at middle linebacker, has missed much of training camp due to his back.
 
Head Coach Jim Schwartz commented after the injury that the defense as a whole was missing out in the absence of Levy on the practice field.
 
“One of the things we’re impressed with in (DeAndre) is his presence and his command of the huddle,” said Burke. “That’s something we put on him. We kind of made that middle linebacker spot ‘that guy’ and he’s really taken to it.”
 
Levy is the one who sets the calls, sets the fronts and makes all the checks and the coaches have been impressed with him in that role.
 
“He’s got a pretty good grasp of the defense,” said Burke. “He’s firm with it. He’s loud and he gets everyone on the same page.”
 
The coaches have slowly been working Levy back into practices as they have with other injured players.
 
He has been participating in individual drills and, as long as he continues to respond well, coaches will continue to put more on his plate until he’s back to full practices.
 
“He needs to be out there seeing things full speed and getting his fits and everything,” said Burke.
 
Another second-year pro, Zack Follett, has been thrown into the mix as a starting outside linebacker.
 
Follett was cut by the Lions following training camp last year, but was re-signed to the practice squad. He was ultimately placed back on the active roster and began to impress coaches with his special teams play.
 
This past offseason, he has turned over a new leaf, studying his playbook to prepare for the opportunity he has been given.
 
On Saturday at Pittsburgh, Follett received his first extended NFL action as a position player on defense.
 
“He didn’t have any major busts,” said Burke. “Everything with him is just nuances. He’s a kid that really likes football and it’s important to him, so he actually enjoys talking about those nuances and learning some of the intricacies.
 
“He’s got some work to do still, but he wasn’t completely out of whack. It was just fine-tuning and I think the more he plays and the more he’s a part of this system, the more comfortable he will get. It was a positive start for him.”
 
Another positive for the linebackers was the play of the defensive line.
 
Starting defensive end Cliff Avril has been joined by veterans Kyle Vanden Bosch and Corey Williams as well as rookie Ndamukong Suh.
 
At Pittsburgh, the starting front showed a glimpse of the disruption they can create, which will help the linebackers immensely.
 
“It’s immeasurable,” said Burke. “The attention they command – both run-wise and pass-wise – getting double teams in the run front and letting our guys flow through makes a big difference.”
 
Burke says the linemen and linebackers have come up with an agreement that the linebackers will make sure to get downhill to take some of the load off the defensive front just as the defensive front is taking a burden off the linebackers.
 
“What they bring in the pass rush is having that quarterback’s clock ticking a little bit faster,” said Burke.
 
“You don’t have to cover as long. It’s a lot easier when you only have to cover for two seconds instead of five seconds. It’s great. I’m sure if you talked to our guys, they appreciate playing behind those players. It only makes us better.”
 
That kind of pressure up front should also help Cunningham in regards to what he can do with his scheme.
 
“In terms of philosophy of saying, ‘Well, we don’t have to bring pressure as much, we’re getting pressure from the front four,’ which allows us to play a little more zone in the back end,” said Burke. “It doesn’t really change our scheme, it just allows us to do different things within the scheme.”