The Detroit Lions must be aware of Washington Commanders rookie cornerback Mike Sainristil when they are on offense in Saturday’s Divisional Round contest.
Detroit is familiar with Sainristil, who visited with the team during the pre-draft process. Though he was selected in the second round by the Commanders, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson remembers the Michigan product leaving a strong impression.
Most notably, Johnson recalled all the Michigan players who visited the team, stating that if they had to choose one teammate to bring with them it would be Sainristil.
“Every single one of those players said that they would bring him along,” Johnson said. “Every single player said that he was the one player from Michigan that they would bring along. To me, that spoke volumes because it’s rare that you you see all these same guys from the same school, and they say the same person. It’s normally the cliques you hang out with.”
Sainristil has made a big impact on the field as a rookie. He has two interceptions, along with 93 total tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
“I see a guy on tape that fits their defense in a nutshell, same thing we’ve been talking about,” Johnson said. “They’re flying around reckless, almost borderline reckless, but calculated, and he fits that mold for them perfectly. He’s always around the ball, not afraid to tackle. Been really impressive for the year.”
Fellow rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold is also a big fan of Sainristil’s game.
“Me and Mikey, I give credit to where credit is due,” Arnold said of the Washington defensive back. “I think Mikey, he’s a very talented player, for this to be his first year. He’s made plays. He’s going to continue to just keep evolving. So, yeah, Mikey’s a good player.”
The Lions will also be facing a special teamer that spent time with them in the past. Kicker Zane Gonzalez, who nailed the game-winning kick to send his team to the Divisional Round, spent a month with the organization in 2021.
Why Fipp doesn’t want to be head coach
While fellow coordinators Johnson and Aaron Glenn have taken several head coaching interviews, Lions special teams coordinator Dave Fipp has not seen the same interest materialize.
This lack of attention is not an indictment on Fipp. Rather, the coordinator has expressed that he does not have the same desire to be a head coach that he did in his earlier days of being a coordinator.
Leading the team’s special teams units offers him the opportunity to build connections with every player on the roster, as players from both defense and offense help build out his respective units within the game. As a result, he can create meaningful relationships with players in all positions.
Those relationships are what Fipp values most, and he doesn’t see that element changing.
“The thing that I love the most is working with the players. I love the meeting room, it’s my favorite place in the building, the meeting room when it’s full of players,” Fipp said. “I get to coach every player on the team. I get to be involved with a lot of different aspects of the game — offense, defense, offensive plays, defensive plays, offensive players, defensive players. I really can’t imagine not having that, to be honest with you. It’s my passion. My goal is to keep my job. I mean that. These jobs are hard to get. I feel very fortunate to have the one that I have. It gives me a ton of fulfillment, and there’s really nothing else that I’m looking for.”
Fipp admitted that there are elements of being a head coach that he does not find appealing. Rather, he values the time spent in meetings and on the field with players, and watching them fulfill their potential while helping them to get to those points.
“I don’t want to deal with all the stuff that the head coach has to deal with on a daily basis, because that would be probably my least favorite side of the game of football at this level,” Fipp said. “That’s really it for me. I mean, if somebody said, ‘Hey, man, you have to do this for me,’ and there’s somebody I knew really well, I don’t know, maybe. But, other than that, there’s no way. So, I don’t see it happening, obviously.
“But, I love what I do, I love the players, I love being around those guys,” Fipp continued. “I love teaching football and coaching football and being in the meeting room with them and on the field with them. Watching guys improve, watching guys reach their goals and dreams and achieve things that they might not have thought possible at one point, and helping them get there along the way.”
Jeff Daniels sings about curse of Bobby Layne on ‘The Tonight Show’
The Lions’ drought without a championship can be tied back to a superstition involving former quarterback Bobby Layne. When Layne was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1958, he remarked that the Lions would not win for 50 years.
Popular actor Jeff Daniels, who appeared on “The Tonight Show” hosted by Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday, filmed an episode of ‘Peyton’s Places’ with Peyton Manning in which the two attempted to break the curse.
During his conversation with Fallon, Daniels sang a song he wrote about the curse, in which he references the show he did with Manning.
Lions’ coaching staff knows ‘how to build a winner’
Aaron Glenn has been with the Lions since the start of the Dan Campbell era, and as a result, has endured all the ups and downs that the team has faced.
As Glenn goes through the interview process with hopes of getting a head coaching job of his own, he shared what dealing with these highs and lows has taught him over the course of his coaching career.
“I go back to ’21 and going into this year, because we started as we all know, 3-13-1, and then the following year, we go 1-6,” Glenn said. “But, the thing that I can remember, that sticks to me is, our head coach, our coordinator, our coaches, we never wavered from the things that we believed in. I think that’s a strong statement. When you stand in front of a group of men, saying, ‘This is how you have to win. And we believe that you win this way.’ And, those guys believed it, too. And then once our owner had an interview, and she backed everybody, all the coaches, that we have a formula to win, and it’s this close. And from then on, I think we went 8-2, into now.
“So, here’s what it taught me: We know as a staff, how to build a winner, and now we know, as a staff, how to sustain winning. So, we want to continue to do that, you know, as long as we’re all here. So, to answer your question, build it from the beginning and sustain it from there on out.”
This article was produced by the staff at Detroit Lions On SI. For more, visit si.com/nfl/lions
In a recent article by the Macomb Daily, Sainristil’s impressive performance during spring practices was highlighted. With his speed, agility, and ability to make big plays, Sainristil has shown that he has the potential to be a game-changer for the Lions.
Not only does Sainristil possess the physical tools to succeed in the NFL, but he also has the drive and determination to make an impact. His work ethic and commitment to improving his game make him a valuable asset for any team, including the Lions.
As the Lions continue to rebuild and reshape their roster, Sainristil could be the missing piece they need to take their offense to the next level. Keep an eye on this rising star, Lions fans – he’s ready to make a name for himself in Detroit.
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