The Detroit Lions’ defensive front has received plenty of scrutiny after its performance against the Buffalo Bills, particularly in short-yardage situations and against the run.
Defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers is not blaming the roster.
Rodgers said Detroit’s issues were rooted in technique, leverage and coaching detail, not a lack of size or talent along the defensive front. His remarks are notable because they directly counter the growing suggestion that the Lions simply do not have the personnel to hold up in key moments.
“I think I need to coach them better because I coached the same ones last year that were OK at it,” Rodgers said. “I need to coach these guys better.
“In my honest evaluation, I thought we were too high. You know what I’m saying? There are things that we can fix.
“‘We’re not as big, we’re not as’ — that wasn’t it. Our technique was bad, and that reverts back to me. So if we could just stay lower, I think we can get that fixed.”
Rodgers calls it a teaching issue, not a personnel issue
Detroit’s short-yardage defense was pushed backward too often against Buffalo, and the Bills consistently found manageable situations on the ground. But Rodgers believes the Lions have a correctable problem.
“No, I think it’s the attention to detail on my part,” Rodgers said. “I didn’t harp on it the exact way I wanted, maybe enough, the way we want it to look.
“That’s something that we can definitely fix. That’s correctable. It’d be different if I was sitting here telling you, ‘Oh, we’ve got a personnel issue.’
“Not a personnel issue. It’s a teaching issue, and that starts with me. So we’ve got to work to get that fixed.”
That is a blunt assessment from Rodgers. The Lions have several capable players up front, including Alim McNeill, Aidan Hutchinson, Derrick Barnes and DJ Reader. Detroit’s problem, in Rodgers’ view, is getting that group to consistently play with the leverage and discipline required to win individual assignments.
Run defense must improve before Breece Hall
The Lions now turn their attention toward a Jets offense featuring explosive running back Breece Hall. Detroit allowed Bills running back James Cook to find room repeatedly in Week 2, and Rodgers said the defense must return to basic fundamentals immediately.
“Just get back to the details and fundamentals. That’s all we’ve got to do,” Rodgers said.
“Stopping the run is not a sometime thing. It’s an all-time thing. The minute you’re off, that’s when bad things are going to happen, and we were off.
“So we’ve got to work in a hurry to get that fixed by this week.”
Rodgers’ urgency makes sense. The Lions cannot afford another game in which early down run fits create third-and-short opportunities and keep the defense on the field. Detroit’s struggles have not been confined to one call or one player. They have come from missed fits, poor leverage and a lack of consistency.
Discipline against mobile quarterbacks is another priority
Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen hurt Detroit with his legs, including on an early second-and-15 scramble when the Lions lost contain during a defensive-line exchange.
Rodgers did not dismiss the concept. He explained exactly why the play broke down.
“Sometimes it’s a perfect storm,” Rodgers said. “If I was grading, if you were sitting in the meeting room with me, I’d say, ‘Three-technique, you can’t be on the ground.’
“That’s one thing we preach on: You can’t be on the ground in the rush. It’s like a corner can’t fall down in man coverage. It’s the same thing up front. You can’t be on the ground in the rush.
“Then our end got chipped, and we have a concept that we like to call a natural. If they chip our end and the three is higher than you, it turns into a natural twist.
“That’s kind of what happened, but our contain guy was on the ground. Now he’s out the gate. But that’s on us, and we’ll get it fixed.”
Rodgers added that the Lions did not need to abandon the concept.
“I would still do it,” he said. “We’ve just got to execute better.
“It’d be different if I said it was unsound, it’s this and this. It was a perfect storm. Our three was on the ground. Our end gets chipped. He sees it as a natural. Things happen. We’ll go fix it.”
Lions have a clear message before Week 3
Rodgers’ comments offer frustrated Lions fans a specific explanation for the defensive front’s problems. He is not saying Detroit lacks talent. He is saying the players and coaches have not met the standard in the details that decide short-yardage plays, run fits and quarterback contain.
“We were just very undisciplined,” Rodgers said. “We really, really have to hone in on that this week and going forward.”
The Jets will provide an immediate test. If Detroit plays lower, more disciplined and more connected against the run, Rodgers’ explanation will look credible. If the same problems repeat, the personnel debate will only grow louder.
