Dan Campbell thinks changing Lions practice plan could change things

Reflecting on changes during a bye week, Lions head coach Dan Campbell is considering changing the team’s practice routine.

At 1-4 and on the heels of an embarrassing shut out loss to the New England Patriots, a bye week is coming at a good time for the Detroit Lions. Dan Campbell and his coaching staff have to evaluate everything, and make changes where best possible.

“To fail to prepare is to prepare to fail.”

I’ve butchered that quote to some degree, but during his weekly appearance on 97.1 The Ticket’s “Stoney and Jansen Show” Campbell noted some changes he’s eyeing to the way the Lions prepare during the week.

"I need to take a good long look at how we practice,” We need more reps for some of these guys, particularly defensively.”I’m not so sure we don’t need to be back in pads,” Campbell said. “We haven’t been in them in a long time. I don’t know if we need to have more intensity or more volume — I think we’re getting some volume — but I have to look at all those things. We have to get to where we’re preparing to win, not just preparing to play.”"

Dan Campbell noted impact of injuries on Lions’ practices

Plainly and simply, a lengthy list of injured players each week has made it hard for the Lions to have intense practices. Campbell noted how he has favored “longer walk-throughs”  and he hasn’t had the team practicing in pads for three weeks. NFL teams are allowed just 14 padded practices for the full season.

Campbell got a little more specific with what he thinks the Lions need to do more of during practice moving forward.

"We need to do more one-on-one.”To me, that really pops off the table,” Campbell said. “One-on-one route-running coverage, one-on-one rush, all of it. That’s just one little thing, but there’ll be other things that come with it.”"

What the Lions have been doing in many capacities isn’t working so far this season, so any different ideas in any area should be entertained, if not implemented. Practicing differently is one of the easier changes to do, and time will tell if it yields better results on game days coming out of the bye.