The Detroit Lions have struggled on the defensive side of the ball, and while Dan Campbell declined to make any changes at defensive coordinator, that doesn’t mean he’s happy with the results.
During his press conference this week, Campbell made it clear that the team is “not going to accept mediocrity” as he teased some potential lineup changes.
‘We’re not going to accept mediocrity’
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The Detroit defense has allowed at least 24 points and 355 yards in each of their four games. And while Campbell did not walk to talk about the possibility of firing Kelvin Sheppard after Sunday’s loss, he still thinks things need to be better.
“We’re going to give some other guys an opportunity, and go, man. But we’re not going to accept mediocrity. That’s not what we’re doing here,” Campbell said during an appearance on [97.1 The Ticket](https://www.audacy.com/971theticket/sports/detroit-lions/dan-campbell-kelvin-sheppard). “We’ve got too many guys playing at a high level, and we’re going to raise the floor on this team.”
Offense needs to improve, too
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The Detroit offense ranks fifth in the league in points per game, but Campbell said that the offense needs to be better, too. He called the team “average” across the board on both sides of the ball.
“Man, if you want to be great, they should want to score 35 points a game, at a minimum,” Campbell said. “That’s what greatness is. That’s what they’re charged with. We’ve got plenty of weapons on offense and if we’re gonna accept mediocrity, then yeah, we can make all the excuses in the world. If we want to spit and sputter and be average, that’s one thing. We’re not going to be average. We’re going to raise the floor on these guys, man. We’re going to push ‘em. We’ve got too much offensively right now. Our quarterback’s too good, our playmakers are too good, and we’ve got a young, hungry offensive line that’s got a ton of room to grow.”
We’ll have to see how the Lions respond to this challenge from their coach.