Since the Lions lost edge-rusher Aidan Hutchinson to a season-ending broken leg Oct. 13 at Dallas, their defense has actually improved in one key area. That’s certainly not to take anything away from Hutchinson, who was leading the league in sacks at the time of his injury. But it is a major reason why defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn will be a popular man once Detroit’s season ends.
A no-brainer name on Conor Orr’s annual list of top head-coaching prospects, Glenn hasn’t just helped the Lions (8-1) to the NFC’s best record as they approach Sunday’s matchup with Jacksonville (2-8) at Ford Field (1 p.m. ET, CBS), he’s done it without Hutchinson.
After the injury (Weeks 7-10), Glenn’s defense has allowed conversions on only 33.3 percent of third-down plays, and touchdowns on just 41.7 percent of red-zone possessions. Before the injury (Weeks 1-6), those respective numbers were 29.6 percent and 46.7 percent. The Lions averaged 2.0 takeaways per game before the injury and have averaged 2.0 since.
Greg Cosell, a senior NFL Films producer regarded as one of game’s leading analysts, said Thursday he believes Glenn and the Lions have excelled defensively – including overcoming Jared Goff’s five interceptions last week — for one simple reason.
“We rarely talk about this in football because we always think about corners and edge-rushers,” Cosell told Colin Cowherd on Thursday’s edition of The Herd. “On defense, those are the premium positions. But the Lions are old-school in some ways, defensively. They may be the best defense in the league up the middle.”
Cosell said Detroit’s defensive-tackle combination of Alim McNeil and DJ Reader are an excellent complement to the big linebackers behind them, Alex Anzalone (6-3, 245) and Jack Campbell (6-5, 250).
“And they arguably, arguably could have the best safety duo in the league in Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch,” Cosell added. “They are really, really good down the middle. They have a high blitz percentage; they are really good with their blitz schemes. They play a lot of man coverage. They are aggressive, they attack, and as I said, down the middle of their defense, that may be the best in the league.”
Here’s what else might be the best in the league: The culture Dan Campbell has built within the Lions organization. Glenn was one of Campbell’s first hires after Detroit made him head coach in 2021 and Campbell said Glenn has the intangibles to build that culture in another organization.
“The more challenges you throw at him,” Campbell told Orr in the Sports Illustrated piece, “the more he thrives. AG is a grinder and always looks for the matchups first. For him, it’s, ‘How do we minimize their strengths and accentuate ours, regardless of who is available?’ He’s an outstanding communicator, teacher and motivator. With AG, it’s all about accountability and he refuses to accept excuses, which has been key for us this year with several injuries.”
The obvious injury is Hutchinson but Za’Darius Smith is expected to make his Lions debut on Sunday against Jacksonville. Detroit acquired Smith from Cleveland Nov. 5 in a trade-deadline deal, just one more reason that the NFC’s road to the Super Bowl will likely go through Ford Field.
Should he become a head coach, Glenn would complete a meteoric rise. His first full-time coaching role was as an assistant defensive backs coach in 2014 with the Cleveland Browns, which had just drafted Johnny Manziel. That Browns staff included Kyle Shanahan (offensive coordinator), Mike McDaniel (wide receivers), Anthony Weaver (defensive line), Jeff Hafley (secondary) and Bobby Babich (assistant defensive backs).
After two seasons in Cleveland, Glenn spent five years (2016-20) as defensive backs coach in New Orleans before joining Campbell and the Lions. Selected in the first round (12th overall) by the Jets in 1994, he played 209 NFL games with Jets, Texans, Cowboys, Jaguars and Saints.
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