Friday, November 14, 2008
Drew Sharp Hits a Great Point Again
I think when Matt Millen left, Drew Sharps journalistic skills returned and booted his pessimism with it. he had another good article a couple days back that I feel is a great read regarding the antiquated blackout system of the NFL and that Detroit deserves an exemption.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Flying Wide
Not the passes - the Wide Receivers.
Rewind to the draft -- Detroit (as usual) was feeling good about its Ifseason moves. Roy Williams was entering the final year of his contract, and there were already tentative offers out there for him. However, those offers were for a 2nd & 4th, 1st and 7th type variety. At that rate, considering Roy was a top ten pick, it made sense to keep him unless someone ponied up more than that. Dallas wanted him, but wasn't willing to pay -- then.
With CJ, Roy, McDonald and Furrey players like Middleton, Standeford, Ellis, and Moore were pretty much doomed from the start.
Fast forward to now. Dallas was desperate and decided to pay the piper -- in this case, Mayhew, top market value for Roy. Make no mistake -- a 1st and 3rd was the top value for Roy, and Dallas offered it up at the trade deadline because they knew Detroit couldn't resist it, and that it would still cost them that at the end of the season -- but the key was they would get him for just over half a season by doing it then.
So that leaves, as of today, the Lions WR as follows:
CJ
Mac
Furrey
Standeford
Adam Jennings (recently claimed off waivers from Atlanta -- he's a punt returner.)
What I notice most about the WR is that while they seem to be dropping fewer balls than the first few games (having fun in Dallas, Roy?), they still are not being utilized fully in this pedestrian offense. Period.
Jennings is here for the PR skills (we'll see how long he lasts). Standeford is getting his shot again at the number 4 spot. Furrey is still an excellent slot WR and has seemed to maintain his knack for knowing where the sticks are if they would only get him in position more on 3rd down. McDonald seems to be a serviceable enough #2 to keep CJ from being double/tripled constantly.
McD is not signed past this season, and I think the Lions will let him walk. He's decent, but nothing to overpay for. Furrey is still solid, and should be retained. Let guys like Standeford and some rooks compete for the other spots. Has the coaching staff forgotten how good Furrey was as #2 to Roy a couple of years back? Still the same player people.
Hopefully they will find a real returner next ifseason (Cason the most-claimed ever doesn't count) along a Joshua Cribbs type of vein. All-star special teamer, solid #4 WR when needed. As for the rest, a new #2/3 would be good, although I still think Standeford would be fine in that role.
Essentially, my take on the WR is that they are like the rest of the offense, and in fact the team -- square pegs, round holes. Herding cats. No direction from on high that can really be traversed or seen clearly.
The Lions do not really have an identity anywhere on their team. "Tough" doesn't translate to anything tangible on the field as far as scheme and execution and it shows. Rhinos are tough, but unless they are pointing in the right direction when they charge, what's the point? Right now the Lions have solid WR that just aren't being pointed anywhere useful.
Last issue with the WR? No time to get open, or even pretend to run a route. It's not a shock when the play ends before the route -- it's a shock when it doesn't. The horrid Oline play continues to reverberate throughout every aspect of the team.
Of all the areas of need, WR is still not high on that list even if/when McD leaves after the season. Resign him if it's reasonable -- otherwise forget it. WR of his class are plentiful in the later rounds of the draft to teams with real personnel departments.
But that, of course, is another night isn't it?
Rewind to the draft -- Detroit (as usual) was feeling good about its Ifseason moves. Roy Williams was entering the final year of his contract, and there were already tentative offers out there for him. However, those offers were for a 2nd & 4th, 1st and 7th type variety. At that rate, considering Roy was a top ten pick, it made sense to keep him unless someone ponied up more than that. Dallas wanted him, but wasn't willing to pay -- then.
With CJ, Roy, McDonald and Furrey players like Middleton, Standeford, Ellis, and Moore were pretty much doomed from the start.
Fast forward to now. Dallas was desperate and decided to pay the piper -- in this case, Mayhew, top market value for Roy. Make no mistake -- a 1st and 3rd was the top value for Roy, and Dallas offered it up at the trade deadline because they knew Detroit couldn't resist it, and that it would still cost them that at the end of the season -- but the key was they would get him for just over half a season by doing it then.
So that leaves, as of today, the Lions WR as follows:
CJ
Mac
Furrey
Standeford
Adam Jennings (recently claimed off waivers from Atlanta -- he's a punt returner.)
What I notice most about the WR is that while they seem to be dropping fewer balls than the first few games (having fun in Dallas, Roy?), they still are not being utilized fully in this pedestrian offense. Period.
Jennings is here for the PR skills (we'll see how long he lasts). Standeford is getting his shot again at the number 4 spot. Furrey is still an excellent slot WR and has seemed to maintain his knack for knowing where the sticks are if they would only get him in position more on 3rd down. McDonald seems to be a serviceable enough #2 to keep CJ from being double/tripled constantly.
McD is not signed past this season, and I think the Lions will let him walk. He's decent, but nothing to overpay for. Furrey is still solid, and should be retained. Let guys like Standeford and some rooks compete for the other spots. Has the coaching staff forgotten how good Furrey was as #2 to Roy a couple of years back? Still the same player people.
Hopefully they will find a real returner next ifseason (Cason the most-claimed ever doesn't count) along a Joshua Cribbs type of vein. All-star special teamer, solid #4 WR when needed. As for the rest, a new #2/3 would be good, although I still think Standeford would be fine in that role.
Essentially, my take on the WR is that they are like the rest of the offense, and in fact the team -- square pegs, round holes. Herding cats. No direction from on high that can really be traversed or seen clearly.
The Lions do not really have an identity anywhere on their team. "Tough" doesn't translate to anything tangible on the field as far as scheme and execution and it shows. Rhinos are tough, but unless they are pointing in the right direction when they charge, what's the point? Right now the Lions have solid WR that just aren't being pointed anywhere useful.
Last issue with the WR? No time to get open, or even pretend to run a route. It's not a shock when the play ends before the route -- it's a shock when it doesn't. The horrid Oline play continues to reverberate throughout every aspect of the team.
Of all the areas of need, WR is still not high on that list even if/when McD leaves after the season. Resign him if it's reasonable -- otherwise forget it. WR of his class are plentiful in the later rounds of the draft to teams with real personnel departments.
But that, of course, is another night isn't it?
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Back In Action: Keep DanO!
Finally! I'm back in the groove where I'll be posting nightly again, so watch out boys! The BS will be flying higher than the QB rating of anyone playing the Lions!!
Honestly, things had just been pretty hectic, combined with not seeing the games, and after seeing the results, not wanting to... yup. DetFan1979 was in a funk.
Then, honestly, I got a few emails from loyal readers and it perked me back up. It's been long enough since I've written, that the ideas are flowing smoothly like a RB through the Lions Dline, LB, and Secondary into the endzone untouched.
First off, I'm going to hearken back to a series I did off and on through the ifseason where I looked at the various position groups, and broke them down. (kinda like the opposition has been doing weekly)
I'm starting off with a Doozy. Yup: Quarterback.
When the Ifseason was ending, and we were heading into the disaster, I mean, filmseason - the Lions had 3 QB's:
Jon Kitna (incumbent)
Dan Orlovsky (the invisible man)
Drew Stanton (the oft injured still-a-rook)
At the time, based on preseason play, and past performance, it seemed best that Kitna would lead the team for one more season while Stanton learned. But, as we know, things often end up far different from what they seem.
Current QB's: (Drew Henson was released today, and I expect him to be re-signed to the practice squad in a time honored Lions tradition of always re-signing the same guys. I mean, they just re-signed Avieon Cason for what, the 20th time?)
Daunte Culpepper (LoveBoat Captain)
Dan Orlovsky (the invisible boundary lines)
Drew Stanton (didn't embarass myself too bad)
Of the 4 Qb's to take the field thus far, I think Dan Orlovsky takes the trophy for me at this time, and should be the starter again when he comes back from the thumb injury. What?? Dan O? Why???
Let me extrapolate:
Jon Kitna was more of the 'my head is still ringing' Kitna than he was the 'tough leader' Kitna of seasons past. He was also acting worse than a spoiled 3 year old throwing temper tantrums on the sidelines, yelling at everyone and everything, stomping his feet, and throwing his pacifier...I mean, mouthpiece. Kitna DIRECTLY lost the GB game. Pure and Simple. It wasn't a blowout til he threw three consecutive picks. No leader, no plays, no dice. His injury was a good excuse for what has turned out to be a spineless coaching staff when it comes to benching veterans, to bench thier veteran.
Daunte Culpepper looked like...well...looked like a guy whose been out of football for a year or so. He did look more like the Minnesota pre-loveboat Culpepper than the Miami/Oakland version, but it is still too early to tell. And while the coaching staff is starting him this week on the road at Carolina, I still think this would have been a good opportunity for more reps for Stanton in game-time settings, giving way to DanO or Daunte when the time was right in a couple of games. There isn't a lot of long-term upside to Daunte, but in reality (as I'll discuss in a minute) that is really of no moment. If he can get the job done, let him keep it...for now.
Drew Stanton looked like a traditional rookie QB out there. More eager to run than pass, holding onto the ball too long, checking down too quickly, etc. But he did have some nice plays, and everything that was wrong there is coachable. (Assuming, of course, you have coaches who can coach and teach.)
I would ignore Coletto's remarks about Stanton at this point (even though I somewhat agree with him, to a point) since I no longer trust this coaching staff on evaluating talent. They have proven too many times this year they have no idea who they have on the roster, and what their skills are.
Moving on, Stanton looked pretty good, but pretty raw. He needs more time and reps to learn. Keep bringing him in during the game, and especially in the 4th quarter of blowouts, of which I expect there to be some more.
Finally, I come to DanO. He had some good accuracy, and even good shots on the long balls when given time ( a perennial problem in Detroit is lack of time to throw). Outside of the stupid play for the safety (which I really blame on the lack of game time he got in blowouts the last few years) he performed very well. The TD passes in the Bears game to CJ and McDonald were perfect throws. There was a time in the Bears game, in the 3rd Quarter when that was going on, that the Line was protecting him well and he was hitting pass after pass in the holes in the defense. Keving Smith was sparking the running game and things finally looked to be going in the right direction.
Don't get me wrong here -- DanO is not some deity, saviour, etc. etc. etc. But, he has shown he is a competent NFL QB with some potential and upside to him. In my opinion, the best thing the temporary-front office could do is to resign Orlovsky to a moderate 2 or 3 year deal. This would do several things, not the least of which are:
1. The Lions would have 2 QB's under contract, and one with an option going in the first year of the new coach
2. Depending on how Stanton progresses, and the type of offense the new coach uses, there could be a 2-3 way competition for the starting QB spot, which makes all of them exel more.
3. Since Culpepper, and especially DanO, are solid QB"s the Lions would be freed up to focus on the defense and the oline in the draft for one or two years. Any young QB would be murdered behind the current Oline, and the new coach will know it. (We hope. These are our Lions, after all.)
4. If Stanton progress well, they can pick another QB to groom. If he doesn't, they can go a little higher and pick a new QB of the future -- but either way, you can wait at least one, hopefully two, draft before needing to address it with a high pick.
5. Did I mention that it will allow the Lions to build up the Oline and the Defense before finding those "final pieces" at the skill positions.
So there you have my arguments for resigning DanO, and what I think they should do going into next ifseason and why. What are your thoughts on the matter? Who, if anyone would you keep and why??
Honestly, things had just been pretty hectic, combined with not seeing the games, and after seeing the results, not wanting to... yup. DetFan1979 was in a funk.
Then, honestly, I got a few emails from loyal readers and it perked me back up. It's been long enough since I've written, that the ideas are flowing smoothly like a RB through the Lions Dline, LB, and Secondary into the endzone untouched.
First off, I'm going to hearken back to a series I did off and on through the ifseason where I looked at the various position groups, and broke them down. (kinda like the opposition has been doing weekly)
I'm starting off with a Doozy. Yup: Quarterback.
When the Ifseason was ending, and we were heading into the disaster, I mean, filmseason - the Lions had 3 QB's:
Jon Kitna (incumbent)
Dan Orlovsky (the invisible man)
Drew Stanton (the oft injured still-a-rook)
At the time, based on preseason play, and past performance, it seemed best that Kitna would lead the team for one more season while Stanton learned. But, as we know, things often end up far different from what they seem.
Current QB's: (Drew Henson was released today, and I expect him to be re-signed to the practice squad in a time honored Lions tradition of always re-signing the same guys. I mean, they just re-signed Avieon Cason for what, the 20th time?)
Daunte Culpepper (LoveBoat Captain)
Dan Orlovsky (the invisible boundary lines)
Drew Stanton (didn't embarass myself too bad)
Of the 4 Qb's to take the field thus far, I think Dan Orlovsky takes the trophy for me at this time, and should be the starter again when he comes back from the thumb injury. What?? Dan O? Why???
Let me extrapolate:
Jon Kitna was more of the 'my head is still ringing' Kitna than he was the 'tough leader' Kitna of seasons past. He was also acting worse than a spoiled 3 year old throwing temper tantrums on the sidelines, yelling at everyone and everything, stomping his feet, and throwing his pacifier...I mean, mouthpiece. Kitna DIRECTLY lost the GB game. Pure and Simple. It wasn't a blowout til he threw three consecutive picks. No leader, no plays, no dice. His injury was a good excuse for what has turned out to be a spineless coaching staff when it comes to benching veterans, to bench thier veteran.
Daunte Culpepper looked like...well...looked like a guy whose been out of football for a year or so. He did look more like the Minnesota pre-loveboat Culpepper than the Miami/Oakland version, but it is still too early to tell. And while the coaching staff is starting him this week on the road at Carolina, I still think this would have been a good opportunity for more reps for Stanton in game-time settings, giving way to DanO or Daunte when the time was right in a couple of games. There isn't a lot of long-term upside to Daunte, but in reality (as I'll discuss in a minute) that is really of no moment. If he can get the job done, let him keep it...for now.
Drew Stanton looked like a traditional rookie QB out there. More eager to run than pass, holding onto the ball too long, checking down too quickly, etc. But he did have some nice plays, and everything that was wrong there is coachable. (Assuming, of course, you have coaches who can coach and teach.)
I would ignore Coletto's remarks about Stanton at this point (even though I somewhat agree with him, to a point) since I no longer trust this coaching staff on evaluating talent. They have proven too many times this year they have no idea who they have on the roster, and what their skills are.
Moving on, Stanton looked pretty good, but pretty raw. He needs more time and reps to learn. Keep bringing him in during the game, and especially in the 4th quarter of blowouts, of which I expect there to be some more.
Finally, I come to DanO. He had some good accuracy, and even good shots on the long balls when given time ( a perennial problem in Detroit is lack of time to throw). Outside of the stupid play for the safety (which I really blame on the lack of game time he got in blowouts the last few years) he performed very well. The TD passes in the Bears game to CJ and McDonald were perfect throws. There was a time in the Bears game, in the 3rd Quarter when that was going on, that the Line was protecting him well and he was hitting pass after pass in the holes in the defense. Keving Smith was sparking the running game and things finally looked to be going in the right direction.
Don't get me wrong here -- DanO is not some deity, saviour, etc. etc. etc. But, he has shown he is a competent NFL QB with some potential and upside to him. In my opinion, the best thing the temporary-front office could do is to resign Orlovsky to a moderate 2 or 3 year deal. This would do several things, not the least of which are:
1. The Lions would have 2 QB's under contract, and one with an option going in the first year of the new coach
2. Depending on how Stanton progresses, and the type of offense the new coach uses, there could be a 2-3 way competition for the starting QB spot, which makes all of them exel more.
3. Since Culpepper, and especially DanO, are solid QB"s the Lions would be freed up to focus on the defense and the oline in the draft for one or two years. Any young QB would be murdered behind the current Oline, and the new coach will know it. (We hope. These are our Lions, after all.)
4. If Stanton progress well, they can pick another QB to groom. If he doesn't, they can go a little higher and pick a new QB of the future -- but either way, you can wait at least one, hopefully two, draft before needing to address it with a high pick.
5. Did I mention that it will allow the Lions to build up the Oline and the Defense before finding those "final pieces" at the skill positions.
So there you have my arguments for resigning DanO, and what I think they should do going into next ifseason and why. What are your thoughts on the matter? Who, if anyone would you keep and why??
Sunday, November 9, 2008
If you can see, tell...
I'm blacked-out from teh game, so if you can see -- please tell! -- for those of us unable to see the game.
Thanks!!!
DF79
Thanks!!!
DF79
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Hot Culpepper?
I'm sure you've all heard that not only is Daunte Culpepper signed, but that he will likely be starting Sunday. Also, the game is going to be blacked out. (Thanks to NetRat, as soon as I get some time I'll be able to watch the Washington game. Guess potatoes have eyes after all... Thanks Net!)
I will, of course, be unable to watch the Jags game, but I did happen to catch the entirety of the Lions-Bears game as it unfolded.
I do have a few observations from that:
Dan Orlovsky may be "injured like Kitna" and headed for IR (poor Dan O) but I think he proved one very important thing in his stint as the Lions starting QB: He isn't going to carry a team on his shoulders, and is not going to be a top-tier starter, but he is a very solid backup QB who can come in and keep your team in the game for a few weeks if your starter is injured. The TD's to CJ and McDonald were perfect passes -- the INT's, not so much. On the whole, serviceable though -- and if the Lions were as intense in the second half as they were in the first, they could have won that game.
As usual, there were just too many mistakes by the Lions that let the Bears hang around, and regain momentum. The missed XP, the INT at the goal line, the INT on the short field (which the defense kept to a FG -- which was nice work by them.)
I was still appalled at how the Lions were able to stop the Bears in fits and starts in the first half, and then let down when Rex Grossman came into the game, and immediately folded after the TD. The defense has no backbone still.
The young guys looked pretty decent that were playing -- Smith provided such a spark for the offense, it baffles me as to why they kept putting Rudi back into the game. Nothing this coaching staff does anymore seems to make any sense. They are like the person who, knowing he is not succeeding, tries anything and everything he can think of -- usually right as it pops into his head -- without thinking it through properly.
As for Culpepper over Stanton this Sunday... Listen, I went to Northern Michigan University, so I'm not an MSU homer -- but hear me out on this. I know Stanton is essentially a rookie. But he was at camp - twice. he played some in the preseason. he was a second round draft choice. Now, I know the Lions' offense is pretty simple -- but FOUR DAYS of practice for a QB who looked awful his last 3 seasons and has been out of football for almost a year starting over him? I don't care if you don't think he's polished enough, or totally ready -- you're telling me the guy with 4 days will be MORE ready?
I have great respect for how Culpepper played in the Moss days; and yes -- if he plays like that, Culpepper to CJ would be great. But Stanton is a totally unknown quantity, and lets face it -- I do NOT trust anymore the ability of this staff to judge talent in games based on practice. This is a great time to throw Stanton in against Jax with Dan O out -- get Stanton first team reps while Culpepper eases into it. If Stanton looks awful -- well, he was just starting til Culpepper is up to speed and Dan O is healthy. If he is OK -- then they can stick with him, or send it to see what Culpepper can do after having a couple of weeks to get acclimated. If he is great, then awesome -- they can ride the train til it goes off the tracks. If Culpepper plays unprepared and stinks up the joint -- then where do you go?
So while he may not be totally ready, it won't kill and starting Stanton makes the most logical sense. Just proves there is a Logic-draining device hidden somewhere at Allen Park. The bafflement continues!
Other than the observations above, not a whole lot to say about Chicago. Smith should have been in running out the clock earlier -- they should have been, with a 23-20 lead, running on 3rd and 9 and getting set up for a FG so that the Bears needed a TD to get ahead -- and yet still allow the Lions to kick a FG as time expires (which they got in position to do quite easily - it was the end zone that was elusive) instead of heave-ho's into the end zone on hope. Oh, and about 2 inches higher and CJ comes down with the game winning TD.
While the first few games were atrocious, at this point it is the little things. But little things quickly add up into big things very quickly -- and the Lions have enough little things wrong to have big problems -- on offense and defense.
Still, overall it was an exciting game to watch and even though the Lions didn't pull out the win -- at least it was good football to watch. Now, if only those of us in the blackout zone could see them beat Jax this week. Hey, two other pathetic teams (KC and Cincy) managed to do it -- why not the Lions too?
Dallas side note -- they are still headed for about an 8-8 record at this point, and a mid-round pick --- but Romo is supposed to be back, so they may actually pass more than 3 yards at a time again.
This weeks Mantra: Re-Break is finger Jessica! (Dallas in on their bye, and thus can't lose to increase the value of the Roy Williams trade. Next week...)
BTW - haven't seen any other news outlets pick up the signing of Mr. Potato Head. Guess I'm not good at starting rumors, huh?
I will, of course, be unable to watch the Jags game, but I did happen to catch the entirety of the Lions-Bears game as it unfolded.
I do have a few observations from that:
Dan Orlovsky may be "injured like Kitna" and headed for IR (poor Dan O) but I think he proved one very important thing in his stint as the Lions starting QB: He isn't going to carry a team on his shoulders, and is not going to be a top-tier starter, but he is a very solid backup QB who can come in and keep your team in the game for a few weeks if your starter is injured. The TD's to CJ and McDonald were perfect passes -- the INT's, not so much. On the whole, serviceable though -- and if the Lions were as intense in the second half as they were in the first, they could have won that game.
As usual, there were just too many mistakes by the Lions that let the Bears hang around, and regain momentum. The missed XP, the INT at the goal line, the INT on the short field (which the defense kept to a FG -- which was nice work by them.)
I was still appalled at how the Lions were able to stop the Bears in fits and starts in the first half, and then let down when Rex Grossman came into the game, and immediately folded after the TD. The defense has no backbone still.
The young guys looked pretty decent that were playing -- Smith provided such a spark for the offense, it baffles me as to why they kept putting Rudi back into the game. Nothing this coaching staff does anymore seems to make any sense. They are like the person who, knowing he is not succeeding, tries anything and everything he can think of -- usually right as it pops into his head -- without thinking it through properly.
As for Culpepper over Stanton this Sunday... Listen, I went to Northern Michigan University, so I'm not an MSU homer -- but hear me out on this. I know Stanton is essentially a rookie. But he was at camp - twice. he played some in the preseason. he was a second round draft choice. Now, I know the Lions' offense is pretty simple -- but FOUR DAYS of practice for a QB who looked awful his last 3 seasons and has been out of football for almost a year starting over him? I don't care if you don't think he's polished enough, or totally ready -- you're telling me the guy with 4 days will be MORE ready?
I have great respect for how Culpepper played in the Moss days; and yes -- if he plays like that, Culpepper to CJ would be great. But Stanton is a totally unknown quantity, and lets face it -- I do NOT trust anymore the ability of this staff to judge talent in games based on practice. This is a great time to throw Stanton in against Jax with Dan O out -- get Stanton first team reps while Culpepper eases into it. If Stanton looks awful -- well, he was just starting til Culpepper is up to speed and Dan O is healthy. If he is OK -- then they can stick with him, or send it to see what Culpepper can do after having a couple of weeks to get acclimated. If he is great, then awesome -- they can ride the train til it goes off the tracks. If Culpepper plays unprepared and stinks up the joint -- then where do you go?
So while he may not be totally ready, it won't kill and starting Stanton makes the most logical sense. Just proves there is a Logic-draining device hidden somewhere at Allen Park. The bafflement continues!
Other than the observations above, not a whole lot to say about Chicago. Smith should have been in running out the clock earlier -- they should have been, with a 23-20 lead, running on 3rd and 9 and getting set up for a FG so that the Bears needed a TD to get ahead -- and yet still allow the Lions to kick a FG as time expires (which they got in position to do quite easily - it was the end zone that was elusive) instead of heave-ho's into the end zone on hope. Oh, and about 2 inches higher and CJ comes down with the game winning TD.
While the first few games were atrocious, at this point it is the little things. But little things quickly add up into big things very quickly -- and the Lions have enough little things wrong to have big problems -- on offense and defense.
Still, overall it was an exciting game to watch and even though the Lions didn't pull out the win -- at least it was good football to watch. Now, if only those of us in the blackout zone could see them beat Jax this week. Hey, two other pathetic teams (KC and Cincy) managed to do it -- why not the Lions too?
Dallas side note -- they are still headed for about an 8-8 record at this point, and a mid-round pick --- but Romo is supposed to be back, so they may actually pass more than 3 yards at a time again.
This weeks Mantra: Re-Break is finger Jessica! (Dallas in on their bye, and thus can't lose to increase the value of the Roy Williams trade. Next week...)
BTW - haven't seen any other news outlets pick up the signing of Mr. Potato Head. Guess I'm not good at starting rumors, huh?
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