Detroit Lions 2015 Profiles: Glover Quin

It’s amazing how simple box score statistics can cause a criminally underrated player to finally receive his due, and Detroit Lions free safety Glover Quin Jr. is an example of this process at work. He’s always been a solid player and was quietly excellent in his first season in Detroit in 2013, and while he did indeed have a better 2014 season, Quin never quite received enough credit for what he did the year before.

After picking off three passes in 2013 to tie a career high, Quin snared seven passes last season for interceptions with 72 tackles and 11 passes defended to his credit. Unquestionably one of the league’s best safeties last season, Quin was a huge part of a Lions pass defense that was one of the best in the league. They allowed just 5.8 net yards per attempt and were third in the league with 20 interceptions, with Quin contributing 35% of those picks on his own.

More from Detroit Lions

Even though Quin has received some praise for his work last season, it still doesn’t seem like enough people realize how valuable he is to the Lions defense. I mean, it’s not like he was an ineffective player with the Houston Texans either, as he had a couple of 14-PD seasons over there both as a cornerback and a safety.

We talk quite a bit about players making the transition from cornerback to safety, but Quin is one of those players who isn’t mentioned in that bracket enough despite being one of the most successful transition stories in the NFL today. Now 29, Quin is an experienced hand at the back end of a secondary, playing a key role in a unit that was the second-best against No. 1 receivers and among the top ten defenses against tight ends and No. 2 receivers.

Darius Slay blossomed in his second season in the league after getting burned frequently and taking lumps as a raw rookie, so there are obviously other members of the Lions secondary that deserve credit. Plus, of course, front seven players like Ndamukong Suh and DeAndre Levy had a huge effect on the pass defense as a whole.

That said, it’s clear that Quin had a profound impact, and it goes beyond the fact that he made plays on his own with those aforementioned seven interceptions. This is a guy who simply did not get beat much at all, as he, per Pro Football Focus, allowed a QB Rating of just 76.5 into his coverage with 11.0 yards per reception allowed.

Quin didn’t surrender many yards after the catch, and you could tell that quarterbacks weren’t willing to challenge him as often near the end of the year. In the team’s final four games, Quin had three outings with no receptions allowed with the other game being a 3-3-34 day for Green Bay Packers unstoppable star Aaron Rodgers.

I don’t think Quin’s uptick in interceptions was a fluke, because that reflected a new role the Lions gave him. He became a centerfielder reading the quarterback and looking to pick off passes, and you have to give Teryl Austin plenty of credit for putting Quin in a position to make such a splash with his picks. Austin saw that Quin has the instincts, range, and ball skills to become a QB’s worst nightmare while patrolling the deeper regions of the field.

Next season, I think we’ll see Quin’s interception totals fall to somewhere around four or five, and that’s simply because I think opposing quarterbacks, aside from the ones like Rodgers who are rightfully extremely confident in their deep ball accuracy, just won’t test him nearly as often. I mean, why would you want to try to beat someone who racked up more picks than anyone else last season. The smart money is on him not repeating last season’s league-lead in interceptions, but his role dictates that the picks should keep on coming.

Of course, Glover Quin isn’t just an interception-machine, as he also has the coverage skills to defend the deep ball effectively from a pure coverage perspective. As a former corner, he knows how to beat receivers, and he, as the numbers show, didn’t really get burned much last year. With just 50 yards after the catch allowed and eight missed tackles, the Lions didn’t have to worry about Quin giving wide receivers anything extra. His 72 tackles help support the notion that he’s comfortable making plays against the run or stopping receivers in the open field.

Sep 21, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions free safety Glover Quin (27) is announced before the game against the Green Bay Packers at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

It will be interesting to see how the Detroit Lions defense fares out without Suh up front, but it’s hard to see their secondary taking a significant step backwards. Guys like Quin and Slay were among the best at their positions last season, and James Ihedigbo, who is currently pining for a deserved raise, has morphed into a good in-the-box safety thanks to Austin.

There are depth questions at corner, but there’s no question in my mind that the Lions have one of the league’s best and most unsung safety duos. Suh and Levy were the big names on defense last season, and it was good to see the fan favorite Quin get some more credit after leading the league in picks.

But in all honesty, people should have caught onto him after his 2013 season, as he allowed no TDs and a QB Rating of 30.7 that year in coverage, per PFF.

Coverage numbers are hard to read into at safety, but when they’re this good, you can’t help but praise the player; Quin is certainly deserving of that praise.

Even though I’m not a fan of the NFL Network’s “Top 100 Players” list, I was ecstatic to see Quin named to the list, and there’s no question he deserves that spot. Under Austin, Quin made the leap from “very good” to “great”, and it will be interesting to see how he follows up his success in 2014.

Next: Lance Moore a solid addition for Lions

More from NFL Spin Zone

Home/Detroit Lions