PRESEASON EditiON - Detroit Lions
PRESEASON EditiON - Detroit Lions
PRESEASON EditiON - Detroit Lions
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exeCutives & CoaChing<br />
<strong>Detroit</strong>lions.com<br />
Media.<strong>Detroit</strong>lions.com<br />
Jason<br />
araPoff<br />
Coordinator of<br />
Physical Development<br />
Years with <strong>Lions</strong>: 12<br />
Years in NFL: 25<br />
Jason Arapoff enters his 12th season directing the <strong>Lions</strong>’ strength<br />
and conditioning program. His primary role is to oversee the physical<br />
fitness of all <strong>Lions</strong>’ players.<br />
Focusing equally on the off-season regimen and the regular<br />
season program, Arapoff utilizes high-end cardiovascular strength<br />
training and free weight equipment in the team’s state-of-the-art<br />
facility. His hands-on training techniques emphasize a balance of<br />
muscular strength and cardiovascular fitness, and are underscored<br />
by a comprehensive, personalized approach to each athlete. He also<br />
has introduced a shift toward more football-specific activities that<br />
encompass high-intensity protocols to train the entire body.<br />
Arapoff arrived in <strong>Detroit</strong> prior to the 2001 season with 13 years<br />
of experience with the Washington Redskins. While serving as the<br />
team’s conditioning director for nine years, he was instrumental in<br />
computerizing and implementing the team’s strength and conditioning<br />
and nutritional programs.<br />
Arapoff has been a monthly columnist for Scholastic Coach Magazine<br />
and is a frequent speaker for industry events, schools, universities and<br />
football camps. He, along with Strength and Conditioning assistant Ted<br />
Rath, started the annual <strong>Detroit</strong> <strong>Lions</strong> Strength and Conditioning Clinic<br />
in 2011. The event is a forum for providing, sharing and exchanging<br />
information in the ever changing world of strength & conditioning.<br />
During his playing career as a collegian, Arapoff was a four-year<br />
letter-winning defensive back at Springfield (Mass.) College, where<br />
he earned his undergraduate degree in health fitness. He went on<br />
to obtain his master’s degree in exercise physiology from American<br />
University in Washington, D.C.<br />
Arapoff and his wife, Jennifer, have three daughters: Julia, and<br />
twins, Anna and Alexa.<br />
araPoff' s Background<br />
<strong>Detroit</strong> <strong>Lions</strong> .......................................................................... 2001-<br />
Coordinator of Physical Development ....................................................2006-<br />
Strength and Conditioning ................................................................... 2001-05<br />
Washington Redskins ......................................................1988-2000<br />
Conditioning Director.........................................................................1992-2000<br />
Conditioning Assistant .......................................................................... 1988-91<br />
bradford<br />
banta<br />
Assistant<br />
Linebackers<br />
Years with <strong>Lions</strong>: 5<br />
Years in NFL: 5<br />
Bradford Banta, a former Lion, enters his fifth season with <strong>Detroit</strong>’s<br />
coaching staff. He was promoted to assistant linebackers coach this<br />
offseason after being the assistant special teams coach the past<br />
four seasons.<br />
lions coaching highlights<br />
‣ S John Wendling leads the NFL with 41 special teams tackles<br />
over the past two seasons (2010-11) and was tied for fourth in<br />
the NFL with 17 last season.<br />
‣ K Jason Hanson had another strong year for <strong>Detroit</strong> in 2011,<br />
finishing with 126 points which was the fourth best for a singleseason<br />
in franchise history.<br />
‣ Hanson also had five 50-yard field goals (second-highest of his<br />
career) and became the first player in NFL history to kick 50 50-<br />
yard field goals in his career.<br />
‣ In 2010, the <strong>Lions</strong>’ kick return unit was the third-most improved<br />
unit in the League in kickoff return average with 3.5 more yards<br />
per return than in 2009.<br />
‣ <strong>Detroit</strong> also had the NFL’s 10th-most significant improvement<br />
in punt return average in 2010: the <strong>Lions</strong> had an 8.8 punt return<br />
average in 2009 and improved to an average of 12.1 yards per<br />
return in 2010.<br />
‣ In average kickoff return yardage allowed, <strong>Detroit</strong> had the fourthmost<br />
improved coverage unit, allowing an average of 2.7 less yards<br />
per each kick return in 2010.<br />
Before returning to <strong>Detroit</strong> in 2008, Banta spent the 2009 season<br />
as a tight ends coach for the University of Tennessee Chattanooga.<br />
He played three of his 11 NFL seasons with the <strong>Lions</strong> (2001-03) as a<br />
tight end and longsnapper.<br />
After being drafted by Indianapolis in the fourth-round of the 1994<br />
NFL Draft, Banta spent six seasons with the Colts and established<br />
himself as one of the League’s best longsnappers. He joined the New<br />
York Jets for the 2000 season before coming to <strong>Detroit</strong> in 2001. He<br />
finished his career with Buffalo in 2004.<br />
Upon his retirement from the NFL, Banta worked with George Wright<br />
Construction, as a supervisor, for a year and in Chase’s Home Financial<br />
Division for nearly two years in Chattanooga, Tennessee.<br />
Banta was a two-year starter at tight end at the University of<br />
Southern California (1989-93) as well as a four-time letterwinner. He<br />
earned Honorable Mention All-Pac 10 Conference honors as a junior<br />
and senior and received his bachelor’s degree in communications with<br />
a minor in sociology in 1993.<br />
A native of Baton Rouge, La., Banta was a Parade All-American<br />
as a senior at University High School and helped them to the state<br />
championship (1988) while playing tight end and linebacker. He and<br />
his wife, Amy, have three children.<br />
Banta' s Background<br />
<strong>Detroit</strong> <strong>Lions</strong> .......................................................................... 2008-<br />
Assistant Linebackers ...............................................................................2012-<br />
Assistant Special Teams ...................................................................... 2008-11<br />
Tennessee-Chattanooga ...........................................................2007<br />
Tight Ends .......................................................................................................2007<br />
matt<br />
burke<br />
Linebackers<br />
Years with <strong>Lions</strong>: 4<br />
Years in NFL: 9<br />
Matt Burke, in his fourth season as linebackers coach, came to<br />
<strong>Detroit</strong> after spending five seasons (2004-08) with the Tennessee<br />
Titans.<br />
lions coaching highlights:<br />
<strong>Detroit</strong>’s linebacker corps made great strides in 2011 and will be<br />
a team strength with all three starters returning for the upcoming<br />
season.<br />
‣ LB Stephen Tulloch joined the team during training camp and<br />
quickly emerged as the starting middle linebacker before going on<br />
to lead the team with 111 tackles (84 solo). He also has 3.0 sacks<br />
(16 yds.) two interceptions and three fumble recoveries (1 TD).<br />
‣ Since LB DeAndre Levy was drafted in 2009, Burke has been instrumental<br />
in his development as one of the best young linebackers<br />
in the League. Throughout his three seasons in <strong>Detroit</strong>, Levy has<br />
registered 258 tackles (177 solo) which is the most of any <strong>Lions</strong><br />
defensive player during that span.<br />
‣ In 2011, Levy finished with 107 tackles (72 solo) which was the<br />
second-most on the team.<br />
In 2008, Burke helped coach Tennessee to a NFL best 13-3 record<br />
and ranked seventh in overall defense with 4,698 yards allowed as<br />
well as third in offensive points allowed with 227. In his first two<br />
seasons with the Titans, he worked as an administrative assistant<br />
in the football department assisting the coaching staff with scouting<br />
breakdowns during the week and on gamedays. Burke was promoted<br />
to defensive assistant/quality control coach in 2006. He was primarily<br />
responsible for breaking down film on upcoming opponents and selfscouting,<br />
also conducting on-field work with the linebackers.<br />
Prior to joining the Titans, Burke was the assistant secondary coach<br />
for one season (2003) at Harvard, originally entering the college ranks<br />
at Boston College (2000) as a graduate assistant for recruiting before<br />
working with the defense from 2001-02. His first coaching position<br />
came at Bridgton Academy (Maine), where he worked in 1998 and 1999.<br />
A native of Hudson, Massachusetts, Burke played safety at<br />
Dartmouth and was part of an undefeated Ivy League champion<br />
in 1996.