McNeill on defensive line’s identity: ‘We want to be feared’
Head coach Dan Campbell and his coaching staff came into the Meijer Performance Center early Monday morning to evaluate the game tape from their 26-20 overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams Sunday night and to go over it with the players before they move on to their Week 2 opponent, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
There’s a lot to clean up, but one of the most impressive parts of the tape for Campbell was watching his defensive line make their 2024 debut and make their presence felt all night long.
“And as far as the D-line in general, yeah, those guys, just about every one of them had a winning performance up front,” Campbell said. “I thought they played big, I thought they played physical, and we feel like we have a good defensive line.
“Just since spring and training camp and seeing where we’re at, we just – it’s the right mix, it’s the right balance of length, power, size, aggression, and that’s just game one. We’ve got so much room to grow in there, too. That’s what’s exciting.”
Detroit’s defense held the Rams to 3.6 yards per carry in the run game and hit Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford 12 times. Marcus Davenport was making his Lions debut and finished with a half sack and four quarterback hits.
“He’s physical, he’s a presence out there,” defensive lineman Alim McNeill said Monday of his new teammate. “That’s just who he is and how he plays. Every time I’m on the field I can hear him hitting somebody. He’s real physical and he’s going to get off that edge when he wants to.”
Levi Onwuzurike made an impact with a sack after he had the best training camp of his tenure, finally over a back injury that nearly cost him his career.
