Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni spoke to the media on Tuesday and discussed that while offenses throughout the league are passing the ball more and more, but the bottom line is “the game is still a hard-nosed game,” and you have to be able to stop the run.
This approach is going to draw deep sighs from fans longing for a fast-paced spread them out defense, but that’s not who the Lions are. A stop the run first defense may seem archaic and the coaches may appear to be stubborn and stuck in their ways, but this is not who the Lions are either.
What the Lions are is a flexible, ever adjusting defense that is drenched in basic fundamentals and focused on aspects of football that have existed for decades. As Pasqualoni said, “It (the game) still comes down to blocking and tackling.”
What often gets overlooked with the Lions stop the run first approach is that people assume coaches don’t recognize that the game is changing but that’s a false narrative.
“The game (today) is like basketball on grass now,” Pasqualoni said, “it’s like a fast break deal now. But at the end of the day, there are still teams in this league, most teams in this league, that are going to challenge you. At some point in the game, either the start, halfway through, at the end or whatever, they’re going to run the ball at ya.”
As a matchup-based defense, the Lions understand that they will have to adjust to offenses by countering with smaller players who can operate in space but they are also careful not to get too far away from the basics of football.
You can watch the entire Pasqualoni video in the YouTube clip below and the points brought up in this article begin at the seven-minute mark.
