LIONS DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR AARON GLENN QUOTE SHEET

September 5, 2024

Opening Statement: “There’s no better way to open up a season for us, being on national TV and playing against an opponent and a head coach that I highly, highly respect and just see exactly how they reinvented themselves the way that they play the game and to really see us as a team – where we’re at and how we match up against this team. So, this is going to be exciting to play against this team.”

On his expectations for Lions DL Aidan Hutchinson and Lions DL Alim McNeill given their continued growth: “My expectation’s just like you just said – every year I expect those guys to get better. Listen, Hutch has had a tremendous offseason. He had a tremendous training camp, and now he’s at that point that he needs to set his sights at being, if not being the best player defensively in this League, to one of the best players – which he is, but now it’s time to look at himself as the best player. When it comes to Mac, he was growing at a rapid pace last year until he got the injury when he was out for like four games and whatnot, and then he came back and played I think the Minnesota game for a couple of reps and then he played in this game in the playoffs, and you saw those flashes of him being a dominant player. So I look at him the same way I look at Hutch, I expect him to be a dominant player this season.”

On the challenge that awaits Lions CB Terrion Arnold this week and his expectations for him from the perspective of a former cornerback: “My expectations for him is to be a damn good player in this defense because it fits who he is. And as a corner, things happen in this League, and I will tell you this, that’s probably one of his better traits is he can move on to the next play – and I’m talking good or bad. The one part in training camp that really stuck out – a situation happened with – I think it was him and (Lions CB Carlton Davis III) CD, Carlton, and he was the first one, as a young player, to say, ‘Hey man, let’s forget about that. Let’s go on to the next one.’ When I heard that, that let me know everything about who he was. Good or bad, he’s ready to move on to the next play and that’s a really good trait for a corner.”

On what he needs to accomplish in the next couple days with the secondary to get them ready for the game: “Just get those guys as many reps as you can and then try to put them, especially in our walkthroughs, as many difficult situations as you can because the communication part is the part they’ve got to get down. Listen, we have great vets as far as – when I say vets you’re taking about (Lions S) Kerby (Joseph) and – (Lions DB Brian) Branch, he’s a vet now, so he has to understand that he has to be a leader in that backend also. And then with (Lions CB Carlton Davis III) CD coming from a Super Bowl team in Tampa, I expect these guys to communicate at a high level. Listen, are there going to be some ups and downs? Absolutely, but that’s the NFL. But the thing is, those guys have been working their ass off to be the best communicators they can be.”

On the challenge of facing the Rams’ passing game: “Well obviously the two receivers are pretty damn good, (Rams WR) Puka (Nacua) and (Rams WR Cooper) Kupp. And then their other skill positions are pretty good. I think their running back’s a hell of a player, obviously we know the one that was drafted from Michigan, he’s going to be a good player, but the way that they challenge you with all the pre-snap movements and then they get to a simple play, I think he’s the epitome of, ‘Man, listen, make everything look complex, but we’re just doing simple plays.’ And I think that’s great for an offense, and he does that. So the thing that we’ve got to be good with is, ‘Don’t get caught up in all the eye candy, understand exactly who they are and how they run their plays and go make those plays.’”

On how the fact that he has seen the Rams’ downhill running game help him for Week 1: “Well, the thing is, we’ve got to be good in that downhill running game, and that’s what we’re good at, so we expect to be good at that this year too. So, we’re not afraid of that.”

On what further development he has seen from Lions LB Jack Campbell during training camp: “Leadership skills for the most part, especially as a MIKE backer. And I’ve talked to Jack on a number of occasions about that because being a leader is not just being vocal, being a leader is about how you influence everybody, and that’s the one thing that he’s doing a better job of, and I’m not just talking about in practice, I’m talking about in walkthroughs, in meetings, in games. How are you operating? That’s what leadership is. How are you influencing everybody on this defense? And he does a good job with that.”

On how much Lions DL Marcus Davenport help other players around him with his ability to push the pocket and set the edge in the run game: “Listen, this man fits exactly who we want to be on defense, especially playing outside of (Lions DL Aidan Hutchinson) Hutch. He’s a violent, he’s a physical, he’s an athletic big man that plays the game the right way. So, you’re absolutely right – if you’ve got a guy like that that can bull rush and that can condense the pocket, that allows Hutch and other guys to go to work, and we expect that.”

On how he feels that Lions DB Brian Branch has done in his transition to safety: “Well, he’s always been a safety, you guys just haven’t seen much safety a lot. He’s been getting those reps in practice quite a bit, even last year. The thing is, we just needed him at that spot, and he did a really good job at the nickel spot. And that doesn’t mean that he’s not going to play nickel, so I want to get that out of everybody’s head right now. He’s going to play safety, he’s going to play nickel, he’s going to play dime, so he’s going to be all over the place and the reason why we’re doing that is because he’s a damn good player, so we’re going to put him in position to make plays. But I would say this, you’re talking about meeting room, you’re talking about practice, you’re talking about a man that’s upped his communication, that upped his leadership skills as far as influencing guys, he’s done that and he’s done it at a high rate, in my opinion.”

On why Lions DB Brian Branch is more valuable to him at multiple positions rather than just playing him at one position: “Because he can do so much and when you have an instinctive player like him, you want to allow him to be able to move around. And he’s a smart player, so he can play in the box at the nickel and be able to make plays down low. He can play deep safety and be able to intercept balls. If you watched him at Alabama, he’s done that, he did that quite a bit. You watch him at our practice he did that quite a bit. He’s made a good amount of plays in the backend that you want to see from that player. And the thing is, we know that he can do it, so we’re going to put him in those positions to be able to do that.”

On if not letting the opposing offense know where Lions DB Brian Branch will play factors into playing him at many positions: “Well, that’s with everybody, even with (Lions S Ifeatu Melifonwu) Iffy. Iffy’s going to play some nickel, he’s going to play down in the box, he’s going to play deep safety. And we try to do that with guys that can handle that. And we have guys that can handle those roles.”

On if he feels that the secondary has improved with the new additions: “Well, I would say this, they haven’t played together a lot. I think we’ve just got damn good players and when you have players like that it’s up to us as coaches to make sure we put them in positions and coach them to communicate at a high level. So I’m excited about the guys that we have. I’m excited about our linebackers, I’m excited about our front. I expect us to be a damn good defense, and the guys expect that too.”

On where he has seen Lions DL Josh Paschal grow coming into his third year: “When you watch him in the preseason, I think the one thing that stands out about him is he’s starting to understand exactly who he is and how he has to play to be successful. And (Lions Run Game Coordinator/Defensive Line Coach Terrell Williams) T has done a really good job of helping him understand that. You see the power, he’s a big man that can play on the edge. You see the power in that aspect of him being able to collapse the pocket. You see the quickness when he’s playing inside, to be able to win those one-on-one situations. Does he still have room to grow? Yes, he does, but that’s what we’ve got T for, to be able to help unlock those things that’s in him. So he has done a really good job. We have other guys, (Lions LB Derrick) Barnes, (Lions LB Malcolm Rodriguez) Rodrigo, all these backup guys that we have that we’re going to try to put in special situations, those guys are really growing, and we have some depth now with out defense and we look forward to playing those guys.”

On where Lions S Kerby Joseph has room to grow and his expectations for him: “The same that I have with (Lions DB Brian) Branch because when you have two young safeties, they have to be on the same page. And he’s been a starter for us quite a bit so the one thing that we do know that he can do, he can go get the ball and he’s going to continue to do that. But now it’s the other things that he has to do a good job of. Sometimes he needs to be down and play man coverage in the slot, sometimes he needs to play zone in the low part of field. So those are things that he’s been working on this whole offseason and in training camp and he’s done a good job of that.”

On his thoughts on Lions WR Jameson Williams’ offseason and how he has been developing: “Listen, iron sharpens iron in this business, so the guys that we have that’s corners going against Jamo, I think it makes both guys better. So I expect Jamo to do what Jamo do, and that’s run past people and make plays in the deep part of the field. Listen, I’m a huge fan of that player. Me and him have a really good relationship and I try to push him just as much as I push anybody else because he has the talent to be able to do it. So, I look forward to watching him operate this whole season.”

On what excites him the most about the possibility of getting Lions DL DJ Reader back soon: “I would say this, he’s a man’s man and when you talk about leadership, he’s the epitome of leadership. He’s a guy that’s able to open up lanes for linebackers because it’s going to take two to stop that man. And he’s sneaky athletic, he’s sneaky athletic as far as pass rushers are concerned. So he’s worked his butt off to get to where he needs to get to be a part of this defense and it’s just a joy to watch him in walkthroughs, it’s a joy to watch him in meetings to see how he operates because he’s a true pro and I’m excited to have that player.”