Offensive coordinator John Morton, defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard and special teams coordinator Dave Fipp spoke to the media Thursday ahead of Detroit's matchup Sunday afternoon at Ford Field against the New York Giants.
Here are my 10 biggest takeaways from those media sessions:
1. Head coach Dan Campbell said the Lions got the look they wanted on their failed fake punt attempt against Philadelphia Sunday. It was against the Eagles' No. 1 defense which doesn't seem ideal to run up the middle against Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter with linebackers trying to block them. Fipp explained Thursday that it was the look they wanted because they thought they could catch the Eagles off guard because no one fake punts with the defense out there. They saw on tape some complacency in those situations. Credit to Philadelphia for being aware of Detroit's aggressiveness and being alert with their defensive unit out there on special teams Sunday.
2. The Lions could get cornerback D.J. Reed back this week. Whenever they get Terrion Arnold back from a concussion, they will be very deep and talented at cornerback given the way Amik Robertson and Rock Ya-Sin have played when given the opportunity this season. Sheppard said the great part about having depth is it promotes competition within the season. A lot of times he said that competition ends after training camp. Sheppard said he's not afraid to play anyone if they've shown the ability which will guarantee the Lions continue to get good play at cornerback and along their defensive front with players knowing there's someone else waiting in the wings with the depth they've built.
3. Morton said tight end Sam LaPorta going on IR has been a big loss for this offense. LaPorta is one of the best all-around tight ends in the league and they certainly missed him Sunday, which was the first game of at least four that he'll miss. Morton said someone else must step up whether that's tight end Brock Wright or a third wide receiver like Isaac TeSlaa or Kalif Raymond having a bigger impact offensively.
4. Sheppard is preparing to play a healthy Jaxson Dart at quarterback for the Giants Sunday. There's been a lot of talk in New York this week about Dart protecting himself as a runner coming off a concussion. Sheppard said studying Dart and his play style, he thinks it will be tough for him to adapt. The Lions are expecting him to run and be physical, and they are preparing for such a matchup.
5. What has been Detroit's biggest issue on third down? The Lions rank 27th in the NFL converting just 36 percent of the time. Morton said the biggest issue has been their own doing, and a lot of times it's the breakdowns in their technique. Morton said he challenged his players on offense to do more this week to improve on the little things, technique and details, especially on third down.
6. The Lions rank in the top 10 in a lot of the metrics they value on special teams like starting position following kickoffs and kickoff returns, net punt average and punt return average, but there has been a lack of big plays from the return game since Raymond's Week 4 punt return touchdown of 65 yards. Fipp said they can do a little better job as a unit generating some bigger plays on kickoff return. He said they'll keep swinging and tinkering in hopes of getting a few more big returns moving forward.
7. One emphasis for Sheppard moving forward is limiting explosives. He said he went back and looked at all the touchdown drives they've allowed this season and all but three had an explosive play element. He was simple and to the point in saying that if they limit explosives as a defense, they don't give up touchdowns. Hard to argue with the numbers.
8. Expect TeSlaa to continue to have a bigger role moving forward, especially with LaPorta out. Morton said TeSlaa's breakout game is coming.
9. A couple areas that had popped up in previous weeks as areas of improvement for Sheppard's defense were red-zone defense and sudden change moments. He was really impressed with those two areas against Philadelphia. The Eagles were just 1-for-3 in the red zone and Detroit's defense gave up only six points after sudden changes with five failed fourth downs, a fake punt and an interception from the offense and special teams. An area he'd still like to see improve moving forward is generating more takeaways. Detroit's defense didn't have any in Philadelphia Sunday.
10. Morton views this Giants defensive front a lot like he did Philadelphia's heading into the game last week. It's a talented unit in New York, especially on the edges, and Morton said they'll be very aware of where edge rusher Brian Burns is on every play. Burns is second in the NFL with 13.0 sacks.
