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Ugly Loss
Hey John, after this game, is it safe to say the Lions are the WORST team in the NFL? I mean 10-2 at halftime? and the sad thing was that I knew this was coming. What a pathetic and embarrasing display today after a 2 week bye. I don't want to hear excuses that Calvin did not play. Do u think it really would have made a difference. Realistically? Do u realize that no wide receiver had a reception until the 3rd or 4th quarter. It looked like Kevin Smith and Maurice Morris against the entire Rams team. Where were Northcutt and Bryant Johnson, taking the week off? I also knew that Steven Jackson would run wild against this pathetic defense, and John, we've seen this more times than not. A team can look so bad, but when they face the Lions they get healthy again, it's amazing. I believe this team will continue to regress.
If they continue to regress, I'd be mildly surprised. But no question, that was an embarrassing loss. Especially considering the way guys like Northcutt and B. Johnson played. It sounds like an excuse re: Calvin, yet this game was won by a team relying on its one true offensive star against a team that was missing its one true offensive star. Take Jackson out of the Rams lineup and I'd guarantee you the Lions win that game. Pathetic, but true.
Lions
John, two other areas where the Lions need help are at wide receiver and running back. The Lions don't have a legit number 2 receiver behind Calvin Johnson. Enough with these experiments with Bryant Johnson and Dennis Northcutt. The Lions need to address that number 2 receiver spot. They already blew numerous draft picks on wide receivers that never panned out, i.e Charles Rogers and Mike Williams,and Roy Williams is no longer on the team. This team is handicapped whenever Calvin is not in the lineup. The Saints are so good cause they got 3 legit receivers in Colston, Meachum, and Devery Henderson. Why can't the Lions ever get anything right. They never seem to draft or pick up the right guy. 2nd, do you think that Kevin Smith is a number 1 back in this league. This guy is too slow and cannot break any tackles. I believe he ran in the 4.7 range when the Lions drafted him.
thanks.
It's hard to give up on Smith, because we've all seen him run well. He ran really well, in fact, vs. Washington and Minnesota (in the first half), and in stretches in his rookie year as well. He's not gonna break it for 70, but he can -- and does -- make people miss. And not every legit starter in this league has breakaway speed. Is he going to be an elite back? Nope. Would I be shocked if the Lions were sitting there and a stud RB was available with top-10 pick in April and they took him over a defensive player? Surprised, maybe, but not stunned. Is he good enough for this team right now? I think he is. And there's more pressing needs. As for the complimentary WRs, B. Johnson's a serviceable No. 2 for now, but who would you have rather had them sign as a free agent this spring? Obviously, the D. Williams draft pick is suspect now, especially with the way a guy like Johnny Knox is playing for Chicago. But I'm not convinced Williams is a bust yet. Northcutt's OK as a slot guy, just not as a No. 2.
Lions defense and other issues
Hey John, after seeing today's game, is it safe to say that the Lions pass defense is the worst in the NFL? The corners can't guard anyone. I don't see why quarterbacks don't throw all day against this pathetic defense. The Lions make every quarterback they face have career days against them even if they are 3rd stringers, and that's a problem. I mean teams should forget running the ball. This secondary can't guard anyone. On the contrary, the Lions receiving corps are nothing without Calvin Johnson. None of them are talented enough to get open. You saw how Donald Driver, Jennings and James Jones got open with ease because they are more talented than any receiver the Lions have. The Lions could have had Andre Johnson now instead of that bust Charles Rogers. What a tandem Calvin and Andre would have been. The other point, is that it's clearly evident that Matthew Stafford is the STARTER of this football team. Whoever says that Culpepper gives them the better chance to win is out of their mind because it's clearly evident that Culpeppers little dink and dunk passes are not cutting it. You have Stafford throwing lasers in each game. Will this defense ever get better because it's the same mistakes year after year, blown coverages and the weakest secondary I have ever seen. Why wasn't the secondary addressed in the draft?
thanks
Statistics pretty well back you up on that statement, yes. And QBs do pretty well throw all day against this defense, though the Lions haven't faced any 3rd-stringers yet -- Brees, Favre, Campbell, Cutler, Roethlisberger and Rodgers is a pretty good six-pack. But that's the scary part -- these guys gotta face Cutler and Rodgers from now until ??? twice a year. So they'd better find some young DBs that can play. King's not an awful nickel, but he's gone on IR three straight years now. Simpson's a better option in coverage opposite Delmas if he can get healthy. (Manuel can't run. And by the way, that's the reason they didn't claim B. Pollard from KC -- he's even slower, and Schwartz/Titans saw that firsthand last season.)
Agreed on the draft need there, though they did take a safety at No. 33 and we all knew fans would be left complaining about a couple positions that went unfillled on draftd day due to too many needs. They'll likely have a shot at a stud safety next April with their first pick if they want in Berry (watch him play) or Mays.
Defensive Line
Hey John, I have a few questions regarding the D-line. First off, are we going to see Turk McBride anytime soon? Why did the Lions trade for him, and he's been inactive since? How does he look in practice? The Lions are very undersized at defensive end. Do you think Cliff Avril will be better suited for a 3-4 scheme, since he's more of a tweener at 6'3 251. To me he's a bit undersized at end. 3rd, can Dewayne White ever stay healthy? It seems this guy is always dealing with an injury. This time it's a hamstring. What's his status for Sunday?
thanks
Maybe after the bye for McBride, unless injuries dictate otherwise. They think he's got potential, but as I've posted before, he dropped 20 lbs to play OLB for Chiefs this year, so he's trying to get back to that now. He's got good quickness and stays on his feet, but right now they think they can get more out of Copeland Bryan -- and Julian Peterson -- at DE behind the starters.
Yeah, Avril's definitely a tweener -- he's more in the 260-265 range though -- but I do think he's better suited for DE at this point. He's still not 100 percent after missing two games early with the hamstring, so don't write him off just yet. The flashes we saw last year as a rookie weren't a fluke. As for White, yeah, that's a fair question to ask. Calf problem kept him out last week, this time it's a hamstring. Those injuries are always the worst, because it always takes longer than you think if you want to avoid setbacks. He's out this week for sure, as is Sammie Hill again.Levy
Hi John, I was very impressed with DeAndre Levy's performance on Sunday. I thought he had a real solid game with nice tackles and played the weak-side very well. Is there a chance that he will be Sims's permanent replacement, because to be honest Sims has shown nothing in his first 3 years here. Is he what he is, an undersized linebacker who's a bit over-rated? Levy at least has better size and about the same athleticism as Sims and is a better tackler. what do u think?
thanks
Just posted a blog item about this. But here's my general thoughts. Sims is a bit undersized, but he has serious shortcomings making plays on the ball when he drops in coverage and the struggles he had with overpursuit haven't gone away this season. Levy's got really, really good speed -- better than I realized -- and he's showing the thumping ability with his tackling that the Lions and their scouts raved about back in April. So, yeah, I think they might have a new starter in this kid, and a little sooner than expected, too.
Lions/Saints
Hey John, just a few comments from today's game. First off, where was Pettigew, and why wasn't he starting. He was non-existent the entire game. Did u even notice him on the field? 2nd, the defensive line is terrible, as u can see. The Saints offensive line was pushing them back like midgets. They don't have any size up front. What can we expect next week with Minnesota's offensive line? There was absolutely no pressure and the line is just awful.
Where's the running game. Kevin Smith got stuffed on so many plays and looked slow. I would much rather give Aaron Brown more carries. On a positive note, I thought that Anthony Henry, Marquand Manuel and Foote had very solid games, but one thing that really stood put was the lack of pressure from the defensive line. They look undersized and overmatched.
3rd, over/under on rushing yards by Adrian Peterson next week. I got 160. what do u think?
thanks
See the blog for a Pettigrew update from today.
As for the DL, they have size in the middle but they weren't very good yesterday and that was an area of concern coming in.
Didn't think Manuel had a good game -- looked slow and out of position in a couple critical situations -- but agree on the other two and would add Delmas in there on the defensive side, though it's hard to compliment anybody after a result like that.
Kevin Smith blamed himself today for some of the run game's struggles. Schwartz blamed it more on the situation -- down 14 pts early (remember that refrain?) and then never got much going downfield in order to set up play-action stuff.
I will say this, though: I think that Saints defense will be better this year with Gregg Williams as the coordinator.
O and D line
Hey John, just a few questions. First off, I'm looking at the Lions current roster of offensive lineman, and they only have 2 guards in Ramirez and Peterman. Why so many tackles and too few guards? 2nd, who are the starters on the d-line. I think it's Jackson, Fluellen, White, and Avril. Why is Jason Hunter ahead of Avril for the other starter spot? Also, how has Sammie Hill looked in practice? Is he going to back-up Fluellen?
thanks
Loper's the starting guard ahead of Ramirez on the left side for now, though Ramirez is pushing him for that job. Peterman's the right guard and Ramirez -- or Loper, if he loses out -- will back up both spots. Gandy's a guard as well, in addition to being a backup center. Jansen can play guard, too. Moving inside from tackle to guard isn't nearly the transition that moving outside to tackle from guard.
Starters on the DL, I think, are going to be Avril and White at ends, with Jackson and Cohen at the tackles, and Hill subbing in for Jackson, who'll only play 20 snaps or so. Fluellen's going to play some end and also in nickel situations next to Hill inside I would think. Hill looks better as the preseason has gone along, but we'll see how he adjusts to the speed/intensity and schemes as it goes up a level in the reg. season.
Lions and defense
Hey John, just a couple things. First off, I've not been very impressed with Louis Delmas at all during the preseason. Are the Lions hyping him into something he's not, just like they did Ernie Sims when they drafted him? To me, Sims hasn't shown the ability to make plays as a linebacker and I think we should be careful about Delmas and trying to label him into something he's not. I'm still questioning this guy a little bit. 2nd, who are the starters at both defensive end positions? Is it going to be Avril and White?, with Jason Hunter and Fluellen as back-ups?
thanks
Delmas is struggling, no doubt. Missing a couple weeks of camp didn't help. The guy's going to be pretty darn good, though. He'll be around the ball a lot once he gets his feet under him. That said, the Sims comparison's a fair one right now. As for the D-line, I'm not convinced everybody's on the roster yet, with Sunday waiver pickups still possible. But if it is the current crew, I think they might try Hunter and White initially, with Avril replacing Hunter in passing situations. That's what they've done throughout the preseason, for the most part.
Lions and trade
Hey John, well I'm sure u heard the news. Alexander for Northcutt. Good trade or bad trade? Is this another wasted 2nd rounder by Millen? Whose next, Drew Stanton? I always thought Alexander showed some flashes in his rookie year, especially being after to blitz from the safety spot. I thought he was better than Bullocks. How many draft picks are left from this Millen debacle? Do you expect Northcutt to compete with Derrick Williams for punt/kick return duties?
thanks
I'm mildly surprised, but less so after Delmas draft pick and the Marquand pickup. Never sensed much excitement from Schwartz or Mayhew regarding Alexander's future prospects, either. Bullocks is going to be one of the key players to watch in camp, though -- wrote about that looming "battle" for tomorrow (or whenever the story runs). He was running with the 3s behind Delmas-Pearson and Alexander-Marquand last week, though that doesn't mean much.
As for Northcutt, I think it's probably a sign that R. Curry hasn't impressed and that there's concern/impatience with D. Williams, who missed minicamp with hamstring and wasn't particularly sharp in rookie camp, either. Shack Harris knows him pretty well and right now you'd have to think Northcutt's the likely slot guy if he can pick things up quickly enough. We'll see what it means for PR duties -- Buchanon was lobbying as well.
Defensive Line
Hey John,
I'm concerned about the defensive line for the upcoming season, especially the interior lineman. Can Darby and Jackson last a whole season. Both are up in age and I don't see any explosiveness from either. Are Sammie Lee Hill and Fluellen the primary backups? Two players with no playing experience. I really thought the Lions should have drafted Peria Jerry or possibly Ron Brace with the 2nd pick (#18). I think the ends are ok with Avril and White, but the interior lacks youth and athletism. I hate to see the Lions get carved up on running plays up the middle.
what do you think?
thanks
I've been asking/saying the same thing this spring. But we knew there'd be at least one position group where we'd be saying, 'That's it?' at the end of the offseason - just too many holes to fill them all. Brace wasn't a first-round grade on anybody's board, and hearing whispers leading up the draft and after that Jerry wasn't as highly-rated on their board, either. And beyond that -- Hood's another guy that doesn't fit their profile as much as you'd think -- there wasn't much to be had in the draft as far as immediate impact guys. So they went with a project who has the hard-to-find physical tools with that natural size and athleticism (Hill could be one of those guys who plays at 340 comfortably I think). And I'd bet they'll go hard after DL help next offseason as a priority now that they've filled some other voids. But you're right about the short-term questions, and it gets even tougher if Grady Jackson is out for the first games due to suspension. As it is, he's a 20-play-per-game guy at this stage of his career. And Darby's not much more. So we'll see what Fluellen (and Cohen?) can do, and I think we'll see another addition like Kevin Carter this summer. This defense is designed to funnel the ball inside, so they'd better have something there to stop it.
Lions defense
Hey John, I'm trying to predict the Lions starting defense for the upcoming season. The defensive tackle position is a little shaky. What do you think?
Defensive tackles: Grady Jackson, Chuck Darby
Ends: Cliff Avril, Dewayne White
Linebackers: Peterson, Foote, Sims
Corners: Anthony Henry, Buchanon
Safeties: Delmas, Bullocks
I'm not sold on Landon Cohen or Fluellen. They didn't show much last year, what can we expect from them regarding the defensive tackle position. Can Sammie Lee Hill eventually be a starter?
thanks
I think that's pretty darn close, and the secondary you have is exactly what I'm expecting. But we'll see if they add, say, Kevin Carter and he becomes the other starter opposite Avril. I do think Fluellen's got a shot to start next to Jackson, too, but he'll have to earn it in camp. I think Cohen's on the bubble for a roster spot. I don't think we'll see a whole lot of Hill, either. They're certainly not counting on it at this point. The good news is there's going to be much more (and better) competition for those final roster spots on defense than there was a year ago.
Lions Draft
Hey John, just a few comments and questions. First off, I didn't like the Lions draft that much mostly because they did not address more glaring needs like the defense. We are still thin at defensive tackle. Jackson and Darby are too old. Can they last a season? I'm not set on Fluellen and Cohen because they didn't show anything last year. I like Sammie Lee Hill though. I would've liked them to draft Michael Johnson from Georgia Tech. I thought him and Avril would have been great together. Regarding linebacker, I really like Zach Follett, a hard-hitter who plays with reckless abandon. As far as the starting linebackers, do you see Foote in the middle (assuming we get him), Sims, and Peterson as the starters? I think Follett can play the middle, he reminds of Brian Urlacher.
thanks
Lion Loss
Hey John, just a few questions. First, after seeing the Lions carved up on Thansgiving again, 2 things really stood out. This is the worst defense I have ever seen put forth by an NFL team. It seems that the defense, especially the linebackers are nowhere near the ball and you never see any of them on any plays. Instead, they overpursue. Can these guys play the tampa-two or do you think they should just go to a different defensive scheme? 2nd, the defense is VERY SLOW and you hear Marinelli talking about speed. On 2 of Chris Johnson's runs, he was untouched and on the 58 yarder he split 2 Lion defenders that could have tackled him. This team just needs to clean house. One person that needs to stay is Cliff Avril. I think he should be our starting end next year.
thanks
Tennessee completely abused them with the misdirection plays, something we've seen a lot of, starting with Turner in Atlanta and all those cutback runs he made. Overpursuit gets the LBs in trouble and then it's not a fair fight against a secondary that had enough problems to begin with. But the problem is this defense is built around the idea you're getting pressure up front -- against the pass and run -- by your front four. And the Lions clearly aren't getting that.
Lions
Hey John, Just a few questions.
First, since the Roy Williams trade, this passing attack has been worse. I give you the Tampa Bay game. Calvin Johnson hasn't been able to get open and the other recievers have been mediocre. Would you consider drafting a wide receiver with some size maybe in round 2 or 3, to team up with Johnson?
2nd, I understand the Lions have all these draft picks coming up in the draft. Do you think this staff can draft the correct players? Who do you think will make a good GM for this team?
thanks
Yes, McDonald's a good third option, but not a No. 2 in this current scheme. Furrey probably isn't, either, though he's signed for one more season. So I'd definitely look at that, yes, but you can always find decent WRs in free agency as well.
I think Mayhew probably has a decent eye for talent and he's been way more active in the scouting dept. than Millen ever was. But I do think they need to find another sharp personnel guy with a track record, if not a guy to run the whole thing -- like Pioli from New England, obviously. Heckert from Philly is a guy who will get a serious look, but there are others in Green Bay (McKenzie?, Seattle (yes, Seattle - Webster?) and Jacksonville (G. Smith).
Lions
Hey John, just a few questions. First off, Marinelli keeps talking about progress on the run defense. This team is getting carved up through the air. Teams should just throw all day on this pass defense. Why didn't they address cornerback in the draft because obviously the trio of Bodden, Kelly, and Fisher are not the answer. 2nd, what do you think of Colt McCoy as a future NFL quarterback and if the Lions will be interested in him.
thanks
When you're talking about the draft and the Lions, why ask why? Seriously, though, they thought they had addressed it by adding Bodden and a vet in Kelly who was drawing interest from teams other than the Lions in the offseason. Fisher's OK as a nickel back, I think.
As for McCoy, I saw Kiper on TV the other day comparing him to Romo and Delhomme, partly due to the fact that both those guys went undrafted. So I'm not sure what to make of his draft status, other than he's probably not a first-rounder but maybe a first-day guy if he comes out early.
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