Getty Tracy Walker before a Lions game vs. Indianapolis.
The Detroit Lions are struggling on defense this season, and answers as to why are hard to come by on plenty of fronts so far.
From the coaching staff to the players, few can or want to put their fingers on exactly why the team has struggled so badly on that side of the ball in 2020, and interestingly, a brand new response by a key player of the defense might only help to obfuscate things more.
This past week, safety Tracy Walker was asked why the team’s defense has scuffled so much in 2020. As he said, it’s a good question, but not one that he wants to answer at this point in time.
Tracy Walker, when I asked him about why the defense has struggled this yr:
“I honestly don’t want to answer that question simply because that’s a question that I don’t need to be answering. I don’t think it’s a bad question. I just don’t want to answer that question, honestly.”
The response to the question is pretty telling. Is it Walker doesn’t want to talk about something which might constitute as controversial and blow up in the media, or is he afraid he might give away too much? Either way, it’s pretty glaring to see this type of answer when it comes to a problem that’s been magnified this season
Detroit had better start turning it around or else there will only be more questions coming up in the future as it relates to all of this. Either way, the team’s defensive problems are no secret even as they might remain secretive.
Lions Defensive Struggles During 2020
This year, the Lions have been miserable on the defensive side of the ball. They have had only 10 men on the field for 2 straight weeks, which is the type of mistake that should not happen consecutively. The team simply feels out of synch at times on that side of the ball. They can’t stop the run and have been plagued by penalties and trouble on the back end as well.
Walker’s comments could point to the fact that there are some deeper struggles playing out that the team wants to keep secret, or that players don’t want to bring up at this point.
Lions Defense Statistics
This season, Detroit’s defense has been far too inconsistent in every single way. Their pass rush has struggled, and the team has been up and down on the back end while battling injuries. Detroit also hasn’t forced enough turnovers and is generally unable to get off the field against good teams and good offenses. As a whole, the Lions place 24th in the NFL in total defense through Week 9 this season. They continue to give up points and constantly look underprepared, which is bad news for defensive coordinator Cory Undlin.
The Lions will have to count on Undlin and Patricia correcting mistakes down the stretch if they want a chance at climbing back the rest of the 2020 season. Sadly for them, the stats and play paint the picture of a team that is reversing course in a huge way rather than showing any signs of improvement.
The fact that a top defender doesn’t want to answer questions about what’s going wrong is a pretty bad sign at this point in time for the team moving forward.
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