The Detroit Lions' defense could take a drastic step forward under the leadership of new coordinator Kelvin Sheppard.
Defensive backs Amik Robertson and Terrion Arnold both expressed following practice on Saturday that Sheppard is quite relatable as a leader and could actually still be playing in the league, based on his knowledge and physical stature.
Former defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn was quite energetic, but Sheppard could even be more passionate than the new Jets head coach.
“We should be playing at a high level. And for me to say anything else is unacceptable, and my players know that, it’s a standard here," said Sheppard. "It’s been set before, and we’re raising that bar. We want to play at a high level on defense. I told the room my first kind of speech to them, I’m not setting any goals, expectations, or any of that stuff."
Through the first week of camp, the defense has been flying to the football and plays fast and aggressively.
"I know the makeup of the room, and I truly believe if we attack every day and if we improve – but you got to be in a race to improve, you can’t just be cliché and coach speak – a race to improve every day, I think we can turn into a dominate unit," said Sheppard. "But it’s a lot of things in between now and when you get to that September point that we have to progress. It’s development, it’s learning curves, and everybody’s on a different arc of the curve."
Detroit's defense is led by Aidan Hutchinson, but also features several young, developmental prospects.
"You have guys like Aidan Hutchinson who’s been at this thing, and I told him. He’s trying to put himself in a position to have an all-pro year. Then you have a guy like Ahmed (Hassanein), who I’m extremely excited about, but he’s just trying to figure out what’s the A, B, and C gap," Sheppard said. "So, it’s different guys on the curve, and us as coaches, it’s our job to meet those guys exactly where they’re at and make sure everybody’s at that bar where the Aidan’s, where the Brian Branch’s and all these guys are expected to be.”
