During the offseason, the Detroit Lions went out and signed free agent LB Alex Anzalone to help solidify their defense.
But through the first two games of the season, Anzalone has not only been bad, but he has been REALLY bad. In fact, according to Pro Football Focus, Anzalone is ranked No. 83 out of 85 eligible linebackers in the NFL with a grade of 29.7. This does not come as much of a surprise as teams targeting Anzalone have completed all nine pass attempts to the player he was defending.
All of that being said, on Tuesday, Lions head coach Dan Campbell spoke to reporters and he brought up and praised Anzalone.
From Detroit News:
“I think we’re looking for guys that are going to challenge on the perimeter and we’re looking for guys that are going to rally to the football,” Campbell said Tuesday. “You watch Alex Anzalone, man, I thought he was all over the field last night. Was it perfect? No, but from point A to point B, he was damn near in on every tackle and I think that’s the type of guys we’re looking at.”
“Alex wasn’t perfect, but I thought he was all over the field and made a lot of plays,” Campbell said. “I thought he played with a lot of energy. I think he was spot on with his calls. Look, he’s high effort, he’s smart, he’s kind of what we’re about here. I liked where he was at.”
Yes, Anzalone tries really hard 100% of the time but the tape does not lie and he has been really bad so far in 2021. This makes Campbell’s comments a real head-scratcher.
