Kelvin Sheppard's plan to take Lions' defense to new heights? Giving his players more control than ever
Allen Park — Anticipating former defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn’s departure this offseason, Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell indicated he would target philosophical and schematic overlap with any potential replacement.
At the heart of those sentiments was a continued desire to be aggressive through a variety of pressure packages and a heavy reliance on man-to-man coverage schemes.
While other candidates were considered, it was always going to be Kelvin Sheppard’s job. For four years, the former linebacker was groomed for the role by Glenn and Campbell, and eight days after the New York Jets hired Glenn to serve as the franchise’s head coach, the Lions announced Sheppard’s promotion.
Detroit didn’t have a dominant defense in 2024, but given the unprecedented slew of injuries the unit withstood, finishing seventh in scoring was a testament to Glenn’s ability to weather the storm.
Of course, everything came crashing down at the worst time. After earning a bye in the postseason, the Lions welcomed the upstart Washington Commanders to town for a divisional round matchup. No one thought it was going to be a cakewalk, but the Lions were heavily favored heading into the contest.
However, nothing went as expected. The Commanders moved the ball with ease in the 45-31 victory. The visitors drove 70 or more yards for touchdowns on three consecutive possessions in the first half, before adding two more in the fourth quarter, unceremoniously pulling the plug on Detroit’s Super Bowl dreams.
It’s easy to suggest the defensive attrition caught up with the Lions, but it was more than that. The Commnaders had an answer key. Not in a literal sense, but they schemed incredibly well, aided in part by insight provided by first-year assistant coach David Blough, who had served as a backup quarterback for the Lions multiple years, including the previous season.
How do we know this? Because it was relayed to Sheppard.
“I know David Blough, I know some other people over there,” Sheppard said. “They told us they knew what we were doing. They knew exactly where we were going to be, what we were doing when this guy was at this split.”
Talking reins of the unit this offseason, the Washington loss never stopped eating at Sheppard. Defenses are already at a disadvantage at every turn in the NFL. High scores equal ratings, and the league has tilted its rulebook in favor of offenses for years. Compound that with increasing usage of motions, shifts and checks at the line of scrimmage, it’s become more difficult than ever for defenses to reduce the scoreboard operator’s workload.
Sheppard knew he wasn’t promoted to overhaul Detroit’s scheme. They’d gone through enough changes trying to match the system to personnel during his first couple of seasons with the team, and there was undeniable value in continuity. Still, he couldn’t in good conscious run things back with just minimal tweaks and expect different results.