It was another news-heavy day out of Allen Park, with all three coordinators meeting with the media before the Detroit Lions’ Week 4 game against the Carolina Panthers.
Here are my biggest takeaways from the press conferences.
Offensive coordinator Drew Petzing
Derrick Brown is a problem
Panthers defensive tackle Derrick Brown is undoubtedly the most talented player on Carolina’s defense. Last year, he produced 5.0 sacks, 11 QB hits, and 39 pressures.
Petzing has faced the Panthers twice in the last two years, one game without Brown, one with him in the lineup. The difference is staggering.
“He was a force. I think back, I believe when we played them in ’24, he wasn’t there. And then we played him again in ’25, and it was like night and day because of one guy,” Petzing said. “I mean, he’s a great player, plays hard, plays physical, takes up a lot of space in the run game. He’s still dynamic as a pass rusher, which isn’t always the case for some of the bigger players on the inside. So, it’s a force we’ve got to be ready to handle.”
Petzing wouldn’t speculate on what the Lions will do with Scruggs when starting center Cade Mays returns from injury around the bye week, but he clearly mentioned Scruggs’ growth under center.
“He works his tail off to make sure he’s on top of it because the communication up front starts with him. In terms of making sure everybody’s on the same page, we’re snapping the ball, we’re going in the right direction, we’re on the right play. He’s done a really nice job of that,” Petzing said. “And I think the other piece that we talked about maybe when I first got here was the violence and the attitude that he plays with. He’s a physical player. He plays fast, he plays freely.”
When it comes to his communication, the early emphasis is on getting Scruggs to speak loudly and confidently. When asked how that happens, Petzing made a great reference to the movie Anchorman.
“I think it’s having the confidence to know what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. So, it’s not the Ron Burgundy question mark at the end,” Petzing said. “It’s more like, ‘No, I’m Ron Burgundy, and this is what we do. It’s like, here we go.’ And I think you’ve seen that kind of development here in his time in the position now and in the role.”
Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard
The improvements in the Jets’ game are good, but not enough
Sheppard usually begins his weekly press conferences with a recap of the previous game, and Thursday was no different. He was quick to point to some areas of improvement, especially the strides made in the run game (58 rushing yards, 3.1 YPC), and a drop in explosive plays allowed (seven, after allowing 11.5 per game in Weeks 1-2). But the goal is not just to improve from last week. Seven explosive plays allowed is still too many.
“I stood in front of the room, and I told them, there’s no moral victory in this. And I mean, we won the game, but on our side of the ball, let’s not start measuring it by what we did last week and what we did,” Sheppard said. “No, we have a certain standard for the way we want to play here, a certain output that we want to put out there defensively every week. So, let’s try to get closer to that bar this week as opposed to chasing what we did the first two weeks.”
Why the increase in zone defense?
The Lions were one of the top defenses in man coverage in 2025, but that has changed dramatically three weeks into the 2026 season. After averaging man coverage on 36% of snaps last year, that number has fallen to just 19.4% per Fantasy Points.
Sheppard gave a thorough answer as to why they made the change, pointing to three things: adapting the scheme to the personnel, limiting explosive plays, and creating more turnovers.
Here he speaks to each:
- Fitting staff:
- “What’s best for us? I know what I might want to do, but what’s best for us? And then how does that fit into the way we want to play, the style of defense we want to put on tape?”
- Limitation of explosives:
- “That’s kind of a philosophical thing about what’s important to you and what’s important to us coming out of the self-scout is trying to dim down some of these explosive plays especially in the last game. So, we feel like having more of a shell feel to our defense will kind of talk the quarterbacks into more underneath passing games where we can rally and hit the game for just 40 yards.”
- Forced turnovers:
- “It’s hard to have interceptions, play the football and man cover with your back, kind of in phase, running, chasing all the time against seeing it. Being able to break and drive throws and things like that. So, it really has a lot to do with trying to get the ball back as a defense.”
Special teams coordinator Dave Fipp
This year, the NFL quietly changed a rule that a holder can come onto the field to hold the kickoff at any time, rather than when the ball falls off the tee twice. Some teams have taken advantage of that rule by bringing the holder there (no tee), angling the football in a useful way to affect the trajectory of the kickoff. Fipp admits it can give the kicker an advantage.
“Yeah, it definitely helps. I think some guys more than others,” Fipp said. “It’s something we’ve toyed with a little bit, but yeah.”
The league has talked about closing this loophole, but it remains legal to do so now, and Fipp teased that Detroit might consider taking advantage.
Is Jake Bates’ power an advantage in season games?
Sunday night’s game against the Panthers is forecast to have some weather elements, mainly a good chance of rain. Fipp said they will practice in the elements this week, but he also agreed with a reporter’s assessment that Bates’ low but powerful trajectory on his kicks could be an added advantage this week.
“Anytime you drive the ball a little bit, it’s more conducive to kicking in the wind and the weather and all that kind of stuff,” Fipp said. “So it really helps him, it doesn’t hurt him. But yeah, to help. So, there are different strengths and weaknesses, pluses, minuses in everything you do.”