Here’s a quick-hitting recap of the noteworthy items from Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell’s Monday press conference.
● Regarding Detroit’s injury issues along the offensive line, Campbell expressed confidence in the team’s depth to weather this storm.
Specifically, Campbell said he doesn’t believe Christian Mahogany’s hip injury will be a long-term concern, even if it could be difficult for him to be available for Thursday’s game against Buffalo.
Campbell said there’s a better chance offensive tackle Blake Miller will play after the rookie showed up on Monday’s estimated injury report with a knee injury.
“It's really hard to say,” Campbell said. “I just can't give you a definitive. I mean, I would feel better about him than Mahogany right now, if you were to ask me to pick one. …That's the thing about the short weeks. In some cases, it's like if the game is on Friday, they'd be ready, but maybe not Thursday. I'm just saying in general, certain guys, every year, this comes up. That's part of it. Look, they go through it too, any opponent on a short week deals with the same stuff.”
● In the running back room, the news is less optimistic. Veteran backup Isiah Pacheco, who opened the season on injured reserve, is expected to miss more time than the four-game minimum after landing on injured reserve.
On Monday, Campbell confirmed Pacheco underwent surgery. The coach didn’t specifically state that the procedure addressed a back injury Pacheco picked up during the second half of training camp, only stating that he’d be out for “a while” and “a significant amount of time.”
Without Pacheco, the Lions leaned heavily on starter Jahmyr Gibbs in the opener, asking him to handle a career-high 34 touches in the overtime victory.
Sione Vaki played the complementary role, drawing 22 snaps, two carries and hauling in a reception. He also had a couple pass protection issues that Campbell said the third-year back and special teams standout needs to fix.
“There were a couple of things in there that he's got to be better at. I know the one that everybody's talking about,” Campbell said, referencing quarterback Jared Goff taking a hit that was initially ruled a fumble before it was overturned by replay review. “That was, you know, can't do that. He knows that and we gotta get him cleaned up.
“So it was inconsistent, but he did have some reps in there that were good,” Campbell said. “He had a couple of carries that I thought were pretty good, he got a ball on the check down that wasn't bad. We just got to tighten this stuff up with him a little bit, because we're going to need to be able to use him. That’s the bottom line.”
Detroit’s third running back, Jacob Saylors, didn’t see an offensive snap in the opener. Campbell said that decision was about dousing Vaki with work, but the rotation is still being discussed heading into Buffalo.
● After the Saints utilized tempo to grind the Lions down late in Sunday’s contest, Campbell was asked how much he expected Buffalo to attack Detroit the same way.
Yeah, I mean, well, we're anticipating that,” Campbell said about the Saints’ approach. “Look, Buffalo does some of that anyway. They've always kind of done some of those things. So, yeah, that showed up a little bit. It's those things that you address, which we have, and you understand what you're getting ready to face.
“And why wouldn't they test us there?” Campbell said. “We would do the same thing. So, we’ve got to be prepared and you do it the best that you can in walk-through fashion. You get through some of these looks you think you're going to get and then you tempo it. Everything is not the physical, it's the mental now. You just try to plant that seed of urgency, mentally, to be prepared.”
I wonder if our defense was completely gassed by the time the third and fourth quarter hit us. Night and day difference.