Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch, fresh off a fine for improper helmet use against Packers tight end Tucker Kraft, lasted barely a week before a brutal helmet-to-helmet collision with his own teammate, DJ Wonnum, knocked both out of the game with concussions. It’s a gut punch for any team, especially when one of your key defenders is sidelined right after coming back.
Collision Course: Branch’s Pattern of Hits
This isn’t just a one-off thing. Branch has a history of these violent collisions. He has been fined six times for impermissible use of his helmet, with two of those for hits on a defenseless receiver. Back in 2024, he was even ejected from a game against the Packers after another particularly violent head-to-head collision. The hit on Tucker Kraft earned him a fine, and then, the very next week, he’s taking himself and a teammate out with friendly fire. That kind of repeated situation has got to raise some eyebrows, right? It shows a consistent pattern that the Lions are clearly aware of, and it’s putting their own guys at risk.
“Play the Game Violently”: Coaches Stand Firm
Despite the growing list of fines and the recent concussions, Lions safeties coach Jim O’Neil is standing by his guy, offering an impassioned defense of Branch’s play. “We coach eyes-up tackle, but we also coach,we’re going to play the game violently,” O’Neil stated. He added that Branch has an “old-school mentality” and is “explosive,” exactly why he is who he is. O’Neil even compared Branch’s versatility on defense to having three extra players on the field. The coach doubled down on the philosophy, talking about “defending every blade of grass” and beating running backs to the ground. “I love the way Brian Branch plays, and we’re not going to do anything to change that,” O’Neil said, clarifying they will try to help with his technique, but not his mentality. Coach Dan Campbell echoed that sentiment earlier in the week, noting that sometimes a target drops, leading to head-to-head contact. Campbell acknowledged the difficulty, saying, “You can certainly say go lower, but now you have got to be careful. You start going real low, then you start taking out knees and stuff and you don’t want any of that.” It sounds like the Lions are committed to Branch’s aggressive style, for better or worse.
Branch is reportedly progressing through concussion protocol, and the Lions expect him to play this week against the Miami Dolphins, barring any setbacks. That’s big news for Detroit, given O’Neil’s high praise for his impact. The question now is whether Branch can maintain that violent, “old-school” edge without racking up more fines or, worse, more injuries to himself or his teammates.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pride of Detroit.
Leave a Reply