Pride of Detroit
Lions DC Kelvin Sheppard had an informative and entertaining press conference. Here are the most important takeaways from Thursday.
Kelvin Sheppard took the podium Thursday morning prior to the Detroit Lions’ fourth training camp practice. As always, Sheppard was fantastic—both informative and entertaining. Now the team’s defensive coordinator, Sheppard will have weekly media sessions, and we’re lucky for it.
Thursday’s session was chock-full of information, so I opted to a write an entire recap on the press conference. Here are my seven biggest takeaways.
Arnold has been a standout in training camp through four practices, and it’s clear Sheppard sees the same thing. The Lions defensive coordinator called the secondary the deepest room on the team, and pointed to Arnold’s Year 2 growth as a big reason for it.
“Terrion Arnold took a huge leap, in my opinion, this offseason,” Sheppard said. “He progressed during his rookie year, but he’s come in, not only this offseason but this training camp, looking like a different guy. His body’s more developed, but also from the neck up, the mental aspect of the game. He’s seeing it faster. He’s feeling the routes faster.”
Arnold did leave Thursday’s practice with a leg injury, but the severity is unknown at this time.
Echoing some comments from Dan Campbell on SiriusXM, Sheppard mentioned how Jack Campbell has taken full ownership and command of the defense—something he noticed late last season after Alex Anzalone broke his forearm.
“Jack’s a big physical presence in the huddle and on the field, and guys feel him,” Sheppard said. “I think he started to take over that level of accountability this spring with Alex being out of the way with his family or what-not, dealing with his deal. I think you saw Jack step forward.
“I’ve had the honor of coaching Jack since he was drafted. Jack’s a player, out of everybody, he’s never had any other voice in his head. He knows what I’m thinking, we’re in lock-step with one another, and we spend a lot of time together, quite frankly.”
Everything looks like it’s coming easier and quicker for Jack Campbell on the field, and it certainly seems like he has mastered Sheppard’s defense already.
Sheppard used these three words as the “pillars” to his coaching philosophy. This not only reflects his relationship with the players, but his fellow coaches as well.
“I tell these guys my three pillars, honesty, trust, accountability. Can’t have one without the other. I think it starts with being honest, having open dialogue within the room. That’s not calling people out to pick on somebody or somebody laughing, making fun of. It’s a learning environment, it’s healthy when you’re honest, open, everybody can walk in their own shoes, be exactly who they are. You see growth and development,” Sheppard said.
It’s a peek into Sheppard’s coaching style, which is in line with the entire Lions’ culture....
