The leader of the Lions' defense can already feel what the coordinator is talking about. After Aaron Glenn said last month that he now has the pieces to play the sort of "smothering" style he prefers, linebacker Alex Anzalone said Tuesday after the first practice of minicamp, "I know already, playbook-wise, it's changed a little bit."
"Just because of the new faces and who the organization and the staff believe that we have in the backend, we’re able to do a few different things as far as relying on them to just cover their guy," Anzalone said. "That obviously affects linebackers and we can play a little bit more aggressive and not have to help out in zone drop. You can match a little bit more, which is when you make more plays in the pass game."
The Lions could hardly rely on their corners to cover one-on-one last year. It was the biggest reason they allowed the most air yards in the NFL, which was the biggest reason they went out and traded for a No. 1 in Carlton Davis III, signed the versatile Amik Robertson and spent their first two draft picks on Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw.
"It’s huge," said Anzalone, the longest-tenured starter on the Lions' defense. "I think that it was obviously an area of need and they addressed it quickly in free agency, through trade and then even through the draft. Pass defense is one of the most important defensive stats in football, so that’s obviously going to help us going forward."
The Lions didn't just add talent to the cornerbacks room. They added, as Glenn sees it, players who embody the way he played as a Pro Bowl corner, and the way he wants to coach: "It’s no surprise that the new guys we got, they excel in playing man coverage, something that we want to do here on defense, something that we’ve always wanted to do."
Which is to say, something that they really haven't been able to do yet. At least not with any success. When they left their corners on an island last year, the Lions were often burned. They were torched down the stretch and into the playoffs by receivers like Justin Jefferson, CeeDee Lamb, Puka Nacua and Mike Evans, all of whom they'll see again this season. When they do, they'll have the talent on the outside to match up.
That should allow Anzalone and his fellow linebackers to play within the flow of the defense, or, as he put it, to "play a little bit more of just football." Less thinking and blinking, like they're trying to sort out the action. More reacting and attacking, because they can see it all clearly. The result, in Glenn's words, should be a defense with "a challenging mentality."
The defense produced picks galore in Tuesday's practice, including two by linebacker Jack Campbell. One of them came in the end zone during a 7-on-7 red-zone period when Campbell dropped into coverage. The other, in 11-on-11, came after the first-team corners locked down the first-team receivers and the defensive front forced Jared Goff into a pass that was tipped at the line of scrimmage.
"Things come en vogue and out of trend around the league," Anzalone said. "Obviously a lot of teams ran zone the last two years, and AG is definitely an aggressive DC. He's very calculative, he likes to get sticky."
The Lions were already stout against the run last season, allowing the third fewest yards per carry in the NFL. But they allowed the second most yards per pass, which is ultimately what sunk their defense and their Super Bowl dreams. With tighter coverage in the backend this year, they should be able to generate more pressure up front and get the ball back more frequently to their offense.
"Things evolve as a defense grows and players change in and out," Anzalone said.
He and Glenn are the two constants in Detroit. Looking around them in year four, there's no reason it shouldn't be their best defense yet.