Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin powers elite defense
By Matt Bosko
Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin has the personnel to allow his scheme to take over on Sundays, and it has the Detroit Lions looking like contenders.
For several seasons now, Detroit Lions fans have been unfairly critical of defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, whose name is annually on the short list for head coaching interviews around the league.
The criticism is largely unjustified.
Fans forget the 2014 season when Austin commanded the league’s top defense en route to an 11-5 finish and a playoff appearance. They also forget that the talent on that defense was loaded with the likes of Ndomukong Suh, a healthy DeAndre Levy, in addition to playmakers Darius Slay, Glover Quin, and Ezekiel Ansah.
In the two seasons that followed, there was an apparent and significant drop-off. Did Austin suddenly forget how to coach?
Absolutely not. The difference is personnel.
Think of it this way – a chef cannot make a gourmet meal without the proper ingredients. They simply make the best of what they have. In his fourth season, Austin has proven that when lacks those ingredients, he can still put together a competitive defense.
When he has all of the ingredients, he can build a truly elite defense.
This season, personnel and scheme have once again come together, and the results could not be more encouraging. The Lions have forced the most turnovers in the NFL (11), and currently rank fourth in points allowed per game (17.5).
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Finding a Way
What is most impressive about those numbers is that the defense is not even fully healthy.
Austin has the defense firing on all cylinders in spite of a slew of recent injuries. Ansah is still not playing at 100 percent. Defensive end Kerry Hyder‘s season ended before it actually began. The linebackers are dropping like flies – Jarrad Davis (neck/concussion) has missed two consecutive games and Paul Worrilow is expected to miss 2-4 weeks due to an MCL sprain.
Last season, the Lions defense went on a streak of holding opponents to 20 points or less in eight consecutive games. Austin was able to somehow improve the defense’s performance during that stretch, in spite of losing several players to injury.
At various times, the Lions played without Levy, Slay and Ansah. Quandre Diggs, currently ranked as the 13th-best cornerback by Pro Football Focus, ended up on injured reserve. Austin was trotting out special teamer Johnson Bademosi and journeyman Asa Jackson as starting corners. Some how, some way, Austin devised game plans each week that kept the Lions competitive.
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The Lions continue to play at a high level, a testament to Austin’s ability to coach all of his players – starters and role players alike – and prepare them to step up on any given Sunday. There is plenty of season left, but if this trend continues, Lions fans may be witnessing Austin’s final year as a coordinator.