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Detroit Lions DBs blame themselves for Aubrey Pleasant firing: 'I feel like it was our fault'
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- Detroit Lions DBs blame themselves for Aubrey Pleasant firing: 'I feel like it was our fault'
Two starters in the Detroit Lions secondary said they were caught off guard by Dan Campbell's decision to move on from defensive pass game coordinator Aubrey Pleasant this week and blame themselves for their coach's firing.
"Me personally, I feel like it was our fault he got fired," Lions safety DeShon Elliott told the Free Press. "Obviously, we're 1-6, we haven't been the best defense, we haven't been the best secondary this year and it sucks to see him go but maybe that will start the fire on some guys where like, 'Whoa, it's time to get going, bro.' Cause being where we are right now is not cool. I don't appreciate that. Hopefully guys in the locker room don't appreciate that. It really pisses me off that we're 1-6 and we're considered one of the worst secondaries in the league."
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Campbell fired Pleasant on Monday , one day after the Lions allowed 382 yards passing in a 31-27 loss to the Miami Dolphins .
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Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle topped 100 yards receiving in the game, and the secondary failed to execute a game plan that called for them to disrupt the Dolphins receivers at the line of scrimmage.
"It's obviously tough cause I think Coach Pleasant, we have a lot of goals," cornerback Jeff Okudah said. "Kind of puts you in a confusing place a little bit because I feel like I'm playing pretty well but your DB coach gets fired so kind of got to look in the mirror and ask yourself what more could I have done to help that man save his job."
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Okudah and Pleasant had a sideline spat in the Lions' Week 1 loss to the San Francisco 49ers last year, before Okudah tore his Achilles tendon and was lost for the season.
But Okudah said his relationship with Pleasant was "definitely tight" and credited his now ex-position coach for some of the improvements he made this year.
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"Coach Pleasant taught me a lot of things, especially after my rookie year, how it ended," he said. "Taught me a lot of things that I've been able to translate to the NFL game. Kind of he was that bridge between what I was kind of missing in the NFL and what I need to know, so I think the lessons that he taught me over the past two years have been invaluable and I have the utmost appreciation for the role he played in my time here."
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The Lions rank last in the NFL in points and yards allowed per game and have one of the lowest interception rates in the league.
Campbell said he hoped a change in messenger would lead to better execution in the secondary.
Safeties coach Brian Duker, who Elliott called "a super computer mentally," will take over Pleasant's role as defensive pass game coordinator.
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"A.P.'s a fantastic coach," Elliott said. "He will have a job in this league, obviously, it's just I guess somebody had to go down. It's a business. Part of the business. So it sucks but God bless him and his family. Hopefully he'll find another job soon."
Detroit Lions running back D'Andre Swift (32) walks off the field after the Lions lost, 31-27, to the Miami Dolphins at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022.
Swift sits out practice
Running back D'Andre Swift did not practice Wednesday, but Campbell said Swift "feels better now" than he did when he returned to action from shoulder and ankle injuries last week.
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[ Jason Cabinda returns to Lions practice, could help replace T.J. Hockenson at TE ]
Swift played 33 offensive snaps and had 10 touches against the Dolphins after missing the previous three games.
"I think you'll see him working through the week and I think he's going to be better," Campbell said.
Defensive end Charles Harris returned to practice on a limited basis after missing three games with a groin injury, and Elliott returned to practice after missing the Dolphins game with a broken finger that needs to be splinted for another four weeks.
Penei Sewell (personal reasons), Matt Nelson (calf), Brock Wright (concussion protocol), AJ Parker (hip), Ifeatu Melifonwu (ankle) and Chase Lucas (ankle) did not practice for the Lions.
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Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com . Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions DBs blame themselves for Aubrey Pleasant firing
