Getty Aaron Glenn on the field before a Lions game in 2021.
The Detroit Lions defense has taken its lumps so far this season, and has been one of the worst units in football statistically and otherwise.
In Week 9, though, they seemed to find something that worked. The team played with passion and flew around the field. They got some sudden-change plays in the face of Aaron Rodgers, and won the game as a result with a fourth down stop.
For a team that hadn’t stopped anyone most of the season, this was a happy if not unexpected result. Coordinator Aaron Glenn seems to know why the game played out the way it did, and once again gave credit to the young players on his side of the ball.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, November 10, Glenn talked about some of his young players, and it was clear it was those contributors that left him the most excited about the roster.
Good group of young guys on defense.
“To see our young guys, the way they’re coming out and the way they’re playing. It’s good to see. They can only get better. We have a really good nucleus of young guys that you can build around here. They really try to change the mindset of how they go about doing things. You continue to see it happening with all those guys,” Glenn said.
If there is one positive to rally around for fans, it’s the fact that the youth is the future of the team. The Lions will get better as they improve, and the young players will be the ones continuing to drive that bus for the team.
Amid a frustrating year, Glenn’s point is a good one. He sees the young players every day and knows the work they are putting in. Fans should be encouraged to watch them grow.
Lions’ Young Defenders Offer Team Major Hope
Glenn is right to single out the Lions’ young stars as part of a bright future for the team. The reality is, they’ve been stepping up and showing out all season long as they learn the job.
Led by Aidan Hutchinson in the trenches, the Lions have seen their rookie class set the tone on the defensive side of the ball. Hutchinson has been phenomenal already, and has been joined by Josh Paschal in terms of consistency up front. Paschal hasn’t played much to start the year, but made a big splash when he did.
At linebacker, Malcolm Rodriguez has stepped up to look like one of the most important rookies on the team for the future. His toughness and leadership has been downright impressive. In the second level, safety Kerby Joseph has come on strong to look like a star in the making for many reasons. Even though he hasn’t played much, cornerback Chase Lucas could prove a gritty depth piece.
As a whole, this is great news for the Lions. They’ve needed some talent on the defensive side that is young, and these guys will combine with names such as Alim McNeill, Jeff Okudah, Derrick Barnes and others to make the team formidable into the future.
Glenn Deserves a Shout out, Too
While positive sentiments have been hard to come by for Detroit’s defensive boss, it’s clear that he deserves some credit for pulling things together, too. Finally this week, he managed to get some.
Glenn got a major shout-out after the game from NBC Sports pundit Peter King. In King’s Football Morning in America piece, Glenn was cited as the league’s coach of the week for Week 9 given his defense’s ability to step up.
As King wrote, the fact that the woeful Detroit defense rose up for Glenn midseason is a particularly positive feather in the cap of the coordinator.
“Glenn’s D entered Sunday last in the league in points allowed and yards allowed. The Lions cut down practice time during the week but told players every practice snap would be played at full speed. That translated well to Sunday. To give up nine points to Green Bay and Aaron Rodgers was a win for the embattled Glenn and a team that should be better than it’s played,” King wrote. “Glenn was rightly celebrated afterward in the locker room, where he told the team, “We gotta make it a habit.”
Perhaps Glenn can use this as a springboard for the Lions in the future. It would be nice to see him find a way to continue to enjoy a surge the rest of the season. If he does, it will be due in large part to the team’s youthful contingent on the roster.
Glenn has managed to keep the players’ attention through a tough season. For that, he deserves credit himself. As he seems to know, there could be better days ahead with the influence of the youngsters on the team.