00:00TJ, I asked you a question off air.
00:01I want to get your feedback.
00:02Are they blitzing too much?
00:05Like when we identify that the Lions secondary is a weakness,
00:08that those guys aren't going to be able to hold up man or zone by themselves,
00:12don't they need to drop more in coverage as opposed to blitzing as much as they have
00:17through the first two weeks?
00:18If their defensive line was being relentless right now and winning consistently
00:24with the four-man rush, and maybe you could switch it up a little bit more,
00:29but I think that that's a way to, hey, let's try to get the ball
00:31out of the quarterback's hands faster when we blitz.
00:34Now the problem is, and I think the problem in the Saints game week one was,
00:38you know, they had a lot of success with it through the first two and a half quarters
00:41and then New Orleans adjusted and started picking up those blitzes,
00:44and now you're really leaving your guys in a bind a little bit.
00:47But even going back and watching, you know, the film on that,
00:52it's hard to say because when they were blitzing, Buffalo was having success.
00:55When they were dropping seven, eight guys, Buffalo was having success.
00:59When they were running man, Buffalo was having success.
01:02When they were running, okay, let's switch to zone.
01:04Nothing was really working.
01:04We're blowing coverages and guys are wide open.
01:06Okay, so let's go back to man.
01:07You know what I mean?
01:08And I think that's pretty damning too when you look at the stats
01:10and even taking the kneel downs out at the end of the game.
01:12Buffalo had, I think it was 35 first downs on like 63 plays.
01:18Oh my God.
01:18I mean, that's more than half the plays they're getting chunk plays
01:21and getting first downs, and they just didn't do enough, you know,
01:24on those early downs to force Josh Allen into some third longs.
01:28And when they did, oh, let's lose contain and let them run for 14.
01:32Right.
01:32You know, so it was just –
01:33There's a stat that I sent these guys on –
01:36it was a Friday I sent it to you?
01:37Yeah.
01:37That James Cook had over 100 yards before first contact.
01:43That's – yeah.
01:44And if there was anything I thought that you could rely on for this defense
01:48was going to be the performance of the front seven in the run game.
01:51And that's what gets me going is at the end of last year,
01:53Calvin Shepard did the whole, I'll stand on a table,
01:56we're not getting run over, and then they got run over like the very next week.
02:00Yeah.
02:01And Birchfield had the stat.
02:03Will Birchfield, Birchie kid.
02:04Shep had said explosives will be limited.
02:06No explosive plays because of mental mistakes.
02:10Six in week one, seven in week two,
02:11that's more than they averaged a year ago.
02:13So like the things you're publicly emphasizing at least
02:16are blowing up in your face.
02:19Like it really calls into question,
02:20can you do the job necessary to coordinate this defense?
02:24Well, and it's everything involved.
02:25It's the players playing better.
02:26It's the players communicating better, executing better,
02:29not having some of those selfish moments that,
02:31hey, I know I'm not supposed to do this,
02:32but I don't really trust the guy behind me,
02:34so I'm going to take a chance.
02:35And then you get burned.
02:37And also, you know,
02:39the Inside the North show I do on Sundays
02:42with some guys around the NFC North.
02:44Dave Wanstead.
02:45Eight o'clock Sunday morning,
02:46so if anybody wants to listen.
02:47Thanks for plugging in.
02:48I don't.
02:49Oh, that's all right.
02:49We thought we were talking to Russ Tucker.
02:51But Dave Wanstead said something very interesting,
02:54where, you know,
02:55if we're getting beat on plays
02:58where their guys are just making tremendous
03:01one-on-one plays,
03:02and we just don't have the players.
03:04But if we've got guys that are blowing coverages,
03:07blowing assignments,
03:08you know, not doing the right things,
03:09that's on coaching.
03:10So I think that there's a little bit of both there
03:13where coaches, yes,
03:15do they have to demand better execution,
03:17better communication?
03:18Like, absolutely.
03:19But Sunday is, for me,
03:22has always been about the guys on the field.
03:24Your coaches can only do so much
03:25to try to put you in a good position
03:27to go make plays.
03:28And if you're giving guys like Josh Allen,
03:30you know, that many free plays
03:32that are easy for him,
03:34like, he's good enough to beat you
03:35when you try to make it hard.
03:37So that's the frustrating part for me.
03:39And I think that, you know,
03:41the good news is
03:42they've had a long weekend, man.
03:43They've had a long weekend.
03:44And Dan Campbell,
03:45we know his MO coming off of losses like that
03:50where he feels like,
03:51if you would have told me
03:52the Lions lost this game in Buffalo,
03:54I don't think anybody's being surprised.
03:56But the way that it looked
03:58and the communication,
04:00some of the simple errors
04:01that probably shouldn't be happening,
04:03you know,
04:03especially going into week two
04:04with the corrections
04:05that you had to make
04:06coming off of week one,
04:08everybody's got to look in the mirror
04:09and they've had a long weekend
04:10to do that.
04:11And hopefully, you know,
04:11they get back to work today
04:12and start right in the ship.
04:14So to what end?
04:15There's a lot of football left.
04:15To what end?
04:16Because we had a caller
04:16at the end of last hour say,
04:18they don't have a lot of big tests
04:20like Buffalo on this schedule.
04:22So, you know,
04:23we have some concerns
04:24about how this team is built
04:26and are they built
04:26to make a deep run.
04:28In the short term here, though,
04:30you mentioned get to the bye week.
04:31These are some matchups
04:33that they can,
04:34at least on paper,
04:35take advantage of.
04:36TJ, as we sit here today,
04:38how do you feel about the division
04:40where the Lions stack up
04:41in the NFC North?
04:43I mean, I think it's wide open.
04:45Obviously, with, with,
04:46I don't know.
04:47I don't know if I've heard
04:48how long Kyler Murray
04:49is supposed to be out.
04:51And I know the Vikings defense,
04:53like, what are you laughing at?
04:55Is he supposed to be out
04:57like a month?
04:57Like, I don't, I don't know.
04:58I don't know.
05:00I'm sorry, I was watching
05:01a highlight on Twitter.
05:02It was the Dallas defensive back
05:05that got stepped on.
05:06Oh, yeah.
05:07Oh, God.
05:08Yeah.
05:08I'd seen it a couple times
05:10every time I see it.
05:10I laugh.
05:11That was great.
05:11Right in the, yeah,
05:13I don't think we can say that.
05:14The beanbag.
05:14Yeah, that's space in between.
05:18Good shot.
05:19Was that, was that safe?
05:20We could say.
05:22But the division, I mean,
05:23the Vikings defense
05:24obviously looks scary.
05:26I think after week one,
05:27the Bears looked very scary
05:29offensively.
05:30And then you saw them yesterday.
05:31And I still think that the Bears
05:33are the better team.
05:33They should have won that game.
05:34They fumbled on the one yard line.
05:36Caleb gets hurt late in the game.
05:37Whatever.
05:38That's still, to me,
05:40Bears looked like the better team.
05:42And then the Packers,
05:43I think they're in a very similar
05:45situation with the Lions right now
05:47where you're both one and one.
05:49There's been some weird things.
05:51It's not been the cleanest start.
05:53But the big thing with the Vikings
05:56is they're 2-0.
05:57And they're 2-0 in the division.
05:59Right.
05:59They beat two divisional teams.
06:01So you kind of got an extra half game
06:03behind them right now,
06:04even sitting at one and one.
06:06But I think it's maybe not,
06:08and depending on how much time
06:10Caleb misses,
06:12this could be a chance
06:13for the Lions,
06:13like we mentioned
06:14in these next three games,
06:16to not only keep up
06:17with the Vikings,
06:18but maybe separate yourself
06:20a little bit.
06:20And I haven't taken a look
06:21at Minnesota's schedule.
06:22Would you be surprised
06:23to know the Lions
06:23are the favorites on FanDuel
06:24right now to win the division?
06:25Even though Minnesota's 2-0
06:27and 2-0 in the division?
06:28No, because, you know,
06:30the Packers haven't looked great
06:31and the Bears and the Vikings
06:33are both with backup quarterbacks
06:34right now.
06:34So here's the time.
06:37Here's your chance to do it.
06:38And I know we always talk,
06:39we get to December
06:39and early January
06:41and it's, man,
06:41this game is so big.
06:43And John,
06:43you can probably attest to this,
06:45it was always these type of games
06:46early in the season
06:47where you look back at
06:48and say, man,
06:49if we could have got that one.
06:50Right.
06:51Oh, man.
06:51Like if anything happens,
06:52you know,
06:53in the next three games
06:54where, heaven forbid,
06:55you know,
06:55you lose this one to the Jets
06:57and then you end up
06:58the season, you know,
06:59fighting for your ass off
07:00like we did last year.
07:02You look back at games
07:03like this that are like,
07:04man, we should have got that one.
07:05Back in 22,
07:06at the start of the season
07:07and you're looking at it going,
07:09well, hopefully,
07:10for the guys that were there,
07:12they've learned how important
07:14it is to win these games
07:15early in the season
07:16and not let one slide away
07:18because it might be
07:19the difference between
07:19winning the division
07:20and getting a home playoff game
07:21and not
07:22or being in the playoffs
07:24and not.
07:25And the problem is
07:26is that there's,
07:26you know,
07:27defensively,
07:27there's been a lot of turnover.
07:29You guys were talking
07:30about earlier,
07:31like two years ago,
07:32playing Buffalo,
07:33how many of these defenders
07:35were actually on the roster?
07:36This was mind-blowing
07:37when you said this.
07:38Yeah,
07:39and I was just going
07:39through the stats
07:40from just to clarify,
07:43like when you play
07:43AFC teams,
07:45it's normally,
07:45it used to be up
07:46once every four years.
07:47So you're not familiar
07:48with these guys.
07:49They played the Bills
07:49just two years ago
07:51and when I was going
07:52through that game
07:53and watching who was
07:54on the field
07:54and hey,
07:55how familiar are they
07:56going to be with Josh Allen
07:57and his speed
07:58and his escapability,
08:00it was a Lee McNeil
08:01and Jack Campbell.
08:02And I think you said
08:03Levi Onzerrique
08:04maybe played in that game too
08:05but you know,
08:06he's not a big contributor
08:06right now
08:07so I'm not even counting that.
08:09So when you get guys,
08:10that was obviously the year
08:10where, you know,
08:11Hutch was hurt.
08:13So when I go into
08:14that game Thursday,
08:14I'm like,
08:15well,
08:15Hutch wasn't on that field
08:17and it's not an excuse.
08:18He wasn't on that field
08:18two years ago.
08:19Maybe he doesn't understand
08:20how quick Josh Allen
08:21can get out of that pocket.
08:22Maybe he doesn't understand,
08:23oh man,
08:24he's faster than he even
08:25looks on film
08:26and that to me was,
08:27I mean,
08:28Kosti,
08:28you read off some of the names
08:29of, you know,
08:30some of the leading tacklers
08:31and it was just like,
08:33no, no,
08:33let's do this.
08:34It sounded like it was
08:3410 years ago
08:35but it was two seasons ago.
08:37So I've got it in front of me.
08:38Here are the Lions
08:39leading tacklers
08:40just a short time ago.
08:43Brian Branch had 14.
08:45Jack Campbell had 11.
08:47Kirby Joseph had eight.
08:49So two of the top three tacklers
08:50not playing.
08:53Ben Neiman,
08:55Ezekiel Turner,
08:57Tarion Arnold,
08:59David Long,
09:00and Kendall Vildor
09:02are the next names
09:03on the tackle sheet.
09:04If I go a little further down,
09:06we have Quan Alexander,
09:07Jamal Adams,
09:08Craig Reynolds
09:08had two tackles.
09:09That's not good.
09:10Yeah.
09:11Well,
09:11a special taste.
09:11Yeah.
09:12Yeah.
09:13Hopefully I'm not
09:13on an interception.
09:15It wasn't a great game
09:16and then Eastern's finest,
09:18Pat O'Connor
09:18was playing on the defensive line.
09:20Oh, wow.
09:21I was kind of shocked
09:22when I was looking at that.
09:23Like who had good games
09:24last time they played
09:25Josh Allen?
09:25Jack Campbell had a bunch
09:26of tackles.
09:27Lee McNeil played in that game
09:28and I'm just like,
09:30some of these names
09:31I don't even,
09:32I totally forgot
09:32they even played on this team.
09:34Right.
09:35So I'm glad you brought
09:36out Jack Campbell's name
09:37because we heard his comments
09:38after the game.
09:39Yeah, he got emotional,
09:40didn't he?
09:40He did.
09:41And because that's not
09:42typically what we know
09:43and understand of Jack Campbell.
09:45If that is what we're seeing
09:46from an all-pro linebacker,
09:48he was voted
09:49as the best linebacker
09:50in the NFL last year.
09:52There seems to be
09:53a disconnect
09:54from what they're being coached
09:55and what they're actually
09:57doing on the field
09:58because you're looking
09:59at one of the best linebackers
10:00in the NFL
10:02and he didn't,
10:03okay,
10:04some of it's personal responsibility.
10:06Didn't play well.
10:06Sure.
10:07But was he in bad position
10:09because he was one
10:10trying to do too much
10:11because the guys up front
10:12weren't following
10:13what was going on
10:14on the back end?
10:14Like nothing seemed
10:15to be tied together.
10:16Yeah.
10:17I mean,
10:17I think everything
10:18you mentioned is accurate.
10:20I don't think there's
10:21one thing you can pin
10:22and like I said,
10:23maybe there's part of it too
10:24where,
10:25hey,
10:25I'm trying to do too much
10:26because I know
10:26I've got some holes behind me
10:28and I've got to be that guy
10:29and I've got that expectation.
10:30I just signed a new contract.
10:32I've got to stand out
10:33and be the playmaker
10:34and sometimes
10:35when you get in positions
10:36like that,
10:37it's a good learning experience
10:38to know that
10:40it can help at times
10:41if you're right,
10:41but when you're wrong,
10:42it can really hurt your defense
10:44in a bad way.
10:45But I'm glad that Jack
10:46took some accountability
10:48and stood up there
10:49as a leader
10:49and got emotional
10:50and said,
10:51you know,
10:51I need to be better
10:52and I'm not worried about him.
10:53And it's kind of the same thing
10:54with Panesua at left tackle.
10:56Like,
10:57have there been some weird plays
10:58here or there
10:58that,
10:59you know,
11:00maybe be out of the norm?
11:01Yes.
11:02Do I trust those guys
11:03to fix them?
11:04Yes, I do.
11:05Yeah.
11:05All right,
11:05coming up next,
11:06TJ,
11:06we're going to ask you
11:07to give out a game ball
11:08every week.
11:09This week's going to be
11:09a little harder.
11:10Oh, boy.
11:11You give out a game ball
11:13from the Lions game.
11:14We'll talk a little bit
11:14about Michigan
11:15and Michigan State.
11:16How do you feel
11:16about moral victories?
11:18It's 97-1.
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