The additions to the offense were certainly needed, but with the heavy attention it has gotten and continues to get, the defensive line which was a thin group to begin with and got even thinner after the trade of Akeem Spence, is desperately in need of players to step up and make plays.
That means that Da’Shawn Hand from Alabama will pretty much have to contribute right from the start of the season if this defensive line is going to improve upon last season’s performance.
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Now the emphasis on using a multiple defensive front that will be a 3-4 at times and a 4-3 at others means that the linebacker corps, which is improved, will have a big hand in helping the Lions defense control the line of scrimmage.
Yet, just from a numbers standpoint, there aren’t enough defensive linemen for Hand to spend time on the bench learning the game.
As a matter of fact, if they get half the injuries they had last year, when they rivaled the offensive line’s M.A.S.H unit, then Hand could even be forced into the starting lineup.
The plus side is that Hand has the perfect body type and plenty of talent to be an impact player in Matt Patricia’s defense. The downside is that he never lived up to the hype at Alabama when he arrived as the top rated high school player in the country.
Yes, the Lions D-line coach, Bo Davis, was Hands’ coach for awhile at Alabama before leaving to help groom Marcus Davenport at the University of Texas-San Antonio. However, even when Davis was there, Hand made little impact.
One would expect that it will be a three pronged attempt to get more out of Hand here in Detroit. Between Patricia, Davis and defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni, they will have their work cut out for them to find a way to release the immense potential he has.