The Detroit Lions have accumulated talent and depth in the secondary, but will this group get the help they need from the front seven?
The Detroit Lions new head coach Matt Patricia has earned a name for himself around the NFL as an innovative defensive mind that gets the most out of his players.
That theory will be put to the test here in Detroit.
As the New England Patriots defensive coordinator for the last six seasons, his units never ranked outside of the top 10 in scoring defense. Despite whatever weaknesses opposing offenses might have found, the Patriots always seemed to limit the damage on the scoreboard.
What makes this all the more amazing is the fact that the Patriots are notorious for not spending money on defense. Which means as all their top defenders became free agents and signed elsewhere, Patricia was forced to work with whatever spare parts were been left behind.
So the truth of the matter is that the Lions defense probably doesn’t seem as bad off in Patricia’s eyes as it does to the rest of us.
I think most of us look at the front seven and wonder just how this is going to work out.
Now the Lions aren’t destitute on the defensive side of the ball, but the defensive line and linebacker corps aren’t exactly overflowing with household names we revere and talk about in hushed tones of because of their mighty defensive exploits.
As a matter of fact many of the players on the defensive line are returning from last season’s team. A group that couldn’t stop opposing running backs to save their lives after Haloti Ngata went down to injury for the year.
Now Ngata is in Philadelphia.
Nose tackle Sylvester Williams was a quality signing, although he hasn’t lived up to his draft status. And fourth round pick Da’Shawn Hand has a world of talent, but was never able to fully tap into it at Alabama. Will it be different here in Detroit?