| Detroit Free Press
Matthew Stafford through the years: Time as Detroit Lions and Georgia quarterback
A look at Matthew Stafford through the years as the Detroit Lions quarterback.
Tyler J. Davis, Wochit
Dan Campbell’s coaching staff is falling into place.
Los Angeles Rams secondary coach Aubrey Pleasant is joining the Detroit Lions as defensive backs coach/passing game coordinator, NFL Network reported Monday.
Pleasant, a Flint native, starred at Flint Montrose and Wisconsin before joining the coaching ranks. He spent two seasons working with defensive backs at Michigan before jumping to the NFL in 2013.
With the Rams, Pleasant coached cornerbacks for four seasons and helped make L.A.’s secondary one of the best in the NFL.
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The Rams led the NFL in pass defense (190.7 yards per game), total defense (281.9 yards per game) and scoring defense (18.5 points per game) and had 14 interceptions this year.
Along with Pleasant, Campbell has hired his one-time Dallas Cowboys teammate, Aaron Glenn, at defensive coordinator, added Anthony Lynn as offensive coordinator and retained Hank Fraley as offensive line coach.
The Lions reportedly are hiring Duce Staley as running backs coach, and are expected to add Dave Fipp as special teams coordinator and Mike Clark as strength and conditioning coach.
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Fipp and Campbell coached together with the Miami Dolphins, Clark was Campbell’s strength coach at Texas A&M, and Glenn, Lynn, Fraley and Staley all played in the NFL.
Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp said last week that she viewed it as “definitely a positive, positive factor” that Campbell had experience as an NFL player.
“I think players will respect what he’s saying because they know that he’s been there, and he’s done it,” she said.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.