CAN DETROIT'S DEFENSE STOP THE MATTHEW STAFFORD & SEAN MCVAY "SYSTEM"? - LIONS/RAMS PREVIEW #lions

[Music] the Lions versus Rams rematch seems to be getting kind of lost in the shuffle if you will with with what I'm seeing in most of social media overlooked if you will with the NFL Thursday night football open between the Ravens and the Chiefs from from a personal perspective I certainly have been incredibly busy the last week so from posting lions videos the last three or four days I've been unable to do so for multiple reasons school started the Ravens game on Thursday night then reaction videos film studies there in I think the the Rams rookies or additions have been minimized somewhat in terms of attention so I want to cover that in this video I will show some film here in a moment um I think the Lions rookies and additions have been getting the large majority of the focus as well they should in in in my opinion but I think the Rams had a very underrated draft and I want to point that out a little bit before we get into the film they got two Florida State guys Jared verse and Braden Fisk also drafted Blake corm out of Michigan Rams drafted five defensive players in their first six picks which is interesting to me Cameron Kens a safety hybrid guy I think from Miami Brennan Jackson from the West Coast those two are pushed down the depth chart but they got solid potential the offense the o line specifically for the Rams at this point is certainly the question mark the relative question mark for a Rams offense that finished 2023 on a roll two of their tackles are out well one of them is out their left tackle their right tackle Rob havenstein practiced on Thursday I think he was a limited participant both days Thursday and Friday I may be wrong there Darius Williams an extremely underrated Corner was limited practice participant Thursday I think full participant Friday I may be wrong on that one as well but he's an underrated play player that they brought back from Jacksonville he had a a brilliant 2023 season if you ask me with the Jags other than that the Rams are only missing their left tackle for suspension SL injury the Lions had far less guys listed on the injury report DJ reer was even out there that would be huge I think melon who's out if I saw it correctly a reader will be a welcome addition against this team against the system I should say under Center the Rams Shawn MC they want to run the football and then they want to use utilize play action to get you off balance or get you take advantage of you overreacting to the run I did a video a couple of weeks ago about Shawn mcvey's offense at least in terms of How It's how it was executed in 2023 and I expect it to remain generally consistent the Run pass numbers if you don't know are totally skewed towards the run when Matt Stafford is under Center and then almost completely flipped in the other direction when Stafford is in the shotgun in terms of run pass like 74% % pass 26% run when he's in the shotgun when you have a guy like reer if he's healthy if he's ready to go Sunday he's a tremendous Talent upgrade simply because of how dominant he can be against the run and when you team him up with Alim mcneel it'll be fun to watch should he go out there and play if he's not completely healthy I would say no because he's so important to what you want to try to do and what you want to try to be mopon with the other guy contributor I I great it would be great to see him out on the field but it sounds like he would be out the Lions did not need a DJ reader to be honest with you in 2023 to go out and stop the run consistently he would just push them over the top what what I want to do today was talk about the Lion's ability to control the Run game in some of the situations that that I've describe basically when the Rams are under Center and then contrast that with their inability or or ineffectiveness to stop the run when the quarterback is in the shotgun now I don't know that that necessarily relates to the Rams that Dynamic does really persist with them and I'll show some film to kind of explain that one of the things the Lions have struggled with defensively against the run is against Athletic quarterbacks so let me rephrase that when they have allowed more rushing yards against Athletic quarterbacks who can move and by the design of the play can threaten away from the running back's flow the Lions defense allowed the most rushing yards across these three particular games the week seven lost to the Ravens now the reality is Lamar Jackson only had 36 rushing yards that week so he didn't personally contribute to it necessarily Gus Edwards and Justice Hill accounted for 110 yards on the ground Edwards also had an 80 yard reception out of the back field on an RPO playay action look the other two games that I'm referring to and you know you know them very well just Justin fields and the Bears they had 325 rushing yards in their split with the lions in 200 23 183 on the ground in Detroit's 3126 comeback win like 4 days three or four days before Thanksgiving and the fields himself had 162 yards and one rushing touchdown across those two games the rematch obviously Chicago that the lions were went up there and basically laid a dud and were unable to get the win do I think that athletic quarterbacks are the bane of the Lions existence this year no but those three three games being the large majority of rushing yards that they were allowed um I think sticks out and should give us some idea of when they will be most effective and when they will be not during their two and two run mid to late season I'm talking about week 11 to week 13 the Lions gave up an average of 136 rushing yards to these four opponents the Bears Packers and Saints of course they played the Bears twice and a lot of those Concepts that they struggled with in terms of giving up more yards was stuff like this a Zone read or a pistol option play where the quarterback is a threat to the outside they generally seem committed to running the defensive end or outside linebacker down to take away the give to the running back in this case it's a dive concept downhill play I would call it a dive they are committed to that or at least they have been alen mcneel mcneel did Miss uh the second Bears game here in Chicago that's showing now but he played in the previous three so there was a point in time where they were not as effective they were not as dominant stopping the run a healthy DJ reader and the dynamic that you're going to face against the Rams which is totally different from an athletic quarterback standpoint I think puts the the Lions defense in a great situation to stop or slow down the Run uh last year they were able to win one game in that stretch where I didn't think the defense played particularly well I'm talking about the New Orleans game 33-28 win they sealed it on that that really critical third down pass from jarro G to Josh Reynolds who's since departed one aspect that I think is is worth focusing on for you as the season develops on but but not in this Rams game necessarily is the Zone read Concepts you see another example of it Hutchinson is slamming are stepping down here with the running back fields keeping it and then getting out to The Edge or at least to the inside you got Arc release that's kind of expanding Brian Branch it's a m tackle for Jack Campbell these are Concepts that were the way that they played them consistent across the year how does it relate to the Rams well you're not going to see this but what you will see particularly under Center is you will see run action from a a running back who's set behind the quarterback in One Direction and then the quarterback booting off of it so you still have that same type of conflict it's just the time period at which you are in Conflict as a defensive end outside linebacker or Edge Defender is elongated and maybe they're less abrupt and less distinct with this step with this angle and in fact they are often times they'll slow play it against shotgun quarterbacks runs by quarterbacks I should say they are forcing a keep read almost exclusively don't think that'll be a factor against the Rams to be honest with you but that's my point against the Rams team that is missing one offensive tackle maybe even two they are in a unique situation in my opinion to be able to slow down this run game potentially I'm not saying it's going to happen maybe Stafford keeps it once or twice around the edge but you're not going to see these types of things repeatedly the Rams offense is very multifaceted they rely on the under Center Run game and play action stuff the shotgun is very different these are not Concepts you're generally going to see happens to be a keep by Lamar and then an R it's almost a quadruple option if you will Rams are under centered they got big names obviously Stafford ncua Cooper cup he's reliable he's great in the clutch I really like the running back Kiren Williams I think he ran for over 1100 yards last year perhaps are hamstrung a little bit by both of these tackles be missing or at least one of them missing and then the other one potentially being compromised but the injury report generally looks clean otherwise I think the Rams come in in ENT on scoring points I think they've got to get to 27 or above in my opinion unless the Rams front six front seven is is extremely devastating and produces a lot of pressure on Jared G and stops the run I think the Rams are coming in to try to score points and I think they need to in order to lead Detroit with a win DJ reader playing is the big question for me because Duo and inside run SK they're not going to beat the uh Lions on stuff like this consistently if you ask me they're very fast particularly at the nickel position with Brian Branch there when he is I think this is a Brian Branch nickel game in my opinion I know that there's been much talk about him in the offseason being a quote safety at the third level reader could destroy or disrupt a lot of this stuff where you have combo or double team blocks initially because what happens is if you combo up too quickly and I'm talking about this offensive lineman right here then DJ reader will maintain balance and he will win you know to the front side doesn't necessarily happen here on this play we're talking about a different team and a different player Justin matab is a badass just like DJ reer in some ways but he excels at splitting double teams maybe splitting double teams isn't the right word recognizing the block and responding with violent intentions at the point of attack and disrupting the running back's path I hope he's healthy maybe not this week but another week and you as a lions fan can see for yourself what I'm talking about hopefully I'm not wrong I I wouldn't want to be wrong because a no one wants to be wrong terms of his Effectiveness and his ability to impact the game but I wouldn't want to be wrong for you because I wouldn't want to see the Lions defensive um ceiling the Lions defensive potential be capped at all because I think they've got tremendous possibility to be far improved from last year I'm talking about allowing sub2 points per game reer also impacts the game this way he gives the Rams offensive staff McVey something to consider when calling an interior Run play with him on the field on First and 10 he will give them pause I think it's a pivotal thing to discuss or at least to consider is that he will give the offensive coordinator pause when he's on the field the Rams are going to be an 11 personnel sometimes in compressed formations you may say coach well the Ravens are loading the Box yeah you do have a nickel Defender and Kyle Hamilton and a rolled up Corner a generally like to talk about what we see right here from an o line tight end and defensive front standpoint the Ravens have moved the nickel defender in so they've got seven players if I was able to magically erase him what I like to talk about about 11 personnel is seven gaps created by the Rams and defensively your 4-2 only generally gives you six players to defend it that is not actually the the dynamic here as Kyle Hamilton is in the screen but DJ reader is a guy who can play two gaps or one and a half gaps even when he's not as to the tight end creates that seventh Gap against your 4-2 front which obviously 4 plus two only equals six I think Brian Branch can do the same thing that Kyle Hamilton does Brian Branch being at the nickel position DJ reader playing on the being on the field at defensive tackle I think puts this Rams team offense in a real bind it really makes it almost a seven or seven and a Half Men front from a conceptual standpoint I have no idea if he plays but he's going to win at the point of attack I've talked about him a lot but I watched him with the Bengals cause a ton of problems for the Ravens and that's why I have a high opinion of him switching sides of the ball in this preview one thing I can't wait to see I'm sure you're in the same boat is the young Corners compete rraw Arnold even Ami Robertson he's 26 and he's been in the league for a while so and obviously Carlton Davis I third does not count as a as a rookie player but he's new for the Lions he's a veteran he's going to get a lot of snaps I would my guess would be on the left-hand side of the defense with Arnold on the right but they have options Branch Kirby Joseph mopon will apparently you know will not play but Ami Robinson can play nickel or slot corner it's the same thing for me I don't really make a difference between them I think you should be optimistic from a from a defensive standpoint about the first second and third level MC McVey has a system that's going to allow him to adjust so whatever look you throw out there he'll be able to adjust to I I think the talent is such in Detroit on defense now that you don't need to be in the same look consistently because of the limitations of some of your players you can be more versatile more multiple because the guys you have in coverage are better and more talented than the players you had last year cam Sutton and Kendall vildor among others I do think that some of the pick rub Concepts that McVey uses he does those things to get them open with less effort meaning that you know Cooper cup puka nakua those guys Demarcus Robinson they can win against man don't get me wrong but they don't have to be as good on a particular play when there's pick or rub Concepts that help them get open I am looking forward to the Lions being more multiple in this way showing Zone and then playing man or showing man and then playing Zone and those that Dynamic I didn't think was utilized a ton last year I'm going to use this play to close it out this is an important possession or important play excuse me it ends up being a tackle for loss by Kendall VOR on a third down so you hold the Rams to a field goal after this I believe and they end up playing Zone but it looked like man pre- snap and that's my point about the secondary players and even your inside linebackers and and and nickel Defenders what you have here and I've talked about this play before in other videos so forgive me if this is content for you Brian branch is a safety Nickel in 2023 he's currently lined up on the outside your outside corner to that side cam Sutton since with the Steelers is lined up on the inside so making it look like man branch on cup which is a good matchup for the Lions nikua being guarded by Sutton which didn't work out in the Lions favor obviously last year I think Nika had 193 and a touchdown and then the tight end being guarded by anzalone vildor looks like he's man on Demarcus Robinson down here at the bottom two high safety look and an inside linebacker keying the running back certainly looks like Twan or potentially some type of robber post Snap the Lions do a great job of getting to a cover two zone five under Defenders vildor is a little closer than the other four I mean he's a little closer to the line of scrimmage but five under Defenders two deep safeties there is a a pressure element here by uh Hutchinson against the right tackle Stafford has to escape ends up going to his running back out on the right Flats I think this is important not just this play but the idea that you now have more versatility to show a particular look pre- snap and then post Snap play a different look I also think that the pick pick and rub Concepts if you show man you almost kind of elicit that concept from the Rams Stafford is very smart Shawn McVey obviously is as well he's well coached they are on the same page and I think there's times where if you show man you get an idea from them that they're going to R run a pick or rub concept and then drop out to Zone thereafter the pick or the rub doesn't work that's not really the what what happens here on this play but hopefully I'm saying this in a way that makes sense you can give Stafford some pause post Snap not confuse because confuse is a poor choice of words like these dudes are brilliant football players these quarterbacks in the NFL with the amount of information they have to process the speed at which they have to process it while worrying about their own physical harm as defensive linemen and linebackers are blitzing and attacking them to get the sack so I don't like to say confused because I feel like that's a little judgy but give them pause delay their processing force them to hold on to the ball and get to their second or third read I do think that and um and I will address this a little bit in the reaction video video after Sunday night's game which I will be covering I do think that there's a lot of times where Stafford knows where he's going with the football that Dynamic exists across much of the NFL offensive coordinators quarterback coaches staffs scheme up or create pass plays and they pretty much know who's going to be open against a particular coverage that gets back to my point that I've been talking about for the last five minutes showing one coverage playing another is something that I think you will do more often in 2024 it could help the pass rush it could give another. 3 seconds point4 seconds or maybe even a half a second for a defensive end defensive tackle or blitzing linebacker to get there and create organically create another 6810 sacks in 2024 because the coverage was better on the back end I'm content and fine if someone wants to explain it another way the pass rush leads to better coverage I think both of those things are true both of those statements are true for me the talent upgrades in the defensive back field yes I know Carlton Davis I thir is a man corner I know amek Robertson played a lot of man with the Raiders but he's got great Zone instincts if you ask me terion Arnold I think is a balance Corner equally good at either one I understand that people make um judgments to call someone a man Corner a Zone Corner whatever I think you're going to be able to play so many coverages that quarterbacks will have to hold on to the ball a little bit longer and that will lead to more pressure pressers and more sacks than you've seen in recent years I'm comfortable if you do not agree with that statement we're going to find out on Sunday night this is my I think second or third preview of the Lions Rams rematch let me know what you think of the plays that I picked to talk about primarily the Lions defense if you're interested I have considered doing live streams recently I I would like to do them on Saturday mornings a Ravens live stream and then a lions live stream if you enjoy that type of content let me know if there's other Lions cont content creators or media that's out there on Saturday mornings that I'd be overlapping with I I don't think I'd want to do that in terms of split a fan base number one or number two minimize the uh potential audience that I could grab just to be selfish let me know if you know of other contents that's out there if you've listened this long thank you and that's why I wait till the end to usually do these type of spiels I do have a lions patreon that leads to or gives you access to a Discord Community a private Lions Community where we can discuss things pick up and play meaning you don't feel the need to have to respond instantly or argue with people on social media number one because there's no trolls there's no anti- Lions fans in there number two everyone I think is discussing things from a from a good-natured platform and trying to un myself included trying to understand things about the team about the scheme about certain plays selfishly it is a fun Community for me to interact with on YouTube and on Twitter but the Discord is where it's at for me because I get to know people and discuss things long term over the course of the season and we can refer back to previous conversations about the lions from 2023 or 2022 which is about as far back as I can have conver conver conversations um fluently anything before 2022 is pretty much beyond my perview and when I started to cover the lion so forgive me for the little advertisement at the end I always hold it till the end so people in the beginning don't have to listen to it thank you guys for your time if you enjoyed the video and you think other Lions fans would enjoy it as well please consider grabbing a link to this video sharing it out on social media to help this content get more reach