Though the Lions are No. 1 in total yards and points scored — a fact the team will remind you of on social media — the club is still 1-3.
And that’s in large part due to the team’s defense.
Detroit is currently last in yards allowed and points allowed. The franchise did not force a punt in last week’s loss to the Seahawks. The only two possessions on which Seattle didn’t score were a missed field goal and the end of the game.
Head coach Dan Campbell has publicly backed defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn this week. But Glenn is well aware that he and the defensive unit need to show improvement.
“I look at this like this: I mean, these couple games doesn’t tell my story,” Glenn said Thursday, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “My track record speaks for itself and I’m going to continue to let that speak. So we’re going to get this thing fixed, we’re going to get this thing moving forward, our guys are going to respond, our coaches are going to respond and things are going to be all right.”
From his comments this week, Campbell doesn’t appear eager to make a change at defensive coordinator. But he did effectively demote former offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn last year at midseason and the offense improved with Ben Johnson taking on a larger role. Johnson is now the club’s OC.
“The one thing I don’t worry about is job security,” Glenn said. “I’ve been blessed to play this game for a long time and I’ve been blessed to coach it for a long time and every day I get up I enjoy doing what I do.
“I will say this, even though me and Dan are friends, this is a job and I’ll look at it like that, too, that I have to perform. Just like everybody else has to perform, he has to perform, the players have to perform. When things are not going well you have to answer to that. And I’m not blind to the fact of that.”
