The Detroit Lions are looking to rebound on offense since they didn't have the best outing against the Minnesota Vikings last week. Their performance has caught the attention of the fans for sure, but inside that building, there seems to be a disconnect.
Head coach Dan Campbell has pointed out some areas where the offense could improve. At the same time, he and offensive coordinator John Morton stated different opinions on the same topic. Campbell believed the offense didn't handle communication well, but Morton felt the opposite.
And it appears that it has now trickled down to the players. Morton told the media that protection was the biggest fault in the loss in Week 9. Meanwhile, Graham Glasgow and Taylor Decker felt different.
Lions' Offensive Disconnect Must Be Ironed Out
"I think last week was more about scheme stuff that they did than straight-up actual O-line play," Glasgow said on Thursday (h/t @burchie_kid). "They schemed us up pretty good."
Decker then added, "It wasn’t as much as guys just one-on-one, man-to-man getting their ass beat. It was more just being on the same page."
Morton's comments have not been well received online, as he left his players out to dry instead of just taking the blame. But there seems to be an unfortunate common denominator here. And it's Morton steering away from taking fault for what's going on.
There are clearly areas that the offense needs to get better at, but it appears that Morton doesn't feel that way. Instead, he's making it feel like he's pulling the right plugs, and it's the players that aren't executing. There's no doubt that this is a recipe for an unmitigated disaster.
This isn't what the Lions need to be dealing with. It wasn't a good look that the Lions' offense played like that coming out of a bye since they had extra time to prepare for the contest. Instead of sounding like they were going to make the necessary tweaks to get better, there seem to be more unanswered questions.
It's not like the offense has been a problem area the whole season. They are 11th in total offense (350.8) and second in points per game (29.9). The Lions have gone over 30 points in four games this season, but they've hit some times where they don't look as productive as they should.
The Lions need to get better on third down, as they are ranked 25th in the NFL with a 36.3% conversion rate this season. Star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown also added fuel to the fire and said the offense needs to get into a better flow, and if the coaching staff isn't willing to listen to him, all hope might be lost.
There seem to be more people voicing their displeasure in the Motor City, and from the outside looking in, the Lions' offense has more problems than initially feared.