Pride of Detroit
The Detroit Lions coordinators had their weekly press obligations on Thursday to recap Monday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens and preview Sunday’s matchup with the Cleveland Browns. Topics this week ranged from John Morton’s intensity, why the Lions are using QB spies now, Derrick Barnes’ importance, and some kick returner thoughts.
Morton may have also given the Browns some bulletin board material.
Here’s a full recap of the three press conferences.
The Browns haven’t seen a run offense like the Lions
Morton spent a good portion of his press conference praising the Browns’ defense, saying they have a “tough task at hand” and praised the job defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz is doing in Cleveland. However, when it came to their run defense, Morton flexed a little about Detroit’s rushing attack.
“Right now we’re moving guys. I don’t think they’ve seen a run game like ours yet,” Morton said. “We have patience. We stick with it. I think that’s the biggest thing. Let’s keep doing what we’ve been doing.”
The Browns have faced the Packers (20th in run DVOA), Ravens (21st), and Bengals (32nd). Now are those teams that bad at running the football, or do they rank that low because they’ve had to go against Cleveland’s defense? Either way, the Lions currently ranks second in DVOA, fourth in yards per game (149.0), and seventh in yards per carry (5.0). So this should be an epic matchup.
Schwartz has already responded to Morton’s quote:
John Morton: Car Salesman
Morton was asked if he’s seen the viral clip of the St. Brown Brothers podcast, where Amon-Ra St. Brown and David Montgomery are discussing the differences between Morton and Ben Johnson. The two basically said that Morton is far more intense when installing plays, really selling the team on each play’s eventual success. The Lions OC found the impressions accurate.
“Pretty good. I was taught, (John) Gruden installed plays, he was the best install I’ve ever seen, he goes, ‘You’ve got to be a car salesman,’” Morton said. “You’ve got to make that play the best play in the world. So, if it takes a little noises and this and that, you’ve got to talk to somebody, you’ve got to do it. You’ve got to sell it. You can’t just go up there and be, ‘Blah, blah’. You can’t do that. Who wants to be around a guy like that? So, you’ve got to have energy.”
Kelvin Sheppard: Officially a fan of the QB spy
Back in 2022, Sheppard vehemently disagreed with the utilization of a QB spy, saying, “What you do is you waste a defender when you operate like that, and you’re playing prevent defense in a sense.”
On Monday against the Ravens, the Lions defense weaponized a spy early and often. Sheppard joked that a Lions reporter finally convinced him before the game, but, in reality, he said don’t believe everything he says publicly.
“When it comes to schematics, if...
