July 31, 2025 • 16 mins
John Maakaron of SI.com joins the show to breakdown what to watch for in Thursday's preseason kickoff, "The Hall of Fame Game" in Canton, OH between the Detroit Lions and the LA Chargers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Lions and the Chargers in the Hall of Fame
game from Canton. Super excited for that. Our guest John
macaron will be there. He writes for si dot com.
You can follow him on Twitter at Detroit Podcast and
he joins us on this Tullymore Thursday.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
John hawarea, Matt, thanks again for having me. I'm excited.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
Yeah, after our talk today, I'll make the road trip
to Canton.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Detroit.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Lions football is back and there's so many great things
to pay attention to tonight.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
Yeah, what is the primary thing you will be paying
attention to? Do you think?
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Yeah? I think most people, Matt, are paying attention to
the backup quarterback spot. Hendon Hooker is a developmental player
now and last year, in a critical moment, just ahead
of the playoffs, the Lions made a decision to go
and bring back Teddy Bridgewater and it really raised a
lot of eyebrows because of the fact that, hey, this
is a player that you drafted, have invested in, and
I know he's still young, but Dan Campbell fell more
(01:00):
comfortable with the veteran who had been coaching high school
football instead of Hendon Hooker. So now all eyes are
on this developmental quarterback and what he can bring to
the table with another offseason of development. Dan Campbell spoke
to the media this week and he's like, look, I'm
not looking for Hendon to make splash plays, to be
all in the highlights. Just do your job, handle business,
(01:21):
run the offense proficiently, and play as clean of football
as possible. And if Hennon Hooker can do that, I
think he takes strides forward in giving the fan base,
which is a little more skeptical, some confidence that if
something were to go down for a series or a
quarter or a game, that Hendon Hooker could go out
there and help the Detroit Lions.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Save a game or two if needed.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
Because of the fact that we all know something happens
to Jared Goff, you know the season is going to be,
you know, unsuccessful. But Hennonhooker needs to show that he
can be a reliable backup quarterback in the National Football League.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Yeah, you can make the argument Jared Goff is the
most important player in the National Football League for his
team to accomplish what it needs to accomplished. Just because
of the question market backup quarterback. What have you noticed
from Hendon Hooker this year? So far in training, Cam,
what have you noticed that has made you think he
can either e make those types of steps toward being
(02:14):
a legitimate backup or be what else he needs to
work on.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
Yeah, absolutely, I think that steadily he's been working with
the twos and threes. They've been mixing and matching with
Kyle Allen, the free agent who they brought in from
the Steelers, And you know, the first practice wasn't his best,
but after that, steadily, the one thing that you're noticing
is his confidence has been growing and growing.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
I think that what.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
He's been, you know, really criticized for is the fact
that he would hold on to the football too long,
would let plays develop way too slowly. Now he's stepping
up in the pocket, delivering the football, taking what the
defense is giving him. He looks more confident. He is
taking strides, and what you see is sometimes, Matt, you
know that the pressure that Kelvin Shepherd is going to
(02:58):
stand is going to come from a variety of places.
You're starting to see what his strengths are is that
he has the ability to scramble in the pocket, move
the pocket a little bit, and kind of get some
advantages in the offenses. Favor, you're starting to see plays
and look, quite frankly, the addition of Isaac Tesla has
definitely helped out Hendon Hooker because you can see that
they've started to develop a small connection. He understands the
(03:20):
safety valves with the tight ends, and he's starting to
make plays when needed. And the things he's got to
continue to work on are, you know, procedural type stuff
getting the offense in and out of the huddle quickly
and you know, really commanding. Hey, when you see a look,
you know the next step in his development is when
you see a look, maybe checking out of a play
or getting into something better and taking what the defense
(03:42):
gives you and letting get to the next play. If
a play is not developing, don't throw into bad windows
and do your job at every play more consistently.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
Really good lines. Insight from John macarone, Lions writer for
si dot Comfoulm on Twitter at Detroit Podcast. The first
and second I want get to the coordinators in a moment,
But neither the first nor second round picks of the Lions,
Williams nor Ratledge are expected to play tonight per Dan
Campbell this week. Why would that be? When you would
(04:13):
think those two guys need as many reps as just
about anybody on the roster, considering how important they will
be to this roster in this team this year.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
It's a great question.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
It makes a lot of sense when you explore the
development of players. But Matt, this week they had a
scrimmage and the Lions also believe and they're confident that
Tyleerk Williams and Tate Ratlage going up against their own
players right now is.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Good enough for this week.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
Because the Lions are playing an extra preseason game, they
are playing against the Chargers in the Pro Football Hall
of Fame Game.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
This is kind of a game where.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
You're going to get a chance to see some more
of the reserves down the depth chart, and it just
speaks to how important the Lions feel TYLERK Williams and
Tate Ratlige are.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
And because of the depth.
Speaker 3 (04:57):
Behind Tylerk Williams, you realize, Okay, they're dealing with some injuries.
You can ill afford anything freakish happening. Two players that
you find to be quite important, and I think that
they've gotten a lot of quality work in the early
week of training camp and for Tate Ralige I think
that the opportunities when he does get out there.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
He showcased that at right guard.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
He's playing quite comfortably, and I think that he's going
to be a solid addition. It's not as big a
deal as some are making it because of the fact
that the Lions have showcased with their coaching staff that
their practices are so intense, so detail oriented, that you
see development already right away with Tyler Williams and Tate
Ralige Good.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
That makes sense. You've called me down, so I appreciate
it very much. You'd mentioned Kelvin Shepard already is the
new defensive coordinator. He was in on a lot of
key decision makings a year ago. How is he different
than Aaron Glenn and how are they similar? In your mind?
Speaker 3 (05:50):
Absolutely, the players are talking about it, and they all
rave about Kelvin Shepard. They say, man, he could get
out there now and play. They say, you know, Aaron
Glenn was passionate. They say Calvin might be even more
passionate out there in regards to his dedication to the craft.
And you just naturally look at different ways in which
Calvin Shepperd can bring pressure. What we're seeing is a
lot of pressure coming from a variety of spots, and
(06:12):
I think that there's maybe opportunities with Kelvin Shepherd being
a former linebacker, that there might be some looks at
three to four where you play four linebackers. On some
occasions you see the pressure coming from the linebackers. You
got to remember Aaron Glenn was a defensive back, so
a lot of the pressures naturally would come from Kirby
Joso for Brian Branch from the defensive backs. Now, I
(06:33):
do expect that Kelvin Shepherd will take the principles that
he learned from Aaron Glenn and typically everyone believes theyre
going to run a four to three, but maybe some
different looks at different times in different packages based on matchups.
But I expect, and the blessing is of having the
continuity is that I expect great development from Derek Barnes,
(06:54):
Jack Campbell and some young linebackers as well moving forward.
So I expect a lot of quality play from the
linebackers and consistency with the defense. There's a chance, man,
when you really look at the talent level across the
board with the starting eleven, if they can just get
on the right side of the injury lock. This defense
can be a top ten NFL defense, no question about it.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
Yeah, I love that, really good stuff. John macaron joining
his lionswriter for SI dot com foum on Twitter at
Detroit Podcast. All right, we talked about the defensive coordinator.
I think a lot of people feel like, Okay, well,
he comes from within, so they feel almost comfortable with
him taking over for aarng Glenn John Morton for Ben
Johnson perhaps a little different, even though people forget Morton
(07:38):
was here installing this offense in twenty twenty two before
he left for Denver, and Denver's offense was really good
with a rookie quarterback with John Morton helping them along.
How has he been able to adjust him? Maybe more importantly, John,
how has the Detroit offensive players adjusted to John Morton?
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Absolutely?
Speaker 3 (08:00):
I do think that the question marks are warranted because
of the fact that his stints as a first time
coordinated with the Jets just didn't go right.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
But it is a totally different situation.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
He wasn't as comfortable here in Detroit.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
It's fully comfort.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
He knows the area, he knows Dan Campbell, he was
here a couple of years ago, so there's a comfort level,
and it was great to see John Gruden out there,
just coming out and giving the stamp of approval. I
think John Gruden made John Morton by coming out and saying,
if you guys thought I was crazy this, John Morton's
going to stay in the lab all day long trying
to work at trying to break down defenses. And Morton
(08:34):
stood in front of us and said, Hey, I'm going
to be here and work and grind to help this offense.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
And that's what you're seeing from the players.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
The players are saying, hey, Johnny's going to put us.
John Morton's going to put us in a position to succeed.
And right away you're seeing Jamo come out there and
just look more comfortable. If he can unlock Jamis and
Williams even further with the comfort level, unlocking even more,
the talents of Jamior Gibbs, unlocking even more, the talent
of Stam Laporta. Matt is great because of the fact
that John Morton in this situation has so much talent
(09:03):
to work with that it's amazing. Yeah, the offense has
had its struggles, but it's largely due to the play
of the defense and their aggressiveness and their ability to
just be relentless in their approach and their pressure. But
the offense is going to be better for it. And
I think that's what treating camp is for. Make all
the mistakes that you need to make so that you
can learn and grow and get after it. The question
mark for John Morton is going to be and he
(09:24):
said it now. He told the reporters he's going to
call games from the booth tonight and I probably expect
he's probably going to do that throughout the season. He
likes things quiet, he doesn't like all the hubbloo about
the NFL. He's about business, and I think he's going
to take this talent work with Jared Goff in order
to make this offense successful. What everybody wants to see
is okay, in games, how do you make and how
(09:47):
do you adjust to different looks from defenses? And that'll
be something that we will have a chance to evaluate
starting today. But the big thing for him is.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
How do you call plays? How aggressive are you going
to be?
Speaker 3 (09:57):
And in those critical moments, hopefully he doesn't call pass
place at Jamis Williams in a key playoff game.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
If he can avoid the big mistake.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
Man, I think so far he might get more favorite
then Johnson gets on his way out.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
That is so well played. And just so people remember
that's the thing that I mean. The day after, I
was livid because you're having Okay, Jared Goff has thrown
some picks, so be it. You're gonna have Jamison Williams
throw his first pass in his NFL career that way,
in that situation, I was livid. Really good point. Graham
(10:30):
Glasgow's been at center and Tate rat Legit right guard
and Christian Mahogany at left guard. How do you think
that's looked compared to rat Legit center, Glasgow at right guard,
where he has admitted so it's my favorite position absolutely.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
Matt at your game Above Sports Big Three event there,
thank you guys so much for the invite. I had
a chance to go down there learn about the Big Three,
and then also I had a chance on seeing that
t J Lang, also part of the the great group
that you guys have, was also there, so I'd made
sure to be lining over to TJ and said, hey,
what do you think. Naturally speaking, my natural inclination would
have been, look, it would be tough to throw a
(11:10):
center into this situation when the team's expected to win
a Super Bowl. And so DJ told me directly, and
others as well. Former Detroit Lions offensive linemen have told me, yeah, no,
if Kate was going to be the starting center, opposing
defenses were going to send their defensive tackles and their
defense all the way through the A gap with so
much pressure to try and test the young center, and
(11:33):
the Lions schedule Matt features a lot of top end
defensive tackles, and so it was okay, but there were
a lot of procedural type stuff, natural mistakes that you
would make because.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
The Lions offense is not easy.
Speaker 3 (11:44):
It's complicated with shifts and motions and calls and things.
You got to recognize it's not easy, and even the
best of the best first second round picks would come
in and struggle. Graham Glasgow, speaking to reporters and I
was listening in, said it takes a full calendar year
months to grasp the concept of center. So going into
a critical year, you need a veteran, you need a
(12:06):
veteran in there. And I think Graham Glasgow calms things down.
And I'm always of the opinion with you and you're
listening audience that coaches love veterans that have experienced at
certain spots, and center is a key spot. So, in
my humble opinion, I was right in all my interviews
before the season. I think Graham Glasgow is going to
be the starting center, and it just behooves Tate Raalish
(12:26):
to play his natural position right guard, and boy did
he look good working against Ti leagu Williams at right guard.
Tate Radiche and Piney Sewell are going to open up
a lot of holes to start the year early for
the running game.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
Boy, I like that, and Williams said as much the
other day. He said, look, I know you learned some
things at this level and rat Ledge got the best
of me. It's interesting because Cam Jurgens came in started
right away for Philadelphia they won the Super Bowl, but
he had played center before Ratledge had not, so that
perhaps is the difference. I could keep you on for
all three hours, but I only got a few more minutes.
(12:59):
Let me do some I have to fire here for you.
Has Aiden Hutchinson in your mind looked as good as
everybody claims that he has looked, And if so, in
what way has he looked so strong.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
Absolutely as advertised.
Speaker 3 (13:12):
Now we got a temper the excitement a little bit.
He is matching up against Dan Skipper, who's not as
talented as Taylor Decker, but even up matching up against
Pine sul using all his repertoire, swim moves, power moves, full,
relentless effort, Aiden Hutchinson's back, no worries defensive player of
the Year mode.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
He's going to definitely be one of the dominant defensive
ends this year.
Speaker 1 (13:34):
If he's the most important player on the defense, and
most people believe that. It's debatable, but most people believe it.
I would argue Brian Branch isn't far behind. I'm super
impressed with how he has made the transition and how
good he has been. How do you think he has
taken that next step at his position?
Speaker 3 (13:56):
Absolutely, and if you look at it, two of the
best safeties in the league. I think Kirby Joseph is
the on field personality, the swagger of the defense, and
Brian Branch is the executioner. He's the thumper, he's the
guy that loves to hit, loves to and I think
working with Aaron Glenn for the young defensive back so critical,
so key to instill the physical, aggressive nature to get
after it. For Brian Branch, it's really quite simple. It's
(14:18):
being aggressive but not being reckless. Where last year started
to take a little bit too many fifteen yard personal
foul penalties, racked up a lot of fines. But now
he's playing under control. He looks confident, he is around
the football. And when you have another year in a
system and you're growing and you're learning, and you have
veterans in the room like Avonte Maddox to help you grow,
now you have an opportunity to take your game to
(14:39):
the next level because you're more confident.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
The more you know, the more.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
You're prepared, the more confident you can be to play free.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
And that's what Brian Branch is doing.
Speaker 3 (14:46):
He's definitely a talent that Green Bay probably still is
kicking themselves that they passed on a player of Brian
Branch's caliber.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
John, Before we get you out of here and head
to Canton, if you're looking for one specific player on
each side of the BA for the Lions tonight, who
would they be?
Speaker 2 (15:03):
Yeah, no doubt.
Speaker 3 (15:04):
You got to go with the draft picks first and foremost.
We do want to see the developmental players. I want
to see Giovanni, Manu Broderick Martin. I want to see
what steph Sty've taken. But this is the Hall of
Fame game, so you need Hall of Fame talent. And
I think that Isaac Tesla on the offensive side is
going to be somebody that's going to be a player
for the Lions. Not as much this year because there's
a lot of good players ahead of him on the
depth chart, but he'll make some impact. You see just
(15:26):
the reverence that on inside the Den that just aired
how much Dan Campbell loves his game as well as
Brad Holmes. So look for hopefully Tesla to be out there,
hopefully to get some opportunities. And then on the defensive
side of the ball, the engine man, I think the
engine of the defense probably the Amenrah of the defense,
which is Ahmed Hassenin. He's definitely hungry, motivated, and he
wants to get out there and showcase that hey, all
(15:48):
those defensive ends that were drafted ahead of me, I'm
better then. And he showed relentless motor. He fits the
Detroit culture to a tee and I think that when
fans watching him play football They're instantly going to gravitate
towards him, and you're going to start to see his
profile grow even more. He's already being interviewed quite a bit, Matt,
and now his profile is going to grow if he
gets out there and start second.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Trey Lance and these Chargers quarterbacks.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
Love all that man, really good stuff. John, appreciate the
insight and the knowledge. Have a safe trip to Canton.
Enjoy yourself. We look forward to talking down the road
all right.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
Absolutely, and hopefully these Tigers make a move because they're
sending the message that they don't believe this team is
good enough. So make this move by six o'clock so
that all that you can calm down and I can
calm down because the Mariners are doing what I wanted
to do, and I'm super jealous.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
I'm with you.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
I'm with you on that. John Meckcrone joining us from
SI dot com to talk alliance and make sure he
gets that baseball nugget in there as well.
The Lions and the Chargers in the Hall of Fame
game from Canton. Super excited for that. Our guest John
macaron will be there. He writes for si dot com.
You can follow him on Twitter at Detroit Podcast and
he joins us on this Tullymore Thursday.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
John hawarea, Matt, thanks again for having me. I'm excited.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
Yeah, after our talk today, I'll make the road trip
to Canton.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Detroit.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Lions football is back and there's so many great things
to pay attention to tonight.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
Yeah, what is the primary thing you will be paying
attention to? Do you think?
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Yeah? I think most people, Matt, are paying attention to
the backup quarterback spot. Hendon Hooker is a developmental player
now and last year, in a critical moment, just ahead
of the playoffs, the Lions made a decision to go
and bring back Teddy Bridgewater and it really raised a
lot of eyebrows because of the fact that, hey, this
is a player that you drafted, have invested in, and
I know he's still young, but Dan Campbell fell more
(01:00):
comfortable with the veteran who had been coaching high school
football instead of Hendon Hooker. So now all eyes are
on this developmental quarterback and what he can bring to
the table with another offseason of development. Dan Campbell spoke
to the media this week and he's like, look, I'm
not looking for Hendon to make splash plays, to be
all in the highlights. Just do your job, handle business,
(01:21):
run the offense proficiently, and play as clean of football
as possible. And if Hennon Hooker can do that, I
think he takes strides forward in giving the fan base,
which is a little more skeptical, some confidence that if
something were to go down for a series or a
quarter or a game, that Hendon Hooker could go out
there and help the Detroit Lions.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Save a game or two if needed.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
Because of the fact that we all know something happens
to Jared Goff, you know the season is going to be,
you know, unsuccessful. But Hennonhooker needs to show that he
can be a reliable backup quarterback in the National Football League.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Yeah, you can make the argument Jared Goff is the
most important player in the National Football League for his
team to accomplish what it needs to accomplished. Just because
of the question market backup quarterback. What have you noticed
from Hendon Hooker this year? So far in training, Cam,
what have you noticed that has made you think he
can either e make those types of steps toward being
(02:14):
a legitimate backup or be what else he needs to
work on.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
Yeah, absolutely, I think that steadily he's been working with
the twos and threes. They've been mixing and matching with
Kyle Allen, the free agent who they brought in from
the Steelers, And you know, the first practice wasn't his best,
but after that, steadily, the one thing that you're noticing
is his confidence has been growing and growing.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
I think that what.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
He's been, you know, really criticized for is the fact
that he would hold on to the football too long,
would let plays develop way too slowly. Now he's stepping
up in the pocket, delivering the football, taking what the
defense is giving him. He looks more confident. He is
taking strides, and what you see is sometimes, Matt, you
know that the pressure that Kelvin Shepherd is going to
(02:58):
stand is going to come from a variety of places.
You're starting to see what his strengths are is that
he has the ability to scramble in the pocket, move
the pocket a little bit, and kind of get some
advantages in the offenses. Favor, you're starting to see plays
and look, quite frankly, the addition of Isaac Tesla has
definitely helped out Hendon Hooker because you can see that
they've started to develop a small connection. He understands the
(03:20):
safety valves with the tight ends, and he's starting to
make plays when needed. And the things he's got to
continue to work on are, you know, procedural type stuff
getting the offense in and out of the huddle quickly
and you know, really commanding. Hey, when you see a look,
you know the next step in his development is when
you see a look, maybe checking out of a play
or getting into something better and taking what the defense
(03:42):
gives you and letting get to the next play. If
a play is not developing, don't throw into bad windows
and do your job at every play more consistently.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
Really good lines. Insight from John macarone, Lions writer for
si dot Comfoulm on Twitter at Detroit Podcast. The first
and second I want get to the coordinators in a moment,
But neither the first nor second round picks of the Lions,
Williams nor Ratledge are expected to play tonight per Dan
Campbell this week. Why would that be? When you would
(04:13):
think those two guys need as many reps as just
about anybody on the roster, considering how important they will
be to this roster in this team this year.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
It's a great question.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
It makes a lot of sense when you explore the
development of players. But Matt, this week they had a
scrimmage and the Lions also believe and they're confident that
Tyleerk Williams and Tate Ratlage going up against their own
players right now is.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Good enough for this week.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
Because the Lions are playing an extra preseason game, they
are playing against the Chargers in the Pro Football Hall
of Fame Game.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
This is kind of a game where.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
You're going to get a chance to see some more
of the reserves down the depth chart, and it just
speaks to how important the Lions feel TYLERK Williams and
Tate Ratlige are.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
And because of the depth.
Speaker 3 (04:57):
Behind Tylerk Williams, you realize, Okay, they're dealing with some injuries.
You can ill afford anything freakish happening. Two players that
you find to be quite important, and I think that
they've gotten a lot of quality work in the early
week of training camp and for Tate Ralige I think
that the opportunities when he does get out there.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
He showcased that at right guard.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
He's playing quite comfortably, and I think that he's going
to be a solid addition. It's not as big a
deal as some are making it because of the fact
that the Lions have showcased with their coaching staff that
their practices are so intense, so detail oriented, that you
see development already right away with Tyler Williams and Tate
Ralige Good.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
That makes sense. You've called me down, so I appreciate
it very much. You'd mentioned Kelvin Shepard already is the
new defensive coordinator. He was in on a lot of
key decision makings a year ago. How is he different
than Aaron Glenn and how are they similar? In your mind?
Speaker 3 (05:50):
Absolutely, the players are talking about it, and they all
rave about Kelvin Shepard. They say, man, he could get
out there now and play. They say, you know, Aaron
Glenn was passionate. They say Calvin might be even more
passionate out there in regards to his dedication to the craft.
And you just naturally look at different ways in which
Calvin Shepperd can bring pressure. What we're seeing is a
lot of pressure coming from a variety of spots, and
(06:12):
I think that there's maybe opportunities with Kelvin Shepherd being
a former linebacker, that there might be some looks at
three to four where you play four linebackers. On some
occasions you see the pressure coming from the linebackers. You
got to remember Aaron Glenn was a defensive back, so
a lot of the pressures naturally would come from Kirby
Joso for Brian Branch from the defensive backs. Now, I
(06:33):
do expect that Kelvin Shepherd will take the principles that
he learned from Aaron Glenn and typically everyone believes theyre
going to run a four to three, but maybe some
different looks at different times in different packages based on matchups.
But I expect, and the blessing is of having the
continuity is that I expect great development from Derek Barnes,
(06:54):
Jack Campbell and some young linebackers as well moving forward.
So I expect a lot of quality play from the
linebackers and consistency with the defense. There's a chance, man,
when you really look at the talent level across the
board with the starting eleven, if they can just get
on the right side of the injury lock. This defense
can be a top ten NFL defense, no question about it.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
Yeah, I love that, really good stuff. John macaron joining
his lionswriter for SI dot com foum on Twitter at
Detroit Podcast. All right, we talked about the defensive coordinator.
I think a lot of people feel like, Okay, well,
he comes from within, so they feel almost comfortable with
him taking over for aarng Glenn John Morton for Ben
Johnson perhaps a little different, even though people forget Morton
(07:38):
was here installing this offense in twenty twenty two before
he left for Denver, and Denver's offense was really good
with a rookie quarterback with John Morton helping them along.
How has he been able to adjust him? Maybe more importantly, John,
how has the Detroit offensive players adjusted to John Morton?
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Absolutely?
Speaker 3 (08:00):
I do think that the question marks are warranted because
of the fact that his stints as a first time
coordinated with the Jets just didn't go right.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
But it is a totally different situation.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
He wasn't as comfortable here in Detroit.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
It's fully comfort.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
He knows the area, he knows Dan Campbell, he was
here a couple of years ago, so there's a comfort level,
and it was great to see John Gruden out there,
just coming out and giving the stamp of approval. I
think John Gruden made John Morton by coming out and saying,
if you guys thought I was crazy this, John Morton's
going to stay in the lab all day long trying
to work at trying to break down defenses. And Morton
(08:34):
stood in front of us and said, Hey, I'm going
to be here and work and grind to help this offense.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
And that's what you're seeing from the players.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
The players are saying, hey, Johnny's going to put us.
John Morton's going to put us in a position to succeed.
And right away you're seeing Jamo come out there and
just look more comfortable. If he can unlock Jamis and
Williams even further with the comfort level, unlocking even more,
the talents of Jamior Gibbs, unlocking even more, the talent
of Stam Laporta. Matt is great because of the fact
that John Morton in this situation has so much talent
(09:03):
to work with that it's amazing. Yeah, the offense has
had its struggles, but it's largely due to the play
of the defense and their aggressiveness and their ability to
just be relentless in their approach and their pressure. But
the offense is going to be better for it. And
I think that's what treating camp is for. Make all
the mistakes that you need to make so that you
can learn and grow and get after it. The question
mark for John Morton is going to be and he
(09:24):
said it now. He told the reporters he's going to
call games from the booth tonight and I probably expect
he's probably going to do that throughout the season. He
likes things quiet, he doesn't like all the hubbloo about
the NFL. He's about business, and I think he's going
to take this talent work with Jared Goff in order
to make this offense successful. What everybody wants to see
is okay, in games, how do you make and how
(09:47):
do you adjust to different looks from defenses? And that'll
be something that we will have a chance to evaluate
starting today. But the big thing for him is.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
How do you call plays? How aggressive are you going
to be?
Speaker 3 (09:57):
And in those critical moments, hopefully he doesn't call pass
place at Jamis Williams in a key playoff game.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
If he can avoid the big mistake.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
Man, I think so far he might get more favorite
then Johnson gets on his way out.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
That is so well played. And just so people remember
that's the thing that I mean. The day after, I
was livid because you're having Okay, Jared Goff has thrown
some picks, so be it. You're gonna have Jamison Williams
throw his first pass in his NFL career that way,
in that situation, I was livid. Really good point. Graham
(10:30):
Glasgow's been at center and Tate rat Legit right guard
and Christian Mahogany at left guard. How do you think
that's looked compared to rat Legit center, Glasgow at right guard,
where he has admitted so it's my favorite position absolutely.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
Matt at your game Above Sports Big Three event there,
thank you guys so much for the invite. I had
a chance to go down there learn about the Big Three,
and then also I had a chance on seeing that
t J Lang, also part of the the great group
that you guys have, was also there, so I'd made
sure to be lining over to TJ and said, hey,
what do you think. Naturally speaking, my natural inclination would
have been, look, it would be tough to throw a
(11:10):
center into this situation when the team's expected to win
a Super Bowl. And so DJ told me directly, and
others as well. Former Detroit Lions offensive linemen have told me, yeah, no,
if Kate was going to be the starting center, opposing
defenses were going to send their defensive tackles and their
defense all the way through the A gap with so
much pressure to try and test the young center, and
(11:33):
the Lions schedule Matt features a lot of top end
defensive tackles, and so it was okay, but there were
a lot of procedural type stuff, natural mistakes that you
would make because.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
The Lions offense is not easy.
Speaker 3 (11:44):
It's complicated with shifts and motions and calls and things.
You got to recognize it's not easy, and even the
best of the best first second round picks would come
in and struggle. Graham Glasgow, speaking to reporters and I
was listening in, said it takes a full calendar year
months to grasp the concept of center. So going into
a critical year, you need a veteran, you need a
(12:06):
veteran in there. And I think Graham Glasgow calms things down.
And I'm always of the opinion with you and you're
listening audience that coaches love veterans that have experienced at
certain spots, and center is a key spot. So, in
my humble opinion, I was right in all my interviews
before the season. I think Graham Glasgow is going to
be the starting center, and it just behooves Tate Raalish
(12:26):
to play his natural position right guard, and boy did
he look good working against Ti leagu Williams at right guard.
Tate Radiche and Piney Sewell are going to open up
a lot of holes to start the year early for
the running game.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
Boy, I like that, and Williams said as much the
other day. He said, look, I know you learned some
things at this level and rat Ledge got the best
of me. It's interesting because Cam Jurgens came in started
right away for Philadelphia they won the Super Bowl, but
he had played center before Ratledge had not, so that
perhaps is the difference. I could keep you on for
all three hours, but I only got a few more minutes.
(12:59):
Let me do some I have to fire here for you.
Has Aiden Hutchinson in your mind looked as good as
everybody claims that he has looked, And if so, in
what way has he looked so strong.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
Absolutely as advertised.
Speaker 3 (13:12):
Now we got a temper the excitement a little bit.
He is matching up against Dan Skipper, who's not as
talented as Taylor Decker, but even up matching up against
Pine sul using all his repertoire, swim moves, power moves, full,
relentless effort, Aiden Hutchinson's back, no worries defensive player of
the Year mode.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
He's going to definitely be one of the dominant defensive
ends this year.
Speaker 1 (13:34):
If he's the most important player on the defense, and
most people believe that. It's debatable, but most people believe it.
I would argue Brian Branch isn't far behind. I'm super
impressed with how he has made the transition and how
good he has been. How do you think he has
taken that next step at his position?
Speaker 3 (13:56):
Absolutely, and if you look at it, two of the
best safeties in the league. I think Kirby Joseph is
the on field personality, the swagger of the defense, and
Brian Branch is the executioner. He's the thumper, he's the
guy that loves to hit, loves to and I think
working with Aaron Glenn for the young defensive back so critical,
so key to instill the physical, aggressive nature to get
after it. For Brian Branch, it's really quite simple. It's
(14:18):
being aggressive but not being reckless. Where last year started
to take a little bit too many fifteen yard personal
foul penalties, racked up a lot of fines. But now
he's playing under control. He looks confident, he is around
the football. And when you have another year in a
system and you're growing and you're learning, and you have
veterans in the room like Avonte Maddox to help you grow,
now you have an opportunity to take your game to
(14:39):
the next level because you're more confident.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
The more you know, the more.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
You're prepared, the more confident you can be to play free.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
And that's what Brian Branch is doing.
Speaker 3 (14:46):
He's definitely a talent that Green Bay probably still is
kicking themselves that they passed on a player of Brian
Branch's caliber.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
John, Before we get you out of here and head
to Canton, if you're looking for one specific player on
each side of the BA for the Lions tonight, who
would they be?
Speaker 2 (15:03):
Yeah, no doubt.
Speaker 3 (15:04):
You got to go with the draft picks first and foremost.
We do want to see the developmental players. I want
to see Giovanni, Manu Broderick Martin. I want to see
what steph Sty've taken. But this is the Hall of
Fame game, so you need Hall of Fame talent. And
I think that Isaac Tesla on the offensive side is
going to be somebody that's going to be a player
for the Lions. Not as much this year because there's
a lot of good players ahead of him on the
depth chart, but he'll make some impact. You see just
(15:26):
the reverence that on inside the Den that just aired
how much Dan Campbell loves his game as well as
Brad Holmes. So look for hopefully Tesla to be out there,
hopefully to get some opportunities. And then on the defensive
side of the ball, the engine man, I think the
engine of the defense probably the Amenrah of the defense,
which is Ahmed Hassenin. He's definitely hungry, motivated, and he
wants to get out there and showcase that hey, all
(15:48):
those defensive ends that were drafted ahead of me, I'm
better then. And he showed relentless motor. He fits the
Detroit culture to a tee and I think that when
fans watching him play football They're instantly going to gravitate
towards him, and you're going to start to see his
profile grow even more. He's already being interviewed quite a bit, Matt,
and now his profile is going to grow if he
gets out there and start second.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Trey Lance and these Chargers quarterbacks.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
Love all that man, really good stuff. John, appreciate the
insight and the knowledge. Have a safe trip to Canton.
Enjoy yourself. We look forward to talking down the road
all right.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
Absolutely, and hopefully these Tigers make a move because they're
sending the message that they don't believe this team is
good enough. So make this move by six o'clock so
that all that you can calm down and I can
calm down because the Mariners are doing what I wanted
to do, and I'm super jealous.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
I'm with you.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
I'm with you on that. John Meckcrone joining us from
SI dot com to talk alliance and make sure he
gets that baseball nugget in there as well.
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