Detroit Lions: What disappointed you most last season?

Coming off a 6-10 record is disappointing in itself. But there are plenty of improvements the Detroit Lions can make the coming months.

Injuries are unavoidable. Trading away good players hurts. Poor coaching is rough. But, what about the Detroit Lions disappointed you more than anything else in 2018?

I wasn’t impressed much by the Lions defensive effort. Obviously a new scheme doesn’t get learned and perfected over night, let alone a whole season. Although the defense racked up sacks, pressures were a different story entirely.

My biggest issue isn’t about a certain deficiency of the defense, but rather a particular player. It might surprise many as it’s not commonly circulated throughout Detroit’s media circles. That bone I have to pick is with Devon Kennard.

Only catch, it was the lack of creativity from his coaching staff to use him in more ways than one. Fortunately, he didn’t mind at all. Tim Twentyman from DetroitLions.com spoke with the defensive captain regarding his role.

"“[The Detroit Lions] provided me with the opportunity to do things that I’m good at and put me in one spot and kind of rock out. It was a lot of fun. But I feel like there’s a lot of growth I can make. It was my first time playing in that kind of role fully. I think I played well, but there’s a lot of things I can keep working on and that’s what I’m focused on in the offseason.”"

Kennard affirmed what I already believed was true. The Lions have yet to utilize him to his fullest capabilities. How is it that a guy as versatile as he is only gets used in such limited fashion? To be fair, he needs to disrupt the quarterback more. Moving him around should do wonders.

Head coach Matt Patricia is a supposed defensive guru. This year is where things should start to come full circle. There is a lot yet to prove on his part.

Prior to his time in Detroit, the New York Giants used him mostly off the ball at strong side linebacker. He wasn’t foreign to playing on the line of scrimmage with a hand in the turf as a defensive end either. Occasionally, even kicking inside and rushed at defensive tackle on obvious passing downs.

Now that Kennard is more comfortable with his new duties, I feel the Detroit Lions will let him loose. Learning a new system takes time. In year two of this defense, expect to see the Devon of old shine through as well. I’m excited for his potential to explode in 2019.