The Official Detroit Lions Den Thread

#5,928
#5,928
VolsSportsFan said:
Where's the guy who swore the Lions would be idiots for getting rid of Patricia? lol.
Click to expand...

A walk down memory lane......my recollection of quotes:

Patricia is a brilliant defensive coach.
NE will snatch Patricia up once he's fired. (this was correct, oddly the brilliant defensive coach got rehired to assist the oFfEnsE?)
You guys would never make it on an NFL message board.
 
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#5,931
#5,931
Congratulations Lions fans on getting to watch the Lions win a Playoff game for the first time since 1992 which was the 90s era when WCW was competing with WWF, the Jordan era Bulls dominated the NBA, Shaquille O’Neal was playing for the Orlando Magic.
 
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#5,934
#5,934
Z do you still prefer the Eagles next week? I feel like we match up better against the Bucs.
 
#5,935
#5,935
MAD said:
Z do you still prefer the Eagles next week? I feel like we match up better against the Bucs.
Click to expand...

I will take either one. Evans terrifies me and their defense is tough but I think we can outscore them
 
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#5,942
#5,942
The computer is out, the coffee is flowing and Zack is off due to the incredible snow totals. It's time for some Lions thoughts.

1. I was really impressed with how Jared Goff commanded the offense on Sunday. The second half offense was a little too conservative for my liking and the Rams made the proper adjustments to get more bodies in the box and cause disruption. But Goff was so calm and collected on that final drive. He made a great audible to Montgomery in the flat and then the throw to Amon-Ra was so perfect on the 2nd down to end the game. The things he was criticized for with McVay were silenced for the most part in Sunday's game. He could not have done that in 2021. The transformation the last two years is a credit to him and the organization for believing in him.

2. Do I roll my eyes, do I put my hands in my face out of frustration and do I go "This secondary man" all game every time the Lions play? You betcha I do. And yet, against an offense that had been a top 5 offense in football the last eight weeks, the defense only allowed 2 TD's and 23 total points. It sometimes drives me crazy and even with the game plan there wasn't enough negative plays forced. But they hunkered down in the red zone and the reason Detroit won is they scored TD's three times in the red zone and LA scored zero. Glenn deserves some credit for not getting put in the McVay torture chamber. Detroit did well enough to stop the run (17 rushes for 68 yards) and did enough on third down (LA was 3-9) to win. It will never be pretty this year but they did the job.

3. He's not the physical specimen of JaMarr Chase. He's not the speed demon of Tyreek Hill. He does not have Justin Jefferson's elite athleticism. He doesn't have the size and strength of A.J. Brown. Yet Amon-Ra St. Brown deserves to be in the conversation as a top 5 WR in the NFL. His route running and hands are so incredible and the way he can put away any sort of jam on the line at 5'10/200 is just insane to me. They made an adjustment lining him up more outside and got 5 first downs out of it. Pay him whatever he wants Brad, he's such an important cog to the machine.

4. Something I thought was interesting, and something you don't see a ton in today's NFL, was the physicality of the game. It felt like an early 2000's playoff game with the aggressive hitting and pursuit to the ball. The Rams matched it and brought it as well. They were hitting hard, they were being aggressive. Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams were putting their shoulder down and matching that. But Campbell believes in physicality in practices and it was for games like this. The back 7 can't cover dudes most of the time but they'll let you know they are there if you go over the middle. I would watch for this in the next couple games as well.

5. Before games, when Penei Sewell gives the offense his pregame speech, he has a saying that I love. He tells the team it's time to "lock the gates" and attack. The OL brought a dominance in the first half that is what Brad Holmes envisioned when he took over the team. The interior of the OL shut down Aaron Donald (only 2 total pressures on Goff and 0 TFL's) and held rookie standouts Byron Young and Kobie Turner to being zero factors in the game. The Rams had to completely adjust in the second half (and Raheem Morris did a great job) and bring way more men in the box than what they were hoping in the second half. The offensive line set the tone for that game. Goff has all day to throw in the first half and put the Rams DL in the blunder.

6. Freaking Aidan Hutchinson, man what a dog. So Aidan battled an illness and still led the league in pressures over the weekend, only playing 75% of the snaps when he is usually at 90-95% of the snap counts. The Lions got such a gamer and he made the two biggest plays of the game on defense, drawing a hold on a sure sack and then forcing Stafford to not be able to set his feet and throw the ball high on the final two Rams offensive plays of the games. Rob Havenstein is one of the best RT's in football and Havenstein did a really solid job. But when the time came, Aidan's 3rd down pressures were absolutely vital. We got lucky that the Jaguars passed on him.

7. Okay, the next couple points will be negatives. I was disappointed in the run game in the second half, and this is the third straight week the run game has been inconsistent. Detroit only averaged 3.2 yards per rush which is very rare for them to be under 4. I felt like Detroit got a little too predictable and cute in the second half with their run game. I think Detroit is using too many shotgun runs and too many outside runs. Defenses are playing wider on the line and the Rams love to use 5 linemen on the LOS on their 3-4 front. It played into the Rams hands. Detroit is best running between the tackles and using 12 personnel with LaPorta and Wright, they need to go back to that. They had 16 yards rushing in the second half. I would be more diverse on first down. Too many 1st down runs in heavy boxes and not even quick throws to counter attack those type of boxes. I'm curious how Ben Johnson adjusts against Todd Bowles.

8. Man, it's one thing to watch our LB's get exposed after a lack of pressure in the middle and then watching Kendall Vildor (who was signed 6 weeks ago) get beat. But watching Cam Sutton struggle has hurt and been a negative. He was really good the first half of the year and he's not a true #1 CB. But we need him to play better. He's going to go against Mike Evans and Chris Godwin and he needs to step up.

9. Matthew Stafford is so scary. I was praying to whatever deity was listening that he would not get the ball back when Detroit took over with 4 minutes to go. I actually thought Detroit's coverage was better than I've seen but Matthew Stafford just threw some freakin' lazer beams in there (that 3rd and 15 in the first half should be hung in the Louvre). It was funny to see how the game played out basically what happened during his Detroit career. He took a ton of shots, never came out, played like a mad man, put insane numbers and showed off his crazy arm talent. But a couple unfortunate breaks for his defense, a couple calls that went against him, inconsistency in the red zone doomed his team. It was eery watching that game play out.

10. It was poetic watching the final play to seal the game. Dan Campbell, the gritty, aggressive head coach who has never been afraid to take chances, goes for it on 4th down for a TD and then decided to go for the win on 2nd down and throw the ball. Jared Goff, the castoff the Lions took in a trade and believed in, making a big time throw to seal the deal. The OL, the most important unit on the team, giving Goff a clean pocket. Ben Johnson, coming up with a creative play call to get his best player the ball. Amon-Ra St. Brown, the 4th round pick diamond that the Lions front office found, beating his man, finding the marker and reeling in the football to win the game. It was everything this rebuild was about.

11. In January 2021, I felt this was the worst situation in the league. They had maybe 6 good players at the time. Stafford, the 12 year franchise QB who was constantly let down by his team, was done and wanted out. They had the #7 pick, so Detroit didn't even have a top pick to get a potential franchise QB. They had two strong points on their team, the left side of the OL (Decker/Jackson/Ragnow) and their punter, Jack Fox. Sheila had to give Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell matching 6 year contracts because she knew franchise was an absolute mess. They got a haul for Stafford and built around Jared Goff, a move widely panned at the time as a potential disaster. The first draft, where a bunch of players sat out after COVID in the most discombobulated draft in decades, they drafted 5 starters. They didn't chase high-priced free agents, instead finding so many value contributors in Alex Anzalone, John Cominsky, Brock Wright, Graham Glasgow and Josh Reynolds the last three years. They did this rebuild the right way and the hardest way, not drafting a franchise altering QB. Now the Lions are playing a team they beat by 13 on the road earlier in the year with a city that is starving for another win in Ford Field. I cannot believe this is happening so soon. Detroit is now 21-7 in the last 28 games after being 4-19-1 to start Dan Campbell's tenure. What a remarkable turnaround. Handle business against Tampa Bay and stay focused, you give yourself a chance to play for an NFC title in franchise history. It's Tuesday...can it be Sunday at 3PM already???
 
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#5,944
#5,944
zjcvols said:
The computer is out, the coffee is flowing and Zack is off due to the incredible snow totals. It's time for some Lions thoughts.

1. I was really impressed with how Jared Goff commanded the offense on Sunday. The second half offense was a little too conservative for my liking and the Rams made the proper adjustments to get more bodies in the box and cause disruption. But Goff was so calm and collected on that final drive. He made a great audible to Montgomery in the flat and then the throw to Amon-Ra was so perfect on the 2nd down to end the game. The things he was criticized for with McVay were silenced for the most part in Sunday's game. He could not have done that in 2021. The transformation the last two years is a credit to him and the organization for believing in him.

2. Do I roll my eyes, do I put my hands in my face out of frustration and do I go "This secondary man" all game every time the Lions play? You betcha I do. And yet, against an offense that had been a top 5 offense in football the last eight weeks, the defense only allowed 2 TD's and 23 total points. It sometimes drives me crazy and even with the game plan there wasn't enough negative plays forced. But they hunkered down in the red zone and the reason Detroit won is they scored TD's three times in the red zone and LA scored zero. Glenn deserves some credit for not getting put in the McVay torture chamber. Detroit did well enough to stop the run (17 rushes for 68 yards) and did enough on third down (LA was 3-9) to win. It will never be pretty this year but they did the job.

3. He's not the physical specimen of JaMarr Chase. He's not the speed demon of Tyreek Hill. He does not have Justin Jefferson's elite athleticism. He doesn't have the size and strength of A.J. Brown. Yet Amon-Ra St. Brown deserves to be in the conversation as a top 5 WR in the NFL. His route running and hands are so incredible and the way he can put away any sort of jam on the line at 5'10/200 is just insane to me. They made an adjustment lining him up more outside and got 5 first downs out of it. Pay him whatever he wants Brad, he's such an important cog to the machine.

4. Something I thought was interesting, and something you don't see a ton in today's NFL, was the physicality of the game. It felt like an early 2000's playoff game with the aggressive hitting and pursuit to the ball. The Rams matched it and brought it as well. They were hitting hard, they were being aggressive. Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams were putting their shoulder down and matching that. But Campbell believes in physicality in practices and it was for games like this. The back 7 can't cover dudes most of the time but they'll let you know they are there if you go over the middle. I would watch for this in the next couple games as well.

5. Before games, when Penei Sewell gives the offense his pregame speech, he has a saying that I love. He tells the team it's time to "lock the gates" and attack. The OL brought a dominance in the first half that is what Brad Holmes envisioned when he took over the team. The interior of the OL shut down Aaron Donald (only 2 total pressures on Goff and 0 TFL's) and held rookie standouts Byron Young and Kobie Turner to being zero factors in the game. The Rams had to completely adjust in the second half (and Raheem Morris did a great job) and bring way more men in the box than what they were hoping in the second half. The offensive line set the tone for that game. Goff has all day to throw in the first half and put the Rams DL in the blunder.

6. Freaking Aidan Hutchinson, man what a dog. So Aidan battled an illness and still led the league in pressures over the weekend, only playing 75% of the snaps when he is usually at 90-95% of the snap counts. The Lions got such a gamer and he made the two biggest plays of the game on defense, drawing a hold on a sure sack and then forcing Stafford to not be able to set his feet and throw the ball high on the final two Rams offensive plays of the games. Rob Havenstein is one of the best RT's in football and Havenstein did a really solid job. But when the time came, Aidan's 3rd down pressures were absolutely vital. We got lucky that the Jaguars passed on him.

7. Okay, the next couple points will be negatives. I was disappointed in the run game in the second half, and this is the third straight week the run game has been inconsistent. Detroit only averaged 3.2 yards per rush which is very rare for them to be under 4. I felt like Detroit got a little too predictable and cute in the second half with their run game. I think Detroit is using too many shotgun runs and too many outside runs. Defenses are playing wider on the line and the Rams love to use 5 linemen on the LOS on their 3-4 front. It played into the Rams hands. Detroit is best running between the tackles and using 12 personnel with LaPorta and Wright, they need to go back to that. They had 16 yards rushing in the second half. I would be more diverse on first down. Too many 1st down runs in heavy boxes and not even quick throws to counter attack those type of boxes. I'm curious how Ben Johnson adjusts against Todd Bowles.

8. Man, it's one thing to watch our LB's get exposed after a lack of pressure in the middle and then watching Kendall Vildor (who was signed 6 weeks ago) get beat. But watching Cam Sutton struggle has hurt and been a negative. He was really good the first half of the year and he's not a true #1 CB. But we need him to play better. He's going to go against Mike Evans and Chris Godwin and he needs to step up.

9. Matthew Stafford is so scary. I was praying to whatever deity was listening that he would not get the ball back when Detroit took over with 4 minutes to go. I actually thought Detroit's coverage was better than I've seen but Matthew Stafford just threw some freakin' lazer beams in there (that 3rd and 15 in the first half should be hung in the Louvre). It was funny to see how the game played out basically what happened during his Detroit career. He took a ton of shots, never came out, played like a mad man, put insane numbers and showed off his crazy arm talent. But a couple unfortunate breaks for his defense, a couple calls that went against him, inconsistency in the red zone doomed his team. It was eery watching that game play out.

10. It was poetic watching the final play to seal the game. Dan Campbell, the gritty, aggressive head coach who has never been afraid to take chances, goes for it on 4th down for a TD and then decided to go for the win on 2nd down and throw the ball. Jared Goff, the castoff the Lions took in a trade and believed in, making a big time throw to seal the deal. The OL, the most important unit on the team, giving Goff a clean pocket. Ben Johnson, coming up with a creative play call to get his best player the ball. Amon-Ra St. Brown, the 4th round pick diamond that the Lions front office found, beating his man, finding the marker and reeling in the football to win the game. It was everything this rebuild was about.

11. In January 2021, I felt this was the worst situation in the league. They had maybe 6 good players at the time. Stafford, the 12 year franchise QB who was constantly let down by his team, was done and wanted out. They had the #7 pick, so Detroit didn't even have a top pick to get a potential franchise QB. They had two strong points on their team, the left side of the OL (Decker/Jackson/Ragnow) and their punter, Jack Fox. Sheila had to give Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell matching 6 year contracts because she knew franchise was an absolute mess. They got a haul for Stafford and built around Jared Goff, a move widely panned at the time as a potential disaster. The first draft, where a bunch of players sat out after COVID in the most discombobulated draft in decades, they drafted 5 starters. They didn't chase high-priced free agents, instead finding so many value contributors in Alex Anzalone, John Cominsky, Brock Wright, Graham Glasgow and Josh Reynolds the last three years. They did this rebuild the right way and the hardest way, not drafting a franchise altering QB. Now the Lions are playing a team they beat by 13 on the road earlier in the year with a city that is starving for another win in Ford Field. I cannot believe this is happening so soon. Detroit is now 21-7 in the last 28 games after being 4-19-1 to start Dan Campbell's tenure. What a remarkable turnaround. Handle business against Tampa Bay and stay focused, you give yourself a chance to play for an NFC title in franchise history. It's Tuesday...can it be Sunday at 3PM already???
Click to expand...
Loved reading this Z. How big was that penalty that Dan accepted late in the 4th qtr putting them out of FG range.
We got our NFC North Title and a playoff win. Everything here on out is icing on the cake.
 
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#5,945
#5,945
MAD said:
Loved reading this Z. How big was that penalty that Dan accepted late in the 4th qtr putting them out of FG range.
We got our NFC North Title and a playoff win. Everything here on out is icing on the cake.
Click to expand...

Two things: I didn't realize they called the Rivers play incomplete, so what I thought was going to be 4th and 7 actually turned out to be 4th and 4, which I think changed Dan's thinking. So it would have been a 51 yarder, which wasn't a super tough kick for Maher or go for it on 4th and 4. So it was the right decision even if Matthew terrified me.
 
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#5,946
#5,946
zjcvols said:
The computer is out, the coffee is flowing and Zack is off due to the incredible snow totals. It's time for some Lions thoughts.

1. I was really impressed with how Jared Goff commanded the offense on Sunday. The second half offense was a little too conservative for my liking and the Rams made the proper adjustments to get more bodies in the box and cause disruption. But Goff was so calm and collected on that final drive. He made a great audible to Montgomery in the flat and then the throw to Amon-Ra was so perfect on the 2nd down to end the game. The things he was criticized for with McVay were silenced for the most part in Sunday's game. He could not have done that in 2021. The transformation the last two years is a credit to him and the organization for believing in him.

2. Do I roll my eyes, do I put my hands in my face out of frustration and do I go "This secondary man" all game every time the Lions play? You betcha I do. And yet, against an offense that had been a top 5 offense in football the last eight weeks, the defense only allowed 2 TD's and 23 total points. It sometimes drives me crazy and even with the game plan there wasn't enough negative plays forced. But they hunkered down in the red zone and the reason Detroit won is they scored TD's three times in the red zone and LA scored zero. Glenn deserves some credit for not getting put in the McVay torture chamber. Detroit did well enough to stop the run (17 rushes for 68 yards) and did enough on third down (LA was 3-9) to win. It will never be pretty this year but they did the job.

3. He's not the physical specimen of JaMarr Chase. He's not the speed demon of Tyreek Hill. He does not have Justin Jefferson's elite athleticism. He doesn't have the size and strength of A.J. Brown. Yet Amon-Ra St. Brown deserves to be in the conversation as a top 5 WR in the NFL. His route running and hands are so incredible and the way he can put away any sort of jam on the line at 5'10/200 is just insane to me. They made an adjustment lining him up more outside and got 5 first downs out of it. Pay him whatever he wants Brad, he's such an important cog to the machine.

4. Something I thought was interesting, and something you don't see a ton in today's NFL, was the physicality of the game. It felt like an early 2000's playoff game with the aggressive hitting and pursuit to the ball. The Rams matched it and brought it as well. They were hitting hard, they were being aggressive. Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams were putting their shoulder down and matching that. But Campbell believes in physicality in practices and it was for games like this. The back 7 can't cover dudes most of the time but they'll let you know they are there if you go over the middle. I would watch for this in the next couple games as well.

5. Before games, when Penei Sewell gives the offense his pregame speech, he has a saying that I love. He tells the team it's time to "lock the gates" and attack. The OL brought a dominance in the first half that is what Brad Holmes envisioned when he took over the team. The interior of the OL shut down Aaron Donald (only 2 total pressures on Goff and 0 TFL's) and held rookie standouts Byron Young and Kobie Turner to being zero factors in the game. The Rams had to completely adjust in the second half (and Raheem Morris did a great job) and bring way more men in the box than what they were hoping in the second half. The offensive line set the tone for that game. Goff has all day to throw in the first half and put the Rams DL in the blunder.

6. Freaking Aidan Hutchinson, man what a dog. So Aidan battled an illness and still led the league in pressures over the weekend, only playing 75% of the snaps when he is usually at 90-95% of the snap counts. The Lions got such a gamer and he made the two biggest plays of the game on defense, drawing a hold on a sure sack and then forcing Stafford to not be able to set his feet and throw the ball high on the final two Rams offensive plays of the games. Rob Havenstein is one of the best RT's in football and Havenstein did a really solid job. But when the time came, Aidan's 3rd down pressures were absolutely vital. We got lucky that the Jaguars passed on him.

7. Okay, the next couple points will be negatives. I was disappointed in the run game in the second half, and this is the third straight week the run game has been inconsistent. Detroit only averaged 3.2 yards per rush which is very rare for them to be under 4. I felt like Detroit got a little too predictable and cute in the second half with their run game. I think Detroit is using too many shotgun runs and too many outside runs. Defenses are playing wider on the line and the Rams love to use 5 linemen on the LOS on their 3-4 front. It played into the Rams hands. Detroit is best running between the tackles and using 12 personnel with LaPorta and Wright, they need to go back to that. They had 16 yards rushing in the second half. I would be more diverse on first down. Too many 1st down runs in heavy boxes and not even quick throws to counter attack those type of boxes. I'm curious how Ben Johnson adjusts against Todd Bowles.

8. Man, it's one thing to watch our LB's get exposed after a lack of pressure in the middle and then watching Kendall Vildor (who was signed 6 weeks ago) get beat. But watching Cam Sutton struggle has hurt and been a negative. He was really good the first half of the year and he's not a true #1 CB. But we need him to play better. He's going to go against Mike Evans and Chris Godwin and he needs to step up.

9. Matthew Stafford is so scary. I was praying to whatever deity was listening that he would not get the ball back when Detroit took over with 4 minutes to go. I actually thought Detroit's coverage was better than I've seen but Matthew Stafford just threw some freakin' lazer beams in there (that 3rd and 15 in the first half should be hung in the Louvre). It was funny to see how the game played out basically what happened during his Detroit career. He took a ton of shots, never came out, played like a mad man, put insane numbers and showed off his crazy arm talent. But a couple unfortunate breaks for his defense, a couple calls that went against him, inconsistency in the red zone doomed his team. It was eery watching that game play out.

10. It was poetic watching the final play to seal the game. Dan Campbell, the gritty, aggressive head coach who has never been afraid to take chances, goes for it on 4th down for a TD and then decided to go for the win on 2nd down and throw the ball. Jared Goff, the castoff the Lions took in a trade and believed in, making a big time throw to seal the deal. The OL, the most important unit on the team, giving Goff a clean pocket. Ben Johnson, coming up with a creative play call to get his best player the ball. Amon-Ra St. Brown, the 4th round pick diamond that the Lions front office found, beating his man, finding the marker and reeling in the football to win the game. It was everything this rebuild was about.

11. In January 2021, I felt this was the worst situation in the league. They had maybe 6 good players at the time. Stafford, the 12 year franchise QB who was constantly let down by his team, was done and wanted out. They had the #7 pick, so Detroit didn't even have a top pick to get a potential franchise QB. They had two strong points on their team, the left side of the OL (Decker/Jackson/Ragnow) and their punter, Jack Fox. Sheila had to give Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell matching 6 year contracts because she knew franchise was an absolute mess. They got a haul for Stafford and built around Jared Goff, a move widely panned at the time as a potential disaster. The first draft, where a bunch of players sat out after COVID in the most discombobulated draft in decades, they drafted 5 starters. They didn't chase high-priced free agents, instead finding so many value contributors in Alex Anzalone, John Cominsky, Brock Wright, Graham Glasgow and Josh Reynolds the last three years. They did this rebuild the right way and the hardest way, not drafting a franchise altering QB. Now the Lions are playing a team they beat by 13 on the road earlier in the year with a city that is starving for another win in Ford Field. I cannot believe this is happening so soon. Detroit is now 21-7 in the last 28 games after being 4-19-1 to start Dan Campbell's tenure. What a remarkable turnaround. Handle business against Tampa Bay and stay focused, you give yourself a chance to play for an NFC title in franchise history. It's Tuesday...can it be Sunday at 3PM already???
Click to expand...
Thank you zjc,, as always a great analysis.
 
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