The Detroit Lions new defensive philosophy in a nutshell
When revealing the defensive philosophy for the Detroit Lions in 2018, new coordinator Paul Pasqualoni simply stated the team is getting back to the basics.
Last season, the Detroit Lions defense was a turnover machine. The Lions posted the third best takeaway total in the NFL with a total of 32 forced turnovers. That was 19 interceptions and 13 take-away fumbles.
Yet, the overall defense in the Motor City was ranked a lowly 27th in 2018. It’s one of the reasons the Lions posted a 9-7 record last year without a postseason appearance. And that’s also a reason why Detroit opted to fire head coach Jim Caldwell and bring in New England Patroits’ defensive guru Matt Patricia as his replacement.
There has been a lot of mystery surrounding the Lions’ new defensive philosophy with Patricia and new defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni now in charge. Most figure Detroit will field a dynamic defense that wildly switches between the 3-4 and 4-3 from week to week, running all different kinds of coverages depending on the opponent.
Keeping both opposing offenses and fans confused is seemingly part of the gameplan.
When asked about the vision for this Detroit defense in 2018, the Lions’ new defensive coordinator simply stated this team is getting back to the basics.
"“Like you’ve heard a hundred times, stop the run and try to make the quarterback uncomfortable,” Pasqualoni told ESPN.com. ” … You just can’t let quarterbacks at this level operate and be comfortable because in the end, you know, they’ll get you. In a nutshell, that’s kind of it.”"
Ironically, the Patriots’ defense ranked 29th in the NFL in 2017, two slots lower than the Lions! But the main difference is New England played in the Super Bowl while the Lions watched it from their living rooms.
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The Detroit Lions defense proved last season they were better than their ranking. And with stars like cornerback Darius Slay, safety Glover Quin, linebacker Jarrad Davis and pass rusher Ezekiel Ansah, Matt Patricia has a more talented group of defenders to coach than he ever did in New England. Hopefully, getting back to basics is exactly what this Detroit defense needs to return to the playoffs.