The Detroit Lions are poised to look quite different in the 2025 season. After losing both of their coordinators to head coaching positions elsewhere, fans got their first real glimpse of new defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard in a recent interview.<\/p>\n
Sheppard discussed his defensive approach during a local radio interview on Monday, emphasizing what traits are \u201cnon-negotiable\u201d for his unit. \u201cSo that togetherness, and so many things stem from that. Absolutely relentless effort \u2014 non-negotiable,\u201d Sheppard said. \u201cThat’s something I stress: The coaches aren’t coaching effort. If you’re lax on this defense, you’ll stand out. Then there’s the mentality of being nasty, tenacious, finishing, scratching, clawing, fighting for every inch. I believe if we focus on these things, everything else will follow. Notice I didn’t mention any stats or accolades. Focusing on these elements will bring about the bigger picture.\u201d For Sheppard, this mindset is the foundation of his defensive philosophy.<\/p>\n
While his approach to finding defensive talent doesn\u2019t seem vastly different from former defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn\u2019s, Sheppard\u2019s schematic adjustments could make the real difference.<\/p>\n
Sheppard\u2019s coaching journey is rooted in his eight-year NFL career as a linebacker, which concluded with the Lions. He joined Detroit’s coaching staff in 2021 as an outside linebackers coach, was elevated to linebackers coach in 2022, and became defensive coordinator in January.<\/p>\n
The Lions also hired John Morton as the new offensive coordinator to replace Ben Johnson.<\/p>\n
Morton also spoke with Dan Miller of Fox 2 Detroit on Monday, explaining how his prior relationship with quarterback Jared Goff could influence his play-calling.<\/p>\n
“I think it’s huge because everything revolves around the quarterback. Knowing him from when I was here and in the quarterback room gives me a feel for what he likes and doesn\u2019t like. That\u2019s essential for a play-caller. I\u2019ll continue to get to know him and the plays he really prefers when the players return,\u201d Morton shared.<\/p>\n
Morton\u2019s past with Goff is valuable as he steps into his new role as offensive coordinator.<\/p>\n
It will be fascinating to see what offensive changes the Lions implement later this fall.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Detroit Lions are poised to look quite different in the 2025 season. After losing both of their coordinators to head coaching positions elsewhere, fans got their first real glimpse of new defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard in a recent interview. Sheppard discussed his defensive approach during a local radio interview on Monday, emphasizing what traits […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26406,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[378],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26405","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-detroit-lions"],"yoast_head":"\n