The Saints knocked the Lions out of the top spot for points allowed on Monday night, but being anywhere near the top of that list is not where teams want to be four weeks into the season.
Detroit has allowed at least 24 points and 355 yards in each of their four games, which led to head coach Dan Campbell’s vote of confidence for defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard after Sunday night’s loss to the Panthers. During an appearance on 97.1 The Ticket on Tuesday, Campbell pointed to a lack of discipline and a lack of trust among players on the unit as reasons why the defense has been so easily torn apart. He added that others will get opportunities as the team looks for the right mix to improve their results.
“We’re going to give some other guys an opportunity, and go, man. But we’re not going to accept mediocrity. That’s not what we’re doing here,” Campbell said. “We’ve got too many guys playing at a high level, and we’re going to raise the floor on this team.”
The Lions offense ranks fifth in the league in points scored, but some have wondered if the defense’s inability to get stops has an adverse effect on the offense. Campbell was asked about that, but said he thinks the team has been “average” across the board and that the offense has room to improve alongside the defense.
“Man, if you want to be great, they should want to score 35 points a game, at a minimum,” Campbell said. “That’s what greatness is. That’s what they’re charged with. We’ve got plenty of weapons on offense and if we’re gonna accept mediocrity, then yeah, we can make all the excuses in the world. If we want to spit and sputter and be average, that’s one thing. We’re not going to be average. We’re going to raise the floor on these guys, man. We’re going to push ‘em. We’ve got too much offensively right now. Our quarterback’s too good, our playmakers are too good, and we’ve got a young, hungry offensive line that’s got a ton of room to grow.”
Campbell was adamant this summer that the Lions’ Super Bowl window is not closed, but the first four weeks haven’t done much to support the feeling that big things are in store for the team this season. That will need to change quickly if they want to avoid calls for more sweeping changes to how business is getting done in Detroit.
