During his introductory press conference, Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell joked he was leaving the presser, taking off his jacket and tie, and was going to go hire some coaches. Well, apparently, he wasn’t joking.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that the Detroit Lions have hired Aaron Glenn as their next defensive coordinator.
Over the weekend it was reported that Glenn, the former New Orleans Saints defensive backs coach, was the front runner for the Lions’ defensive coordinator position. There was some speculation about him entertaining other offers, and per ESPN’s Josiah Anderson, Glenn was in the running for the Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator positions.
He turned them down in favor of the Lions’ job.
Glenn and Campbell have worked together the last five seasons in New Orleans but their relationship dates back further than that. Both are graduates of Texas A&M, though Glenn was a few years ahead of Campbell. Both played together in Dallas in 2006, when Bill Parcells was the coach. And both lean on Parcells as a mentor and stem from his coaching tree.
In New Orleans, the defense ran a 43 base concept and leaned heavily on Cover-1 and 2-Man concepts — the most 2-man in the NFL per ESPN’s Matt Bowen — with some Cover-2, Cover-3, and Quarters zone concepts worked in as well.
These coverage schemes were executed by the players in Glenn’s secondary and could be a strong indicator of the style of defense he could prefer to run in Detroit.
Here’s an example of the Saints’ 2-man coverage scheme:
Can the @Saints defense help secure a win in today’s game? @MattBowen41 pic.twitter.com/wB3z977e1U
— NFL Matchup on ESPN (@NFLMatchup) December 6, 2020
As a former player, Glenn commands the respect of the players he has coached, and his tenacity to learn keeps him on the cutting edge of defensive innovations.
This is a terrific first hire for Campbell and the Lions.
