The Detroit Lions have revealed their new identity to those that are paying attention. Let’s take a peek into what the Lions intend to accomplish, shall we?
The Detroit Lions have been the same team for so long that most of us can’t even remember another way. It has been a few years in the making now, but this Lions team is going to come out looking totally different in 2019.
The Lions have spent so many years as a pass-happy team on offense that it has been a rough go at it in Detroit for quite some time now. Everything has been on the shoulders of their star quarterback Matthew Stafford for far too long and every team around the league has known it. There was no guessing as to what the Lions were doing.
With the lack of a true number one running back, the Detroit Lions haven’t had much of a choice but to air it out and air it out often. This is no longer the case in Motown, however. General Manager Bob Quinn has seen enough and his plan is coming together.
Detroit has spent the past few years working to build a better offensive line and they have done that for the most part. The Lions used a second-round draft pick in 2018 on running back Kerryon Johnson in the hopes of reviving the running game. They also grabbed fullback Nick Bawden with their 2018 seventh-round pick as well.
2019 ushers in a new offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions. Let the Darrell Bevell era begin. Bevell likes to play a balanced game. Detroit has the pieces in place to throw the ball or run it and now they have an established coordinator to show them the way. Now that Detroit can run the ball, the passing game will most certainly open up and Stafford will take advantage.
The defense for Detroit hasn’t really had a true identity in years. The Lions seem to have plenty of talent on the defensive side of the ball year after year, but they never had any real direction to follow. That started to change when Detroit hired Matt Patricia as their head coach last offseason.
Matt Patricia has been known as a defensive guru for many years. The first thing he did with Detroit’s defense was to make sure they could stop the run. After bringing in Damon “Snacks” Harrison via trade midway through last season, the Lions were able to accomplish just that.
Detroit has some good players all throughout the defense. They can defend the pass quite well and their run defense is just scary. With the likes of “Snacks” Harrison and newly acquired linemen Trey Flowers and Mike Daniels, this Lions defense is going to be tough to run on.
The run-stopping ability that Detroit has acquired is also going to boost the pass defense. When teams are having trouble gaining yards on the ground, they will turn to more of a passing attack. This will make the secondary’s job a whole lot easier. It will take the unpredictability factor out of the game somewhat. When the defense knows your throwing, things just get that much easier and you can bet guys like cornerbacks Darius Slay and Justin Coleman with safeties Quandre Diggs and Tracy Walker will make teams pay for it.
So is Detroit trying to be more balanced on both sides of the ball? Is this their new identity? Not exactly. Detroit does want to be more balanced. In fact, that’s precisely what they want from their defense. The offense doesn’t just want to be balanced though.
The offense wants to throw the ball. Matthew Stafford is exceptionally good and they want to use him. What the Lions do not want to do is rely on Stafford every game. Detroit will use the ground game to open up the field for Stafford to air it out.
The Detroit Lions have a very good squad and the right coaches in place to pull off a good ground game that will help improve the passing game. This concept is going to apply to both the offense and defense. Stay tuned and watch this new Detroit Lions identity blossom throughout the 2019 season. Hold on to your seats, it’s going to be a fun season in Detroit ladies and gentlemen.