Getty Amani Oruwariye celebrates an interception vs. Washington.
The Detroit Lions have had a full week to look at their defense and ponder some fixes for Week 7 and the future, and the personnel and
While Aaron Glenn wouldn’t confirm exactly what would be changing about his Detroit defense or go into any detail about what kind of plan the team would be rolling with, he did admit that some of the changes were designed to make the Lions a smarter, tighter defense.
So far this week, Glenn has liked the competition and where things are trending, including the scrap of some players who have struggled. Speaking to the media on Thursday, October 20, Glenn admitted that the team has made some meaningful changes.
“When we start making these changes for us, personnel like AJ Parker (and) Will Harris. Those guys help as far as bringing the intelligence on the team. I know coach Dan (Campbell) talked about that. Each week, these guys are going to compete and even the guys like Amani (Oruwariye), he’s competing to get his job back. DeSean (Elliott), he’s competing to get his job back. During the week, those guys are going to do that.”
Instead of simply blaming players for the team’s shortcomings, Glenn said that the Lions coaches looked inward first and tried to figure out their teaching. The work on the defense and with the players left Glenn very confident about where the team is trending.
“I can say before we looked at the scheme, we looked at us as coaches and how we’re coaching or the things that we’re asking our guys to do and they were really positive. They really were. Dan was a huge part of that just like he was with the offense, but I’m excited going forward about the things that we’re gonna do as a defense,” he said.
Perhaps the biggest goal for Glenn and his staff revolves finding a way to kick one player back into gear and help him find his groove in a better way. It’s a mission that the coach doesn’t plan on letting go of the rest of the year.
Glenn: Lions Will Help Oruwariye Gain Edge Back
Prior to the bye, the biggest story on the defense was the benching of Oruwariye, one of the team’s key cornerbacks. While many would likely think that the cornerback should sit for a while,
As Glenn said, football is difficult, so he plans on doing whatever he can to make sure Oruwariye can be a successful player in the league and a top-flight player at his position.
“This game is hard, right? Especially at that position. When you look at it, over the course of this season, you hear people say setback. I just think he’s had a hard time, you know? I just think some of the situations that he’s been in, some of the flags that he’s had made people look at him in a different way. Obviously, we got to help him,” Glenn said. “That’s one thing we have to do, but man, I’m not gonna rain on Amani. I still have high hopes of that player. I still think that player has a chance to be a top corner in this league and we’re going to work our a** off to make sure that (happens).”
Undeniably, Glenn knows that Oruwariye had to be frustrated and disappointed with the move, but as he said, he also understands that’s how things are going to play out on that side of the ball for the team.
“Any time you’re in that situation, I know it hurt him. I know it hurt to be inactive, especially the situation that happened. We had guys go down, but he does know we’re going to put his feet to the fire. That’s just what we are as far as the defense. Everyone has to compete. They have to go out there and pull their weight and he knows where he was at that time with Dan and the staff when we made the change. He’s going to compete to get his job back. He responded really well.”
It seems the lesson has been taught and received, at least in the mind of the Detroit coaches regarding Oruwariye. That’s something Campbell himself seemed to confirm this week.
Dan Campbell Praised Oruwariye’s Response
No matter what happened in the past, though, Dan Campbell is clearly about moving forward for the Lions. As he said when meeting with the media on Monday, October 17, Oruwariye is continuing to put in the work and had a solid bye week of practice
“Every player is a little bit different at any given time and there’s always these circumstances that sometime you have control over, sometimes maybe not. But look, Amani’s a pro and he had two good days (of practice) back-to-back last week. Came out to work and so I anticipate him coming out Wednesday ready to roll. And he’s competitor,” Campbell said.
Whether that competition leads him back on the field as a starter is anyone’s guess, but a dinged-up Lions backfield could certainly use him turning things around in a big way.
At the very least, this shows the Lions and their staff has faith in what Oruwariye could do on the field if he gets his edge back. Campbell showing this confidence publicly could be important to get Oruwariye going again.
It’s clear the staff wants to do whatever they can to get Oruwariye back on track and keep him there.