The Detroit Lions changed the look of their offensive line this offseason, and the hope is the squad gets much tougher for the future as a result of that.
Recently, Darrell Bevell, the team’s offensive coordinator, spoke with the media at length about the coming season and one of the most interesting takeaways was the fact that he feels as if the offensive line is going to be much tougher this coming season thanks to who they added in the draft.
Speaking in a piece by Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com, Bevell explained why he thinks the players the team just added should be able to change their mindset in a major way.
Bevell said:
“If I think back to what (center) Frank (Ragnow) maybe was talking to you guys about that toughness and when you look at those guys with Jonah and with Logan and those guys, I think they bring that mentality,” Bevell said.
“You really want those tough, nasty grinders because that’s what it is in the run game. It’s a grown man’s type of game and I’ve always talked on here that’s something we really hang our hat on and we weren’t able to do it as well as we wanted to last year. So, hopefully some of these additions will be able to help us do that.”
Detroit’s line has been lacking in toughness in recent history, so if Bevell is right and the team’s mindset changes, that will be great news for the team and their offense moving forward. Obviously, Stenberg and Jackson will be a big reason why in the end.
Logan Stenberg Preaches Tough Mindset
Soon after Stenberg was drafted to the team, he explained that he wants to be the most physical player on the field and make the other team quit due to how tough he and his position are being in between the lines.
In football, the toughest player doesn’t always win, but in this case, the Lions have needed a major physicality infusion for quite some time up front. The team’s offensive line has needed a tough identity just like this, and Stenberg coming out and issuing an expectation of what he expects to bring is huge for the group. This fits with what Matt Patricia is trying to bring.
Known for his run blocking, Stenberg will be in position to get nasty early and often and if he brings this approach to the Lions, it could mean his ability to start and play a huge role for the team in 2020.
Logan Stenberg Comes to Lions With Epic Nickname
Thanks in part to his play and his words like those presented here, Stenberg is lauded for his physical, borderline nasty play up front in the trenches. It led him to be a first team All-SEC player in 2019, and it has created a trait which has followed Stenberg around and made him infamous as a tough competitor in SEC circles.
Stenberg doesn’t just refer to himself as nasty in passing, however. He calls himself Mr. Nasty, thank you very much. He’s even got the line of clothing to go with the name now, and the colors are already right for Lions fans.
Lions fans might have to pick some apparel up in honor of a guy they hope can change the attitude of the interior of their line along with Jonah Jackson. With Mr. Nasty blocking for D’Andre Swift, it might be a new mindset for the team up front.
Already, the team’s offensive coordinator sees just that being the case in the future.
READ NEXT: Matthew Stafford Throws With Teammates at High School
Comments
Darrell Bevell Fired up for ‘Nasty’ Lions’ Offensive Line