Every week Detroit Lions third-year linebacker Jack Campbell meets one-on-one with defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard to go over the game plan.
Campbell wants to know the why behind Sheppard's schemes and calls. Sheppard said that level of detail is part of what makes Campbell different from a lot of elite linebackers in this league.
"I was Jack's coach for a few years so the carryover there, him understanding my lingo, how I think now has expanded broader now that I'm able to call the plays," Sheppard said Thursday. "And he comes up, he meets with me every week. That's something that he does not have to do but he wants to because he wants to understand, 'Why are you calling that, Shepp, on second-and-five? Well, why do you call that? Why do you tell the nickel that he needs to do this?'
"He's asking me this so then he can in turn go back player to player and hold these players accountable. And he wants to be able to - if the green dot, if it goes out, he believes he's supposed to call the game, and he takes pride in that."
That deeper understanding of the defense is paying off on gameday. Through the first five games of the season, Campbell is the fourth highest graded linebacker in the NFL by Pro Football Focus.
Campbell has become one of the centerpieces of Detroit's defense and is playing the kind of football the Lions anticipated when they selected him with the 18th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
He has 48 tackles to lead the team and has also chipped in a sack, three tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. He's one of only two players in the NFL so far this season to produce at least 40 tackles, two forced fumbles and a sack. The other is Jacksonville's Foyesade Oluokun.
Campbell is the second-highest graded linebacker in the NFL against the run and has really improved his coverage skills as well. That was a weaker part of his game when he first entered the league and he is now graded in the top 12 at the position against the pass to start the year.
Campbell's skillset, toughness and preparation allows Sheppard to mix up his schemes and play calls which is a big reason the Lions' defense is ranked in the top half of the league in just about every major statistical category to start the year.
JAMESON EFFECT
Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams has just five catches the last three weeks for less than 100 yards, but don't think for a minute that because he isn't catching a lot of passes and sprinting through the back of the end zone, he isn't impacting the game.
It's obvious to see the impact he's having in the run game as a blocker. That's been huge. Less obvious is the continued impact his speed has on the coverages the Lions are seeing and how his teammates are benefitting from it.
"I mean, (Cincinnati) played a lot of zone, more zone last week. Like, two high. They really didn't do that (on film)," Lions offensive coordinator John Morton said Thursday. "I think that's a Jameson effect. I mean, there's a lot of weapons. So, they changed it up a little bit, and it took a little bit of his throws away. I think with Jameson out there, there's a big threat out there. And teams are now just playing a little bit different."
It's opened more opportunities for wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and tight end Sam Laporta and the short passing game with the running backs, which has been huge in the Lions scoring at least 34 points in each of their last four games.
ST. BROWN PRODUCTION
St. Brown ranks fourth in the NFL with 35 catches this season and has recorded at least seven receptions in each of Detroit's past four games. Since entering the league in 2021, St. Brown has registered at least eight receptions in 25 games.
With eight receptions in Kansas City Sunday night, St. Brown would surpass Justin Jefferson (25 games) for the second-most games with at least eight receptions by a player in his first five seasons in NFL history, trailing only Michael Thomas (31 games).
EXTRA POINTS
- For Week 6 of the NFL season, the Kansas City Chiefs are a relatively healthy team. Not a single player on the 53-man roster sat out practice Wednesday to start the preparation week for the Lions.
- Kalif Raymond was back at practice Thursday after leaving Sunday's game against the Bengals with a neck injury and not practicing Wednesday. Special teams could play a big factor in Sunday's contest, and it would be good for the Lions to have the league's fifth leading punt returner (min. 10 returns) potentially back in the fold Sunday night.
