Detroit Lions Rumors + News + Blog + Draft 2012: Lions Mix

Who is your favorite Lions writer?

2011-09-06T19:37:00.000-07:00

By Imperical Evidence

Ok, got some light work out of the way today. I went to the bank, went shopping and bought some new shoes, wrote this, mowed the lawn, worked out, and did a few other things for work. Now to do the manly stuff, my laundry.

With the loss of Tom Killer Kowalski, most of us need to find something to latch on to for Lions news. Why? It's simple, Killer would want us to stay interested with the Lions. Many of us have allready found that writer, some of us are still looking. So, in short, who do you like and why? Post it here, and let others read it. Do not worry about offending me. I do not write enough or write well enough to even enter into your consideration. Once in a while, I do have some interesting things to say, so I am not even in the running.

My choice for Lions news can be found here...

Dave Brown likes

The Timbers

Lions do not need to run more...

2011-09-06T19:23:00.000-07:00

Running the ball comes down to two things, the skill of the running back and blocking.
I have seen many comments on the internet lately, even going back to last year, that

"the Lions need to throw more to set up the run."

I would point out that the Lions had the 12th best passing offense in 2010, and would get a reply something like

"The defense isn't good, the Lions had to throw because they were behind."

Ok then, it didn't help the running game because they couldn't run as much?

The Lions don't need to run more. They need to be more effective when they do run.

So, can passing more set up the run?

The Lions had 633 passing attempts in 2010. There were only two teams with more passing attempts, the Colts and the Patriots. How many times do they need to throw the ball before that theory is shown to be wrong?

Don't believe me?

Pass all you want, it all comes down to blocking. When you pass a lot, you might get 7 or even 6 in the box. Well, that should open up the running game, right? No, those defenders are not beaten, they cam still come up and make a hit to stop the run. That's where blocking comes in, downfield and by the recievers. Running requires blocking, no way around it.

Does running set up the pass?
Yes, and here's why. When you draw 8 or 9 defenders into the box playing against the run, they can be beaten over the top. They can't recover to make a play, it's too late.

I think the Lions have a chance at a good running game without running more. They are a team built to throw the ball, and that becomes obvious when they take the kick returner listed as a reciever and make him a running back to make room for more recievers. I'm ok with that, and that might have been a great move now that Aaron Brown is no longer a Lion. Stephan Logan should provide little drop off in speed if Best goes down again for any amount of time. He can also catch out of the back field. Enter Mikel Leshoure. A larger running back, and the Lions were hoping for more than just a third down back that can pick up the blitz and move the pile. They were hoping Leshoure could compliment Best in the running game. Best on first or second down? Sure. Now, do that with Leshoure on occasion. The whole 3rd down pile moving pass blocking picking up the blitz coming out of the back field in pass routes was all just a big bonus, but one the Lions had to have. The Lions decided to let Kevin Smith go into free agency without any offer from them. Kevin Smith was that 3rd down back, but maybe not the pile mover. That's why the Lions moved up to draft Leshoure. Leshoure suffered a torn achilles tendon in practice and is out for the season, before the season even started. Exit Leshoure. For now.

The Lions claimed running back Keiland Williams off waivers Sunday, and may have found someone to fill the offensive role the Lions expected rookie Mikel Leshoure to play, to some extent. Williams will probably go in as the number 3 or even 4 running back. At 5' 11" and 230 pounds, I think this fills the void for a third down back for sure, time will tell. I don't think Williams will be a feature back in a dual feature back set. That's what the Lions wanted from Leshoure.

The Lions also claimed second-year offensive guard Jacque Mcclendon, who appeared in four games for Indianapolis last season. The Colts selected McClendon in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL draft, out of Tennessee. Coming out of college, the 6-foot-3, 324-pounder was known for his strength and ability to power block, but his footwork was considered a weakness. The Lions also had an eye on him in the 2010 draft. I don't see him as a starter until he can pass protect. That's big money bright future Stafford back there, not Joe Schmoe. Mcclendon might be able to contribute in goal line type packages, and maybe he can become better at pass protection. He also provides depth at guard the Lions needed.

So, we can all expect the same offensive line to start this season. I think the pass protection has improved. I think the run blocking needs to get better. I think that means new players down the road, and I would start at center. No, I do not expect Raiola to become a premier run blocker after 10 years. The short yardage running game also needs to improve. The Lions need to be able to chew clock with a slim lead if they have the ball late in games, it's just football sense.

So, though I would like to see the Lions run more at times, they really do not need to run more.

They do, however, need to become more effective when they run it.

Well, the Lions had the 23rd best rushing offense for total yards in 2010?
The Lions had 1,613 total rushing yards. The key word is total. The recievers rushed for 202 yards, at least. The Redskins were ranked 30th overall in total rushing yardage, with 1,461 yards. That's a difference of 152 yards between the Redskins and the Lions. The Redskins recievers rushed for 2 yards total. Take away the recievers rushing yardage from both theams, and the Lions are ranked 31st. Thing is, to be accurate one would have to look at the reciever rushing yardage from every team, then subtract that from their total to get their total RUNNING BACK rushing yardage. I didn't do all that, but I'd still guess the Lions would be in the bottom five.

Keep an eye on Stephan Logan this season. Last season, as a reciever and kick returner, he had 15 carries for 95 yards. Can he do that as a running back now?

I drift a lot in my writing, hope you stayed in there. That's also why I will not write a tribute for 'Killer' Tom Kowalski, I'm not good enough.

In his spirit, because this isn't me, I'll just add the following:

I hope you learned something.

Killer, you were the best.

Dave Brown likes

The Timbers

Lions make roster moves...

2010-10-20T19:55:00.000-07:00

By Imperical Evidence

The Lions made a pair of roster moves tonight, signing free agent linebacker Bobby Carpenter and signing cornerback Paul Pratt back to the practice squad. Pratt was moved onto the roster before the Giants game, then released so that the Lions could sign him back to the practice squad. The Lions also cut Dante Wesley, leaving them two roster spots.

The Lions also signed C Cody Wallace off the Jets' practice squad.

The speculation is that Wallace, a fourth-round pick by San Francisco in the 2008 draft, will back up veteran Dominic Raiola in Detroit. He played collegiately at Texas A&M. Now, where would that leave Dylan Gandy, a five year veteran? Well, the Lions do have room on the roster right now for everyone. Gandy also played mostly guard at Texas Tech University, until his senior year when he moved to center and had 12 starts at that position.

Cornerback Jack Williams came off the Physically Unable to Perform list this week. He can practice with the Lions for three weeks before the Lions have a decision to make. The Lions could activate him to the roster, waive him, or put him on Injured Reserve.

Bobby Carpenter worked out for the Lions earlier today.

Dallas originally drafted Bobby Carpenter with the 18th overall pick in 2006. He couldn't manage to break the starting rotation in his four years there, and was traded to the Rams. He was one of the final roster cuts by the Rams, and the Dolphins picked him up. He was then released by the Dolphins earlier this week. Jim Schwartz has to be thinking that he could help the Special Teams unit, because the Lions also signed Bobby Carpenter to the active roster. The Lions 4-3 defensive scheme also might be the thing for Carpenter, and he should provide at least depth.

Quarterback Shaun Hill, receivers Calvin Johnson, Nate Burleson and Bryant Johnson, running backs Jahvid Best and Kevin Smith, tight ends Brandon Pettigrew and Will Heller, offensive linemen Jeff Backus and Stephen Peterman, defensive linemen Kyle Vanden Bosch, Corey Williams and Andre Fluellen, linebacker Zack Follett and defensive backs Alphonso Smith, Nathan Vasher and Louis Delmas all missed practice today. That's 18 players that at the very least are nursing minor injuries and will use this bye week to heal. In a week before a game, most of these players would have been at practice, except maybe Hill, Levy, and Follett.

Matthew Stafford did practice today, but not with the first team because of all of the players that did miss practice. Stafford said his arm was near 100%, and that's great news for all Lions fans. One of his receivers said later that Stafford threw the football 70 yards in the air.

The bye week comes at an extraordinary time in the NFL, with the new rule on helmet to helmet hits and violent hits going into effect. The Lions will have an opportunity to watch other teams, and maybe learn from the mistakes they make, before this new rule effects them. The Lions also have that extra week to try to adapt, most of the NFL dosen't.

Hammer interviews Matthew Stafford

2010-10-19T19:33:00.000-07:00

By Imperical Evidence

You've heard of Axe hair products. They are everywhere, they are hip, and your own Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is promoting them. What does that mean?

Well, a bunch of interviews, with Axe hair products as the sponsor. I know, you're thinking same old stuff, politically correct and not revealing. You haven't read Hammer at the Bleacher Report then. He knows football, knows how to write, and knows how to draw people out. He was also the one, out of many at the Bleacher Report, doing this interview. What did we learn?

I'll give you a few pieces, but if you want the whole story, you're gonna have to go there and read it.

Is Stafford going to be the starting quarterback when the Lions play the Redskins after the bye week?

"I’m going to practice through the bye week and if it reacts well, then hopeful to be starting against the Redskins the following week."

Well, we all know by now I think he'll be starting that game. He will increase the workload in practice, and he has two weeks to get ready. He almost came in when Stanton got the wind knocked out of him against the Giants. He'll be ready.

How did Stafford try to improve in the off season?

"I looked at every interception I threw and categorized them and will hopefully limit them going forward."

Yep, he wants to cut down on those costly interceptions.

Guess what, he likes Golf. Maybe I'll invite him out to the Timbers after the season, and after it warms up.

What does he think about the Lions offensive line?

Ok, that's all you get. If you want that you'll have to go to the Bleacher Report and read it. Hammer is a devout Lions fan, and he followed me over to the Sporting News once upon a time. There are other interviews out there, even audio on Pride of Detroit, but this is the good one.

NFL to crack down on helmet to helmet hits

2010-10-18T19:24:00.000-07:00

By Imperical Evidence

When Steelers linebacker James Harrison sidelined Cleveland Browns wide receivers Joshua Cribbs and Mohamed Massaquoi with concussion-causing hits just minutes apart, he knows he has done his job. Both of the hits were helmet to helmet hits, and the NFL is taking notice.

Ray Anderson, the NFL's executive vice president of football operations, said the league could soon start suspending players for dangerous helmet-to-helmet hits.

Now, per Chris Mortensen, the NFL will announce by Wednesday that effective this weekend, even first-time offenders face suspension for "devastating hits" and "head shots", according to Ray Anderson, the league's executive vice president of football operations.

Anderson also comments further:
"We can't and won't tolerate what we saw Sunday. We've got to get the message to players that these devastating hits and head shots will be met with a very necessary higher standard of accountability. We have to dispel the notion that you get one free pass in these egregious or flagrant shots."

In the past, the league has fined first time offenders, and sometimes even second offenders, for helmet to helmet hits. No more, and this means the teams involved in the suspensions will suffer too. Coaches will have to step in and coach proper tackling, and I'm all for that.

How will that affect the Lions?
Well, I would keep an eye on Louis Delmas and Zack Follett, as they do draw attention for their hard-hitting style of play. Any suspensions there would hurt, plain and simple.

Lions fall to Giants, 28-20

2010-10-17T23:23:00.000-07:00

By Imperical Evidence

The Lions tied their own NFL record with a 24th consecutive road loss. On November the 14th, they have a chance to end the streak, or break the record, playing the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Hill injury
Quarterback Shaun Hill got injured in the second quarter, while falling and trying to brace himself with his hand.
The Lions are saying he suffered a broken forearm, and the ulnar fracture fits the type of injury to Hill perfectly.
Most people need ten weeks on average if the injury is a simple ulnar fracture to recover. These fractures usually occur during a fall, while trying to brace with the hand, or in a fight. A more severe ulnar fracture would require a surgical implant with screws and take longer to heal. The implant would also have to be removed, usually within one year.
Hill wanted to go back in, but the Lions couldn't splint the arm to give him full function. The earliest Hill would return would be the 19th of December, when the Lions play the Buccaneers. A QB can play in a cast, and by then he will be able to handle a snap. His return depends heavily on Stafford staying healthy for the rest of the season.

Hill had completed nine passes in 15 attempts for 91 yards and a touchdown and a passer efficiency rating of 99.6 when he got hurt.

Drew Stanton play
Stanton came in and was 19-of-34 for 222 yards, one touchdown, one interception and a rating of 73.4. His interception was a tipped pass, but the pass was also thrown too high. He played better than many thought he would, with limited snaps, and being on the road. He ran 3 times, for 30 yards. His long TD pass to Calvin Johnson was nice to see, making Calvin Johnson the first player in Lions' history to record two receptions of 85 yards or more during his career. Johnson caught a 96-yarder against the Texans in 2008, and the TD pass from Stanton was good for 87 yards.

Return of Matthew Stafford
After this week's bye, the Lions will host the Washington Redskins and that's when Stafford is expected to return as the starting quarterback. Stafford tried to return yesterday, when Stanton got the wind knocked out of him, but Stanton stayed in.

Zack Follett injury
Zack Follett was carted off the field after a hit covering a kick off. He was taken to Hackensack Medical Center, where his x-rays were negative, showing no breaks in the vertebrae. He also underwent an MRI and CT scan, both negative. Follett will be held over night for observation, should return home later today. He was in good spirits, posting tweets and texting his girlfriend the recipe for mud cake.
His tweet:
"Heaven was bombarded with prayer request and they were heard! Thank you for showing your support. I'm ok. Thank God."

Nate Burleson wants fans to know he is sorry for that fumble, posting the following on twitter:
"The fans are frustrated & rightfully so! ...We are too but we will win & create a winners mentality for the Lions! My bad on the fumble! "

Running game
The Lions ran the ball 21 times for 64 yards, 30 of those coming from Drew Stanton. The Lions averaged 3.0 yards per carry. The Giants racked up 167 yards on 30 carries for a 5.6 yard per carry average.
Jahvid Best had 12 carries for 16 yards. It's obvious the bye week is just in time for him. The offensive line still needs work at run blocking, and Best is bothered by turf toe, and those things made themselves clear today.

Overall
The Lions had a total of 366 yards, while the Giants had 334 total yards.
The Lions threw the ball 49 times, I know they were behind but that is too many passing attempts. They only ran 21 times, never establishing any ground game. Jerome Felton had one carry, for 8 yards, and wasn't given any carries after that. I find that odd, to say the least.

Penalties
Cliff Avril got frustrated and flagged, giving the Giants a first down. The Giants would have had to settle for a field goal. That's a costly mistake. There were more, the Giants took advantage of Lions penalties for first downs four times. Overall, the Lions were flagged 11 times for 91 yards, while the Giants were flagged 2 times for 15 yards.

Special Teams
Tony Scheffler and Jerome Felton collided when trying to field a short kickoff they should have let go out of bounds. Because they knocked the ball out of bounds, the Lions started at the 16 yard line. If they had let it go, the Lions would have started at the 40 yard line. Dante Wesley was flagged for hitting a player while out of bounds on a kick to the Lions. That cost the Lions 15 yards, and they had no time outs left. Wesley didn't know where he was on the field? I don't buy that.
Jason Hanson made two field goals, both from 50 yards. He makes it look easy.

The Bye Week
Just in time for the Lions, Matthew Stafford will be ready to start against the Redskins, at Ford Field. I also think Zack Follett should be ready to play by then. Jahvid Best needs some time off, and this is it. HBest should come out after the bye feeling closer to 100%. DeAndre Levy might be ready to play, he might not. I don't have a good read on his injuury, high ankle sprains can take some time to heal. Levy is also hampered by a groin injury. With Shaun Hill getting injured, Drew Stanton spends nearly the rest of the season as the #2 quarterback. Good thing Derrick Williams is on the roster, the Lions could always list him as a quarterback for a game, making him the #3 QB.

Matthew Stafford is ready to go, and the Lions need the guy they went through camp with in there. That alone should smooth out a few penalties on the offensive side of the ball. Stafford also has the quickest release of the Lions quarterbacks, that can only help. I do expect him to take a few games to get his feet wet again, so to speak. He might look sloppy at times, and Linehan might tighten up the playbook once again, at least for the Redskins game.

Lions defense getting better

2010-10-16T22:14:00.000-07:00

By Imperical Evidence

The Lions will take on the Giants on the road later on today, and the Giants have the edge in almost every area except maybe special teams. If it is a close game, the defense of the Lions is playing great. I expect the mistakes to be on the offensive side of the ball for the Lions and the Giants.

The Lions are rushing an average of 22.6 times per game, and throwing 42 times per game. For Peyton Manning, that might be about right, but I am talking about Shaun Hill here. The Giants know Hill will get the start for the Lions at quarterback, and Hill has more tape than Stafford. Hill has been getting more comfortable in the Scott Linehan offense, but the Giants will be ready for the short passing game with the best pass defense in the NFL. I almost expect Hill to force a few bad throws here and there.

The Lions would have a better chance if they could run the ball. Jahvid Best will get the start for the Lions at running back, but he will still be hindered by turf toe. That condition will continue to bother him for the remainder of the season. Best is 24th in rushing yards, with 241. He has 4 rushing TDs, and 1 fumble. He has 1 run of more than 20 yards. I know, you were all thinking he had more. Best needs to find open field in the running game, and the offensive line has not allowed him to do that yet. If Best feels near 100%, he can make the offensive line look better at run blocking than they really are. If he breaks any runs it will be in the first half, unless Linehan is using him too much as a receiver in the passing game. That might work against the Rams, but not the Giants. Best needs to get his touches early if the Lions are going to establish anything on the ground.

The Lions, as a team, are 27th in rushing yards. They are getting around 82 yards per game on the ground. The Giants are 11th in rushing as a team, gaining over 130 yards per game. The Lions need to run 15 times in the first half, then maybe think about passing.

The Lions defense is improving, and fast. They allowed 0 touchdowns to the Rams, and two field goals. Ok, so that is just the Rams. The Lions defense also held the Packers to 0 TDs in the second half of that game, and held Aaron Rogers to under 200 yards passing. The Lions defense has their work cut out for them playing the well balanced attack of the Giants. The Giants have two running backs in the top 50 for yardage in the NFL. Ahmad Bradshaw is 4th in rushing yards, with 449. He has 7 runs longer than 20 yards. 3 TDs, 3 fumbles. Brandon Jacobs is 34th in rushing yards. he has 2 TDs rushing, no fumbles. The Lions defense needs to try to get Bradshaw to cough up a fumble or two, and maybe force Eli Manning to throw an interception or two. This could very well happen, the Lions defensive line has caused problems for every team they have played this season so far and I don't think that will change.

If this game is about running and stopping the run, the Giants win. That would mean the Lions would tie the franchise record with 24 consecutive road losses. The Lions Special Teams will have to produce some big plays again this week.

I'll write this again, just so everyone knows. Matthew Stafford will not start later today. Before Stafford returns as the starter for the Lions he will need one full week of practice with full participation. That should mean he will return after the bye week.

Calvin Johnson might see a few plays but I don't think the Lions will be able to rely on him as much as they have in the past. Johnson is still hurting from that shoulder injury he suffered in the fourth quarter against the Rams.

DeAndre Levy will not play, but I think he could also return after the bye week, in a limited role. Levy has been n ursing a sore groin and high ankle sprain.

Nate Burleson will play today against the Giants.

Turk McBride is out.

Landon Johnson is listed as questionable, but I think he will play.

The Lions have signed Shaun Hill to a one year contract extension, that move happened earlier this season.

The Lions also signed Rob Sims to a four year contract extension. Sims was acquired from the Seahawks for a fifth round draft pick. He has started every game at left guard andt the Lions obviously think he is the answer to what the offensive line has been missing. I'll believe that when I see a running game that is even average.

Detroit Lions agree to three-year extension with Tony Scheffler, leads the NFC in receptions.The extension includes a $2 million signing bonus. I like this move, now back to working on that running game guys.

Will not happen:
Shawne Merriman is not a good fit for the Lions defense, give it up Lions fans.

New to my blog, what does Killer Kowalski think about this game?

"The 1-4 Lions certainly have their issues, but they've scored more points than any other team in the NFC and, defensively, they're tied for the NFL lead in takeaways with 14 and their 14 sacks ranks them sixth in the NFL."

Killer picks the Giants, 31 to 17, over the Lions

I think he is close here, Giants win. He was way off on the Rams game though.

The Detroit Lions season ending opener...

2010-09-13T15:10:00.000-07:00

By Imperical Evidence

The Lions have released some information on the injury of Matthew Stafford, but not much.
Tom Kowalski, Lions insider, posted the following information from Jim Schwartz, the Lions head Coach:

"ALLEN PARK - While the Detroit Lions refuse to put a timetable on his possible return, head coach Jim Schwartz said today that quarterback Matthew Stafford did not sustain a serious injury in Detroit's 19-14 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday."

"Stafford is not expected to start in this week's game against the Philadelphia Eagles and could miss a couple of weeks, at least. Schwartz said Stafford, who is experiencing soreness and swelling in his right shoulder, would be re-evaluated on Wednesday but won't need surgery."

Yep, Mr. Schwartz, the fans buying the tickets do not need to know when Stafford might return. I think if Stafford had the X-ray and MRI today, the Lions have a general idea of what is going on, and do have a timetable for his return.

So, Lions fans, send a message. If you plan on buying tickets to the home opener, don't. You will be paying to see Shaun Hill lead the Detroit Lions, not Stafford. In fact, don't buy tickets until Schwartz lets us know when Stafford will start again, and then buy them for that game, if you did plan on buying tickets.

Let's stop this crap right now. The paying fans deserve to know when the future of the franchise might return, even if it is an estimate.

That's where I come in, I'll tell you when he will return, at least an estimate.

Adam Schefter of ESPN tweeted the following:

QB Matthew Stafford has second-degree separated shoulder; planning to visit Dr. James Andrews as early as this week. Out this week at least.

In a moderate, or second-degree sprain, the ligaments are stretched more and partially torn, and the outer end of the collarbone will partially snap in and out of the joint. This type of sprain is diagnosed by an x-ray, and Stafford had an x-ray taken earlier today on the injured shoulder.

About.com has the following information:

Type I and type II shoulder separations are by far the most common types of separated shoulders, and these types of injuries rarely need surgery-and only if there are problems with non-operative treatment.

Ok, now the timetable for the return of Matthew Stafford.

The treatment for first- and second-degree shoulder sprains is rest. Stafford will have to put the shoulder in a sling for one to three weeks, depending on the severity of the injury. Also, in addition to resting the shoulder, Stafford must ice it for 20 to 30 minutes a few times a day in the beginning to ease the pain.

These are particularly frustrating injuries because they can take six to eight weeks to heal. One may not be able to raise the arm laterally beyond 90 degrees until the injury has healed.

5 weeks would be on the early side for Stafford to return, which would be the Giants game in week 6, on the road. The Lions have a bye week after that, so I don't expect Stafford to return until week 8, against the Redskins, a home game.

This is all guess work, but it is an educated guess. Jim Schwartz dosen't think Lions fans need to know when Stafford will return. I think the Lions are not that good a team, and right now Jim Schwartz should be sucking up to the fan base, not keeping them in the dark.

That means I am changing my win-loss prediction for the Lions to 3 wins and 13 losses. Season over.

The Lions have also signed Nathan Vasher today. Vasher played cornerback for the Bears, recording 8 interceptions in 2005. In 2007, the injuury bug set in, and in 2008 Vasher missed the majority of the season with a groin injury he suffered in game three. In 2009, Vasher played in 15 games with only two starts. He was cut by the Bears and signed by the Chargers, later to be cut.

The Lions feel the need to replace an injured Aaron Berry with Vasher, another injury prone player that might not be able to return to his earlier form.

The good news is that the Lions will need to make a roster cut to make room for Vasher.

Hey, here's an idea, CUT BACKUS to make room on the roster!!!!!!!!
I can almost predict with near certainty that neither Jason Fox nor Corey Hilliard will allow the 12 sacks Backus allowed in his rookie year. Either would be an improvement.

Lions fans are still upset from the botched call on the Calvin Johnson TD. Here are a few comments I found accurate, and entertaining:

opinion98 - Mlive
The Lions, as an organization should not just roll over and accept this call. The call was wrong, wrong wrong. They don't want to look like cry babies and whiners, so they just agree with it? The call was an interpretation that the "process" was still happening, when anybody with eyes can see that football part of the play was over, over, over.

geneseejoe - Mlive
"IF" the Lions score another TD this year that player should fall to a fettle position an cradle the ball. All other Lions players should gather around him, and protect him until the Ref. comes out and swears on the bible that it is a TD.

Great stuff guys, and I couldn't agree more.

EDIT
I also have to wish Shaun Hill luck, he will need it to stay healthy until Stafford returns. We might see Drew Stanton this year.

Officials give game to the Bears

2010-09-12T18:00:00.000-07:00

By Imperical Evidence

Video of controversial call below.

Watch the lower left corner at 6 and 7 seconds in to see the original touchdown signal by the official that was over turned by another official.

Well, there were many bad things and some good things in this game.

The defensive line played as advertised, with Corey Williams getting one sack, Ndamukong Suh getting one sack, Sammie Hill getting one sack, and Turk McBride getting one sack.

The Lions defense caused four Bear fumbles, three of which were turnovers. Cutler threw one interception, when he threw into triple coverage.

The offense of the Lions left a great deal to be desired, with poor run blocking and a total of one yard per carry average, for 21 yards. That's the entire game rushing total.

Matthew Stafford felt pressure early, and checked down on a regular basis. Jeff Backus gave up pressure on the first Lions drive, which lead to a Bears penalty, roughing the passer on Julius Peppers, and a Lions first down. The Image to the right shows Peppers blowing by Backus on his way to hitting Stafford in the helmet. That's a rough way to earn 15 yards and a first down.

Matthew Stafford was injured by a hit, also delivered by Peppers, after blowing by Jeff Backus. Peppers is shown once again in route to Stafford. When he gets there, he drives Stafford into the ground. Stafford suffered an undisclosed injury to his throwing arm, more will be known on Monday when he has an X-Ray and MRI on his right shoulder.

Stafford completed 11 of 15 passes for a total of 83 yards, with no touchdowns and no interceptions.

Shaun Hill came in to finish the game, and at times looked lost. He was also sacked on a delayed blitz by Brian Urlacher, for several reasons. I need to break that sack down, as it shows a few faults with the Lions offense. The image at the right shows how the Lions were lined up on offense, with Best in the backfield. The top circle is around both Peterman and Raiola, the right guard and center respectively. The bottom circle is around Sims, the left guard. Notice Peppers is lined up against Gosder Cherilus, the Right Tackle. The Bears move Israel Idonije, a defensive tackle, to the right end position and line him up against Backus. Back to the Raiola and Peterman, they end up double teaming the other defensive tackle.. Hill, the back-up QB, dosen't see the delayed blitz. In the next image on the right, we see Cherilus and Backus both getting beaten, and Best on his way to chip and release into a route.
Urlacher is well on his way to Hill through the gap created by Sims, the Lions Right Guard, with his block that pushes everything across the middle.

In the last image, we see from top down, Cherilus is beat by Peppers, the pink X is Peterman and Raiola, doubl teaming a DT, the light yellow X is Sims, the red X is Urlacher on his way to a sack, and the yellow X at the bottom is Backus, also beaten on the play.

Breakdown:

Hill, the back-up QB, fails to see the delayed blitz, so does Raiola. Best also fails to pick up the delayed blitz on his way into his route. Lots of mistakes, but it gets worse. Backus and Cherilus were both beaten on that play, and even with no blitz that play probably results in a sack. The Lions offense and Scott Linehan failed
to recognize that the Bears ahd shifted their defensive front, and failed to see a delayed blitz.

Linehan looked to employ a safe, short yardage offense, and he failed to attack the Bears defense, and be creative in any way. Linehan also failed to make any adjustments to the Bears defense. This game was almost a total failure on offense.

The lone bright spot on offense was Jahvid Best, and his two TD runs. His other runs were doomed to failure, with little to no run blocking. He managed a long run of only 8 yards. Don't put it all on him, Lions fans, look at that offensive line and the failed running game for the last 6 years, at least.

I posted a win prediction of 5 games for the Lions, but if Stafford misses any length of time that just will not happen. The ball has to come out fast, and Stafford is the only Lions QB comfortable enough with the Linehan offense to accomplish that task.

Jim Schwartz failed on several counts in this game, with the decision to try for more at the end of the first half instead of running out the clock for starters. Schwartz has also been a staunch Backus supporter, something I find disturbing to say the least. Backus is not nor has he ever played well enough to be considered one of the games better left tackles.

Note to Martin Mayhew, Backus needs to go if you expect Stafford to lead the Lions into the future, and if it isn't too late as it is. Dominic Raiola continues to display lack of skill in reading the defense, which he needs to adjust the offensive line. He also continues to display a lack of run blocking that demands action.

On a brighter note, the Lions defense almost won this game against the Bears, holding the Bears to no points for most of the second half, desperately defending a fragile lead. They almost pulled it off, too, despite giving up lots of yards. The secondary was hitting hard, causing turnovers. The goal line stand by the defense on first and goal inside the one yard line by the Bears is something I will remember. Once more, I must state that the Lions defensive secondary will not be the weak spot on the team many in the media would lead us to believe. They have youth and potential, something the offensive line is lacking.

So, at the end of the game, when Calvin Johnson caught that TD pass by Shaun Hill, I was on cloud nine. By any definition of process of the catch, Calvin Johnson caught that ball, maintained posession all the way to the ground, and even displayed the catch with one hand, much like a baseball player would do. While rolling over to get up, he even places the ball on the ground. Now, if he is doing that for leverage to get up, or to celebrate his TD, the process of the catch was completed before the roll.

Now, Mr. Schwartz, the fact that you decided not to go after the officials for that horrible call is horrendous. Maybe sometimes you just have to take the hit in the wallett and defend what is right, instead of just giving up on a win. After this game, I am on my way off the Schwartz band wagon. How would Rex Ryan have reacted after that call? If the coach dosen't stand up for the team, don't expect his players to stand up for him.

Aonther article I found that could better explain the way the defense played can be found here.

I also found this article on Mlive to be accurate.

Lions Season Prediction and Game one...

2010-09-12T00:02:00.000-07:00

By Imperical Evidence

Well, Tom Kowalski of Mlive has his season prediction in print. He thinks the Lions win 4 games this season with little chance of a 'worst to first' scenario and goes on to back that up with reasons why he thinks that. Solid opinion piece, and much better than the garbage that was posted earlier on Mlive by Brad Flory. A picture of Drew Stanton? Are you kidding me? The only reason for his opinion of the Lions winning one game is that he has been disappointed in the past. Mr. Flory does go on to add the fact that the Lions have only won two games in two years.

Mr. Flory, pay attention.

The 2008 roster is almost completly overhauled, not many players remain from that 0 - 16 season.

Matthew Stafford showed flashes in 2009, now he should continue to improve this season. I do not expect Stafford to carry the Lions to the playoffs, and one can look at his second season at Georgia and see why.

Ndamukong Suh, the #2 overall pick this year, will not be a bust. How can I write that?
Simple, Suh was ready for the next level, he was a man among boys at the college level. If Suh dosen't live up to fans expectations, I don't think it will be because of charector flaws. The Lions made the best pick possible at #2, no matter what transpires down the road.

The coaching staff is entirely different, but still the same as the ones that only won two games in 2009. That is the reason, the coaching staff is going into their second year in Detroit. The players that were here last season can continue to progress in the same style on offense and defense. Those same players can also help any new additions to the team learn the system faster. I'll just come out and say it. If the Lions win less than 5 games then some of that blame will be on the coaching staff.

5 wins with a horrible secondary?

Yep, Killer did say they that any team could put up points on the Lions offense. He blames this entirely on the secondary, saying the front four are solid, possibly great. I have a small problem with that, because I don't think the Lions defensive secondary will be the weak point on the Detroit Lions this season.

Lets take a look at the Lions defense by position.

The front four consists of Kyle Vanden Bosch and Cliff Avril at defensive end, and Corey Williams and Ndamukong Suh at defensive tackle. Vanden Bosch looks to return to his once great pass rushing form, and dosen't stop until the whistle. Cliff Avril battled through injuries last season, but still recorded 5.5 sacks and played the run better. Williams and Suh should provide real pressure from the middle, something the front four just haven't done in recent years. No more sliding sideways and filling gaps to stop the run, just go get the QB.

The linebackers of the Lions have one proven veteran, Julian Peterson at OLB. DeAndre Levy will be playing MLB, after he recovers from a pulled groin. Zack Follett will be starting at OLB for the first time, after mostly special teams last season. This is a group that has not played together, and Levy and Follett are young. I expect a rocky start to the season, but can see this becoming a solid group. That front four will make them better, and Follett has the tools to become a terror.

The secondary will be lead by Louis Delmas at safety, with C.C. Brown at the other safety spot. The Corner backs will be Jonathon Wade and Chris Houston, both are young and will have growing pains. Aaron Berry, Amari Spivey, and Alphonso Smith give the Lions a lot of youth that has potential to develop, something the Lions have not had in the secondary. Corners do not develop in one game, this could take a few years. They also must learn how to play together. Again, that front four will help them at times by causing bad throws and decisions by opposing QBs. Overall, I think this group will be better than the secondary that was playing in Detroit last season, but that all hinges on Louis Delmas staying healthy all season.

How serious is that groin injury, Louis?

Now, why did I say 5 wins?

I don't think Stafford is ready to lead this team to the playoffs, and that defense will need to grow together. The real weak spot on this team, with only one starter of five being new, is the offensive line. I think as the season wears on the offensive line will become exposed. Jahvid Best in the backfield helps, and Stafford is getting the ball out faster. Still starting on this line are Jeff Backus and Gosder Cherilus at Left and Right Tackle, Dominic Raiola at Center and Stephan Peterman at Right Guard. The Left Guard spot will be played by Rob Sims, a solid veteran. There is hope here, too. The Lions have young depth on the offensive line with potential, something they have not had in years. Jason Fox was taken in the fourth round in the draft this year, and may see time at Right Tackle if Cherilus isn't consistent. Fox was a four year starter at Miami, and played very well there. Corey Hilliard provides depth at the Left Tackle spot, and showed flashes in the pre season.

I said it before, this defense will go through some growing pains. The Lions should go at least 5 and 11 this season. They start the season with a win on the road at Soldier Field, against the Bears.

Game one Preview:

Mike Martz is the new offensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears, and he likes passing the ball down the field. Will that be a problem for the Lions secondary? Not if that front four on the Lions defense have their way. Jay Cutler, the quarterback for the Bears, was sacked 10 times in just 5 quarters of pre season play. Martz is a proud man, I don't expect him to dink and dunk against the Lions, he wants to show us all how great his offense is. Believe it.

Jay Cutler is a QB that can make the throws, and has. He can also make you scratch your head, saying 'why did he throw that pass?' The Martz offense isn't one that any team masters before the start of the season, and Cutler will have to take some hits this year.

The Bears have been going in the wrong direction on defense for the past three years, and Rod Moronelli is now their defensive line coach. I hope their pad level is correct when Jahvid Best blows by them for his long runs.

Week 13, when the Bears come to Ford Field, I could see them winning that game, in a squeaker.

Lions beat the Bears by at least 14 points, win at least 5 games this season.

Lions trim roster to 53...

2010-09-04T18:10:00.000-07:00

By Imperical Evidence

The Lions finished cutting the roster down to 53 players today, but expect more moves in the near future. There were surprises, as Dre Bly was cut. After Eric King got cut, many thought Bly would stick because he can play in the nickle package. Another surprise comes with the release of Landon Cohen, while keeping Andre Fluellen on the roster.

Willie Young showed why the Lions should keep him on the active roster with an excellent pre season. Cliff Louis was the odd man out at tackle after Jansen got released. Steven Hauschka was an obvious cut, we all knew the Lions were waiting for Hanson to get healthy. Eric King to me was also an obvious release, even though he could play in the nickle. He couldn't cover a turtle one on one. Caleb Campbell and Tim Toone have a decent chance of making it through waivers and getting on the practice squad. The Lions also kept all three quarterbacks on the roster, not surprising to me at all. I expected as much.

Alphonso Smith will probably see time right away against the Bears to open the season, at least on special teams. He provides developmental depth in the secondary.

Cuts:
Landon Cohen, DT
Rob Callaway, DT
Dré Bly, CB
Michael Moore, WR
Cliff Louis, T
Jonathan Hefney, CB
Steven Hauschka, K
Dan Gerberry, C
Noah Franklin, G
Dante Wesley, CB
T.J. Rushing, CB
Paul Pratt, CB
Eric King, CB
Ko Simpson, S
Caleb Campbell, LB
Jon Jansen, OT
DeDe Dorsey, RB
Brian Clark, WR
Tim Toone, WR
Vinny Ciurciu, LB
Jaron Bason, DT
Dan Gronkowski, TE (Traded to the Broncos)
Waived/Injured - Korey Bosworth, DE

That leaves a final roster, for now, looking like the following:

Acquired:
Alphonso Smith, CB (via Denver)

92 Avril, Cliff DE
76 Backus, Jeff T
40 Berry, Aaron CB
44 Best, Jahvid RB
50 Boiman, Rocky LB
21 Brown, Aaron RB
39 Brown, C.C. S
13 Burleson, Nate WR
77 Cherilus, Gosder T
26 Delmas, Louis S
50 Ekejiuba, Isaiah LB
45 Felton, Jerome FB
96 Fluellen, Andre DT
49 Follett, Zack LB
70 Fox, Jason T
65 Gandy, Dylan C
4 Hanson, Jason K
2 Harris, Nick P
89 Heller, Will TE
78 Hilliard, Corey T
91 Hill, Sammie DT
14 Hill, Shaun QB
23 Houston, Chris CB
94 Jackson, Lawrence DE
80 Johnson, Bryant WR
81 Johnson, Calvin WR
55 Johnson, Landon LB
54 Levy, DeAndre LB
75 McBride, Turk DE
28 Morris, Maurice RB
48 Muhlbach, Don LS
86 Northcutt, Dennis WR
58 Palmer, Ashlee LB
66 Peterman, Stephen G
59 Peterson, Julian LB
84 Pettigrew, Brandon TE
43 Phillips, Randy S
51 Raiola, Dominic C
63 Ramirez, Manny G
85 Scheffler, Tony TE
67 Sims, Rob G
34 Smith, Kevin RB
42 Spievey, Amari CB
9 Stafford, Matthew QB
5 Stanton, Drew QB
90 Suh, Ndamukong DT
93 Vanden Bosch, Kyle DE
24 Wade, Jonathan CB
35 Wendling, John S
99 Williams, Corey DT
12 Williams, Derrick WR
79 Young, Willie DE

There will be players the Lions will want to look at that have been cut today by other teams, and the Lions still have more depth than they need at the running back position with Best, Smith, Morris, Brown, and Felton still there. This could lead to a trade, you never know. The Lions have kept five wide receivers, I expect them to stay put there.

What might the Lions be looking for? Well, a quality LB with experience just might be what the doctor ordered right now. That's a possible move I would be looking for.

Courtesy of TuffLynx, Lions fan and commentor on several Lions sites:

Guys who are eligible for PS are:

Tim Toone (WR)
Mike Moore (WR)
Noah Franklin (G)
Dan Gerberry (G)
Cliff Louis (T)
Jaron Baston (DT)
Rob Callaway (DT)
Caleb Campbell (LB)
Paul Pratt (CB)

Eric King gets the axe...

2010-09-04T15:00:00.000-07:00

By Imperical Evidence

Eric King has joined the ranks of recently released Lions players. King was drafted in the fifth round of the 2005 draft by the Bills. King signed with the Lions in February of 2009 as a free agent and played in 4 games last season. He had one pass defended and a total of 7 tackles, 6 solo.

The Lions have to release 13 more players, here are the recent cuts and moves today:

Eric King, CB
Ko Simpson, S
Caleb Campbell, LB
Jon Jansen, OT
DeDe Dorsey, RB
Brian Clark, WR
Tim Toone, WR
Vinny Ciurciu, LB
Jaron Bason, DT
Gronkowski, TE (Traded to the Broncos)

Acquired:
Alphonso Smith, CB (via Denver)

Lions trade Gronkowski for A. Smith

2010-09-04T13:52:00.000-07:00

By Imperical Evidence

The Broncos trading for Dan Gronkowski fills a need for them at the tight end spot. Alphonso Smith hadn't lived up to the expectations of his high draft pick status and was not expected to start at corner for the Broncos this season. Both teams win in this trade so far, depending on the development of both players.

Besides Gronkowski, who had seven catches for 80 yards during the Lions’ preseason, the Broncos will get a late-round draft pick in exchange for Smith.

Gronkowski is expected to replace Marquez Branson as the Broncos’ top receiving threat, a position filled by Tony Scheffler the three previous years. Scheffler was traded to the Lions in April.

The Lions were not expected to keep Gronkowski on the roster, and the Broncos were disappointed with Smith. Smith might have been cut but for this face saving trade. When a team thinks about cutting a player they traded away a first round pick to move up and take in the second round after just one season, that team is down on that player. No doubt about that. Now, as a Lion, can Alphonso Smith become the CB he showed so much promise of becoming in college?

Gosder Cherilus looks to start at Right Tackle

2010-09-04T06:54:00.000-07:00

By Imperical Evidence

Earlier this morning, around 9:00 A.M., Jon Jansen posted the following on his Twitter page:

"I was just told by the Lions I'm being cut today. Needless to say I'm disappointed. I enjoyed playing for my home team and the city of Det."

Jansen played college football for the Michigan Wolverines and was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the second round of the 1999 NFL draft. He played for the Redskins until his release in May of 2009. The Detroit Lions grabbed him the day of his release and Jansen was primarily a backup to Cherilus that season. Jansen started two games in 2009, one at right tackle, and signed a one year contract this season for the league minimum, $860,000, on March 6th. His age had to be a factor in his release, if he is cut later today.

If Jansen were to get cut by the Detroit Lions, that move would assure Gosder Cherilus the starting job at right tackle. Cherilus was drafted 17th overall in the 2008 draft, and it looks like the Lions want to give him another season to get it together. Cherilus has struggled with inconsistent play, and was benched in each of his first two seasons because of it. Cherilus became the starting right tackle in his third game in 2008, replacing George Foster. He has started 28 games at right tackle for the Lions in the last two seasons.

Corey Hilliard looks to be the guy pushing Cherilus for the right tackle spot. Hilliard can also play left tackle, giving the Lions depth with flexibility. Hilliard was drafted in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL draft by the Patriots. He was mainly a practice squad player there, playing in 5 games and having no starts. The Browns claimed him, then put him on their practice squad. The Lions claimed him from the Browns on December 9th.

Jason Fox, the rookie tackle from Miami, is still not playing that much after knee surgery in the off season. Fox started 47 games for the hurricanes at left tackle, 2 shy of the school record. Fox was drafted in the fourth round by the Lions, and many think he will be on the roster after all the cuts are in. He provides youth and potential, with some key spots on the offensive line getting older for the Lions, they see Fox as a developmental player that will step in when needed and possibly start in the future.

Defensive player to watch - Cliff Avril

2010-08-11T09:08:00.000-07:00

By Imperical Evidence

That's right, the crystal ball is back. Now it wants to tell me something about Cliff Avril. I have listened to many fans on Mlive and other sites
say Cliff Avril is average at best. There were even fans that wanted him gone in some kind of trade package. Well, here's the deal, Cliff Avril will be a Lion this year. Further, he will be a key player on the defensive side of the ball. How can I write that? Simple, I think his numbers over his first two seasons as a Detroit Lion are actually pretty good. I think a comparison is in order. There is a defensive end the Lions acquired in a trade that has generated all kinds of excitement, Kyle Vanden Bosch. If we look at his numbers and when he had his break out season I think it can tell us something about Cliff Avril.

Kyle Vanden Bosch was originally selected in the second round of the 2001 NFL draft by the Arizona Cardinals. That year, he started and played in 3 games, registering 13 tackles, 11 solo tackles, defended 1 pass, and got credit for a half of a sack.
In his second year, he played in and started all 16 games for the Cardinals. He racked up 50 tackles, 37 were solo tackles. He got credit for three and a half sacks. He had 0 passes defended.

Well, then how does Cliff Avril compare to that?

Cliff Avril was drafted in the third round of the 2008 NFL draft, 92nd overall, by the Detroit Lions. In 2008, he played in 15 games and started 4 of them. He recorded 23 tackles, 18 were solo. He was credited with 5 sacks in his rookie year, but had no passes defended .
In his second year, Avril played in 13 games and started 11 of them. He had 41 tackles, 27 of them were solo tackles. He also got credit for 5 and a half sacks and 3 passes defended.

Now, I think the numbers speak for themself, but given that Avril was drafted over a round lower than Vanden Bosch, and that he struggled with an injury in his second year, I give Avril the edge. I don't even think it is close at this point. Kyle Vanden Bosch goes on to play in all 16 games his third year, but starts in only 1 game. He records 13 total tackles, 11 solo, and no sacks or passes defended. The following year, he goes to Tennessee and explodes for 12.5 sacks. I think Avril has his break out season this year, and even if he disen't, he has Vanden Bosch beaten soundly for the first 3 years of their careers. The addition of Ndamukong Suh in the middle can only help to free up both defensive ends on the pass rush. Cliff Avril has also progressed very well in the run defense and should be able to play all 3 downs.

Cliff Avril is also going into his second year with basically the same defensive scheme, and same coaching staff. These will be very important factors to his comfort level on the field.

This is one guy that I watch this year.

The Detroit Lions coaching staff

2010-07-08T03:15:00.000-07:00

By Imperical Evidence

Most Detroit Lions fans have their favorite player, or players. They know names and numbers on the team. They have aspirations and expectations for players on the roster.

I think to understand the team, the roster cuts as they happen, and the season as a whole, we have to start with the coaching staff. Knowing and understanding the coaches can give us as fans a deeper insight as the season unfolds. I suggest you, as the reader, bookmark this page and check back here every once in a while to get a refresher on your coaching staff. I think the team as a whole will become clearer with this approach.

This is only a suggestion, not the gospel. Every fan has his own way to follow the game.

The Detroit Lions have retained the majority of the coaching staff from last year. Gone is Bob Karmelowicz, Jeff Horton, Stan Kwan, and Malcolm Blacken. The new faces in town are Jeremiah Washburn, Danny Crossman, and Ted Rath.

HEAD COACH: Jim Schwartz

DEFENSE
Defensive Coordinator - Gunther Cunningham
Linebackers - Matt Burke
Defensive Assistant - Don Clemons
Defensive Line - Kris Kocurek
Assistant Secondary - Daron Roberts
Secondary - Tim Walton

OFFENSE
Offensive Coordinator - Scott Linehan
Assistant Quarterbacks - Todd Downing
Running Backs - Sam Gash
Wide Receivers - Shawn Jefferson
Tight Ends - Tim Lappano
Offensive Line - George Yarno
Assistant Offensive Line - Jeremiah Washburn

SPECIAL TEAMS
Special Teams Coordinator - Danny Crossman
Assistant Special Teams - Brad Banta

STRENGTH and CONDITIONING
Coordinator of Physical Development - Jason Arapoff
Strength and Conditioning - Ted Rath

The Full Picture:

Head Coach: Jim Schwartz
Schwartz can no longer bank on his history as the former Titans Defensive Coordinator with the fans. He must mold the Lions in his image, and that image had better be something that works.
Question Marks:
In his second year as Head Coach, with the majority of his coaching staff returning, can Schwartz begin to put his stamp on this team? The game planning must be better, look to week 8 Vs. the Redskins at Ford Field, after a bye week. The loss to the Rams last season still smells.
Game planning is important, but Schwartz also has to show that he can make adjustments during games. The game isn't won before it's played, it's won because of how it's played. If the offense isn't working, change it. Same thing on defense. Schwartz also needs to clean up the sloppy play on both sides of the ball.

Defense
Defensive Coordinator - Gunther Cunningham
A coach with tons of experience, Cunningham now has talent on the defensive line to work with. He likes to blitz, and with the front four the Lions will field the secondary will not be called on this year as much in run support. Coverage will become the primary concern.
Question Marks:
It will be imperative to get the young talent the Lions will be bringing in on the field and productive as soon as possible, and Gunther prefers players with some experience. This will be a big test of his skill as a defensive coordinator.

Linebackers - Matt Burke
Burke was a defensive assistant with the Titans,and spent five years there working with Jim Schwartz. He failed with Ernie Sims last season, this year he must get the most from Levy, Peterson, and Follett.
Question Marks:
Can he get the most out of young linebackers?

Defensive Assistant - Don Clemons
This guy has been in Detroit for 25 years,and has been part of some good defences.
Clemons has coached every position on defense during this time here, and Schwartz has to like the flexibility he brings to the table.
Question Marks:
Just one, can Clemons and Cunningham improve the defense in the second year of the system?

Defensive Line - Kris Kocurek
After one year as the assistant defensive line coach, Kocurek now gets his shot. He brings college experience to this job,most notably at West Texas A&M,where he was the defensive line coach.
Question Marks:
Kocurek has the prize of the draft for the Lions to work with, a boy named Suh. Sammie Hill is going into his second year. Tons of young talent, can Kocurek get the most from them?

Assistant Secondary - Daron Roberts
Roberts worked under Cunningham in Kansas City as defensive quality control assistant. Now going into his second year at this position with the Lions.
Question Marks:
The secondary added Delmas last year, and Spievy this year. Roberts and Walton have to bring them along. Can they?

Secondary - Tim Walton
Walton has a lot of experience at the college level, and has coached many cornerbacks who have went on to the NFL. Now he is in his second year in Detroit, and must show that his ideas can work.
Question Marks:
Can Walton coach NFL cornerbacks, and an NFL scheme in the secondary? Will the pass coverage improve?

OFFENSE
Offensive Coordinator - Scott Linehan
Linehan coached the offense in Minnesota, and is remembered for what he did with Culpepper and Randy Moss. Scott Linehan now needs to put his identity on the Lions offense.
Question Marks:
More firepower this year with Best in the draft, Scheffler, Sims and Burleson in off season moves. The offensive line will be the key to this offense, can Linehan make everything work? Can he bring out the potential of Matthew Stafford?

Assistant Quarterbacks - Todd Downing
Downing was a defensive quality control coach with the Rams in 2008. He goes from Offensive Quality Control to Assistant Quarterbacks coach this season.
Question Marks:
What influence will he have on Matthew Stafford?

Running Backs - Sam Gash
Gash worked with rookie running back Kevin Smith in 2008, and Smith gained almost 1,000 yards. In 2009, Kevin Smith took several steps backwards.
Question Marks:
The Lions have yet to establish a strong running game. The change of pace back is still not in place. Can Gash get it done with new addition Jahvid Best? How will Kevin Smith react to becoming a #2 back?

Wide Receivers - Shawn Jefferson
Jefferson worked with rookie wide receiver Calvin Johnson in 2008, and then again in 2009. Calvin and the other receivers were somewhat of a disappointment last season.
Question Marks:
Can Jefferson get Burleson to perform in this offense? So far the Lions haven't had much luck finding a receiver that can take pressure away from Calvin Johnson. Is it the offense, the receivers, or do we need to look at another wide receivers coach?

Tight Ends - Tim Lappano
Lappano has served as a running backs coach at the NFL level, and an offensive coordinator in college. He has had one season with the Lions at this position, and has the weapons with Pettigrew and scheffler.
Question Marks:
Can he develop a tight end? Pettigrew needs to continue to develop, and the tight ends as a unit need to be more productive.

Offensive Line - George Yarno
An assistant line coach in Tampa Bay, Yarno has had a full season with the Lions as the offensive line coach to install his blocking scheme.
Question Marks:
Yarno has his work cut out for him. The only change on the offensive line will be the starting left guard spot. Last season many thought he could bring Backus back to form. In my opinion, he failed. Are the problems with the offensive line really all at left guard every year? Can Yarno get Cherilus playing consistent, mistake free football? This is an area that needs some talent infusion.

Assistant Offensive Line - Jeremiah Washburn
Jeremiah Washburn joins the Lions coaching staff as the assistant offensive line coach. He has spent the last six seasons working in the Baltimore Ravens player personnel department. For the past four seasons (2005-08), Washburn was the Ravens’ area scout for the Southwest. He covered schools from the Big 12, SEC, WAC and Conference USA, and he assisted in the acquisition of rookie free agents following the draft.
Question Marks:
Can Washburn make the transition from scout to coach? Can he help get the offensive line on the same page?

SPECIAL TEAMS
Special Teams Coordinator - Danny Crossman
Danny Crossman arrives in Detroit after working the past seven seasons (2003-09) with the Carolina Panthers, including the previous five seasons (2005-09) as special teams coordinator.
Question Marks:
The Lions need a spark here, is he it?

Assistant Special Teams - Brad Banta
Banta returns once again.
Question Marks:
Can Banta and Crossman get the special teams on the same page on kick and punt returns, and coverage?

STRENGTH and CONDITIONING
Coordinator of Physical Development - Jason Arapoff
Arapoff returns once again.
Question Marks:
Not many.

Strength and Conditioning - Ted Rath
Ted Rath joins the Lions as their strength and conditioning assistant. He has spent the past two years as the assistant director of strength and conditioning for his alma mater, the University of Toledo.
Question Marks:
Can the Lions as a team put a win or two on the board late in the season?

Overview:
As fans, we have a general idea of what this coaching staff wants to do with the Detroit Lions. With the addition of Suh in the draft and KVB in the off season, and changes with the linebackers, I think the run defense with the front seven is very solid. I also think the emphasis that has been placed on cornerbacks that could provide run support in the past becomes an emphasis on pass coverage in the secondary. I think Gunther will get more pressure with the front four, and Follett is a big improvement over Ernie Sims when it comes to disrupting the backfield.

On offense, once again we will see many 2 tight end sets, with TEs jumping into the full back or half back position before the snap at times. That dosen't mean the offensive line will be better. I think the offense improves, but I also think not many other NFL defenses are afraid of them.

Special teams are a fog to me right now, but I think the kick and punt returns have to be better this season.

Zack and Z, spotlight

2010-07-06T04:31:00.000-07:00

By Imperical Evidence
Ok, a 7th round draft pick isn't supposed to generate that much excitement with the fan base. Some 7th rounders do have great careers, but have to take a long road to stardom. Zack Follett was the second pick in the 7th round, #235 overall in 2009. He has a nickname, The Pain Train. He has his own site on the internet that he just got up.

http://www.zakarianfollett.com/

Below I have some video showing why Follett is generating so much excitement.

Now,the thing that caught my eye in the above video was how Zack Follett played. He has great block shedding ability, takes a good path to the ball carrier, has a great closing burst, and finishes the play. If you watch the muffed punt return recovery closly, as I did, you will see that Zack Follett is pulling up on the play, a fair catch was called. Several lions pulled up on that play. The ball comes out, and Follett is the first one to react to it. He has fast reaction time.

Ok,Follett did play in 12 games last season and had 10 tackles, that's not very exciting. What is exciting is the energy he brings to the field. I think most Lions fans had high hopes for the starting linebacker group last year, consisting of Julian Peterson at OLB, Larry Foote at MLB, and Ernie Sims at OLB. Foote is back with the Steelers, and the Detroit Lions acquired TE Tony Scheffler from the Denver Broncos in a three-team trade that sent LB Ernie Sims to the Philadelphia Eagles. Where does that leave the Lions this year?

Julian Peterson is coming back to start at left OLB.Going into his second year Deandre Levy will start at middle linebacker, and Zack Follett has the inside track at the right OLB spot. I think Follett will play the run better, he has a downhill attacking mentality. According to a recent article at Mlive, Tom 'Killer' Kowalski thinks the coaching staff likes the improvement Follett has shown in pass coverage:

"Follett has done such a good job in pass coverage that he's in competition to be one of the nickel linebackers."

I think overall, Follett will not be caught out of position, as Ernie Sims was last season. If Follett has improved on his drop backs, then the linebacker group might be a surprise to many this year. Let's not forget that he will be playing behind Ndamukong Suh and Company on the defensive line.

Let's not forget another thing that makes Follett a fan favorite, he is all over the internet. He has a facebook page, a web page, he is on Twitter, he raps, he is religious, he posts lots of entertaining videos, and the main thing, he is accessible to the fans.

Is Follett going to be a running backs coach?

Video by Julianne Pipoly

Bonus Scouting Report, Z
Well, for as young as Z is, he seems to learn very fast.

Positives: Good quickness and straight-line speed, making him tough to catch from behind. Shifty in the hips, allowing him to avoid arm tackles and slip through small holes. Has foot quickness to sidestep tacklers and find a crease inside. Can run through trash inside, but is best when bouncing outside. Uses his vision to cut back into open space. Plays with an excellent Pad Level, runs very low to the ground. Z can break open the long runs and make them look short, he's that fast.
Strength: Lacks the strength to take on defenders, must rely on speed. Speed: Excellent straight line speed, great opening burst, great lateral speed.
Hands: None.
Work Ethic: Beyond belief. Very high motor.
Blocking: This is an area where Z might have a few problems. He just dosen't have the size to take on defensive linemen and blitzing linebackers.
Negatives: Once a defender does wrap him up, Z goes down easy. His frame might not be able to carry the weight he needs to play at. Z is not a short yardage running back, and goal line situations just don't fit his style.

Lions President Tom Lewand arrested for Drunk Driving

2010-06-27T09:03:00.000-07:00

By Imperical Evidence

WXYZ-TV in Detroit reported that Detroit Lions president Tom Lewand was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving Friday near Houghton Lake in Roscommon County. Lewand was in Roscommon to attend the 30th annual Kolo Golf Outing, a charity event near Houghton Lake

Lewand, who replaced Matt Millen in December of 2008, released a statement that WXYZ reporter Tom Leyden posted on his Twitter page.

Tom Lewand:
"I am deeply sorry for my actions and take full responsibility for them. As a person in active recovery, I am committed to taking all necessary steps to insure nothing like this ever happens again."

Afterwards, Leyden posted this statement:
"Tom Lewand is a good, smart man who made a regrettable error in judgment. I empathize w/ Tom and his family. Thankfully no one was hurt."

When Mlive posted this story, they left out one key piece of information that maybe Lions fans should be concerned about. They left out the active recovery part. I had to ask myself, 'how long has this been going on?' Tom 'Killer' Kowalski to the rescue, kind of. Killers' story also seems to have left out a vital piece of information, what kind of active recovery?

I think the answer to that question is obvious, we are looking at an alcohol problem. This isn't a reckless driving thing, this isn't a road rage thing, this isn't depression, or mental ilness. I think Killer was trying to be sensitive when there wasn't a need to be. The issue is obvious and should be stated, that's all. We also know, thanks to Killer, that according to sources close to the situation, Lewand had been receiving counseling for more than a year and that treatment is expected to continue.

Ok, so the President of our beloved Detroit Lions has had this problem for over a year? Nobody in the media knew about this?
Think about that.

Senior Vice President of Communications for the Detroit Lions, Bill Keenist, said the club will have no further comment.

According to NFL representative Greg Aiello, Tom Lewand is now subject to the Personal Conduct Policy which covers all NFL employees. Under the current policy, players can be fined and/or suspended.

It All Starts At The Top:

I think the NFL needs to send a message here, with all the player incidents that have been going on. The president of any team needs to be the leader by example. If the front office needs to be disciplined, how can that front office discipline any players effectively?
I'll tell you, if I was a player for the Lions and got drunk and in trouble and I was fined, I would be laughing so hard I would cry.

Don't get me wrong, if I have two beers after work I would fail a breathalizer. That's not at issue here. Tom Lewand should know what is acceptable and what isn't. This is supposed to be a very intelligent man.Lewand is a graduate of the University of Michigan, where he has bachelor's, a masters in business, and a law degree. He is married with four daughters. Tom Lewand is a man that should know that if he is getting treatment for any kind of alcohol problem, that even one beer is a bad thing.

Does anyone remember Jerry Jones and the video of him at the bar that recently surfaced?
There is some foul language involved here, so if you are eaisly offended you can skip that link.

How much goes on behind the scenes in the NFL front offices that we don't know about?
I would say tons, and some of it isn't good.

Identity Crisis

2010-06-24T23:33:00.000-07:00

By Imperical Evidence

Now, what have Detroit Lions fans really been looking for these last few years? What if I told you it wasn't wins?
Huh?

There is something the Lions haven't had in many years that Lions fans want to see, and if they saw this, it might make losses more bearable. What the heck am I going on about?

Well, a recent article on Mlive helps clarify my idea, an article about continuity on the offensive line. Continuity is very important on any NFL team, and it is something the Lions haven't had in recent years. This is a team that has let the leading tackler on defense walk the last two years in a row. This is a team that seems to be obsessed with finding a kick returner. This is a team that has been desperatly looking for a #2 receiver to free up Calvin Johnson from double and triple teams. Continuity?

From what I see happening with the Lions, this will be a very important year for this team, and even more important for the coaching staff. The coaching staff of the Detroit Lions must get the players they have to believe in them, and their ideas. This leads to a team identity, something the Lions haven't had in years. Remember Barry Sanders? That offense had an identity, and it was him. Now Matthew Stafford and company must step up to the plate and deliver a consistent offense. The Detroit Lions looked very sloppy on offense last year, they had no rhythm or identity. They looked lost except for a few bright spots.

The offensive line is returning 4 starters from last year, with Rob Sims the new addition expected to start at left guard from the Seattle Seahawks in a trade. Sadly, I don't think that this line playing together for two years with the same coaches and mostly players helps much. The offensive line is a weak spot as I see it.

The addition of Nate Burleson at wide receiver should help free up Calvin Johnson, but we have heard that before. The great news is that Brandon Pettigrew is going into year #2 in this offense, and now has lots of help with the Lions getting Tony Scheffler in a three team trade that involved Ernie Sims.

The addition of Jahvid Best with the 30th overall draft pick should add to the running game. He brings explosiveness to get through the line of scrimmage very fast, something Kevin Smith lacks. Smith should still play a part in this offense, mainly as a third down back. He has good hands out of the back field and can pick up the blitz.

The main thing with the Detroit Lions offense is that they need to become more focused, and stop making the mistakes that hurt them. The offense also needs a much higher catch percentage with two tight ends. The dropped passes need to stop. Linehan needs to put his mark on this offense, and the fans need to start seeing that this season.

On the defensive side of the ball, I think Gunther Cunningham wants a defense that hits hard and puts pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Louis Delmas at Safety going into his second year is a plus. The addition of Ndamukong Suh with the #2 overall pick in the draft will help the defensive line tremendously. I think it's time Lions fans watched some opposing quarterbacks have to scramble, and make some mistakes in the process. Kyle Vanden Bosch at DE also helps, and I think this sets the table for Cliff Avril to have a breakout year.

One thing I think is certain is that Lions fans will see the beginning of a 'Gunther' defense. The coaches start to put their identity on the field. That makes watching any football game more enjoyable, and Lions fans have waited long enough.

Jim Schwartz isn't a rookie head coach anymore, so it's time to see the chess master in action. There were many games last year that adjustments could have been made. The sloppy play needs to get cleaned up, on both sides of the ball. I would also like to see more urgency from this offense when behind in the final four or five minutes. Last season, they were in the huddle burning clock instead of trying to get down the field.

One last thing on Jim Schwartz, the Lions need to come out of a buy week more prepared and ready to play. Last season they lost to the Rams, at the time winless, at Ford field, after a buy week. No slack this year, be prepared.

The Culpepper Experiment - Classified...

2010-01-03T08:23:00.000-08:00

By Imperical Evidence
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Authors disclaimer:
Beacuse of the length and content of the following article there may be several side effects. Some of these side effects may be severe but in most cases are mild to moderate.
If one reads this whole article, the side effects are:

drowsiness
agitation
mild depression
severe depression
irritability
lightheadedness
insomnia
rage
social isolation

These side effects will not effect all readers. If you experience any of these side effects you do not have to see a doctor , this is the last game of the season for the Detroit Lions. If you experience a combination of severe depression, rage, and social isolation, I would reccomend that the destruction of any furniture next season during Lions games happen before Christmas. Have your Christmas list ready and hand it out to all relatives.

At the beginning of the 2008 season there was hope for Lions fans. Some might say there was more hope than fans have had since the time of Barry Sanders. The Lions were coming off a 7 and 9 season in 2007 , one in which they started out 6 and 2. Mike Martz , offensive coordinator , had caused some problems with the way he wanted control of the team and was let go. Jim Colletto had assumed control over the offensive play calling.

Jon Kitna was going into his third year as a Lion , having passed for over 4,000 yards in each of his first two years in Detroit. He lead the Lions to the 6th best passing offense in 2006 and was named a pro-bowl alternate. In 2007 Kitna didn't slow down much and the Lions had the 9th best passing offense in the NFL. Under the direction of Colletto in
2008 , the offense sputtered badly. Kitna injured his back early in the season but still wanted to play. Jim Colletto and Rod Moronelli decided that the best course of action was to put Kitna on injured reserve for the rest of the season very shortly after the 4th game of the 2008 season. Matt Millen received what had long been coming to him, and no I don't mean another contract extension. He was fired.

The other quarterbacks had to step up with Jon Kitna on IR for the year, it was time to find out what they had. They were Dan Orslovsky and Drew Stanton. Orslovsky had received much of the playing time in pre season and Colletto went with him. Stanton sat and waited. In his fourth start at quarterback, the Lions eighth game of 2009, Orslovsky injured his throwing hand in the first quarter. He still finished the game. The media
raised its voice in the calls for Drew Stanton to start. They weren't heard. This was the loss to the Bears on November 2nd.

This is the beginning of the Culpepper experiment.

Culpepper was brought in for a workout before the Bears game and returned to Detroit after the Bears game. All indications from Colletto and Moronelli were that Culpepper would start the next game. He did. The Lions lost the next 4 games with Culpepper at the helm and the calls for Drew Stanton to start got louder. Dan Orslovsky was put back in as
the starter for the remainder of the season. Stanton did get a little playing time coming off the bench as a back-up, but not very much.
Culpepper weighed 292 pounds in his first start with the Lions. He was in no shape to even play in my opinion. Martin Mayhew was looking for a spark and he thought Culpepper was it.

This was the first chapter in 'The Culpepper Experiment'.

Immediately after the season came to a close William Clay Ford gave Rod Moronelli the axe and made Martin Mayhew the Lions General Manager. Many fans were lead to believe the Lions would look long and hard to find a new GM. Ford took the easy way out and promoted from within. Martin Mayhew was the very first person hired by Matt Millen when Millen got
the job as GM. During the off season 2 league sources told Tom Kowalski, Lions insider, that indeed Mayhew wanted to bring in Culpepper before the start of the 2008 season and Millen refused. There was a heated discussion. We all now know that Mayhew got his man.

Dan Orslovsky was at the end of his contract. The Lions claimed to want him back and did make an offer. Orslovsky decided to test the waters of free agency. He was signed by the Texans as a back-up quarterback. Orslovsky also indicated that Daunte Culpepper had been promised the starting job. Orslovsky had played much better than Culpepper and had every right to be upset.

Jon Kitna was traded to the Cowboys for cornerback Anthony Henry. Kitna was entering his fourth year as a Lion and would have made about $2.5 million. Now the Cowboys have him at that price.

Many fans thought that the Culpepper Experiment should come to an end before the start of the 2009 season. Daunte Culpepper was due to make $5 million in his second year in Detroit with only 4 horrible starts as the reason for that contract. The Lions did make him restructure his contract, pushing back the roster bonus deadline. The Lions also drafted Matthew Stafford #1 overall in the NFL draft. I still thought Culpepper would be
the starter heading into the 2009 season. He played better than Stafford in the pre season(Not much) and had a history of an attitude problem if he wasn't starting. The Lions also had a new offensive coordinator - Scott Linehan. I think Linehan was brought in to get the best out of Daunte Culpepper. Culpepper had his best days with Linehan as
the ofensive coordinator with the Vikings.

Enter the 2009 season.Stafford is made the starting quarterback despite the fact that the Lions had done nothing to improve their horrible offensive line , one that had given up over 50 sacks three years running. Matthew Stafford did lead the Lions to their first win in 2009 against the Redskins, on September 27th. Stafford suffered a knee injury in the fourth game of the season against the Bears when he was sacked in the fourth quarter.

Culpepper got his first start of the season the next week against the Steelers. Another loss.

Culpepper also started the following week against the Packers. Another loss.

After a bye week Stafford was back in the starting role. 4 games later he was injured again while playing against the Browns. This injury was different and may define his career as a Lion. On the last play of the game Stafford was sacked and dislocated his shoulder. A penalty call on the Browns with no time left meant the Lions had another shot to win the game. They sent Culpepper in, Stafford was laying on the ground on the
sideline. The Browns called time-out and Stafford got up with help from the trainers and went back into the game and threw the game winning touchdown.

The rest of this season can all be blended together. Culpepper has a few more starts and dosen't win. Drew Stanton gets a start and looks bad in another loss.

That brings us to today Lions fans. I expect to see an ugly game. I expect Daunte Culpepper to get another start against the Bears. I also expect that finally this will be the last game us Lions fans have to see Daunte Culpepper as a Lion. The Experiment is coming to a close at long last. I also think Scott Linehan may get replaced with a new offensive coordinator. Maybe. I wouldn't be surprised there.

One thing is now certain:
The Lions are going to be in the market for at least one quarterback after the season ends. This could have been avoided but Martin Mayhew had to see his experiment through to the end.

Lions turn over game to 49ers

2009-12-27T22:59:00.000-08:00

By Imperical Evidence

Calvin Johnson can run after thye catch and make things happen but today that hurt the Lions badly. Calvin fumbled two times and killed drives. He had 7 receptions for 96 yards but had no TD receptions. He also had 2 carries for 32 yards on end arounds in the first drive. The Lions quickly got away from that play. Linehan has used that early in games several times this season with good success but for some reason starts running up the middle on first down for little to no gain as soon as possible. If I am a defensive coordinator playing the Lions I know exactly what to look for on first down.

The offense has had no balance all season. The QB is throwing the ball 40 times or the Lions are running the ball way too much. The Lions rushed 31 times for 114 yards , a 3.7 yards per carry average. That isn't horrible , right? Take away 2 rushes and 32 yards by Calvin Johnson and that becomes 29 rushes for 82 yards and an average yards per carry of 2.8. That is how ineffective the running backs were for the Lions , but because Linehan wanted to put the kid gloves on the offense with Drew Stanton in his first NFL start , the Lions kept running the ball. It was comical watching Aaron Brown on his one and only carry try to run up the middle for one yard. I just knew he was going to get crushed , and he did. Maurice Morris didn't run the ball very well today either. Maybe fixing that offensive line would help. Lets look at Aaron Brown and that run up the middle here to see what I mean. Brown has a receiver build with narrow hips. He runs a little high off the ground , a total speed guy that needs to run outside the tackles. He just isn't a downhill runner. Kevin Smith spent much of the off season adding size and strenght to his legs and lower body , but that didn't help him much. Smith couldn't run up the middle and now is on the injured reserve list with a knee injury.

Truth be told , the Lions haven't been able to run the ball up the middle since Dominic Raiola was drafted in the second round , #50 overall , in 2001. The Lions seem to want to refuse to believe that Raiola is a bad center. Kevin Jones was the last good Lions running back , gaining over 1,200 yards in his rookie year. Most of that yardage was gained by getting outside the tackles. After Jones sustained a knee injury he lost the ability to do that and had to go.

Ok , so now onto the main topic around Detroit Lion territory , Drew Stanton and his first NFL start. That's exactly what it was and his inexperience showed. With under 2 minutes remaining in the first half Stanton and the Lions had the ball. I looked at the person I was watching the game with and said 'this is where we might see him overthrow one'. On the very next play Stanton overthrew the ball and it was picked off. The line gave up some pressure and he fumbled. Calvin was catching the ball and dropping it. I knew that if the offense didn't settle down in the second half things would go south. Enter TE Will Heller. A nice pass to Dennis Northcutt over the middle for a first down gets called back because of offensive pass interference - on Heller. Heller also dropped several passes today. Don't get me wrong , seeing Calvin open near the end zone and watching Stanton throw late and behind him was bad. I think most Lions fans know what Daunte Culpepper brings to the field as a Lions starting QB by now and still think we need to see more of Drew Stanton. He has more to prove than most QBs do in this league , he must also prove he can play and stay healthy. Today he did at least that.

On defense the Lions only allowed 20 points defending a short field all day and despite 6 turnovers by the Lions offense. Rookie DeAndre Levy started at middle linebacker for the injured Larry Foote and lead the team in tackles with 8. Rookie safety Louis Delmas had 7 tackles. Cliff Avril played very well against the run and got pressure on Alex Smith. Jason Hunter also had a good game at defensive end for the Lions , recording one sack and batting down a pass. Here is the best part about the defense - the 49ers didn't score any points off the 6 Lion turnovers.

Six turnovers will still destroy any offensive continuity , so the Lions turned this game over to the 49ers.

Cardinals at Lions preview

2009-12-17T22:13:00.000-08:00

By Imperical Evidence

Ok , to look at these teams we need to see some stats first.

Arizona Cardinals
Offense
PTS 23.5 (11th)
YDS 352.0 (14th)
PASS YDS 258.6 (7th)
RUSH YDS 93.4 (27th)

Defense
PTS 19.8 (13th)
YDS 359.8 (25th)
PASS YDS 248.6 (28th)
RUSH YDS 111.2 (18th)

Key Players -
RB Chris Beanie Wells
RB Tim Hightower
WR Anquan Boldin
WR Steve Breaston
WR Larry Fitzgerald
QB Kurt Warner

Detroit Lions
Offense
PTS 16.1 (27th)
YDS 297.2 (26th)
PASS YDS 201.8 (20th)
RUSH YDS 95.5 (26th)

Defense
PTS 31.2 (32nd)
YDS 400.5 (32nd)
PASS YDS 272.1 (32nd)
RUSH YDS 128.4 (24th)

Key Players -
QB Drew Stanton
QB Duante Culpepper
WR Calvin Johnson
LT Jeff Backus
RB Maurice Morris
RB Aaron Brown
S Louis delmas
MLB Larry Foote

Quarterbacks -
Matthew Stafford isn't expected to play for the Lions against the Cardinals. Maybe Martin Mayhew and Jim Schwartz have learned their lesson in trying to hurry Stafford back from an injury behind by most accounts a weak offensive line. The big question then becomes who will start for the Lions? I somehow expect Daunte Culpepper to get another start despite a miserable showing against the Baltimore Ravens. The Lions managed only 3 points on offense and Culpepper under threw receivers on several passing routes. I would like to see Drew Stanton get a shot at starting his first NFL game in his third year as a Lion but I don't see that happening with Schwartz still proclaiming Culpepper as the #2 quarterback on the team. I don't think Culpepper will be with the Detroit Lions next year unless they are desperate enough to offer him another contract and he takes a pay-cut. Drew Stanton will be a Lion next year because lets face it , the free agent market will be very dry and the Lions would have to draft another quarterback if they were to release him. So why not give Drew Stanton the start Mr. Mayhew? I would say Schwartz here but I think Martin Mayhew has some say in who plays and when. I think Culpepper should have been pulled from the game last game but for some nearly insane reason (Mr. Mayhew), he wasn't. So in short, if Culpepper gets the start the offense might struggle again. If Drew Stanton gets a start (finally) , maybe the offense can do something. Drew Stanton also adds the threat of a running quarterback, maybe the Lions need to see what that can do on the field with an offensive line as bad as the one they have. If the threat of a running QB can draw a safety up into the box Calvin Johnson might be able to get open on some deep routes. Of course, Calvin Johnson might also sit this game out and did not practice Thursday. He remains a questionmark.

On the other side of the ball Kurt Warner will get the start for the Arizona Cardinals. I think that most Lions fans know that he can and will throw the ball around the yard. Going against the Lions secondary might also be the cure one week after his horrible performance against the 49ers. The Lions secondary will have more than they can handle trying to cover Anquan Boldin, Steve Breaston, and Larry Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald also had a poor showing against the 49ers and this game might be just what the doctor ordered for him.

The Lions need to somehow stop the running game and the passing game of the Cardinals at the same time. There is a bit of good news here, the Cardinals running backs have been prone to fumble the ball this year. If the Lions can generate some turnovers and get their offense going this game might be a closer game than people think. Of course, we're talking about the Lions here, and Louis Delmas needs to be healthy for this game because he is one of the Lions best hitters on defense. If Delmas can't play, the majority of the heavy hitting will fall on Larry Foote. Delmas didn't practice on Thursday and his status for the game is still up in the air. The Cardinals don't run the ball a lot but they might do very well on the few running plays they call.

The Lions will be lacking the starting running back in this game. Kevin Smith is out for the rest of the season with a torn up knee. That means Maurice Morris and Aaron Brown need to step up. Time to play football and earn that check guys. Aaron Brown will need to pick up the blitz when he is in the backfield for the Lions and he has struggled so far this year. Maurice Morris just hasn't played that much this year but has been a very solid backup running back in the past with the Seahawks. All in all I just don't know what to expect with this running game. The offensive line will determine how well the Lions run the ball in the end, so I don't expect a lot.

Offense versus defense the Cardinals have given up a lot of passing yards and are better against the run. I don't think that matters much if Daunte Culpepper starts at quarterback for the Lions. The Lions will also struggle running the ball. The Lions defense will once again get abused badly by the passing attack of the cardinals.

Cover your eyes Lions fans, this might not be a fun game to watch unless Kurt Warner is still throwing bad passes and the Cardinals running backs are fumble-prone.

If the Lions build the offensive and defensive lines they might win some games some day.

Rest of the year...

2009-12-15T10:53:00.000-08:00

By: Channing Cummins

It's week 15 and the Lions currently sit at 2-11. Yes, already better than last year but still nothing any fan enjoys watching. One might even argue that this year has been just as ugly as last. It's hard to argue with that after last week's performance, or lack there of. Bad would be an understatement, historic would be more accurate. Lets all take a second to prepare for next week as the Cardinals come to town. I don't know if you watched last nights game but I predict the Cards will be looking to get back on track. The worst part is I don't think our team can do much about it. With three games remaining and no playoff hopes alive the team has to decide which path it wants to take.

Currently the team is faced with a few key injuries. Matthew Stafford could be a separate topic for debate. Matthew Stafford is still ailing a left shoulder injury and his playing time is questionable. He will likely be the concern for these remaining games and rightly so. Should the team allow him to rest for the remaining year or allow him to gain more experience? This will be a debated topic for the next few weeks and will leave some people dissatisfied. Personally, I feel he should be the starter...of the bench that is. I've watched Jim Schwartz put young Stafford out there in a number of questionable situations. Down a few touchdowns and a small amount of time remaining seems to be backup quarterback time, but you can call me "Crazy." Lets not forget that Stafford is an investment for our future and worsening an injury is not what the team needs. Lets also not forget that Daunte Culpepper is making an attempt to save his career. Coming into this year, Culpepper was looking good and fighting for the starting spot. He had also received the starting spot for the Thanksgiving game, only to have it ripped away moments before the game. If you give him the starting role I don't see much hurt that can evolve. Then were left with fellow Spartan Drew Stanton. I'm only left with one question-"Can this guy play football in the NFL or is he just occupying a roster spot?" After last week I'm left a bit confused.

Now lets take a look at the RB position. In case you weren't aware the Lions lost one of there only producers last week, Kevin Smith. Obtaining a season ending knee injury the Lions are left with a couple options. Maurice Morris and Aaron Brown are the remaining backs and the amount of playing time has yet to be addressed. Do you balance their time or allow one of the backs to take a majority of the carries? If you name one the primary back, which one do you choose? We have an idea what Morris brings to the table but not so much with rookie Aaron Brown. I wouldn't mind seeing Brown get a serious amount of time figuring it can only help a lost cause and build for the future.

As for the rest of the team, it can go either way. Calvin Johnson has been battling injuries all year and I have no problem with him sitting out the rest of the year. I don't see any reason to put him out there each week and risk further injuries. With nothing left to really win besides respect, there should be no harm in playing a large amount of players. I would have no problem with the entire roster hitting the field and coach Schwartz playing the best. With only three games left there should be an opportunity for all players to show what they have and try to keep their jobs.

What else can we accomplish for the rest of the year? The coordinators could possibly mix up their playbooks and try new things...can't hurt. The coaches could focus on individual problems each game and try to solve what they can...tackling would be a great place to start. Maybe you let the players decide their fate and don't install too much preaching. There always is the first pick in the draft, although I don't know if that could help. Personally I would like to sit with the 3rd or 4th pick..not as costly. There is an endless amount of problems that need to be addressed and it's up to coach Schwartz to decide what comes first.

As for the rest of the year, what should we expect? What do the fans of Detroit want out of their team and what would they like to see?

Rebuilding the Lions

2009-11-26T18:50:00.000-08:00

By Imperical Evidence

So , once again we as Lions fans are at that time in the season where we look forward to free agency and the draft. The Lions did add some young talent in the off season , but obviously still need a tremendous amount of overhaul. Where do they look to improve the team?
I think they should consider longterm solutions a little more this off season. One of the major hurdles the Lions face in rebuilding is the defensive side of the ball. It's very bad.

There are a few problems here , and some of them have to do with long term answers. Larry Foote signed a one year contract , and the Lions need to answer the MLB position for the long term. Is DeAndre Leavy the long term answer at MLB? If Levy moves to the middle , does Jordan Dizon become a starter at OLB , or does Sims remain a Lion?

Even if Ernie Sims can find his way in the Gunther Cunningham system , will Julian Peterson become a cap casualty? This year Julian Peterson will make $6.5 million , next year $7.5 million , and in 2011 Peterson will make $8 million. Thats a contract that demands performance , and so far Peterson hasn't lived up to it. Bodden had a huge contract to play cornerback here , and after a 1 interception season he was released. I think the situation is very close to the same with Peterson.

Grady Jackson will be 37 next year , playing defensive tackle for the Lions. He will still have a year left on his contract after next year. Who do the Lions really have at defensive tackle that can make an impact on the game? There isn't anyone. Sammie Hill has some upside , but is a project.
That leaves Landon Cohen and Joe Cohen , both younger players. They are not impact players. Time will tell.

Cliff Avril showed promise at defensive end as a rookie , but this year has been a disappointment. The Lions need an impact DE that can pressure opposing QBs and change the flow of a game. They don't have one.
The safety spot does show some promise for the future with Louis Delmas here for the long term. I think he will become an impact player that will be the leader on defense. The other safety spot? Weak , but I think there are other areas on the defense that need more immediate attention.

Cornerback is a weak spot on either side of the field for the Lions. Buchanon hasn't performed as well as many thought he would when the Lions got him. Anthony Henry has made a few big plays , but he has also been beaten over the top on pass coverage many times. This Lions defense gives up a lot of points , over 30 a game. They desperatly need a cornerback that can cover some of the best receivers in the NFL. Can they draft one? Well , they would get a project. Impact corners right out of the draft are rare. They can also be found in the second and third rounds of a draft. I think the Lions might need to make a trade or look to free agency to fill this need , and it might not be long term. They might also draft a good corner for the future.

So how do we set all these needs in order?
I think a defensive tackle remains the biggest need on the defensive side of the ball , and the reason can be explained with an understanding of a 4-3 defense. The front seven of any defense have the responsibility of pressuring the opposing QB and stopping the run. In a 4-3 defense , 4 of those front seven are linemen. Two of them are defensive tackles. In a 3-4 defense , there are still 2 defensive ends , only one Nose Tackle. The defensive tackles and nose tackle are usually the biggest players on any defense. Now , in the 3-4 , there are 4 linebackers. This allows for more versatile blitzing and pass coverage schemes. In the 4-3 , the 2 DTs become more important in getting pressure on the opposing QB , not just stopping the run. If a safety is brought on a blitz , that leaves 3 in the secondary to cover pass routes. If this is a passing play , they better get pressure on the QB. In a 3-4 , blitz the safety and drop a linebacker back into coverage. If the 2 defensive tackles can get pressure on the opposing QB , that means the defensive ends will not get doubled up on , and they can get a cleaner pass rush. That also means the secondary will not have to try to cover receivers for a long time on any one play. No secondary can cover forever. Sooner or later a receiver will get open.

I think the Lions need a defensive tackle the most on defense , followed by a lockdown cornerback.

The one thing that could make that not happen has a name: Matthew Stafford. If the Lions don't get a left tackle high in the 2010 draft , he could have a short career here in Detroit. He has been injured twice this season , and played today with a seperated left shoulder. I don't think that was wise , and it was worse leaving him in the whole game , even after all was lost. In my opinion the lions do not have a solid #2 QB , so maybe throw Stanton in there? Culpepper will be gone at the end of the year , and sooner or later the Lions need to see if Stanton can play for an extended time if needed without getting injured. Stafford threw 5 touchdown passes against the Browns , it was hard watching the game today against the Packers. He has the talent , the injury was obvious.

The running game still needs improvement , but part of that problem is that the Lions are not running the ball as much as I would like. Today Stafford had 43 passing attempts. Kevin Smith had 18 carries. Last week , against the Browns , Stafford had 43 passing attempts. Kevin Smith had 12 carries. I would like to see Kevin Smith get 20 carries a game , but that will not happen behind an offensive line that dosen't block very well. Kevin Smith has been playing hurt a lot this year. A left tackle high in the draft would also help the running game. Kevin Smith is a solid runner and good in the receiving game , but hasn't shown the breakaway speed in the open field. The Lions might need to look for another running back.
I don't think any readers want to read that thye Lions need another wide receiver , but they do. Question is , where do they fill this need? They can draft one , trade for one , or sign one in free agency.

So on offense I think the Lions need a left tackle the most , another wide receiver , and another running back.

All of the above adds up to a few different ways things can happen.

The draft that would make me gag would be an offensive draft taking a wide receiver or running back in round one , the one not taken picked in round 2 , then looking for defense in round 3 and beyond. I think we have all seen enough of this draft strategy.

I wouldn't mind seeing the Lions draft a defensive end or tackle in the first round , then looking at left tackle or cornerback in the second , then fill in the ones not taken in the 3rd and beyond , either a DE , DT , or cornerback. I do think the Lions need to take a left tackle in one of the top 2 rounds in the 2010 draft.

I think the best draft strategy at this point would be to take that left tackle in round one , then go after a defensive tackle in round 2. Round 3 needs to be a good cover cornerback. Maybe look at a LB or guard in round 4 , round 5 needs to be a #2 type QB or RB. Fill in the blanks after that. Add in free agency for that receiver , or trade for one , and maybe go after a good DE there too.

There are many more ways this all breaks down , I just wanted to break down a few of them. I would love to see all defense in the next draft , but that offensive line needs to get fixed and the future of Matthew Stafford depends on it.

Lions win first NFL game...

2009-09-30T01:34:00.000-07:00

Thats right , I said it. According to Tom Kowalski , the Lions insider at Mlive.com , Matt Millen can no longer be blamed for anything bad that happens to the Detroit Lions. In that very same article , Kowalski also lays the blame for any failures this year directly on Matt Millen , saying the Lions will not make the playoffs this year , but they should not be judged by their won-loss record. Of course , before he said that , he made it clear why the Lions are a bad team , and why they will not make the playoffs , and its all Matt Millens fault.

I just need the Lion fan base to realize one thing , the Lions are not an expansion team. They have players that have been here for years , unless they want to cut the likes of Jeff Backus , Dominic Raiola , Ernie Sims , Jason Hanson , and Calvin Johnson. I don't think that will happen.
The local media has treated the front office like they are new in town , they have been here for years. The very first hire Matt Millen made as a GM was Martin Mayhew , and Tom Lewand has been there for over a decade , even before the 'Millen era' began.

But , hey , on a positive note , fans are excited about their expansion team and its first win. I think the newly built Ford Field will be full the rest of the year. Its about time the Lions got an expansion NFL franchise , fans have been hungry for football for a long time here.

Wait...

For an expansion team , the Lions are the 5th oldest team in the NFL. There were young , talented players that got cut that the Lions could have claimed on waivers. Terrance Taylor is my first example here , but it looks like the Lions have resigned Chuck Darby. Darby was brought in last season to play defensive tackle for a Tampa Two defense. In fact , Darby was an undrafted free agent signed by the Tampa Buccaneers in 2001. There have been a few fans that think he was brought back after Sammie Hill got banged up because he knows the system. Darby knows the defense that Gunther Cunningham wants to run in Detroit? I doubt it. I do think that his contract is smaller now , and thats the main reason he is a Lion again. Expansion teams don't have players from previous years to bring back. Chuck Darby does not help this team get younger.If this is a team that is rebuilding , sooner or later they need young talent , not just in the draft , but elsewhere.

Aveion Cason was also in for a workout , I would like to think thats where the story ends. Earlier this year , the Lions signed Antone Smith , an undrafted free agent from Florida State. He was cut on July 27th. At that time , Martin Mayhew gushed about Aveion Cason and said 'Aveion Cason, I've always been a fan of his.' I wanted to puke. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Lions bring him back. Wide receivers and defensive backs were also brought in for workouts. Stuart Schweigert was also back in town for a workout with the Lions , but if Aaron Brown is banged up Aveion Cason will be back in a Lions uniform returning kicks. Why not see if rookie Derrick Williams can fill that role? Antone Smith is now a Houston Texan.

The next opponent for the Detroit Lions is the Chicago Bears , the game will be in Chicago , which means it can't get blacked out here in Michigan. Many fans think this could be a win now. I think the Bears win a close game , only because they don't have a high powered offense. Their defense is going to keep the Lions from scoring a lot of points. To win this game , the Lions will need defensive turnovers and great special teams play.

Week 3 Recap

2009-09-29T11:29:00.000-07:00

Yay. The Lions won a game. No wonder why the White Sox and Tigers game was so windy on Sunday afternoon, that was from the entire city of Detroit letting out a sigh of relief.

Anyone that is reading this already knows all the stats. First win in 20 games. First since December 23rd of 2007. (2007!!!) Now everyone in the organization can focus on being a real NFL team. No more colossal losing streaks, at least for the moment, hanging over their heads.

In a tremendously ironic twist, the first game the Lions won in almost 2 years was blacked out locally and only had 40,000 fans in attendance. With that said most of what I know from the game is based totally on box scores and highlights. I'm fairly certain most of the fans will be fine with not seeing the game and just being able to get a win. Now, they can get down to business and develop Stafford into the number one pick that he can be.

Stafford had a solid performance against a pretty good Redskins defense. Throwing for 241 yards and a touchdown with no INTs. He even had a 21 yard run at one point. Showing that he is getting more comfortable and willing to improvise when a play breaks down.

Kevin Smith helped out by having 101 yards on only 16 carries, an average of 6.3 yards. Any time you can get a running back to have an average of over 4 yards per carry in the NFL it makes it easy to win games.

And that is just what the Lions need to start doing, win games. Attendance is dropping rapidly in Detroit and the consistent losing of games is making the Lions lose their fans. They have a juggernaut of a product in the NFL but the more they lose the less fans will want to come. Winning cures nearly all of the problems that arise in professional sports. Let's see if we can keep this going.

Week 2 Recap

2009-09-23T11:09:00.000-07:00

By Justin Trudell

After the game week 1 against the Saints, Detroit fans went away from the game with no new hope for anything more than the fact that Matt Millen isn't around. While no one truly believes this team can go back to back win less seasons, the first week didn't exactly make us feel better about it.

First overall pick Matthew Stafford showed why rookie QB's rarely succeed in the NFL right away. A very strong arm and mild mobility will be enough to make yourself into a starting QB for a long time in the league but Stafford did not impress. Many passes were over thrown and miss read routes led to a stat line that would make Tony Banks cringe. 16/37 for 205 yards and 3 picks for a rating of 27.4. Yikes. With a weapon like Calvin Johnson at your disposal it's very hard to believe that a performance like that will be the norm. Still, being the number one pick and being thrown into the starting role and dropping a stinker like that against a Saints team that, to the best of my knowledge, doesn't even have defensive practices other than to help Drew Bress with his pursuit of the record books.

Meanwhile, in New York, Mark Sanchez was busy reminding everyone of the stories such as Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco are not as rare as conventional wisdom tells us. The USC quarterback that played one season under Pete Carrol in the rather weak Pac-10 was showing how big of a role the Lions organization plays in crippling a players confidence and ability. Stafford came out as a gun slinging three year starter from the SEC conference that has shown to be one of the best defensive conferences in the nation, and led Georgia to a BCS game, also winning all three bowl games they went to.

Granted, it was only one game against a potential Super Bowl contender on the road. There will be plenty of chances to show us why he was the number 1 pick. Getting the memories of Joey Harrington's lack of leadership and weak arm in a offensive system that didn't fit his strengths will be a welcome change. But, after one game the Lions didn't do for us that wanted after a win less season. Give us hope.

Week two didn't help much at all either. The Minnesota Vikings were in town to try and continue the recent dominance of their NFC north foe. I would like to call this a rivalry, but I'm pretty sure both teams have to win some for it to be considered that. After seeing the Lions defense be made into Swiss cheese against the Saints passing attack, I suppose it was only fair to face the NFL's best running back in the home opener.

The game was seemingly just like every other recent boring game the Lions have played in the last 8 years. Barely move the ball on offense and settle for field goals nearly every time they got into the red zone. Then show just enough defensive poise to keep the fans interested in the crap fest we have been tricked into thinking was professional football. The problem is the defense can't hold a team for the entire game to under 10 points. They just don't have the talent or coaching. No NFL team can score just 10 points on offense and expect to win.

Personally, I don't care how many games they win this year. They won't make the playoffs and who knows how long until we are even competitive. I just want to be entertained while watching these games. Enough with establishing a running game that just isn't working. Enough with passing the ball underneath the secondary to Calvin Johnson so we can just "get him the ball". You have a young QB that is already throwing more interceptions than any coach would ever like to see, so his confidence shouldn't be too effected by just launching some long passes to one of the best athletes in the world. Stretch the field and make them respect your money makers on offense. That opens up Kevin Smith for some easier runs into the second level and it keeps the clock rolling which gives your defense a rest.

I am obviously not a football coach by trade and have no desire to. On Sundays I just want to be able to know what it's like for the rest of the country when they get to watch semi-entertaining football games. In Detroit it's been the boring players with the boring coaches in the boring stadium for a little too long now. Let's have some fun.

Week 3 has the Redskins coming to Ford Field in what could be the first Lions victory in nearly 45 months, or something like that. Maybe it only seems like its been that long because nothing has changed from this team since the turn of the century. My prediction for week 3 is the Lions winning 15-10. Yet another fun filled afternoon of field goals and fumbles. I wish I had stock in the number of Bud lights sold at the stadium each Sunday, lord knows I'm gonna need one.

Stafford struggles in Lions loss

2009-09-20T20:47:00.000-07:00

By Imperical Evidence

Yep , the Lions lost their 19th regular season game in a row today. A large part of that loss has to be placed on the shoulders of Matthew Stafford , who looked uncomfortable in the second half once again. His totals over two games as the starting quarterback for the Detroit Lions are just plain bad , no other way too look at it.

1 touchdown pass , 5 interceptions , 357 total passing yards , and a quarterback rating of 40.5. His average yards per pass actually went down from week 1 , to 5.1 yards per completion. With Calvin Johnson as the main target , I find this stat very disturbing. Jerome Felton even caught a nice 10 yard pass , then ran for at least 11 more yards after the catch. Here is another disturbing stat:

First downs rushing - 13
First downs passing - 14
First downs by penalty - 4

Ok , so why is that bad?

Opponents first downs rushing - 14
Opponents first downs passing - 29
Opponents first downs by penalty - 3

The passing offense that is only good for a little over 5 yards a reception can't move the chains on 3rd down. Seems like Brandon Pettigrew would be a huge help here , with slants and crossing routes. The defense gets burned by the pass on 3rd down , thats not a good thing.
2 of the first down by penalties for the Lions lead them to Staffords first passing touchdown today , they happened on back to back plays in the second quarter. There were no sustained drives , no flow to the offense.

Kevin Smith ran better , but once again Dominic Raiola couldn't open any running room up the middle. He also disappeared in the opponents red zone.

Maurice Morris had 2 carries today. At least he played , something is going on here Lions fans.

Brandon Pettigrew had 4 catches , 3 in the 4th quarter.

Jeff Backus , the Lions left tackle , left Jared Allen unblocked for a Matthew Stafford sack , and fumble. He also stood over the loose ball. I wonder if the Vikings give him a paycheck this week , he earned it.

Larry Foote once again lead the defense for the Lions , not just in tackles , but in attitude. The defense looked better against the run , but Brett Favre had a great day. He went 23 for 27 , threw 2 touchdowns , and had a completion percentage of 85.2%. He only threw for 155 yards , good thing the Vikings didn't let him loose in the passing game.

I guess what disappointed me was that this game lacked the special teams excitement , and the defensive score. Stafford struggled , story at 11:00.
Julian Peterson played a little better , Ernie Sims still whiffed on a few tackles. Kevin Smith ran ok , but just that. He had no explosiveness , watch Adrian Peterson to see what I mean.

Backus was bad , Raiola got no push in the middle again , and the run up the middle was 2 or 3 yards at a time.

Hunter had a better pass rush than Avril has shown this year.

The offense accounted for 13 points. They were way too conservative , every once in a while take a shot down the field. Stafford waited until 3:00 left in the 4th quarter to do that , and overthrew Bryant Johnson badly.

Ok , Mr. Schwartz , the quarterback you picked as a starter for the Lions has thrown 5 INTs and 1 TD.

Daunte Culpepper threw 6 INTs and 4 TDs in 5 games last year as the starting quarterback , at 292 pounds and not knowing the offense.

What would hurt Stafford the most at this point , there are several different things that can happen.

1.) Stafford continues to start , bad team means long and slow learning curve.

2.) Stafford starts , plays badly , then gets pulled from a game and replaced.

3.) Schwartz tells Stafford that Culpepper will start , and Stafford will get time as a backup in every game to build his confidence. Schwartz also tells Stafford that he will be the starting QB again , but he made a mistake in starting Stafford too soon.

Those are the main possibilities I see , but injury could also happen. I expect Stafford to start against the Redskins next week , also a home game. The bottom line is that this is only the second game of Matthew Staffords' career , and its way too early to call him a bust.

Its not too early to say he played badly , and there will come a time this season when the Lions need a win. Thats when 1 , 2 , and 3 come into play.

Saints hand Lions lopsided loss , 45 to 27

2009-09-15T02:57:00.000-07:00

By Imperical Evidence

Ok , the Lions put up 27 points , more than any game in 2008 , so thats a bonus , right?

That would be a bonus if you could overlook the fact that the passing game had 0 touchdowns , and only scored 2 rushing touchdowns and 2 field goals. Louis Delmas picked up a fumble and ran it in for 7 points. Kevin Smith ran around the corner on a 4 yard scoring run. Matthew Stafford had a touchdown on a quarterback keeper.

The Lions offense was bad , both running and passing. Matthew Stafford went 16 for 37 with 3 interceptions and 0 touchdowns. He looked like he had a grasp on things in the first half , and hit several short passes. In the second half , Stafford was way off target with his throws , overthrowing and underthrowing. When he had to throw the ball in the fourth quarter , he forced one to a wide open defender , the Lions receiver was several yards away. He looked raw , and nothing like the starting quarterback he is supposed to be. His quarterback rating was an off the charts 27.4. The offensive line gave him time , he was still in a hurry to get rid of the ball.

The running game gained a whopping 1 yard on the first carry by Kevin Smith , right up the middle. Despite the obvious fact that Domonic Raiola is the starting center , and the Lions haven't been able to run up the middle since he first donned the Lion uniform in 2001 , the Lions kept running up the middle , for little to no yards. Jerome Felton , the Lions fullback , did manage to get a much needed first down on a third and short by running up the middle , he gained a massive 3 yards on the carry. Aaron Brown had one carry , and ran outside. The Saints had the middle of the field stacked , and Brown had a nine yard run. The Saints must think Aaron Brown runs between the tackles. Kevin Smith had 15 carries for an astounding 20 yards rushing , and was the primary target of Matthew Stafford , with 7 receptions for 52 yards. Jerome
Felton had 2 carries for 4 yards , Stafford had 1 carry and Brown had 1 carry. The Lions rushed for a total of 33 yards. The Aints rushed for a total of 157 yards , with Reggie Bush getting 14 yards on 7 carries. Mike Bell gained the rest.

Bell , the third string undrafted running back for the Aints , gained 42 yards on 13 carries in 4 games all last season.

The Lions defensive line couldn't stop anybody , or get any pressure on Drew Brees , the Aints quarterback. He threw 6 touchdown passes , and had one pass intercepted by Lions cornerback Anthony Henry. I could put on a suit and run for 100 yards against this defense. I'll bet I could do it with a sack around my legs. The Lions were down by 14 points faster than I can type this one single solitary sentence. The secondary got picked apart , they couldn't stop the run.

Maybe a better defensive line could be more effective against the run , helping the linebackers and secondary concentrate more on coverage?

Nahhhhh!!!! Not the way the Lions front office thinks.

Calvin Johnson caught 3 passes for 90 tards , a 30 yard per catch average. That average was all him , the longest throw to him was 14 yards , he gained the rest after the catch. Matthew Stafford threw to Calvin Johnson more times than I care to remember at this point , proving a great receiver can't catch a ball if it is thrown 10 yards away from where he is on the field.

Will Heller , the wonderful free agent blocking tight end addition had 2 passes hit him on the hands. He dropped them both. How dare Stafford hit him on the hands like that!!! Heller received heavy playing time , but 0 passes. I think I agree with the idea that he might be a good run blocking tight end - maybe on a high school football team. Meanwhile , Dan Gronkowski is stuck on the practice squad so that the Lions can have an undrafted eight year veteran on the starting roster that has never put up big numbers.

Brandon Pettigrew was perhaps the most invisible starting player I have ever seen(Not seen) in a football game. I just didn't see him on the field. He had 0 receptions , and did not stand out at all in any part of the game. I expected more from Pettigrew , even if it was his first NFL game. The Detroit Lions site will tell you he played a big part in the blocking game. Yep , the running game went off for 33 yards.

Sammie Lee Hill started at defensive tackle , but looked raw at times , and just decent at other times. He needs some work still.

Maurice Morris - where are you? The Lions signed him to a 3 year , $7 million dollar contract this off season , and has he even played at all , in pre season too?

Daunte Culpepper - why was Drew Stanton holding the clip board while you were not to be seen on the sidelines? Shouldn't you be helping young Matthew Stafford develop as a quarterback? Are you sure you are ok with being the number 2 QB?
Was this even your statement?

Aaron Brown is exciting to watch returning kicks , I am glad Aveion Cason is finally gone.

Larry Foote and Anthony Henry led the Lions with 9 tackles , and I thought they both had great games on defense. Henry made several tackles against the run. If the CB is making tackles in the running game , who is covering the receivers? Is this still the Tampa 2? If the defensive line could get pressure on the opposing QB , or maybe stop the run , this wouldn't happen would it?

Ok , I feel sick now.

If you want to read anything positive , there will not be much here. The Lions secondary has matched the secondary from all last season in interceptions with one. That to me isn't the greatest feat on the planet. Dennis Northcutt had a nice punt return. He is still what he is , an older player nearing the end of the line , and part of the reason the Lions , a rebuilding team , are the fifth oldest team in the NFL. Look , I liked what I saw , but come on , Mayhew , are there really no younger players out there that could possibly develop into an average receiver that could return punts? Really? Did we need to trade away a
young and talented safety for Northcutt?

Louis Delmas played both good and bad at times. He let his attitude get the Lions a flag on a Aints touchdown , but there were several nice hits and that fumble recovery that he ran all the way back.

All in all , this game showed me without a doubt that Matthew Stafford was not ready to start in week one , on the road , against the best offense in the NFL.

Jim Schwartz said he was ready.

Stafford named starting QB for the Lions

2009-09-09T10:38:00.000-07:00

Matthew Stafford in college , a look at pressure:

He struggled in his first year, completing 126 of 235 passes (53.6%) for 1,620 yards.

2006 Chick-fil-A Bowl, where Stafford and the Bulldogs made a 18-point comeback, the largest for Georgia under coach Mark Richt up to that point. He finished the game 9/21 passing,129 yards, 1 TD and 1 Int.

Stafford was named the Offensive MVP of the above bowl game.

Stafford registered 175 yards passing and a TD pass to Sean Bailey during Georgia 41–10 rout of No. 10 Hawaii Warriors in the 2008 Sugar Bowl.

Stafford went 20-for-31 for 250 yards passing , 3 TDs and 1 INT in the 2009 Capitol One Bowl.

NFL pre season starts:
The Browns game:5 for 13 , 34 yards , no TDs , 1 INT and a completion percentage of 38.5%

The Bills game:5 for 9 , 81 yards , 1 INT and 1 Fumble , recovered ny the Bills.

Brian VanOchten of the Grand Rapids Press dosen't think the INT and Fumble are Staffords fault at all , here is his evaluation:

Final line on Stafford: 5-for-9 passing for 81 yards, two dropped passes, two turnovers that weren't his fault, one touchdown-saving tackle.

One simple step:
The fumble by Stafford was caused when left tackle Jeff Backus got beat by a rookie DE on a speed rush , running the arc. Aaron Maybin then reached out and swatted at Staffords arm and the ball came out. The reason Maybin was playing for the Bills at defensive end is because they didn't play any starters on defense in this game.

If Matthew Stafford takes one simple step up into the pocket before attempting that pass , Maybin goes behind him , out of reach , and Backus does his job.
That one simple step requires that Stafford have pocket presence and awareness , and those are qualities that take time to develop.

Colbert falls down:
The interception occured when Stafford threw a pass to Colbert on a comeback route , and he fell coming back to the ball. That can't be Staffords fault , right?
In the first preseason game , Daunte Culpepper attempted a pass to Derrick Williams in the end zone. Williams fell on that play , but there was no way the defender could have picked that pass.

Matthew Stafford will tell you that he threw to the outside shoulder , and the defender made a great play when Keary Colbert fell. If Colbert hadn't fallen , thats not an INT.
What Stafford will not admit is that Colbert was covered like a blanket on that errant throw , and fell adjusting to the pass. Daunte Culpepper wouldn't have thrown that interception.

Coming out of high school , Matthew Stafford was the most sought after recruit by college teams. Georgia got him. As a freshman starter , Stafford completed 126 of 235 passes (53.6%) for 1,620 yards. His interception total doubled his touchdown total , 6 TDs and 12 INTs.
The big games?
Look at the numbers , only the Capitol One Bowl is decent , and Stafford played very badly in the first half of that game.

As a draft choice , many draft gurus had Stafford going as the #1 pick overall in the draft. The Lions made that happen , drafting him #1 overall. Now Matthew Stafford will be the starter for the Detroit Lions at QB for the regular season.

What I expect:
Lots of rookie mistakes , forced throws , too much on the ball on short passes , and lots of interceptions.
Simply , I think Schwartz either made the wrong choice , or Martin Mayhew told him to start Stafford.

Do I dislike Stafford? Nope , this is and will continue to be an objective blog , based on what I saw. So I need to look at this further.

Stafford as the #2 QB in pre season:
In the first pre season game against the Atlanta Falcons , Stafford did throw one INT that was all his fault , no question. When the Lions got the ball back , Stafford marched down the field and threw a touchdown.
Stafford against the Falcons:"Matthew Stafford seemed to want to air the ball out , and did so. Keary Colbert dropped too many passes , but caught a nice one before the CB and Safety converged on him. Stafford had a small window , but nailed it. He was on target for the most part , but suffered from the o-line play and the lack of decent receivers. For those that don't know , Calvin Johnson was inactive with an injury for this game , as was Northcutt , Bryant Johnson , and Standeford."

Stafford finished 7-of-14 passing for 114 yards , 1 TD and 1 INT.Colbert dropped 3 passes that hit him right on the hands.

Stafford against the Colts:
13-of-19 , 68.4 completion percentage , 160 total passing yards , 0 TDs , 1 INT

Stafford was better as a backup coming into the game , no question.

My take on what should have happened , and why I think Culpepper should be the starter for the regular season:

I guess that I had it set in my mind , a day dream in which Culpepper had played ok , but the Lions were down by 14 at the half. Stafford is brought in as a spark plug , and throws 3 TDs.
The Lions win , Stafford is a hero , gets gametime and learns(Starting isn't the only way he can learn) , and his confidence soars.
Everyone wants him to start , but Schwartz sticks with Culpepper , seeing the offensive line hasen't gelled yet.
Stafford does the above 1 or 2 more times.
Hand him the keys then.
I don't think anyone would argue with how well he played coming in as a backup in the pre season.I was impressed.

Well , do I love Daunte Culpepper?

I think he should take the beating behind this bad offensive line.

They aren't bad you say?

Lets ask Schwartz.
Coach , what do you think about the offensive line?
Jim Schwartz:
"We've got to do a better job of supporting our quarterback,'' Lions coach Jim Schwartz said. "We had a touchdown pass turned over with a holding penalty, and we didn't protect him very well and we fell down on the one interception."
"He did some good things, but we have to do a better job of supporting him. The bottom line is that we didn't get the ball in the end zone."

Here is that link to the above quote.

I also think Stafford might be a great QB one day , if the offensive line dosen't get him killed first. A bad offensive line will make Stafford look bad , slow his development , and possibly get him injured.

Stafford likely to start against the Bills

2009-08-31T17:19:00.000-07:00

By Imperical Evidence

Daunte Culpepper sustained a minor cut to his toe at his home Saturday evening. The cut required eight stitches to close , but Culpepper may still be able to play Thursday against the Bills. Daunte Culpepper only attempted one deep pass against the Colts , to Calvin Johnson , that went incomplete. He did have one short TD pass.

Drew Stanton had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee two years ago as a rookie. He experienced swelling in his left knee and the Lions sent him to get an MRI. The results aren't known yet, but the Lions don't believe it's serious. Stanton didn't have any problems immediately following the Lions' 18-17 preseason win over the Indianapolis Colts.
More importantly , the Lions have practice today and tomorrow , and travel Wednesday. Stanton had his number of reps in practice cut back last week , before the Colts game. I would consider him out of the running for the #1 quarterback spot.

Matthew Stafford took all the snaps in practice today. Stafford will also probably get most , if not all , of the snaps during the Tuesday practice. That leads me to believe Stafford will be the starting quarterback for the Lions on Thursday against the Buffalo Bills.
This would be his chance to redeem himself after a bad start on the road against the Cleveland Browns in week two of pre season. Stafford has already done that to some extent against the Colts , attacking downfield with his passes. He has been the most aggresive Lions quarterback by far , with Culpepper throwing short screens and checkdowns. There's no question Detroit Lions rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford is willing to stretch the field , that was apparent from the darts in threw on the 37-yard completion to Calvin Johnson and the 40-yarder he threw to rookie Derrick Williams. They were both laser throws. The one to Derrick Williams was directly on target in a small window. A glimpse of a very exciting future for all Lions fans watching. Matthew Stafford will start this year , and maybe even sooner than my original prediction of week 8.

The safe , short passing game of Daunte Culpepper isn't exciting , but he dosen't turn the ball over. Stafford has shown flashes of great play , and the coaching staff isn't saying anything about the starting role yet. If Matthew stafford can start against the Bills and play well , I think he has the inside track to being named the starter for the Detroit Lions for the regular season. Ok , so we know Stafford can play very well if the offensive line can establish the run and Stafford has time to throw the ball. Thats exactly what happened against the Colts.

The numbers:

M. Stafford 13 completions with 19 attempts , 68.4 completion percentage , 160 total passing yards , 0 TDs , 1 INT.

D. Culpepper 7 completions with 12 attempts , 58.3 completion percentage , 67 total passing yards , 1 TD , 0 INTs.

D. Stanton 4 completions with 6 attempts , 66.7 completion percentage , 56 total passing yards , 1 TD , 0 INTs.

To get a clearer look at what really happened , one should know that the Colts defense operated without linebacker Gary Brackett , cornerback Kelvin Hayden , safety Bob Sanders , ends Robert Mathis and Raheem Brock and tackle Ed Johnson. Thats 3 defensive linemen not playing. The Lions offensive line had a great game , leading the way for 25 Lion first downs. The Colts had 17 first downs. The Lions dominated the time of posession by nearly 9 minutes. The Lions had a 3rd down efficiency of 60% , going 9 for 15 on 3rd down. The Colts offense had a 3rd down efficiency of 33%.

The running game was spured on by the offensive line. The Lions gained 102 yards against the Browns last week. This week they ran for 151 yards. 3 running backs had a rushing average of over 5 yards per carry:

Kevin Smith - 6.3 yards per carry
Aaron Brown - 5.3 yards per carry
Tristan Davis - 5.5 yards per carry

Aveion Cason survived the first round of cuts , rushing 2 times and gaining 5 yards for an unimpressive average of 2.5 yards per carry. Cason has returned 105 kicks in his career. 4 of them have been for over 40 yards , 0 of them have resulted in a touchdown. Somehow Cason is still here.

Julian Peterson had a very nice game , getting 6 tackles to lead the Lions. A player worth mentioning is DeAndre Levy , who had 4 tackles. He has also played well in the other games.

Browns are bound for playoffs?

2009-08-23T00:44:00.000-07:00

Ok , my day started out simple. Go to work , cook for a small golf outing. Steak dinners , baked potatoes , mushrooms , corn. Easy stuff , really. The outing got moved to next week , so ok , easy day. Then the other golf club calls up , 'we need you over here to do this outing , 60 plus steaks'. Not really a tough day yet , I go there and get that done. Everyone was very happy with the way everything turned out , and they will be back next year. So now I have to go back to the first golf club and get things ready for an outing tomorrow(today now) , because I will not be there. There is also a special I need to get prepared for the week. I get all that done , then need to clean my kitchen. I get done at 6:00 P.M. , relax , and have a few beers. I am a little tired , not bad , and am ready to watch some Lions football.

Let the story begin...

If you havent yet , read the title.

Yep , I said it. The Cleveland Browns haven't scored an offensive touchdown in seven straight games , the last six regular season games last year , and the first pre season game this year. Last week in their first pre season game , the Browns didn't even get a field goal. The Browns scored 0 points. The Lions defense made them look like a playoff team. The Lions special teams coverage unit made them look like a playoff team. The Lions offense made the Browns look like a team with one of the best defenses in football.

Drew Stanton seems to be the only Lions QB that can effectively move the offense at this point , and thats after 2 games. Daunte Culpepper had an opportunity to stretch the field and move the ball after the Lions were down by 20 , and he failed. I saw one nice pass for about 25 yards by Culpepper in the 3rd quarter. He still seems conservative in the passing game.

The Lions special teams coverage looked like they were asleep. Aveion Cason was still returning kickoffs. The Lions know what they have there , one would think they would want to see Derrick Williams or Aaron Brown back there. Cason looked ok , just nothing spectacular , no great burst of speed , no quick cuts. Cason seems to play with the same level of energy week in and week out , and its flat.

The defense looked bad , period. Nobody seemed to be able to shed any blocks and make a play , they all seemed content to be blocked out of the play. The tape will show a 'I didn't have a shot at a tackle there , I was blocked , so its not my fault' mentality.

The Lions scored 3 points on a field goal in the first half. An interception set up that field goal with about 5 seconds on the clock. The Lions could have sent in the offensive unit and tried to throw a long ball there , they didn't. I think Jim Schwartz wanted to see Swayze Waters kick a 50 plus yard field goal.

Matthew Stafford

On Stafford Vs. Culpepper:
Matthew Stafford looked like I thought he might , and this was just a pre season game. He was full of energy and didn't seem to be able to settle down and get into the game. Rookie nerves. He had too much mustard on the ball , again nerves. The 3-4 defense seemed to have him confused. The offensive line didn't help much. I think it was the second or 3rd posession when he had a 3rd and 2. I thought run play , Stafford dropped back to pass. Kevin Smith didn't release down the field in a route , but looked to pick up any blitz. Dominic Raiola gave up the pressure right up the middle , and Stafford threw an incomplete pass to the left.

The offensive line once again failed to help the running game up the middle or to the left in the first half. After Culpepper came in , he got into a 3rd and short , and Cason got the handoff. He got stuffed for a loss up the middle. The Lions also got stuffed on a 4th and one running play.

I thought the linebackers made a few good plays here and there , but once again proved 3 linebackers can't stop 11 guys. Larry Foote was involved in several plays defensively. The defensive line needs to play better , the secondary got torched early and often. Louis Delmas did make his presence felt at safety with a great hit on a Browns receiver in the first quarter. Phillip Buchanon and Anthony Henry , the cornerbacks for the Lions , did not play that well. Gunther Cunningham did call a nice delayed safety blitz on a Browns 3rd down , and safety LaMarcus Hicks almost got the sack , forcing a bad throw.

Drew Stanton threw a touchdown pass in his first offensive series at QB for the Lions. That seemed to wake up the Browns , who were napping after scoring 20 points in the first quarter. The Browns second offensive unit responded by marching down the field and scoring.

The Numbers:
Matthew Stafford:
5 for 13 , 34 yards , no TDs , 1 INT and a completion percentage of 38.5%

Daunte Culpepper:
10 for 16 , 86 yards , no TDs , and a completion percentage of 62.5%

Drew Stanton:
5 for 12 , 66 yards , 1 TD , and a completion percentage of 41.7%

Jordan Dizon quietly had a nice game on defense , recording 6 solo tackles. He is all over the field , getting to the ball. Larry Foote had 3 tackles. Anthony Henry had 4 tackles.

Turnovers:
Matthew Stafford threw one interception.
The following Lions had 1 fumble each:
Aveion Cason , Jerome Felton , Derrick Williams , Matthew Stafford , and Demir Boldin

I still think Daunte Culpepper is the Lions starting quarterback at the beginning of the season.

Ok , full circle.
I am calling out the special teams coverage unit. I could have played better , and made some stops. I am 6' and weigh about 185 - 190 pounds. With a strenght and conditioning coach , I could add 30 pounds and still have speed. Coverage is about reading where the return blockers are setting up , watching the ball , and getting the angle to make the tackle. The Lions looked like they were sleeping on the field. I would play for the league minimum , and outplay most of the players I saw in this game if they continue to play that way.
Put me in coach.

The Lions Vs. the Falcons , what I saw...

2009-08-15T20:14:00.000-07:00

The first string offensive line played well enough , better than last year but...

Backus got beat badly on a speed rush and Stafford had to throw the ball away. Raiola got beat and Culpepper got sacked. Actually , Raiola got beat several times , but only gave up the one sack. Peterman might get the sack allowed , but Raiola blew the gap. The interception that Stafford threw was caused by pressure up the middle , and he tried to get rid of the ball. Don't get rid of it in the deep flat young man.

Daunte Culpepper played well , but seemed reluctant trying to make anything happen down the field , and seemed willing to pull it down and run it. He ran very well , better than I expected. His passes were short routes that moved the chains. When he did pull the ball down and ran to the left , the one thing I noticed immediately was that Daniel Loper was out there to block for him , and Backus was still tied up in the crowd at
the line. These plays were not called , and from what I could see , the guard was not supposed to pull. Loper got out there and did a nice job on a few broken plays.

Matthew Stafford seemed to want to air the ball out , and did so. Keary Colbert dropped too many passes , but caught a nice one before the CB and Safety converged on him. Stafford had a small window , but nailed it. He was on target for the most part , but suffered from the o-line play and the lack of decent receivers. For those that don't know , Calvin Johnson was inactive with an injury for this game , as was Northcutt , Bryant Johnson , and Standeford. Aaron Brown in routes as a receiver can't be covered by any linebackers , he is just too fast. Stanton took advantage of that in the 4th quarter , and nailed him in the open field. Brown did the rest , making a defender miss badly with a quick cut back to the middle.

Drew Stanton took what was there , including on the ground , and almost threw one away when he didn't see the defender , but the interception was taken away from the Falcons because of pass interference. The intentional grounding just wasn't a good play , the ball never made it to the line , and bounced before it was outside the tackle box. Down 26 to 24 with under 2 minutes left in the game , Stanton drove the Lions down the field , and on 3rd and 10 , pulled it down and ran for it , picking up 18 yards. Hanson nailed a 47 yard field goal to win the game.

The defensive line played well , better than I expected , and Cohen was in the backfield several times. The line was off sides a few times , Avril jumped the snap count once , but I almost expect that with a more aggressive attitude. That will get better. Last year they seemed content to wait for the snap , getting lulled to sleep and pushed backwards. Not this year , so far.

The Safeties played well also , with Pearson making several nice open
field tackles , one on a run play where he came up and had a nice hit. Stuart Schweigert made a few nice plays in the second half , a nice play
to knock down a pass and a good tackle on run support. He played with
very high energy.

I thought Buchanon and Henry were stellar at the cornerback spots ,
covering very well , and making tackles. Buchanon did miss a tackle on
the running play the Falcons scored on , but he was overmatched.

The running game started out well with Kevin Smith , but the yards were not there up the middle or on the left side. Aveion Cason looked decent at best , but again most of the yards were to the right running behind Gosder Cherilus and Stephan Peterman. Allen Ervin looked good behind the second string offensive line. Then it was Aaron Browns turn , and I must say that he is fast. The line made hin look really good with Jansen and Salaam sealing the edges. If he could add some lower body size , he would be a very complete running back , but he has a receiver build. The touchdown run was a perfect example of offensive line blocking , the left side had their way , sealing off the entire left sde of the field. Brown could have trotted slowly into the end zone. Felton made a nice catch out of the backfield. Again , I must ask the question , where the
heck is Maurice Morris?

It was good to see Derrick Williams not fair catch the Punt returns ,
and try to shake the first tacklers. He wants to make this squad. Cason
looked slow , as usual , on kickoff returns , and Aaron Brown looked
good. If and when Northcutt comes back , we might continue to see
Derrick Williams return punts. His routes looked good , except the one
in the first quarter where he triped over his own feet on a possible
touchdown pass from Daunte Culpepper. Hanson scored the first points for the Lions. No thoughts on Jason Hanson are necessary , he is good , period.

Ernie Sims was all over the field making tackles again , looked like his
old self. Foote came up the middle and stuffed the run a few times , and
when he hits that line , it stops. Levy was even fired up , and I have
watched this guy just disappear on the field , but not today. He was in
the backfield , breaking up pass plays , and making tackles.

The one thing that struck me in this game to the point that I have
changed my mind on him is Aaron Brown. I think he needs to make the
final roster , and Cason needs to go. Having written that , I still
wonder what the deal with Maurice Morris is.

Examining the Evidence - Jeff Backus

2009-07-26T18:34:00.000-07:00

By Imperical Evidence

To start , I think we need to look at all the starting left tackles in the NFL for the 2008 season. This will tell us a few things.

Here is that list:

1. Ryan Clady (Broncos) 0.5 sacks allowed (16 starts) - Rookie
2. Michael Roos (Titans) 1.0 sacks allowed (16 starts) *PRO-BOWL*
3. Tra Thomas (Eagles) 2.0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
3. Orlando Pace (Rams) 2.0 sacks allowed (14 starts)
5. Jake Long (Dolphins) 2.5 sacks allowed (16 starts) - Rookie
6. Jordan Gross (Panthers) 3.0 sacks allowed (15 starts) *PRO-BOWL*
6. Jammal Brown (Saints) 3.0 sacks allowed (15 starts)
6. Jared Gaither (Ravens) 3.0 sacks allowed (15 starts)
6. Marcus McNeill (Chargers) 3.0 sacks allowed (14 starts)
6. Tony Ugoh (Colts) 3.0 sacks allowed (12 starts)
6. Chris Samuels (Redskins) 3.0 sacks allowed (12 starts) *PRO-BOWL*
6. Todd Weiner (Falcons) 3.0 sacks allowed (11 starts)
13. Walter Jones (Seahawks) 3.5 sacks allowed (12 starts) *PRO-BOWL*
14. D'Brickashaw Ferguson (Jets) 4.0 sacks allowed (16 starts)
14. Bryant McKinnie (Vikings) 4.0 sacks allowed (12 starts)
14. Max Starks (Steelers) 4.0 sacks allowed (11 starts)
17. Joe Thomas (Browns) 4.5 sacks allowed (16 starts) *PRO-BOWL*
17. Branden Albert (Cheifs) 4.5 sacks allowed (15 starts) - Rookie
19. Levi Brown (Bengals) 5.5 sacks allowed (11 starts)
20. Mike Gandy (Cardinals) 6.25 sacks allowed (16 starts)
21. David Diehl (Giants) 6.5 sacks allowed (16 starts)
22. Flozell Adams (Cowboys) 7.25 sacks allowed (16 starts)
23. Khalif Barnes (Jags) 7.5 sacks allowed (16 starts)
23. Matt Light (Pats) 7.5 sacks allowed (16 starts)
23. Chad Clifton (Packers) 7.5 sacks allowed (15 starts)
23. Kwame Harris (Raiders) 7.5 sacks allowed (11 starts)
27. Joe Staley (49ers) 8.5 sacks allowed (16 starts)
28. Donald Penn (Bucs) 8.5 sacks allowed (16 starts)
29. Jeff Backus (Lions) 9.25 sacks allowed (16 starts)
30. John St. Clair (Bears) 9.75 sacks allowed (16 starts)
31. Duane Brown (Texans) 11.5 sacks allowed (16 starts) - Rookie
31. Jason Peters (Bills) 11.5 sacks allowed (13 starts) *PRO-BOWL*

Now lets take a look at the career numbers for Jeff Backus.

Jeff Backus
Career Offensive Line Stats
Year Team G GS Sacks Allwd
2001 Det 16 16 12.00
2002 Det 16 16 3.50
2003 Det 16 16 2.50
2004 Det 16 16 8.50
2005 Det 16 16 3.00
2006 Det 16 16 9.50
2007 Det 16 16 15.50
2008 Det 16 16 9.25
Totals 128 128 63.75

7.96875 per year

The rest of the starting left tackles in 2008 , career numbers:

Michael Roos
Career Offensive Line Stats
Year Team G GS Sacks Allwd
2005 Ten 16 16 6.50
2006 Ten 16 16 3.00
2007 Ten 16 16 4.00
2008 Ten 16 16 1.00
Totals 64 64 14.50

3.625 per year

Tra Thomas
Career Offensive Line Stats
Year Team G GS Sacks Allwd
1998 Phi 16 16 6.00
1999 Phi 16 15 5.00
2000 Phi 16 16 9.00
2001 Phi 15 15 5.25
2002 Phi 16 16 8.00
2003 Phi 15 15 8.00
2004 Phi 15 15 4.50
2005 Phi 10 10 2.00
2006 Phi 16 16 3.25
2007 Phi 15 15 7.00
2008 Phi 16 16 2.00
Totals 166 165 60.00

5.45 per year

Orlando Pace
Career Offensive Line Stats
Year Team G GS Sacks Allwd
1997 StL 13 9 6.50
1998 StL 16 16 8.50
1999 StL 16 16 6.50
2000 StL 16 16 7.00
2001 StL 16 16 5.00
2002 StL 10 10 2.00
2003 StL 16 16 4.00
2004 StL 16 16 5.00
2005 StL 16 16 6.00
2006 StL 8 8 4.50
2007 StL 1 1 0.00
2008 StL 14 14 2.00
Totals 158 154 57.00

4.75 per year

Jordan Gross
Career Offensive Line Stats
Year Team G GS Sacks Allwd
2003 Car 16 16 3.00
2004 Car 16 16 7.00
2005 Car 16 16 5.50
2006 Car 16 16 5.25
2007 Car 16 16 3.00
2008 Car 15 15 3.00
Totals 95 95 26.75

4.583 per year

Jammal Brown
Career Offensive Line Stats
Year Team G GS Sacks Allwd
2005 NO 13 13 3.50
2006 NO 15 15 3.00
2007 NO 15 15 2.00
2008 NO 15 15 3.00
Totals 58 58 11.50

2.875 per year

Jared Gaither
Career Offensive Line Stats
Year Team G GS Sacks Allwd
2007 Bal 6 2 1.50
2008 Bal 16 15 3.00
Totals 22 17 4.50

2.25 per year

Marcus McNeill
Career Offensive Line Stats
Year Team G GS Sacks Allwd
2006 SD 16 16 5.00
2007 SD 16 16 9.50
2008 SD 14 14 3.00
Totals 46 46 17.50

5.833 per year

Tony Ugoh
Career Offensive Line Stats
Year Team G GS Sacks Allwd
2007 Ind 11 11 1.50
2008 Ind 15 12 3.00
Totals 26 23 4.50

2.25 per year

Chris Samuels
Career Offensive Line Stats
Year Team G GS Sacks Allwd
2000 Was 16 16 6.00
2001 Was 16 16 3.50
2002 Was 15 15 4.50
2003 Was 13 13 7.25
2004 Was 16 16 5.50
2005 Was 16 16 4.00
2006 Was 16 16 4.00
2007 Was 16 16 5.00
2008 Was 12 12 3.00
Totals 136 136 42.75

4.75 per year

Todd Weiner
Career Offensive Line Stats
Year Team G GS Sacks Allwd
1998 Sea 6 0 0.00
1999 Sea 11 1 0.50
2000 Sea 16 6 6.00
2001 Sea 16 13 4.50
2002 Atl 16 15 8.50
2003 Atl 16 16 3.00
2004 Atl 16 16 6.50
2005 Atl 15 15 5.50
2006 Atl 16 16 5.25
2007 Atl 8 7 2.50
2008 Atl 16 11 3.00
Totals 152 116 45.25

4.1136 per year

Walter Jones
Career Offensive Line Stats
Year Team G GS Sacks Allwd
1997 Sea 12 12 2.00
1998 Sea 16 16 6.00
1999 Sea 16 16 6.00
2000 Sea 16 16 6.75
2001 Sea 16 16 2.50
2002 Sea 14 14 3.00
2003 Sea 16 16 8.50
2004 Sea 16 16 0.00
2005 Sea 15 15 2.50
2006 Sea 16 16 10.50
2007 Sea 15 15 6.00
2008 Sea 12 12 3.50
Totals 180 180 57.25

4.7708 per year

D'Brickashaw Ferguson
Career Offensive Line Stats
Year Team G GS Sacks Allwd
2006 NYJ 16 16 10.00
2007 NYJ 16 16 13.25
2008 NYJ 16 16 4.00
Totals 48 48 27.25

9.08 per year

Bryant McKinnie
Career Offensive Line Stats
Year Team G GS Sacks Allwd
2002 Min 8 7 4.75
2003 Min 16 16 11.50
2004 Min 16 16 11.00
2005 Min 16 16 4.75
2006 Min 16 16 7.00
2007 Min 16 16 7.00
2008 Min 12 12 4.00
Totals 100 99 50.00

7.1428 per year

Max Starks
Career Offensive Line Stats
Year Team G GS Sacks Allwd
2004 Pit 10 0 0.00
2005 Pit 16 16 8.50
2006 Pit 14 14 8.00
2007 Pit 16 4 1.00
2008 Pit 16 11 4.00
Totals 72 45 21.50

4.3 per year

Joe Thomas
Career Offensive Line Stats
Year Team G GS Sacks Allwd
2007 Cle 16 16 4.25
2008 Cle 16 16 4.50
Totals 32 32 8.75

4.375 per year

Levi Brown
Career Offensive Line Stats
Year Team G GS Sacks Allwd
2007 Ari 13 11 8.00
2008 Ari 16 16 11.00
Totals 29 27 19.00

9.5 sacks per year

Mike Gandy
Career Offensive Line Stats
Year Team G GS Sacks Allwd
2002 Chi 13 11 5.50
2003 Chi 14 14 8.00
2004 Chi 5 5 2.50
2005 Buf 16 16 7.00
2006 Buf 16 16 12.50
2007 Ari 16 16 1.00
2008 Ari 16 16 6.25
Totals 96 94 42.75

6.107 per year

David Diehl
Career Offensive Line Stats
Year Team G GS Sacks Allwd
2003 NYG 16 16 6.00
2004 NYG 16 16 9.00
2005 NYG 16 16 2.00
2006 NYG 16 16 4.50
2007 NYG 16 16 13.50
2008 NYG 16 16 6.50
Totals 96 96 41.50

6.916 per year

Flozell Adams
Career Offensive Line Stats
Year Team G GS Sacks Allwd
1998 Dal 16 12 1.50
1999 Dal 16 16 5.00
2000 Dal 16 16 5.00
2001 Dal 16 16 2.50
2002 Dal 16 16 7.50
2003 Dal 16 16 4.50
2004 Dal 16 16 7.50
2005 Dal 6 6 2.00
2006 Dal 16 16 7.50
2007 Dal 16 16 3.50
2008 Dal 16 16 7.25
Totals 166 162 53.75

4.8863 per year

Khalif Barnes
Career Offensive Line Stats
Year Team G GS Sacks Allwd
2005 Jac 13 12 3.50
2006 Jac 15 15 4.75
2007 Jac 16 14 6.00
2008 Jac 16 16 7.50
Totals 60 57 21.75

5.4375 per year

Matt Light
Career Offensive Line Stats
Year Team G GS Sacks Allwd
2001 NE 14 12 10.00
2002 NE 16 16 11.50
2003 NE 16 16 3.75
2004 NE 16 16 7.50
2005 NE 3 3 0.50
2006 NE 16 16 7.50
2007 NE 16 16 6.50
2008 NE 16 16 7.50
Totals 113 111 54.75

6.8437 per year

Chad Clifton
Career Offensive Line Stats
Year Team G GS Sacks Allwd
2000 GB 13 10 2.25
2001 GB 14 13 2.50
2002 GB 10 9 1.00
2003 GB 16 16 2.00
2004 GB 16 16 2.00
2005 GB 16 16 4.00
2006 GB 15 15 4.50
2007 GB 16 16 3.50
2008 GB 15 15 7.50
Totals 131 126 29.25

3.25 per year

Kwame Harris
Career Offensive Line Stats
Year Team G GS Sacks Allwd
2003 SF 14 5 5.00
2004 SF 14 7 7.00
2005 SF 16 16 9.50
2006 SF 16 16 8.50
2007 SF 12 0 1.00
2008 Oak 14 11 7.50
Totals 86 55 38.50

6.416 per year

Joe Staley
Career Offensive Line Stats
Year Team G GS Sacks Allwd
2007 SF 16 16 9.00
2008 SF 16 16 8.50
Totals 32 32 17.50

8.75 per year

Donald Penn
Career Offensive Line Stats
Year Team G GS Sacks Allwd
2007 TB 16 12 6.50
2008 TB 16 16 8.50
Totals 32 28 15.00

7.5 per year

John St. Clair
Career Offensive Line Stats
Year Team G GS Sacks Allwd
2002 StL 16 16 8.50
2003 StL 16 0 0.00
2004 Mia 14 14 4.50
2005 Chi 13 2 1.00
2006 Chi 16 2 1.00
2007 Chi 16 5 1.00
2008 Chi 16 16 9.75
Totals 107 55 25.75

3.6785 per year

Jason Peters
Career Offensive Line Stats
Year Team G GS Sacks Allwd
2004 Buf 5 1 0.00
2005 Buf 16 10 1.50
2006 Buf 16 16 2.00
2007 Buf 15 15 6.00
2008 Buf 13 13 11.50
Totals 65 55 21.00

4.2 per year

So , what can we see with all this information?

Well , for starters , Jeff Backus was near the bottom for sacks allowed in 2008 , with 3 left tackles giving up more.

Some of the Left Tackles listed are rookies , to be fair. Ok , so Jeff Backus allowed 12 sacks in his rookie year. No left tackles allowed that many last year , and that obviously includes the rookies. Bryant McKinnie allowed 11.5 sacks in his second year , but didn't play that much his rookie year. D'Brickashaw Ferguson allowed 10 sacks in his rookie year , starting all 16 games. Matt Light allowed 10 sacks in his rookie year , not starting all 16 games. When he did start all 16 games the next year , he allowed 11.5 sacks. Jeff Backus allowed 12 sacks in his rookie year , and if we made a list of sacks allowed for rookie left tackles that were starters last year , Jeff Backus is at the bottom.

Now , lets look at 2007 , and we can see that Jeff Backus allowed 15.5 sacks. Thats horrible. So , was it because of Mike Martz? Martz was the offensive coordinator of the 49ers last year , and Joe Staley was the left tackle. Staley allowed 8.5 sacks in 16 starts. It was his second season in the NFL. Backus gave up more than that in each of his years under Martz. So lets go back and look at the Rams , a team Martz was the offensive coordinator for. The left tackle that played there under Martz for 4 years was Orlando Pace. He gave up 6.50 , 8.50 , 6.50 , and 7.00 sacks in those years , not even near the 15.5 Backus allowed.

Ok , so lets take that even further. Did any of the starting left tackles from 2008 give up 15.5 sacks in their careers? D'Brickashaw Ferguson gave up 13.25 in 2007. Mike Gandy gave up 12.5 sacks in 2006. David Diehl allowed 13.5 sacks in 2007. Jason Peters allowed 11.5 sacks in 2008. No left tackle that was a regular starter in 2008 had a year as bad as Jeff Backus did , at any time in their careers.

Now we can look at the sack total over an 8 year career. Backus has allowed a total of 63.75 sacks in 8 years. How many starting left tackles in 2008 have played 8 years or more?

Tra Thomas - Eagles - has a career total of 60 sacks in 11 years , 48.25 first 8 years.

Orlando Pace - Rams - 12 years , 57 sacks total , 44.5 in his first 8 years.

Chris Samuels - Redskins - 42.75 sacks in 9 years , 39.75 sacks in his first 8 years.

Todd Weiner - Falcons - 45.25 sacks in 11 years , 34.5 sacks in his first 8 years.

Walter Jones - Seahawks - 57.25 in 12 years , 34.75 in his first 8 years.

Flozell Adams - Dallas - 53.75 in 11 years , 35.5 in his first 8 years.

Matt Light - Patriots - 54.75 sacks allowed in 8 years.

Chad Clifton - Packers - 29.25 in 9 years , 21.75 in his first 8 years.

In fact , Jeff Backus has the worst career allowed sack total , giving up more than any starting left tackle in 2008 did over their careers , even if their careers are 12 years. Tra Thomas comes close , with 60 sacks allowed in 11 years.

Now we can take these totals and make a list of left tackles by sacks per year average.

Ryan Clady - 0.5 per year - rookie
Tony Ugoh - 2.25 per year - 2 year career
Jared Gaither - 2.25 per year - 2 year career
Jake Long - 2.5 per year - rookie
Jammal Brown - 2.875 per year - 4 year career
Chad Clifton - 3.25 per year - 9 year career
Michael Roos - 3.625 per year - 4 year career
John St. Clair - 3.6785 per year - 7 year career
Todd Weiner - 4.1136 per year - 11 year career
Jason Peters - 4.2 per year - 5 year career
Max Starks - 4.3 per year - 5 year career
Joe Thomas - 4.375 per year - 2 year career
Branden Albert - 4.5 per year - rookie
Jordan Gross - 4.583 per year - 6 year career
Orlando Pace - 4.75 per year - 12 year career
Chris Samuels - 4.75 per year - 9 year career
Walter Jones - 4.7708 per year - 12 year career
Flozell Adams - 4.8863 per year - 11 year career
Khalif Barnes - 5.4375 per year - 4 year career
Tra Thomas - 5.45 per year - 11 year career
Marcus McNeill - 5.83 per year - 3 year career
Mike Gandy - 6.107 per year - 7 year career
Kwame Harris - 6.416 per year - 6 year career
Matt Light - 6.8437 per year - 8 year career
David Diehl - 6.916 per year - 6 year career
Bryant McKinnie - 7.1428 - 7 year career
Donald Penn - 7.5 per year - 2 year career
Jeff Backus - 7.96875 per year - 8 year career
Joe Staley - 8.75 per year - 2 year career**
D'Brickashaw Ferguson - 9.08 per year - 3 year career*
Levi Brown - 9.5 per year - 2 year career
Duane Brown - 11.5 per year - rookie***

* - gave up 4 sacks in 2008 in 16 starts.
** - played under Martz , should get better.
*** - bad rookie year , still not as bad as the rookie year of Jeff Backus.

Every Left Tackle that started in 2008 on a regular basis and has played for more tha 3 years has a better sacks allowed per year than Jeff Backus. The Lions have kept him around for too long , he needs to go.

Did I forget to mention that barring an unlikely trade , Jeff Backus will be the starting left tackle for the 2009 Detroit Lions?

The Cornerbacks - The Crystal Ball Series

2009-07-23T20:15:00.000-07:00

By Imperical Evidence

Now that we have looked at the offensive line and the quarterbacks on the roster , and the defensive line , we need to look at the cornerbacks. These are the current cornerbacks on the roster.

Cornerbacks:

# 31 Phillip Buchanon CB
Ht:5-11 Wt:186 Age:28 Exp:8 College: Miami (Fla.)

# 32 Anthony Henry CB
Ht:6-1 Wt:207 Age:32 Exp:9 College:South Florida

# 29 Eric King CB
Ht:5-10 Wt:185 Age:27 Exp:5 College:Wake Forest

# 33 Chris Roberson CB
Ht:5-11 Wt:190 Age:26 Exp:4 College:Eastern Michigan

# 38 Ramzee Robinson CB
Ht:5-10 Wt:18 Age:25 Exp:3 College:Alabama

# 23 Keith Smith CB
Ht:5-11 Wt:191 Age:29 Exp:6 College:McNeese State

# 30 Dexter Wynn CB
Ht:5-9 Wt:175 Age:28 Exp:5 College:Colorado State

Phillip Buchanon
PRO: Entering his eighth season, Buchanon signed as an unrestricted free agent with Detroit March 5, 2009. The athletic cornerback, who most recently spent two seasons with Tampa Bay (2007-08), will compete for a starting role in the Lions’ defensive backfield. In 2008 Buchanon started in all 16 games played for the first time in his career and amassed 48 tackles, two interceptions (including a 26-yard touchdown return), six passes defensed, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Buchanon saw action in a total of 42 games (33 starts) for the Bucs and recorded 137 tackles, seven interceptions (45 yards), 16 passes defensed two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and a touchdown. In 2006, Buchanon played in 10 games for the Buccaneers and in four with the Texans prior being released by Houston October 16, 2006. Buchanon played in 10 games with four starts for the Texans in 2005 after being traded to the club by Oakland April 20, 2005 for second and third-round draft picks in the 2005 draft. Originally entered the league as a first-round pick (17th overall) by the Raiders in the 2002 NFL Draft and spent the first three seasons (2002-04) of his career in Oakland recording 113 tackles, 11 interceptions (326 yards), four touchdowns, 24 passes defensed, two forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries in 36 games played with 26 starts.

Prediction:
Tough one. Buchanon will be starting at cornerback.

Eric King
PRO: Entering his fifth NFL season, King signed with the Lions as an unrestricted free agent February 28, 2009 after spending the previous three seasons in Tennessee (2006-08). Last season King played in 10 games before being placed on the injured reserve list on November 22, 2008. In 2007, King played in 15 games with one start and recorded seven tackles, a tackle for loss and 11 special teams stops before being placed on injured reserve with a forearm injury on December 26, 2007. King joined the Titans September 3,2006 after being claimed off of waivers from the Buffalo Bills. Originally selected by the Bills in the fifth round (156th overall) of the 2005 NFL Draft.

Prediction
King can play special teams , and he might make the roster as a depth player.

Chris Roberson
PRO: Signed to the Lions’ practice squad October 9, 2008 and was elevated to the active roster December 16. Prior to coming to Detroit, Roberson saw time with Jacksonville (2005-08) where he spent two seasons on their reserve injured list (2006-07) and with the Dolphins’ practice squad briefly in 2008. Roberson saw action in a total of six career games his rookie season for Jacksonville in 2005 and was placed on their injured reserve list in 2006. Originally drafted by the Jaguars in the seventh round (237th overall) of the 2005 NFL Draft.

Prediction:
Bye-bye.

Anthony Henry
PRO: A big, physical player at the corner position, Henry was acquired by the Lions through a trade with Dallas for QB Jon Kitna March 2, 2009. Henry spent the past four
seasons (2005-08) with Dallas playing in 57 games (51 starts) and recorded 244 tackles (210 solo), 2.0 sacks (19 yards), 57 passes defensed, nine interceptions (122 yards) four fumble recoveries and one forced fumble. Henry enjoyed one of the most productive seasons of his career in 2007 as he led the Cowboys with six interceptions which tied for fifth in the NFL and third in the NFC. Prior to joining Dallas, Henry spent the first four seasons of his career (2001-04) with Cleveland. During his rookie campaign in 2001, Henry played in all 16 games with two starts and collected a career-high 10 interceptions (177 yards) for the Browns and ranked first in the AFC and tied for first in the NFL. He is one of nine players since 1985 to record 10 interceptions in a season. Henry also became the first player in Browns history to have three interceptions in a game twice in a season (against Detroit, 9/23/01 and at Baltimore, 11/18/01). Originally selected by Cleveland in the fourth round (97th overall) of the 2001 NFL Draft.

Prediction:
I think Henry will start at corner back , and Tom 'Killer' Kowalski of Mlive dosen't agree with me. The problem for Killer is that moving Henry to safety would leave the cornerback position with no depth and an unproven starter. The Lions head coach Jim Schwartz also wants to keep Henry at cornerback , and here is that story. The Lions also brought in Marquand Manuel for depth at safety , and here is that story.
Killer begins to spin his story on Henry here , saying "The belief, though, is that at one point in training camp, the coaching staff will opt to move Henry to safety and pair him with rookie Louis Delmas."
Thats your belief , Killer. Then , in this story , Killer writes this:"Anthony Henry is currently in that spot but the Lions are looking for a reason to move him to safety."
I think its clear that Killer is the one that wants Henry moved to safety. I don't think the Lions will do that unless they get another CB in FA or a trade before the season starts.

Ramzee Robinson
PRO: Robinson was added to the Lions Practice Squad September 2, 2007 after being released by the club September 1, 2007. He finished the season on the active roster,
making contributions on special teams. He had collegiate experience at the cornerback, having played four years in the SEC, perhaps the nation’s toughest football conference. During his career, he played in 50 games and recorded 146 tackles (100 solo) and 3.5 tackles for loss (11 yards). He intercepted four passes and returned those four picks a total of 96 yards. Added 22 passes defensed to his defensive numbers. As the 255th overall pick and final selection in the 2007 NFL Draft, Robinson was honored in June as Mr. Irrelevant. He was the honored guest during “Irrelevant Week”, a week long celebration, in Newport Beach, Calif., that is headed up by former NFL player Paul Salata.

Prediction:
Has a shot to make the roster for depth at cornerback.

Keith Smith
PRO: Smith is a valuable contributor at cornerback, especially in nickel and dime
situations, and is a solid performer on special teams. Smith played in 15 games last
year, serving as a backup cornerback. In 2005, he played in 15 games with two starts.
Smith was selected by the Lions in the third round (73rd overall) to add talent and
depth to the team’s secondary. At McNeese State, Smith demonstrated great ability as a deep-coverage cornerback, and did not allow a reception in 13 of his last 22 games for the Cowboys.

Prediction:
Keith Smith will make the final roster , and provides solid depth. He may eventually work his way into the starting spot now that he is no longer stuck playing the Tampa Two , a defense he didn't fit.

Dexter Wynn
PRO: Signed with Detroit December 9, 2008 and saw time in the final two games of the
season for the Lions. Wynn had most recently spent nine games in 2006 and the 2007
season with Houston after being claimed off waivers from Philadelphia November 1, 2006. In 2007 Wynn saw time in eight games and made his first career start. Wynn finished the season with five tackles (four solo) and four passes defensed. He also served as a kickoff returner early in the season and finished with 22 returns for 523 yards and a long of 39 yards. Wynn was originally drafted by the Eagles in the sixth round (192nd overall) of the 2004 NFL Draft and spent three seasons (2004-06) with the club primarily as a return specialist. Wynn closed out his career in Philadelphia with 28 games played, 35 kickoff returns (667 yards), 53 punt returns (435 yards), 15 tackles (14 solo), nine passes defensed, five fumble recoveries and a sack (six yards).

Prediction:
Wynn is on the edge , and needs to show something in training camp to make it.

Your Cornerback Roster for 2009:
Starters:
Right CB - Phillip Buchanon
Left CB - Anthony Henry

Depth:
Keith Smith
Eric King
Ramzee Robinson

Maybe:
Dexter Wynn

Cut:
Chris Roberson

If Keith Smith can get some time on the field and prove he can be effective , the cornerback spot should be ok this year. Its not as weak as fans think , unless the Lions move Henry to safety. They still need young talent at CB.

Next year the Lions need young talent at CB in the draft , as Buchanon and Henry are getting into the 'lose a step' years. If Henry moves to safety , Keith Smith will have to step up , and there will be little to no depth at CB. The Lions draft a safety within the top 3 rounds in 2010.

The Defensive Line - The Crystal Ball Series

2009-07-19T12:16:00.000-07:00

By Imperical Evidence

Now that we have looked at the offensive line and the quarterbacks on the roster , we need to look at defense , and it all starts up front. These are the current defensive linemen on the roster.

Defensive Line:

# NAME POS Ht Wt Age Exp College
97 Alama-Francis, Ikaika DE 6-5 280 24 3 Hawaii
92 Avril, Cliff DE 6-3 253 23 2 Purdue
95 DeVries, Jared DE 6-4 275 33 11 Iowa
94 Hardie, Rudolph DE 6-2 269 23 1 Howard
71 Hicks, Eric DE 6-6 280 33 11 Maryland
67 Hunter, Jason DE 6-4 271 25 4 Appalachian State
69 Kees, Ryan DE 6-6 275 23 R Saint Cloud State
99 White, Dewayne DE 6-2 273 29 7 Louisville

98 Cohen, Landon DT 6-3 274 22 2 Ohio
91 Darby, Chuck DT 6-0 297 33 9 South Carolina State
96 Fluellen, Andre DT 6-2 296 24 2 Florida State
62 Gill, John DT 6-3 302 22 R Northwestern
79 Hill, Sammie DT 6-4 329 22 R Stillman
90 Jackson, Grady DT 6-2 345 36 13 Knoxville

Each player needs to be examined , with a link to that players bio on the Lions site. Just click on that players name.

Ikaika Alama-Francis
2007 draft #58 overall

In 2007 , 6 games played , no starts.
In 2008 , 13 games played , 2 starts.

PRO: Ikaika (ee-KY-kah) Alama (ah-LA-mah)-Francis was tabbed "the most talented defensive lineman I’ve ever coached," by former Hawaii defensive coordinator and former NFL head coach Jerry Glanville

CON: Hasn't done anything on the field.

My Opinion:
Alma Francis has the size to play in a 3-4 , and the Lions have talked about a switch to that defense in the future. If he makes the final roster this might be the reason. If the Lions use the 3-4 at times this year , Alma-Francis needs to produce , now going into his third year.

Cliff Avril
2008 draft #92 overall

PRO: Drafted by the Lions in the third round (92nd overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft coming from what Purdue proudly calls the “Den of Defensive Ends,” Avril is expected to take his place with other former Boilermakers in terrorizing NFL quarterbacks. With his smaller size, he is able to use his agility and speed to play at both defensive end and linebacker

Con:Too small to play DE in the 3-4 , would have to get moved backwards to OLB.

My opinion:
Avril needs to get better at stopping the run , is a better pass rusher. I think this will happen , and moving to the right side will help him in both areas. The left side of the opposing defense shouldn't be as crowded unless they are in a 2 TE set , and Avril should get better at picking up the run during his rush into the backfield. Tunnel vision is common among rookie pass rushing DEs , and they improve against the run with experience.

Jared DeVries
PRO: Nine-year defensive lineman made the past two seasons, starting nine games in 2006 and a career high 10 in 2007. Brings toughness to the defensive end position and is a dual threat as a run-stopper and a pass rusher. He signed a five-year deal with the Lions on March 22, 2006 and will continue to be a vital part of the team’s rotation on the defensive line. Detroit selected DeVries in the third round (70th overall) in the 1999 NFL Draft after a standout career at Iowa.

My opinion:
Seems like a positive until one examines the numbers. In 120 games , DeVries has 32 starts , 29 of those starts in 2006 , 2007 , and 2008. Those were bad years for this Lions defense , and the Lions need to get pressure on the opposing QB from the DE spot. They also need to stop the run , and even though DeVries is supposed to be good against the run , the Lions defense has gotten much worse at it.

Rudolph Hardie
This is actually listed as Pro on the Lions site:
PRO: Signed to the active roster December 29, 2009, Hardie spent three weeks on the Lions’ practice squad in 2008 after re-signing with the club December 9, 2008. Originally signed by the Lions as an undrafted rookie free agent May 1, 2008 and was later released August 30. 2008.

•Re-signed to the Lions’ practice squad December 9, 2008 and signed to the active roster December 29.
•Released by the Lions August 30, 2008.
•Signed as an undrafted free agent with Detroit May 1, 2008.

My opinion:
Its possible Hardie makes the final roster , but with defensive ends like Avril and White , and the addition of Hicks , Hardie is on the outside looking in.

Eric Hicks
Games Played/Started:
1998 KC (3/0)
1999 KC (16/16)
2000 KC (13/11)
2001 KC (16/16)
2002 KC (16/15)
2003 KC (16/16) [1/1]
2004 KC (16/16)
2005 KC (16/14)
2006 KC (16/0) [0/0]
2007 NYJ (11/0)
TOTAL: (139/104)

PRO: Hicks signed with the Lions as a free agent May 5, 2009 after taking a hiatus from football during the 2008 season. In 2007, Hicks saw action in 11 games with the New York Jets after signing with the club as an unrestricted free agent May 2, 2007. Through 11 games, he recorded 23 tackles (15 solo) and was released by the Jets December 16. Prior to New York, Hicks spent the majority of his career with Kansas City (1998-2006). In 2000, Hicks played in 13 games with 11 starts for the Chiefs and was selected to USA Today’s All-Joe team and was a second team All-Pro pick of Football Digest as he led the team and was third in the AFC (sixth in the NFL) with a career-best 14.0 sacks with five multi-sack games in the season. Hicks became just one of four players in team history to record 14.0 or more sacks in a season, joining the late Derrick Thomas, Neil Smith and Art Still. Over the span of his 10-year career Hicks has played in 139 games with 104 starts and has recorded 595 tackles (288 solo), 44.5 sacks, 15 passes defensed, nine forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries. Originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent with the Chiefs April 25, 1998.

2008: Was not in the league.

2007: Played in 11 games and was inactive for three. Recorded 23 tackles (eight solo) and was released December 16, missing the final three games of the season.

2006: Played in all 16 games and finished with nine tackles (six solo).

My opinion:
Once a solid starter , maybe his good days are behind him. In 2006 and 2007 , Hicks did not start a single game. In 2008 Hicks was out of the NFL. Having ties with Gunther Cunningham is why Hicks is now a Lion. Maybe Gunther sees something I don't. I would be surprised if Hicks could beat out DeVries or White or Avril for any starting spot at defensive end. This is a depth player , and I wonder if he has anything left in the tank.

Jason Hunter
PRO: Entering his fourth season, Hunter signed with Detroit May 5, 2009 after spending the previous three seasons (2006-08) with Green Bay primarily as a key member of their special teams unit. In 2008, Hunter had his most productive season as he played in 12 games and registered a season-high 10 tackles (six solo), a career-high 2.0 sacks and returned a fumble 54 yards for his first career score at Chicago (11/16). In his three years as a Packer, Hunter played in 42 games and recorded 15 tackles (10 solo), 2.0 sacks for a loss of five yards, a pass defensed and a fumble recovery. Originally signed by Green Bay as a non-drafted free agent, May 5, 2006.

My opinion:
Seems to me Hunter is a defensive end that has done well on special teams but has never made a splash into the starting lineup. I do not think that changes this year with the Lions , and thats because of Avril , White , Devries , IAF , and Hicks. Maybe if the Lions suffer some injuries at the DE spots.

Ryan Kees
COLLEGE: A three-year Husky football starter and two-year team captain, Kees closed out his collegiate career with 131 tackles (78 solo), 15 sacks (85 yards) six passes defensed, five forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and an interception (33 yards) through 36 games played. In his career, he recorded 35 tackles for loss which ranks fourth on the all-time SCSU charts and ranks sixth on the all-time quarterback sack chart with 15 (85 yards).
Saint Cloud State

My opinion:
Another big defensive end , one of these young guys makes the roster because the Lions plan on a switch from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 defense sometime in the future. The 3-4 defense might also be used this year in situations that fit. Kees has his work cut out for him to make the final roster , as the Lions have 14 defensive linemen on the roster and might keep 11 maximum going into the season. The Lions need depth at DT more.

DeWayne White
PRO: White proved himself as the aggressive and relentless rush end throughout his first season in Detroit despite battling through a triceps injury that slowed him down. In 2007, he was the first unrestricted free agent to visit Detroit and signed a five-year deal with the team March 3, reuniting him with his former position coach, Lions Head Coach Rod Marinelli. While in Tampa he also showed versatility as a solid contributor at various positions on Tampa Bay defensive line. White earned USA Today All-Joe Team honors in 2006 after registering a career-high 52 tackles (35 solo) and tying for the team lead with 5.0 sacks (42 yards lost). He has played in 74 games (27 starts) since being drafted by the Buccaneers in the second round (64th overall) of the 2003 NFL Draft.

My opinion:
A Moronelli player , White should bring depth to the defensive end spot and will be on the final roster. According to Killer Kowalski of Mlive.com , the Lions are looking at White on the right side , along with Cliff Avril. I think Avril gets the starting nod. That leaves White for depth. Since he could play the other defensive end spot , White could step in where needed. White might also start at left defensive end , with Devries as depth. This will be an interesting position to watch in training camp.

Landon Cohen
PRO: Drafted in the seventh round (216th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft by Detroit and became the 27th Ohio player to be drafted in the program’s history, Cohen closed out his four-year career amassing 144 career tackles with 39.5 tackles for loss, which tied him for fourth in school history with linebacker Matt Muncy. He also started a team-high 37 consecutive games over the course of his sophomore, junior and senior year (tied with running back Kalvin McRae).Cohen was the first Bobcat to be selected in the NFL Draft since punter Dave Zastudil was picked in the fourth round (112th overall) by the Baltimore Ravens in 2002.

Con:Too small for a 4-3 or 3-4 defense at DT , fits a Tampa Two defense.

My opinion:
Played in 6 games last year , no starts , and nobody expects this guy to be the future at DT for the Lions. Cohen will have to add weight and still be able to play at the NFL level at DT , unless the Lions move him to DE , and I don't think they will just to keep him on the roster.

Chuck Darby
Undrafted free agent

PRO: Signed by Detroit as an unrestricted free agent March 11, 2008, Darby comes to Detroit entering his eighth NFL season. He joined the Seattle Seahawks as an unrestricted free agent in 2005 after spending his first four seasons (2001-04) with Tampa Bay. As a regular contributor to the Buccaneers top ranked defensive unit in 2002, Darby played in 16 games (six starts) and started at nose tackle in the Bucs’ Super Bowl XXXVII victory. He was originally signed as an undrafted free agent in 2000 and spent his rookie season on the Buccaneers practice squad.

Con:Hasn't contributed on a regular basis since 2006 , before he suffered a knee injury. If healthy , Darby will be a starting DT in 2009 for the Lions , and should be fully recovered.

My opinion:
Darby started 15 games in 2008 for the Lions and had a decent game or 2 , but was invisible in other games. He needs to contribute on a regular basis , and will be the starter this year at DT , with Grady Jackson. Both are aging , and DT desperately needs attention in future drafts.

Andre Fluellen
PRO: Drafted in the third round (87th overall) in the 2008 NFL Draft by Detroit. Most of Florida State’s success in stopping the run in recent years can be attributed to Fluellen’s presence in the middle of the field. Called by ESPN as one of the “Ten Seniors to Watch” in 2007, despite starting in just five times due to a left elbow hyperextension, Fluellen proved to be a defensive force as opponents averaged just 1.74 yards per carry on plays directed at him in his final two seasons. His consistency on the field caused the Florida State coaching staff to state that he is equal to or better than two recent first-round draft choices who played on the FSU defensive line, Brodrick Bunkley (Philadelphia) and Travis Johnson (Houston). Fluellen closed out his career with 81 tackles (38 solo), 5.0 sacks, 18 tackles for loss and 5 passes defensed.

My opinion:
This will be one of the young Lions that needs to step up this year at DT to make this defensive line a better unit. Fluellen played in 8 games last year and started in 2 games.

John Gill
COLLEGE: Closed out his collegiate career at Northwestern having played 48 games with 42 starts and recorded 160 tackles and 23 tackles-for-loss. Gill also ranks ninth on the school’s career sack list (10). IN2008, Gill was named to the preseason watch lists for the Outland Trophy (nation’s outstanding interior lineman) and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (nation’s outstanding defensive player). He also ranked 18th in the Big Ten in tackles-for-loss (0.79 per game) during his senior season.

My opinion:
As an undrafted rookie free agent , Gill is going to have a tough road in front of him to make the final roster for this team. He just might , as the defensive tackles he needs to beat out for a roster spot might not fit what Schwartz has in mind for his defensive line. If Gill can make the roster , he should get some playing time with aging veterans starting and maybe limited in the number of downs they can play in the game.

Sammie Hill
COLLEGE: A good athlete with outstanding size and bulk and long arms. Quick and agile. Stout at the point of attack. Can push the pocket. Nice hand use. Occupies multiple blockers. Jolts blockers with good hand punch, breaks down well, and easily redirects to the action. Moves well on his feet, quickly changes direction, and strings plays out to the flanks. Fights throughout the play, flashes power, and works to get involved in the action.

Was a four-year starter for the Tigers. Named 1st Team All-SIAC in 2007 and 2008. Ran into a burning house to save a man in 2007. Hails from the same program that produced Brian Witherspoon last year.

My opinion:
What else needs to be added? This is a good pick , but Hill is coming from a division II school and has a lot of learning to do. He makes the final roster , and sees time on the field. I think its possible Hill starts , but he needs to do very well in camp and have Jackson get suspended. If the other young DTs don't step it up , Hill will leap-frog them into a starting spot. If Grady Jackson isn't suspended for 4 games this year , Hill will see time on the field in rotation , as depth.

Grady Jackson
PRO: Jackson signed as an unrestricted free agent with Detroit March 4, 2009 brining size and presence to middle. Jackson spent the 2008 season, as well as seven games in 2007, and 2006 with the Falcons after signing with the club as an unrestricted August 22, 2006. Jackson was later waived by Atlanta October 23, 2007 and signed with the Jaguars on October 31, playing in the remaining nine games of the season for Jacksonville. Entering his 13th season, Jackson has also seen time with Green Bay (2003-05), New Orleans (2002-03) and Oakland (1997-2000). Over the span of his 12-year career he has amassed 170 games (116 starts) and has recorded 327 tackles (252 solo), 35.5 sacks and 17 passes defensed. Originally drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the sixth round (193rd overall) of the 1997 NFL Draft.

My opinion:
Here is the size and run stopping power the Lions need in the middle of the defensive line , but there are a few problems. Jackson may miss up to four games due to suspension from the NFL for violating NFL drug policy with a dieuretic. Simply put , all diuretics increase the excretion of water from bodies, although each class does so in a distinct way. This was used as a weight control measure.

Jackson is also older , going into his fourteenth season in the NFL. The defensive tackle position is a very physical and demanding position to play. Jackson might be good for up to 20 snaps a game , most of these snaps are expected to be on running downs.

Another issue that Grady Jackson has to deal with is family related. His brother tried out with the Lions earlier this year , and afterwards reportedly shot his girlfriend then turned the gun on himself. The story was originally reported by the Savanaah Morning News The arrest of Savannah State football star Javorris Jackson in the shooting death of his girlfriend at a hotel early Sunday morning has devastated those who know him. This has to affect Grady Jackson , and if Grady can be effective on the field after all of the mental duress he must be under he will earn my respect as one tough player.

Your Defensive Linemen Roster for 2009:
Left defensive end - Jared DeVries
Defensive Tackle - Chuck Darby
Defensive Tackle - Grady Jackson
Right defensive end - Cliff Avril

Depth:
Alama-Francis, Ikaika - DE/DT
Hicks, Eric - DE
White, Dewayne - DE
Hill, Sammie - DT
Fluellen, Andre - DT
Gill, John

Maybe:
Cohen, Landon - DT

Cut:
Hardie, Rudolph - DE
Hunter, Jason - DE
Kees, Ryan - DE

So , now we have covered the offensive line , the quarterbacks , and the defensive line , right? Well , maybe not. I have seen some posts on Mlive that have an interesting idea , and it involves moving Manny Ramirez to defensive tackle if he isn't going to make the roster on the offensive line. Maybe the coaches would think Ramirez is worth a look there.

Also , the Lions are not done with the defensive line. The name Kevin Carter keeps coming up at defensive end. Carter would move inside to defensive tackle on passing downs to generate a pass russ. Now the Lions need to sign him. The Lions might also look at other defensive linemen cut by other teams.

If all else fails , there's always next year and the draft. To guide us through these murky waters I have once again called on canusaylions , a regular Mlive poster with an eye on future prospects. This guy loves research , and I think the government may even hack his computer when they need information on college prospects!

Without further delay , here is what canusaylions came up with for defensive tackles in the 2010 draft:

Hopefully the Lions will not be drafting #1 overall in 2010 or it is going to be a long season. I am hoping we have a shot at Suh or Cody when we pic. Walter has us taking Taylor Mays in their Mock. With Grady turning 65 years old next year we are going to need someone to go with Sammie Lee.

1. Gerald McCoy*, Oklahoma
Height: 6-4. Weight: 295.
Projected 40 Time: 5.01.
Projected Round (2010): Top 10 Pick.
1/10/09: I've only listed Gerald McCoy in the 2010 rankings because I never thought he'd declare as a redshirt sophomore, but he's worth noting after he picked off a Tim Tebow pass in the UPS title game. Gerald McCoy dominated with 10 TFL and 6.5 sacks in 2008, qualifying for the AP All-America Second Team.

8/1/08: Named the Big XII Freshman of the Year, Gerald McCoy started every game for Oklahoma. In two games against Missouri, McCoy had three tackles for loss and a sack.

2. Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska
Height: 6-4. Weight: 305.
Projected 40 Time: 5.00.
Projected Round (2009): Top 10 Pick.
2/14/09: A monster up front for Nebraska, Ndamukong Suh notched 76 tackles, 16.5 TFL and 7.5 sacks in 2008. He also blocked two kicks and returned a pair of interceptions for touchdowns.

8/1/08: Ndamukong Suh had a solid sophomore campaign (11 starts, six tackles for loss), but is coming off knee surgery.

3. Terrence Cody, Alabama
Height: 6-5. Weight: 365.
Projected 40 Time: 5.50.
Projected Round (2010): Top 25 Pick.
5/19/09: Terrence Cody has been accused of not being in shape and taking plays off, but he's still a first-round prospect; it's not like talented nose tackles grow on trees.

11/23/08: Terrence Cody said he's not declaring early, but once he discovers that he has a great shot at being drafted in the top 15, he could reconsider. Cody is a monstrous run-stuffer and should be a Kris Jenkins-like difference-maker at the next level.

4. Arthur Jones, Syracuse
Height: 6-4. Weight: 294.
Projected 40 Time: 5.06.
Projected Round (2009): 1-2.
2/14/09: An All-Big East first-teamer, Arthur Jones managed 60 tackles, 13 TFL and 3.5 sacks. Perhaps the top 3-4 end prospect in 2010.

8/1/08: Arthur Jones had 17.5 tackles for loss, which is a really impressive number. That earned him a spot on the All-Big East second team.

5. Brian Price*, UCLA
Height: 6-2. Weight: 300.
Projected 40 Time: 5.05.
Projected Round (2010): 1-2.
5/19/09: Despite being a sophomore, Brian Price recorded 14.5 TFL and 4.5 sacks.

6. Vince Oghobaase, Duke
Height: 6-6. Weight: 310.
Projected 40 Time: 5.11.
Projected Round (2010): 2.
2/14/09: An All-ACC honorable mention, Vince Oghobaase collected 51 tackles, nine TFL and six sacks as a junior.

5/9/08: Vince Oghobaase is more than just 310 pounds of fat sitting in the middle of the defensive line. His body fat percentage low and thus he's more than a simple huge run-stuffer.

7. Geno Atkins, Georgia
Height: 6-1. Weight: 290.
Projected 40 Time: 4.89.
Projected Round (2010): 2.
11/23/08: It looks like Geno Atkins will be back for another year. Atkins has no sacks this year and just 6.5 TFL.

8/1/08: A terror for opposing quarterbacks, Geno Atkins notched 7.5 sacks and 15 tackles for loss as a sophomore. His 40 will have GMs and scouts salivating at the combine.

8. Boo Robinson, Wake Forest
Height: 6-2. Weight: 326.
Projected 40 Time: 5.22.
Projected Round (2009): 2-3.
2/14/09: A monstrous nose tackle who compiled six TFL and five sacks. Somehow just an All-ACC honorable mention.

8/1/08: Nose tackle Boo Robinson started every game for Wake Forest in 2007. He had 23 tackles.

9. Marvin Austin*, North Carolina
Height: 6-3. Weight: 305.
Projected 40 Time: 4.88.
Projected Round (2009): 2-3.
5/19/09: Marvin Austin runs a projected 4.88 at 305, so Al Davis could be targeting him in the top 10.

2/14/09: Didn't exactly set the world on fire as a sophomore, registering 38 tackles, 1.5 TFL, one sack and a pick-six. Next season will be huge for him.

8/1/08: Marvin Austin started three games as a true freshman and showed why he was one of the most highly recruited defensive tackles a year ago. He had six tackles for loss and four sacks. If he continues to perform well and runs a 4.8 at the combine, Austin could go No. 1 overall whenever he declares.

10. Lawrence Marsh*, Florida
Height: 6-5. Weight: 305.
Projected 40 Time: 4.87.
Projected Round (2010): 2-3.
2/14/09: As a mere sophomore, the ultra-athletic Lawrence Marsh compiled 28 tackles, 5.5 TFL and three sacks for college football runner-up Florida.

Now we can look at defensive ends that could be in the 2010 draft:

Posted by canusaylions on 07/07/09 at 8:35PM
Imperical

Here are the top five DE prospects for 2010. I have seen Graham play many times and he is all over the field. Dunlap comes highly regarded. | WR | TE | OT | OG | C | DE | DT | OLB | ILB | CB | S | K | P

1. Carlos Dunlap*, Florida
Height: 6-6. Weight: 290.
Projected 40 Time: 4.70.
Projected Round (2010): Top 5 Pick.
2/12/09: Owning Mario Williams' measurables, Carlos Dunlap dominated the SEC as a sophomore, registering 13.5 TFL and 9.5 sacks.

7/30/08: A 290-pound defensive end who runs a 4.7... why does that sound familiar? Hint - the Texans chose that guy over Reggie Bush. Carlos Dunlap didn't produce much as a true freshman, but he racked up four sacks in the spring game, creating some cause for excitement among Gator fans.

2. Sergio Kindle, Texas
Height: 6-4. Weight: 254.
Projected 40 Time: 4.54.
Projected Round (2010): Top 25 Pick.
2/16/09: Though he was just a first-year starter in 2008, the hard-working Sergio Kindle made a name for himself, notching 46 tackles, 12.5 TFL and 10 sacks. He also blocked a kick. With another stellar season, he'll be the top rush linebacker in the 2010 NFL Draft.

8/2/08: Sergio Kindle has yet to start a game at the college level, but he registered 32 tackles in reserve last season. He also owns a spectacular 40 at his size.

3. Brandon Graham, Michigan
Height: 6-3. Weight: 270.
Projected 40 Time: 4.72.
Projected Round (2010): Top 25 Pick.
5/18/09: Brandon Graham finished the 2008 season with 20 TFL and 10 sacks.

11/16/08: It should be interesting to see if Ben Graham can run a 4.6 at the combine. If he does, he'll definitely turn some heads. Through nine games, Graham has 15.5 TFL and nine sacks.

7/30/08: Despite starting just five games, Brandon Graham recorded 9.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks and three forced fumbles. He'll most likely play left end in the NFL.

4. Greg Hardy, Ole Miss
Height: 6-5. Weight: 260.
Projected 40 Time: 4.69.
Projected Round (2010): 1-2.
1/9/09: Despite playing just eight games, Greg Hardy totaled 9.5 TFL and 8.5 sacks as a junior.

11/16/08: A bit disappointing that Greg Hardy hasn't played much all year because of a foot injury. He has 4.5 TFL and three sacks in just four games.

5/7/08: Greg Hardy's a lock to go in the first round if he repeats what he did in 2007; Hardy had 10 sacks and 18 tackles for losses, both of which are incredible numbers when you factor that he did this in the SEC. With a great 2008 campaign, Hardy could crack the top 10.

5. Everson Griffen*, USC
Height: 6-3. Weight: 265.
Projected 40 Time: 4.58.
Projected Round (2010): 1-2.
2/12/09: Everson Griffen didn't really meet expectations as a sophomore, notching six TFL and 4.5 sacks. However, his athleticism will get him some looks in the first round.

7/30/08: A beast of a defensive end, Everson Griffen is extremely quick for his imposing size. If he runs a 4.5, he could go in the top five. As a measuring stick, Vernon Gholston, chosen sixth overall in 2008, ran a 4.65 at about the same size. As a true freshman, Everson Griffen had 5.5 sacks despite starting only two games.

When will Stafford start - The Crystal Ball Series

2009-07-06T20:14:00.000-07:00

By Imperical Evidence

Ok , the offensive line has been covered , time to look at your Detroit Lion quarterbacks for the 2009 season!!!

Drew Stanton
Drafted in 2007 in the second round , #43 overall , his time with the Lions has been a hard road traveled to this point. He didn't play in 2007 , with a sore knee that had fluid build-up. The Lions put him on IR for the year to make room for Calvin Johnson , another 2007 draft pick , that had just signed a contract. In 2008 , many thought Drew might see some playing time. It was soon obvious that the Lions had bigger plans for Dan Orlovsky , who got the majority of the snaps in pre season. Kitna got the second most , and Stanton had 8 passing attempts. He completed 7 of them , and had 0 interceptions. He suffered a shoulder injury in the last game of pre season. During the regular season , Kitna was put on IR after the fourth week , and Orlovsky got the starting job. When Orlovsky injured his throwing hand , many thought Stanton would get a start. Daunte Culpepper was signed by the Lions and started the next game , at 292 pounds. Jim Colletto said he didn't want Stanton to embarass himself. In the first game Culpepper started , he was horrible , and the Lions pulled him. Stanton went in to finish the game , his first NFL playing time. His first pass was a touchdown , and he finished that game 7 for 8 , with no interceptions. Culpepper continued to be the starting quarterback until he was injured , then Orlovsky became the starter again , with a sore throwing hand. This off season , the Lions front office claimed they were looking to add a veteran quarterback to the roster , and many thought that meant the end of Drew Stanton in Detroit. He is still here , and will be the #3 quarterback going into the season.

Prediction:
Stanton dosen't fit the Scott Linehan offense , I think the Lions draft a quarterback in the 2010 draft , after round 4. This will be the developmental QB for the future. If they had drafted 2 QBs this year , Ford Field might have been burned down.

Daunte Culpepper:
Culpepper was brought in last year in a hurry , and started 5 days after he was signed. Players have said he was promised the starting job , and Martin Mayhew has said he thinks Culpepper is the starting QB going into this year. Culpepper is in the last year of a 2 year contract that pays him almost twice as much as Jon Kitna would have made in his fourth year here. There have been league sources that indicate Martin Mayhew wanted to sign Daunte Culpepper before the 2008 season , but was told no by Matt Millen , the G.M. at that time. I expect Culpepper to start the year as the starting QB for several reasons. Culpepper is now back in shape, and all accounts from the Lions mini camp and OTAs say he looks great and has learned the offense. This is to be expected , he played under Linehan with the Vikings , which is another good indicator that Culpepper will be the starting quarterback.

Prediction:
Daunte Culpepper is on the way out of Detroit , unless he wants to take a back seat to the future QB , Matthew Stafford , and take a pay cut. This is the year for him to show other teams what he has left. The Lions trade for or sign in free agency a veteran quarterback next year.

Matthew Stafford:
The number 1 pick overall in the 2009 draft , Stafford also has the biggest guaranteed contract in NFL history. More guaranteed money than Albert Haynesworth was given by the Redskins. So , when will Stafford be ready to start?

The reasons Stafford will start are not all up to him and how he plays.
By all accounts , Matthew Stafford is playing very well and the coaches are inpressed. He is picking up the offense at a fast pace. He fits a Linehan offense very well , and can put the ball down the field with the best QBs in the NFL.

He will not start in week one , or even week two , as Tom Kowalski has predicted in a recent article on Mlive.
Matthew Stafford will start in week 8 , after the bye week , against the Rams at Ford Field.

Why then?
Ok , I have looked at the offensive line , and that factors in here. 4 of 5 starters are returning from a line that has given up over 50 sacks for the last three years in a row. The left guard might be a new player. The coaching Staff is new , and so is the offensive scheme. That also means a new blocking scheme. This offensive line will take time to play as a unit , to gel. Stafford and his contract don't start until that happens. As I stated earlier , I think Daunte Culpepper starts the season. Stafford might start earlier if Culpepper struggles or gets injured. After the bye week , the team should be rested , and somewhat healthy.
The week 8 game is a home game for the Lions.

Prediction:
Matthew Stafford is the future of the Lions at quarterback. I think he has all the tools to play very well for this offense , but that will not happen in one year. The Lions still need a few more parts to make everything work , and its a team game. How much time will the fans give him? I think he needs three years at least before any judgements can be made. Terry Bradshaw is the perfect example of a QB drafted #1 , almost getting run out of town , no friends , death threats. We all know what happened in his 4th year. I think Stafford has success before that , maybe even next year.

Big Money: By Jeff Ordiway

2009-07-06T09:18:00.000-07:00

Big Money is the nickname, which is what everybody, is calling The Detroit Lions new hot shot rookie Quarterback, Matthew Stafford. He was the first selection in the 2009 NFL Draft. Supposedly he is going to be the savior of The Detroit Lions Organization. After being the only team in NFL history to go 0-16, and to not win a single game they sure invested deeply into this unproven rookie, who has yet to take an official snap in the NFL. What I am saying is $41.7 million in guaranteed money could go to waste. The full six-year contract is worth $72 million with playing time incentives. I sure hope this kid is worth what they invested in. For now Stafford probably will not be the starter, I think it would be better for this kid to have a learning curve before he ever steps out onto the field. This team needs changes other than few perks to their logo. Hopefully this off season is a step to a new beginning. All of the roster changes, coaching staff, and change of attitude should bring a fresh start to the new season up ahead.

The Offensive Line - Crystal Ball Series

2009-05-24T11:19:00.001-07:00

By Imperical Evidence

Its early , I know , which would make any predictions about the upcoming season and the Detroit Lions all the more improbable. I am going to give it a shot , using an ancient gift from the master himself , Merlin. Once , a very long time ago , an old man asked me if I wanted to learn some real magic. I was amused , but accepted the invitation. What happened after this is the very stuff many myths and legends are made of. However , to make a long story short , I did come to realize that this old man was way more than one might think by his appearence. After many years of study , the old man was gone , he didn't say where , or when , he would show himself again. There was a note on the door , and a box on the steps. The note was simple , and short , it said:

"This box contains the gift of the future , only use it when times are dire , and the people need this gift. You have done well and learned much in your short time as my apprentice , I trust you will not misuse this gift,"

"Merlin"

So , looking at the current state of everything , from the economy to the morale of our great state , I have decided that now is the time , there are many people in need , and Lions Nation needs some reassurance.
I will try to break down parts of the team that will have an impact on this season for the Lions , starting with the Offensive Line , and predict what will happen there. So lets look at that. Here are the current players on the roster for the offensive line now:

Offensive Tackles:
76 Backus, Jeff T 6-5 305 31 9 Michigan
75 Barton, Kirk T 6-6 300 24 1 Ohio State
77 Cherilus, Gosder T 6-7 319 24 2 Boston College
74 Cook, Damion T 6-5 330 30 9 Bethune-Cookman
72 Foster, George T 6-5 338 28 7 Georgia
78 Murtha, Lydon T 6-7 315 23 R Nebraska
70 Loper, Daniel T 6-6 320 27 5 Texas Tech
Salaam, Ephraim T 6-7 310 32 12 San Diego State

Centers:
65 Gandy, Dylan C 6-3 290 27 4 Texas Tech
64 Gerberry, Dan C 6-3 302 23 R Ball State
51 Raiola, Dominic C 6-1 296 30 9 Nebraska

Guards:
63 Ramirez, Manny G 6-3 335 26 3 Texas Tech
60 Blair, James G 6-3 338 23 1 Western Michigan
73 Fonoti, Toniu G 6-4 340 27 7 Nebraska
66 Peterman, Stephen G 6-4 323 27 5 Louisiana State

How can we expect this all to break down?
Left Tackle:
Jeff Backus will be the starter here , with Daniel Loper as the backup.

Right Tackle:
Gosder Cherilus is back this year , blocking downhill on the run plays for a change. George Foster is a backup here , and at the guard spots.

Left Guard:
This position is still up for grabs , with Damion Cook having an edge simply because he had 2 starts at LG for the Lions last year , and he can play Tackle. Manny Ramirez might have a shot to win this job , but is a good backup at guard , Cook has the edge here because he is a tackle.

Right Guard:
Stephen Peterman is the starter here , and recently signed a long term contract with the Lions. Lets hope his knees can hold up. Foster is the backup here , with James Blair still in the mix.

Center:
Dominic Raiola is still here , and the Lions don't have much of an option at this spot. I expect Dylan Gandy to be the backup center.

Ok , so who is left?
Players that I do not expect to make the roster:
Toniu Fonoti , a huge(literally) waste of talent. Dan Gerberry , on the outside looking in with Raiola having a long term contract. Kirk Barton , how mant Tackles does this team want to carry? The Lions seem to like false start Foster for some reason.Damion Cook , if he dosen't get the starting spot at left guard , he might get cut loose to make room for some younger players. James Blair , again , with Foster able to play the guard spot , Blair is on the outside looking in. Ephraim Salaam , the Lions want a look at this guy , but I don't think he will upset the apple cart , I expect him to get cut.

Your Offensive Linemen Roster for 2009:
LT Jeff Backus
RT Gosder Cherilus
C Dominic Raiola
LG Manny Ramirez
RG Stephen Peterman

Backups:
LT Daniel Loper
RT George Foster
C Dylan Gandy
OT Lydon Murtha

Practice Squad:
James Blair

What will happen this year:
The line will play better simply because of the new coaching style , Cherilus blocking downhill helps the running game. The addition of Brandon Pettigrew at Tight End helps the running game as well , and sets up the passing game on Third and short. I expect Daunte Culpepper to play well , but not have the huge come-back year he needs to have. Lets face it , Matthew Stafford is the future quarterback of the Detroit Lions , but thats another story.

Now the bad news:
Jeff Backus will play better , but he isn't the franchise Left Tackle I would want protecting my star QB. He will be replaced next year in the draft. Dominic Raiola needs to play much better in the running game , which actually got better after he was out of the line-up last year. I also think the Lions need to look really hard at the Centers coming out in the 2010 draft.

So , who is there next year in the draft?
An Mlive poster , canusaylions , has done some amazing research on this topic. Here is what he came up with on the Offensive Tackles:

Here is five good reasons why we should not worry about what happens with Jeff Backus. I will follow this post with five good reason not to worry about what happens with Loper.
-------------------------------------------------
1. Russell Okung, Oklahoma State
Height: 6-5. Weight: 300. Projected 40 Time: 5.22.
Projected Round (2010): Top 5 Pick.

1/6/09: Russell Okung, Oklahoma State's starting right tackle, qualified for the All-Big XII First Team. I couldn't blame him if he declared early, but he could be a first-round prospect if he wats another year. There's even a chance he gets drafted toward the end of the opening round this April.
7/27/08: Played extremely well for the Cowboys as a sophomore. Russell Okung should be able to play multiple positions at the next level, as he also works out at guard.

2. Bryan Bulaga*, Iowa
Height: 6-6. Weight: 305. Projected 40 Time: 4.92.
Projected Round (2010): Top 15 Pick.

2/9/09: A very athletic left tackle from a program known for producing stud offensive linemen, Bryan Bulaga was an All-Big Ten second-teamer as a sophomore. Bulaga started as a true freshman.

3. Trent Williams, Oklahoma
Height: 6-5. Weight: 310. Projected 40 Time: 5.27.
Projected Round (2010): Top 25 Pick.

1/6/09: Trent Williams is having an amazing junior year, and could have challenged Duke Robinson and Phil Loadholt as the first Sooner lineman off the board if he declared early.

4. Ciron Black, LSU
Height: 6-5. Weight: 315. Projected 40 Time: 5.27.
Projected Round (2010): 1-2.

1/6/09: Assuming he declares early, Ciron Black is one of six offensive tackles who are projected to be drafted in the first round. Black, who has started all 39 of his games at LSU at left tackle, is an All-SEC second-teamer.
11/1/08: Paving the way for Charles Scott this season, Ciron Black is likely the fourth tackle to go in the first round.
5/24/08: A member of the All-SEC second team, Ciron Black is a tremendous athlete who should be the third tackle off the board come April 2009.

5. Anthony Davis*, Rutgers
Height: 6-6. Weight: 335. Projected 40 Time: 5.24.
Projected Round (2010): 1-2.

2/9/09: Flawlessly made the transition from guard to left tackle, starting 11 games as a sophomore. Anthony Davis made the All-Big East Second Team.
7/27/08: A big man who qualified for the Freshmen All-American first team and All-Big East third team. Anthony Davis started the final eight games of his freshman campaign.

Here is what canusaylions came up with on the Guards:

Here are six good reason why we should not worry about what happens with Left Guard after this year.
----------------------------------------------
1. Rodney Hudson*, Florida State
Height: 6-2. Weight: 292. Projected 40 Time: 5.21.
Projected Round (2009): Top 25 Pick.

2/10/09: Continued to thrive as Florida State's top lineman. Rodney Hudson easily was voted to the All-ACC First Team.
7/28/08: Regarded by many as Florida State's best offensive lineman in 2007 - when he was a mere true freshman. Rodney Hudson was naturally named to the Freshmen All-America first team and the All-ACC third team.

2. Sergio Render, Virginia Tech
Height: 6-4. Weight: 324. Projected 40 Time: 5.20.
Projected Round (2009): 2.

2/10/09: A member of the 2008 All-ACC Second Team, Sergio Render just went through arthroscopic shoulder surgery. He'll be good to go in August.
7/28/08: Earned the starting job right away in 2006 despite being a freshman. Sergio Render improved his play as a sophomore. Oh, and he benches more than 425 pounds, so don't try to steal his lunch money.

3. John Jerry, Ole Miss
Height: 6-5. Weight: 350. Projected 40 Time: 5.42.
Projected Round (2009): 2.

2/10/09: Will likely follow his older brother, Perry Jerry, into the NFL as a first-day selection.
7/28/08: Indianapolis residents should think about getting earthquake insurance soon. When John Jerry runs a 40 at the combine, many homes could be destroyed. Jerry, obviously a punishing run-blocker, started nine contests as a sophomore.

4. Mike Johnson, Alabama
Height: 6-6. Weight: 305. Projected 40 Time: 5.20.
Projected Round (2009): 2-3.

2/10/09: A major reason for Alabama's return to glory. Mike Johnson was voted to the All-SEC Second Team. He started every game, 12 at guard and one at left tackle.
7/28/08: The bookend tackle across from Andre Smith, Mike Johnson started every game as a sophomore. Johnson seems like he would be a better fit as a guard at the next level.

5. Stefen Wisniewski*, Penn State
Height: 6-3. Weight: 290. Projected 40 Time: 5.12.
Projected Round (2009): 2-3.

2/10/09: Despite missing some time with a bum knee, Stefen Wisniewski was still voted to the All-Big Ten Second Team.
7/28/08: Stefen Wisniewski moved his way into the starting lineup in the middle of his true freshman year.

6. Brandon Carter, Texas Tech
Height: 6-7. Weight: 360. Projected 40 Time: 5.52.
Projected Round (2009): 3.

2/10/09: If you've watched any Texas Tech games, he's the crazy guy with paint all over his face who looks like he just escaped from the mental hospital. Brandon Carter was an All-Big XII second-teamer.
7/28/08: And you thought John Jerry was huge... Brandon Carter eats defensive linemen for dinner and tops it off with a few safeties for dessert. In all seriousness, the monstrous Carter started 13 games in 2007, though it's popular belief that he threatened to eat the entire coaching staff if they put him on the bench.

I will predict that the Lions will draft an OT in round 1 in the 2010 draft. I think the Lions will also look at some guards in the third round.

2008-12-06T07:46:00.001-08:00

Lions-Titans|Preview, Lions Game Score,TV,Recap

2008-11-26T10:55:00.000-08:00

The Lions vs Titans at home - game time Thursday, November 27, 12:30 PM ET. Get the latest live Lions game score on this page. TV coverage of the Lions vs Titans is on CBS. Find Lions game previews and recaps for the game instantly updated from local and national news in addition to the hottest Lions blog talk and rumors. Always get the latest Lions game preview,score, news and more at Lionsnetmix.com!

Lions vs Buccaneers

2008-11-23T07:47:00.000-08:00

Lions vs Buccaneers
Time: 1:00 PM ET
TV: FOX

Lions-Panthers|Preview, Lions Game Score,TV,Recap

2008-11-15T16:44:00.000-08:00

The Lions at Panthers- game time Sunday, November 16, 1:00 PM ET. Get the latest live Lions game score on this page. TV coverage of the Lions vs Panthers is on FOX. Find Lions game previews and recaps for the game instantly updated from local and national news in addition to the hottest Lions blog talk and rumors. Always get the latest Lions game preview,score, news and more at Lionsnetmix.com!

Wanted Lions Fan Talk! Are you a big Lions fan with something you want to share, we will post all civil items submitted to FanTalk@Sportsmixed.com in the Lions blog section. Wanted Lions Featured Writers! Lionsmix.com is looking for 3-5 writers to write on a more regular basis about the Lions, if interested please contact us at Writers@Sportsmixed.com

Lions vs Jaguars|Preview, Lions Game Score,TV,Recap

2008-11-08T22:08:00.000-08:00

The Lions at home vs Jaguars - game time Sunday, November 9, 1:00 PM ET. Get the latest live Lions game score on this page. TV coverage of the Lions vs Jaguars is on CBS. Find Lions game previews and recaps for the game instantly updated from local and national news in addition to the hottest Lions blog talk and rumors. Always get the latest Lions game preview,score, news and more at Lionsnetmix.com! Submit all game talk for the Lions to FanTalk@Sportsmix.com, all submissions posted.

Lions vs Bears|Game Preview|Live Game Lions Score

2008-11-01T07:35:00.000-07:00

Lionsnetmix.com - The latest live Lions Score,News and Talk! The Lions at Bears - game time Sunday, November 2, 1:00 PM ET. TV coverage of the Lions vs Bears is on Fox. Find Lions game previews and recaps for the game instantly updated from local and national news in addition to the hottest Lions blog talk and rumors. Also find the opponents game spin.

Lions-Texans|Preview,Lions Game Score,TV,Recap

2008-10-16T22:20:00.000-07:00

The Lions at Texans- game time Sunday, October 19, 4:05 PM ET. Get the latest live Lions game score on this page. TV coverage of the Lions vs Texans is on FOX. Find Lions game previews and recaps for the game instantly updated from local and national news in addition to the hottest blog talk and rumors. Always get the latest Lions game preview,score, news and more at Lionsnetmix.com!

Lions-Vikings|Preview,Game Score,TV,Recap

2008-10-07T17:23:00.000-07:00

Always get the latest Lions score, preview, news and more at LionsNetmix.com! The Lions at Vikings - game time Sunday, October 12, 1:00 PM ET. Get the latest live game score on this page. Also find Lions game previews and recaps for the game instantly updated from local and national news in addition to the hottest blog talk and rumors. TV coverage of the Lions vs Vikings is on FOX.

Lions-Bears| Lions Score Live,TV,Preview|Game Recap

2008-09-30T17:06:00.000-07:00

Always get the latest Lions score, preview, news and more at LionsNetmix.com! The Lions at home vs Bears - game time Sunday, October 5, 1:00 PM ET. Get the latest live game score on this page. Also find game previews and recaps for the game instantly updated from local and national news in addition to the hottest blog talk and rumors. TV coverage of the Lions vs Bears is on Fox.

Lions-Bears| Lions Score Live,Game Preview,TV,Recap

2008-09-30T16:11:00.000-07:00

2008-09-24T22:30:00.000-07:00

Bye Week -
Next Game vs Bears

Lions Score vs 49ers -Preview, Recap, TV, Time, Game Stats

2008-09-17T10:22:00.000-07:00

Lions vs 49ers
Final Score 13-31 Lions Lose
Always get the latest Lions score and more at Lionsnetmix.com!
The Lions at 49ers - game time Sunday, September 21, 4:05 PM ET. Get the latest live score on this page. Also find game previews and recaps for the game instantly updated from local and national news in addition to the hottest blog talk and rumors. TV coverage of the Lions vs 49ers is on FOX.

2008-09-16T10:24:00.001-07:00

Lions Vs Packers Score-Preview, Recap, TV, Time, Game Stats

2008-09-09T17:10:00.000-07:00

The Lions at home vs Packers - game time Sunday, September 14, 1:00 PM ET. Get the latest live score on this page. Also find game previews and recaps for the game instantly updated from local and national news in addition to the hottest blog talk and rumors. TV coverage of the Lions vs Packers is on FOX. Always get the latest Lions score and more at Lionsmix.com!

2008-09-08T18:52:00.001-07:00

Detroit Lions at the Atlanta Falcons, Time, Live Score, TV, Stats, Photos

2008-09-01T19:19:00.000-07:00

The Detroit Lions at the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, September 7, at 1:00 PM ET. Get the latest live game score and photos right on this page. Also get the latest talk and game news after the game updated constantly from local and national news and blogs. TV coverage of the Lions vs the Falcons is on FOX. Always get the latest Lions score at lionsmix.com!

2008-09-01T16:08:00.001-07:00

Detroit Lions at the Buffalo Bills, Time, Live Score, Stats, Photos

2008-08-27T22:25:00.000-07:00

The Detroit Lions at the Buffalo Bills at home on Thursday, August 28, at 6:30 PM ET. Get the latest live game score and photos right on this page. Also get the latest talk and game news after the game updated constantly from local and national news and blogs.

Detroit Lions defeat Browns, Game Score, Stats, News

2008-08-23T23:48:00.000-07:00

The Detroit Lions defeated the Cleveland Browns by a score of 26 to 6. The Lions had little trouble containing the Browns offense led by Brady Quinn in his first NFL start. Quinn completed only 14 of 24 passes for 106 yards with no touchdowns. Jon Kitna led the Lions on two drives that ended with field goals and finished the day with stats of 9 of 11 passing for 98 yards and no touchdowns or interceptions. Brian Calhoun was the leading Lions rusher with 9 carries for 61 yards. Rookie third round pick Kevin Smith had 10 carries for 46 yards. The leading Lions receiver was Roy Williams who had three catches for 61 yards.

Detroit Lions Defeat Bengals, Game Score, Stats, News

2008-08-17T23:06:00.001-07:00

The Detroit Lions defeated the Bengals by a score of 27 to 10 in there preseason game. Lions quarterback Jon Kitna had a perfect quarterback rating of 158.3 for the second straight game. Kitna used to play for the Bengals and was replaced by current quarterback and number one pick Carson Palmer. Kitna was efficient in his time in the game going 3 for 3 for 76 yards and a touchdown. The Lions were led in rushing by Artose Pinner who had 13 carries for 52 yards. John Standeford led the teams in receiving stats with 4 catches for 85 yards.