Skip to main content
Advertising

10 takeaways from Cooter & Pasqualoni

Defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni and offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter spoke to the media Friday ahead of Sunday's game in San Francisco.

Here are 10 takeaways from those media sessions:

1. When asked what jumped out to him on film about the 49ers' defense, Cooter said the 49ers have a good defense at all three levels. Their "dynamic" front is their best attribute.

2. When asked what jumped out to him on film about the 49ers' offense, Pasqualoni said the skill position players and semi skill position players (fullbacks and tight ends) are all really good. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is a mobile guy with good feet who can get those skill position players the football in the spots the 49ers want them to have the ball.

View photos from Detroit Lions practice on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018.

3. Slow starts on offense have been a big deal for the Lions dating back to last season, and Cooter is well aware it's been a problem. He said the offense has to get going earlier in games.

"One way or another we have to execute this thing better," he said. "Play the game sometimes from ahead, which is something we haven't done recently."

4. The Lions gave up 169 yards on 36 carries against the Jets. One of those was a 62-yard run by Isaiah Crowell in the third quarter that helped ice the contest for the Jets. Pasqualoni said he doesn't play the statistical numbers game a whole lot. He made the point that 62 of those yards came on one play, and if they don't get that run then his defense is within the efficiency rating of a defense per attempt, which he said was around 3.5 to 3.3, for all the other runs.

When asked about the 62-yard play in particular, Pasqualoni said it's a correctable issue stopping it next time, and he expects to see that play this week and the coming weeks from opponents until the Lions prove they can stop it.

5. Cooter did put much stock into the Jets saying they knew what Stafford's hand signals were and what the plays the Lions were going to run Monday night. He said they change signals every week, and put the loss on Detroit's lack of execution rather than the Jets knowing their playbook.

6. Detroit's best pass rusher, Ziggy Ansah, is questionable to play Sunday due to a shoulder injury. The Lions didn't look the same on defense after Ansah left in the second quarter of the opener. Pasqualoni admitted it would be tough to replace a player on the edge like Ansah if Ansah can't play, but he's always had a next-man-up mentality and he's instilled that in his guys on defense.

7. Cooter on what he expects from Matthew Stafford Sunday after throwing four interceptions in the opener:

"We expect Matthew Stafford to play good football this week and help our team win. Make good decisions, get the ball to the right guys, spread it around, make sure everyone is touching it and throw good passes while we're at it."

8. The goal of a pass rush, according to Pasqualoni, is to make the quarterback uncomfortable. Recording sacks is certainly a part of that, but he said the biggest thing is the combination of the coverage and rush working together to contain Garoppolo this week.

9. Kerryon Johnson has been productive most of the times he's been in the game. The more reps a young player can get, the more he develops. Don't be surprised if we see a little more of him this week than we did Week 1.

10. Third-year defensive tackle A'Shawn Robinson was a healthy scratch Week 1. Pasqualoni said Robinson continues to work hard, and he likes working with him, but didn't provide any update of Robinson's playing status moving forward.

Related Content

Advertising