As he prepared to coach in the Super Bowl three seasons ago with the Bucs, Larry Foote said the Lions were "making the right moves" by bringing in Brad Holmes, Dan Campbell and a team of proven assistants. Foote knew what he was talking about. As the Lions prepare to face the Buccaneers Sunday in Tampa, they look like one of the best teams in the NFC -- perhaps in the NFL.
Now the co-defensive coordinator of the Bucs, Foote said he sees "a lot of talent" when he sizes up the leaders in the NFC North.
"I saw it a couple years ago, just from top to bottom, with the scouts, the GM and the coaches they were hiring, I knew they were going to get this thing turned around," Foote said Wednesday on 97.1 The Ticket. "But you see a lot of talent, a lot of talent. You see backups that would be starters on other teams, and that’s what you want. When you have that, you’re going to have good results."
Foote is right. Even some of Detroit's former starters are now backups. Safety Tracy Walker started the season on the bench, mostly because rookie Brian Branch had forced his way onto the field. Linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez, a 15-game starter last season, has become primarily a special teams player, replaced in the middle of the defense by Derrick Barnes. Defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs, a 13-game starter last season, wasn't even active in Week 1 and has moved into a rotational role. Defensive end Romeo Okwara has a 10-sack season coming off the bench.
In other words, depth. All of those players have helped fuel a defense that ranks sixth in the NFL (and third against the run), a year after it finished last.
"Listen, you earn your right," defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said Thursday. "I’ve been saying that since ’21 when I first got here, and that’s not going to change. There’re no free rides on this defense. It doesn’t matter if you’re a first pick, last pick, practice squad. Every time you're out there on the grass, you’re earning the right to go out there and play with the other men."
There was no better testament to the Lions' depth than their Week 5 win over the Panthers. Without their No. 1 receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, the No. 12 pick in running back Jahmyr Gibbs and two of their top defensive backs in Branch and C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who's been out since Week 3, the Lions jumped ahead of the winless Panthers and never looked back in a 42-24 win.
Campbell said that being able to win in the face of attrition was "something we talked about" after the Lions went 3-13-1 with an already-undermanned roster in 2021.
"It was, we have to assume we’re going to lose a significant amount of our starters every year. That’s the assumption, and now what do we do with the guys that we have on this roster and how do we utilize them and still have enough to produce against the opponent? Look, we’re doing a good job of that. These guys who are being asked to step up are making plays for us. We’re not getting any drop-off," Campbell said.
Where Branch has been the Lions' instant-impact rookie on defense, it's been Sam LaPorta on offense. He leads NFL tight ends in yards through five games and already looks like one of Jared Goff's favorite targets. He's also been the blocker that Holmes said he was after drafting him No. 34 overall. Foote and the Bucs' defense will have a keen eye on LaPorta on Sunday.
"He looks like the Gronks, the Kelces, those guys," said Foote. "We were joking about Iowa, every year they’re producing one of these tight ends. But he looks special. He looks like he’s going to be one of the top tight ends in the near future."
Speaking of Iowa products, Foote also had high praise for Jack Campbell. Foote, a Detroit native and former All-American linebacker at Michigan, said Campbell was his No. 1 tight end in this year's draft.
"He’s a pro. I remember I sat down with him in my office for a couple hours and you could tell he loves ball," said Foote. "It’s not often you get a guy that size who can move like a little guy, so he can cover a lot of ground. He's doing a great job for them in zone. Just a young guy, still gotta learn, but they got good linebackers, they got a lot depth. I liked the Rodriguez kid the year before."
Foote played for 15 years in the NFL with the Steelers, Cardinals and Lions. While his loyalties these days obviously lie with the Bucs, where he's been a coach for five seasons, he's happy for his hometown to finally have a winning football team. And he expects Lions fans, who have already descended upon Arrowhead and Lambeau this season, to make themselves heard Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.
"I remember a few years back when I was coaching and playing in Arizona, they took over out there in Arizona," Foote said. "I’m happy for the city and the excitement that it brings."