Detroit Lions' slow-starting third quarters 'a big deal' to OC Ben Johnson
As good as the Detroit Lions have been offensively in their 3-1 start, they've had trouble moving the ball in the third quarter. And with a home game against the Carolina Panthers on tap Sunday, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said it's time for that to change.
"It’s a big deal," Johnson said. "Because it was a problem last year, so it’s one that we haven’t been able to fix yet. We are certainly aware of it as a coaching staff, the players are aware of it and so it’s something that we’re looking to improve."
The Lions rank eighth in the NFL in total and scoring offense, but have just one offensive touchdown in the third quarters of their first four games. They've gone three-and-out on three of their four second half-opening drives, lost a fumble on the first play of the fourth and have one other third quarter turnover this year.
Penalties have been an issue. The Lions had two holding penalties that wiped out big plays on third quarter drives that ended in punts against the Atlanta Falcons. And run efficiency has put the Lions behind the sticks early in the period. On their four second half-opening drives, the Lions have zero yards rushing on four carries.
Johnson said there are "a number of" things he is doing to try to be better in the third quarter, with the most prominent being simply making sure his offense knows it's an issue.
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"I said this last year when we had a turnover problem early in the season, just the awareness of the problems is the first step to correcting the problem," Johnson said. "So we cleaned up our turnovers the second half of the year and that was part of just drawing their attention to how important that is. Same thing I think as the starting point for this is, 'Hey guys, this isn’t good enough, this is not what we’re capable of.' So as long as they are understanding of what we’re trying to get done I think we’ll see improvement and then there’s some things as a coaching staff we can do a little better as well."
Not really a reunion
Johnson was widely considered the frontrunner for the Panthers head coaching job when it opened after last season, so much so that many around the league expected him to be offered the job if he accepted an in-person interview.
Johnson declined, and on Thursday he declined to elaborate why.
"Let’s just, let’s end that one right there," Johnson said. "I don’t want to talk about that stuff during the season. We talked about it in the offseason, so I don’t mean to be rude there, but I want to keep the focus on our guys and the Panthers right now."
Johnson, 37 and a North Carolina native, is expected to be one of the top coaching candidates again this offseason.
Helping hand
Lions special teams coordinator Dave Fipp said he did not play any part in drawing the late penalty flag on the Green Bay Packers for leaping on a field goal block attempt, but suggested the NFL's replay assistance rule may have helped the Lions.
Packers linebacker Quay Walker was penalized for using a running start to jump over long snapper Scott Daly on the kick attempt. The Lions made the field goal to take a 13-point lead, and both teams were in the process of sending their kickoff teams on the field when officials flagged Walker.
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The Lions accepted the penalty, which nullified the field goal and gave them a first-and-goal at the Green Bay 6-yard line. David Montgomery scored his third touchdown of the game four plays later to give the Lions' an insurmountable three-score lead.
According to NFL rules, replay officials and designated members of the NFL officiating department can proactively "advise on-field crews based on clear and obvious video evidence" for things like penalty enforcement, clock administration and possession of a loose ball.
Players are allowed to leap over the long snapper on a field goal block attempt so long as they do not start from more than 1 yard behind the line of scrimmage.
“I do think, and I don’t know if this is the case on that play, the league has used the replay and the Hawk-Eye system and all that, upstairs, a little bit more than ever before, and at the end of the day for me, that’s really how it should be," Fipp said. "Just get it right. If there was a penalty or a foul that occurred out there, make sure you get it right. And I think it probably helps that you’re on national television and everyone’s watching. They want to make sure they get it right and there’s only one game on at the time, so I don’t know if that had anything to do with it, but if it did I really commend them for getting the call right at the end of the day."
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions' slow-starting third quarters 'big deal' to Ben Johnson
