Players Praise Teryl Austin, Appreciate Openness To Player Input In Game Plans
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
ALLEN PARK (CBS DETROIT) – Ask Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin why the Lions defense has enjoyed so much success four games into the season, and Austin will smile and speak to the talent of the players.
Lions head coach Jim Caldwell agreed with that sentiment, but Caldwell also commended Austin, who is in his first season as an NFL coordinator.
"It's always been a player's game, but yet they have to have someone to provide framework for them in terms of scheme that can look at what they can do from a technique and fundamental standpoint and put them in the right place at the right time, and Teryl has been able to do that," Caldwell said. "He's always had an real unusual knack for that. I could see it even back in 1993. He actually went with me to Wake Forest when we left Penn State. He was there as a graduate assistant while I was assistant coach there. You could tell he was quite a mature individual in terms of football knowledge for his age.
"When I met with him again in a work environment was at Baltimore, and it didn't take very long to see that he still had great passion for the game, but also his knowledge of the game, his breadth of it is broad and wide, and he has just a great knack of communicating, I think, as well," Caldwell added. "He's a hard-nosed guy with a great temperament for defensive football, I think, and he's doing a nice job."
The Lions have won three of their first four games. Their defense ranks first in the NFL in yards per game (267.3), fourth in points per game (15.5), third in tackles (303), third in sacks (7) and fourth in forced fumbles (5).
Detroit has had talented players, but Austin is new.
"He deserves a lot of credit," safety James Ihedigbo said, "in terms of his preparation and the pressure that he puts on us. We put pressure on ourselves as players to execute, but there's a level and an attitude that you have to play in this defense, and he does a great job of expressing that to us, what's needed to be successful."
Ihedigbo, who played for the Baltimore Ravens when Caldwell and Austin both coached there, said he always figured Austin would eventually be in a coordinator role.
"Without a doubt, just from his knowledge of the game, how savvy he is," Ihedigbo. "He does a great job of putting our defensive packages together and putting guys in great positions to make plays and really understanding his personnel and what guys do well."
Safety Glover Quin also spoke highly of Austin, praising his intelligence and game planning.
"They do a great job of, as we call it, loading up our toolbox, giving us a bunch of options for different things, and on Sundays, they let the players play," Quin said, "because sometimes you're like, 'Hey, we're going to do this,' but then sometimes in the game it just looks a little different, and you may make a different call just based on what you see, what you feel, and they give you that flexibility.
"You're not just locked in to 'I have to do this, I have to do that,'" Quin continued. "It's more so, 'Okay, I know what I'm doing, but you know what, this is the situation, this is what they're doing to us, this is something that we can do to combat what they're doing, and I feel comfortable making this call because I know my coach is going to back me up.'"
While Austin and other coaches work to devise the game plan, Quin said the coaches take suggestions from players, too.
"They don't treat us like they're the end-all, be-all, greatest-of-all, whatever," Quin said. "They're open to, 'Hey, man, you guys are the players, and if you're seeing stuff and feel like, 'Hey, let's talk about it,' and we can talk about it, and we can go through and say, 'Okay, we can do this,' and 'You know what, eh, might not be a great idea. Scratch it.'' ... They're open to that.
"I think that's what creates the great environment, the family environment, because you feel like you can talk to them without feeling embarrassed or scared to say something," Quin added.
With coaches willing to discuss the game plan, answer questions and take suggestions, players have incentive to watch film in a different way, knowing notes they make could add to the game plan or could deepen their understanding of why another strategy could be more effective.
"That stuff right there keeps the players engaged as well because when you're sitting there knowing, 'Okay, all I can do is this,' well, whatever," Quin said, "but when you sit there and say, 'Okay, I'm going to watch the film and see what they're doing, and I may have an idea of something that we can do that the coaches maybe didn't think of ... '
"They're open to us coming to them with ideas because that makes you look at the film in a different way," Quin added. "It makes you look at the film to figure out what can you do to combat what they're doing, and it works."
