Detroit Lions week in review: Week 11

Well instead of shedding the 'Same Ole Lions' moniker further the Detroit Lions went to Pittsburgh on Sunday and gave all Lions fans pause...what if they really are the 'Same Ole Lions'? This was a very winnable game, and the Lions should have won it based on their performance in the second quarter alone. However, many questionable decisions were made, and the players failed to produce, and the Lions beat themselves. For what seems like the millionth time the Lions themselves are to blame for this loss, and there is plenty of blame to go around.

Jim Schwartz made two questionable calls. Going for it on fourth down way to early (the opening drive of the game) and the really ill conceived fake field goal in that weather with rookie punter Sam Martin being asked to make a first down with his feet. On a team with Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson, and Reggie Bush this team tried to get a first down with their rookie punter in bad weather. Schwartz post game reaction to that situation reaffirms the fact that he suffers from some kind of inferiority complex, like he feels the need to prove he is one of the 32 men deserving a NFL Head Coaching job. He also seems to think that the media, or someone, is questioning his manhood. All I can say to that is guys who deserve NFL head coaching gigs, do not need to concern themselves with that kind of stuff. Jim made a bad call and he would have served himself and his team better by just admitting that fact. Instead he tries to keep up the myth that the folks who coach and run the Lions are the smartest people in the room. Even though we have 50 plus years of history the proves that is simply not the case.

The Lions need to learn to step on an opponents neck. They need to learn to carry themselves like a winning football team. They need to learn how to act like a good football team, and they had a chance to do all of that this weekend and they simply failed. That does not make them the 'Same Ole Lions', but it does give off that perception and that is what this team is always fighting.

With that being said, here is a look at the good and the bad from week 11:

The Good:

• 27 points- the Lions scored 27 points in the 2nd quarter. Which only proves that when this offense is in sync it is nearly unstoppable. Granted the Lions did not score in any other quarter and that is bad, but Scott Linehan needs to look at what he did in this quarter and find a way for the Lions to do that all game long. 
• Joique Bell- Joique came up big in the bad weather. And yes I agree that Bush was largely unused because of that and nothing else. Joique had 9 carries for 49 yards and a TD plus 3 catches for 48 more.
• Nick Fairley- Nick continues to be a disruptive force and that is good. Maybe teams pay to much attention to Ndamukong Suh freeing him up but that jut makes the drafting of Fairley that more astute. He got to the QB this week and if he becomes more consistent well that could be very good for the future of this team

The Bad:

• Matthew Stafford- 19 for 39 is ugly. I do not care about the weather conditions because the Lions should have had a plan in place for that. This exposes two different problems, game planning and when Stafford isn't sharp this team struggles. Stafford needs to step up and do what he did against the Cowboys on the road. 
• Penalties- 8 for the game for 45 yards. Bad penalties, dumb penalties, and it remains fact that this team is not good enough to over come the holes it puts itself in. 
• 6 for 16 on third down- first of all for a team that only had 13 possessions having 16 third downs seems like an awful lot. Second of all it seems this team is not so great on third down and that they waste downs. This is a game where the running game should have been more featured, given the conditions, but either the Lions cannot do that or the coaching staff has no faith in the running game. It is sometimes that simple, this team needs to trust in the ground game more. 

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Detroit Lions week in review: Week 10

The good news is the Detroit Lions are 6-3 (3-1 in the division) and even though they made it way closer than it needed to be they have beaten the Chicago Bears twice this season, something they have not done since 2007. On top of all of that they are shedding the 'Same Ole Lions' tag. They are starting to believe they can win every game and they are playing full games, something Lions fans are not exactly use to. On top of all that they are coming up big when they need to, and that is something else Lions fans are not very use to seeing. There is a sense that this team and it's fans are starting to believe. Now it is time to raise the bar a tad. Let's say this, anything less than a Division championship in 2013 will be something of a disappointment. The goal should be to not only make the playoffs but to secure a post season game at Ford Field.

With that being said there is still a lot to work on. The team is still a tad inconsistent, especially on defense. Coverage breaks down far to often in the secondary, and special teams remain a huge concern. However, the NFL might take away a lot of what special teams can do with rules so maybe the Lions are ahead of the curve on that one. That seems very odd to say.

I have also noticed a very revealing stat. When Reggie Bush has at least 75 yards rushing, and we are not talking about what he brings to the passing game, but when he has 75 yards on the ground the Lions win. In the three Lions losses this year he averaged just 39 yards rushing. Granted the Lions also won a game without him but with him on the field this team needs him to gain at least 75 yards to help balance the rest of the offense and keep teams honest. This opens up holes in the coverages and the Lions offense rolls.

Here is a look at the good and the bad:

The Good:

• Brandon Pettigrew- it looks like Matthew Stafford has re-found some faith in this guy. 5 catches for 70 yards, and those are tough catches over the middle and catches that help extend drives. Pettigrew stepping up creates all kinds of problems for opposing defenses and he owes Lions fans a little more considering his draft position. This was a good week for him and he needs to keep that up. 
• Rashean Mathis- It is not every week that a corner for the Lions leads the team in tackles. However, Mathis had 8 and that is huge. It limits big plays, and we need to take notice of Mathis and this stat. 
• The passing game- six different Lions caught passes. They threw for 3 TD's. Stafford only threw one pick. Of course he did go just 18 for 35 however, given that and the cold and being outdoors they found a way to win. That is really all that matters. Scott Linehan deserves a little bit of credit for creating a game plan that worked. 

The Bad:

• Nick Fairley- sure he got a big stop to preserve the win, but a guy who is as inconsistent as he is should not be hot dogging all over the field. The Lions have not yet earned the right to act that way, and that is the biggest indictment of the Jim Schwartz era of this team. Let us not forget he also took a bone head penalty that could have cost them the win. 
• David Akers- the perception is he isn't Jason Hanson, and that is true. It seems he has a chance to put the team ahead and fails to do so. He missed his one filed goal attempt this week, and I thought he was just not a guy who can still kick outside. However he is actually doing better outside than indoors that is not good given where the Lions play most of their games. The tell tale stat here is he is just 4 for 7 on the road. He is 8 for 9 at home and that makes a home playoff game that much more important. 
• Personal foul penalties- There were four of them. Overall 5 penalties for 51 yards. But those personal foul ones are big. the Lions have got to find a way to limit them. They need to be more in control. They have a reputation that works against them now.

Generally speaking I let the fans of the Lions determine what we think of our team each and every week. I get texts all days Sunday from all manner of fans. hard core, die hards, and more casual fans. This week I got a text from someone who is hardly a Lions fan or a football fan for that matter but she did watch the game this week, and she texted me this right after the game with this, "4 personal fouls, it makes us look like jerks." Ya I have been saying that for three seasons, but I am glad even the most causal of Lions fans sees what I see. 

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Detroit Lions mid season grades: D line

The Detroit Lions have a lot invested in their Defensive Line. Three of the four starters there were first round draft picks and all three were drafted in the upper half of round one. It is important to keep that in mind when we start to evaluate their production. The problem with that is there are not stats for everything a good D lineman can do. Sacks are crucial but just as crucial are hurry ups and knockdowns. Total stat geeks can go find those kind of numbers but most fans like to take a more impressionable look at what they perceive a elite D lineman is, or what he is capable of. Guys like Reggie White could change games, and as good as the men are on the Lions D line we have not seen them impose their will on a game for 60 full minutes to this point.

With that being said I think the D line on the 2013 Lions is a strength for the team. I also happen to think that they have invested too much in it, based on what they could have gotten back for those draft picks. Could those picks been better spent on other areas of need? Of course that impression will change the moment this core of Lions players wins a playoff game.

The measurable stats here aren't all that pretty. The Lions have 13 sacks as a team and the four starting D lineman have 10 of them. It is hard to say how good or bad that is, because as I said most of what lineman in the NFL do, their value, isn't stat measurable. A team wants its D line to be disruptive to go in and disrupt what they other team does, 13 sacks and 5 forced fumbles by the front four starters is pretty good. However, we can argue they do not get to the QB enough and we might be able to blame some of that on the scheme. A team also wants D lineman who attract double teams so it frees up other players to make plays. I think in those terms this front four does a very good job.

What happens with the larger team greatly defines what we think about the D line. At 5-3 we could easily say hey things are great, but with three first round picks invested there I got to be honest and say I expect more. I want each of those first round picks to grow into the kind of talent that can dominate games. We simply have not seen that yet and I am not sure any one of them can do that on their own. As a unit however they are very good. the disrupt, they need to be accounted for, but health might be an issue there, especially for Nick Fairley.

A team wants its D lineman to eat up blockers so that the Linebackers can make the tackles but two of these front four for the Lions have nearly 20 tackles. That means they get to the ball carrier and again they disrupt what the other team is trying to do. Those are very good qualities and maybe over time these four men playing together will drive each other to become that much better.

We do know this when Ndamukong Suh can control himself and be a leader this defense is that much more effective, but we are still waiting for him to show he can impose his will on a game. We saw QB Matthew Stafford do just recently and this defense really needs Suh, or someone else, to do the same.

With that being said I think this unit should get a very solid C grade for their work so far in the 2013 season. If we were not talking about three first round draft picks that grade/expectation might be higher/lower.  There is a lot of room for improvement here and hopefully the coaches can get this unit to do just that.

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Analyzing the 2013 Detroit Lions roster: D Line

We all know the big names. Ndamukoing Suh and Nick Fairley and they will be the two boys in the middle of the line most of the time. We also know the name Ezekial Ansah who takes over for the departed Cliff Avril. Add to that free agent Jason Jones and we know the four men who will start along the D line. That is three first round picks, and a free agent all playing with one another for the first time this season.

The Lions have a lot of draft picks and salary cap money invested in their D Line, and this unit has the talent to be nothing less than dominant. That might take a few games or it might happen right away. Through the pre-season we have seen the D line be dominant and opportunistic helping to create turnovers.

There has been a lot of turnover from 2012 to 2013. Kyle Vanden Bosch, Avril, Corey Williams, Andre Fluellen, Lawrence Jackson, Ronnell Lewis, and others are all out. Vanden Bosch has been the locker room leader for this unit the last few years and the Lions are betting that Suh is mature enough to step up into that role. From what we have seen so far this pre-season that certainly appears to be the case. However, Jim Schwartz has made his living in the NFL having a strong rotation at along the D line especially at the DT spots and as it stands there are just four DT's on the roster. CJ Mosely and Justin Bannan will back up Suh and Fairley who might be the best DT pairing in the entire NFL.

Ansah, who the Lions are hoping makes a big step up to the NFL game, and we have seen signs o fthat this pre-season, along with Jones are the starting ends. Willie Young and  Israel Idonije as the primary backups. Devin Taylor is also on the 53 man roster and is an extra end if needed.

This looks like a strong group and with what is invested here it certianly better be. I like the amount of talent contained here, but still think a tad much of the salary cap is invested here but that is more out of circumstance that any kind of mismanagement.

The things to watch for is Ansah's ability to pick up the game at  this level, the leadership qualities of Suh, and the amount of production the ends can get when teams double team one of the two tackles which is likely to happen a lot. This unit has the skills to be very good, and let's hope they get opposing QB's on their toes.

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