Detroit Lions Mailbag: Is John Morton going to get another shot at calling plays this year?
Answering a bunch of Lions questions ahead of big matchup with Eagles
This is a very big week for the Detroit Lions. So naturally, there are some big questions. Let’s answer them.
Is John Morton going to get another chance to call plays this year? Or will the Lions move on?
Right now, I’m leaning towards the latter. I think Campbell will call plays for a while. I don’t know if it’s forever, but I think it’s something he’ll do until he feels safe giving it to someone who will do exactly what he wants.
With that said, he sounds like a guy who isn’t completely slamming the door on Morton. Some of the things he’s said imply that if Morton can learn on the job and reach the level of Ben Johnson, where Campbell felt he didn’t have to say a word to him, he just knew, then maybe Morton will get that chance. I just don’t know how you do that with eight weeks left in the season.
As for moving on from Morton, that’s the real question to ponder. Part of me thinks Campbell will continue to be the play-caller next year and keep Morton involved in this collaborative effort that Campbell keeps talking about, while the other half of me says they have to move on. I wish I had a better answer on this part. Right now, it’s a we’ll see.
Is the Lions’ defense bad in the red zone?
It’s true. The Lions are 27th in red zone percentage right now. They’ve allowed 20 red zone touchdowns on 30 attempts. There have been only 10 times this season that they didn’t allow a touchdown in the red zone. That is not great at all.
But there are two silver linings, and the first one is that pretty much everyone is getting scored on in the red zone. Twenty is a lot, but that’s still 13th in the league. Additionally, it’s worth noting that they rank 17th in the league in allowing teams to reach the red zone. That’s an improvement from last season when they were 18th. Not a stark improvement, but an improvement nonetheless. They could definitely still be better, though.
Is the Lions’ defensive line a concern against the Eagles?
This will be a tough outing for sure. This is a good offensive line that the Lions are going up against. But it’s worth noting that Jalen Hurts has been sacked 25 times this year, and that’s tied for sixth in the league. What’s even more notable is that a lot of the sacks that he gets are credited to him and not his offensive line.
That tells you that Hurts is a little susceptible to doing too much out there and getting chased down, which is good for Aidan Hutchinson and company.
Bottom line, though, they have to be better than they were against the Commanders. They must get pressure, and they have to stop Saquon Barkley from taking over this game. When the Eagles are one-dimensional, they struggle.
Who is quietly having an incredible season?
If Terrion Arnold can stay on the field, this guy is just having a crazy good season right now, and I think that so many people are just locked onto how he played in the first two weeks that they aren’t even noticing how good he’s been since.
Since Week 2, he’s allowed a combined 11 receptions for 147 yards and no touchdowns. He’s allowing a passer rating of 52.7. That’s fourth in the NFL over that time. These are Pro Bowl-caliber numbers. But with the frequency illusion from the first couple of weeks and the injuries, I don’t think anyone has really noticed.
What injured players could be making their returns against the Eagles?
We could see a couple of returns in this one. You hope the Lions get Kerby Joseph back, but we’ll see what happens on Wednesday and if he returns to practice. Aside from him, this should be Malcolm Rodriguez’s first game back.
It’s a little too early for Josh Paschal and Miles Frazier. They need to get into football shape for a few weeks since they both missed training camp. My guess is that it might be Thanksgiving.
A smorgasbord of questions
Everyone thinks I’m insane, but I see the Lions targeting a quarterback in the first round of this draft. It’s a good quarterback draft, and the Lions have the opportunity to get a guy and store him for a few years. They’ve been everywhere with a great quarterback this season, and scouted some guys that would be great to have in Detroit.
That’s completely up to Decker, but if I were him, this would be it for me. I’ve been hurt a lot this season, and I’ve accomplished some really great things with this team. If the Lions win it all, I’d ride off into the sunset. If they don’t, I’d be thinking about what Frank Ragnow is doing right now, and I’d be a little jealous of the pain he’s not feeling. That’s me, though.
In my opinion, the best burger in Detroit is at Grey Ghost, right off Woodward. Man, I dream of that thing. It is a bit costly as it’s $20 just for the burger and $10 for the fries, but it’s so worth it. Get it with the bacon and egg on it.
Detroit Lions News
Dan Campbell explains why the Lions didn’t play Tyleik Williams a lot against the Vikings and Commanders
That explains a lot
