Descriptions:
Watch on YouTube
Detroit Lions Podcast: D-Line Coaching, 9-8 and A No-Show
The Detroit Lions finished 9-8 in the NFL. Some numbers say the defensive line produced. The eye test said it faded. That split defined the season. The Detroit Lions Podcast pulled the unit apart and focused on the coaching, the usage, and a front that never settled.
Defensive Line Under the MicroscopeCasey Rogers drew the heat. The talk centered on his work as defensive line coach and whether a change would make this the fourth line coach in as many years. It does not sound like he is going anywhere. There is a lot of talent in the room. Talent was developed well. Yet the group swung from peaks to valleys. There were great games. There were really bad games. Expectations were high. The results were not.
The gap between the roster and the output raised a simple football point. If the line drives the defense, the defense goes as the line goes. When the front vanished, the whole operation sagged. That felt like the core reason for the team’s lack of performance.
The Alim McNeil QuestionUsage sat at the center of the critique. Did the staff ask too much of Alim McNeil? He returned and played great in his first game back. After that, he was not very good. That swing mattered. It hinted at a workload issue and a plan that put too many snaps and too much weight on one interior anchor. The players looked capable. The deployment did not always match their strengths. That falls on the position coach.
Stats vs Feeling, 9-8, and the Missing FrontThe data teased promise. The Lions ranked fifth in certain stats, including pressures in some cuts. On paper, the rush showed up. In real time, it often felt like the line did not exist. That whiplash defined Sundays. The club finished 9-8. As the discussion noted, that record would have won the South. The math says the front created heat. The film-room feel says it did not affect games enough.
This looked about as good as you can get for a line built on talent and development. It did not pan out. The conclusion was narrow and sharp. Good players were not utilized all that well, and the inconsistency traced back to coaching. If the Lions want the defense to set the tone, the line needs a coherent plan that turns pressures into impact, every week, not just on the stat sheet.
🔵 Detroit Lions Podcast – Your source for Detroit Lions analysis, news, and discussion.
📺 Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@DetroitLionsPodcast
🎧 Listen on your favorite podcast platform
📱 Follow us on X: @DetLionsPodcast
#DetroitLions #Lions #NFL #Football #Podcast #Shorts
