Comments on: Lions will have to produce better on first and second down to win at Minnesota

By: J.Fitz

J.Fitz — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 14:11:19 +0000

@sm980268 You cannot blame the D-Line and it is not as easy as you are putting it. First off, it is simple math. Offenses have realized that we do not blitz, we do not zone blitz. So they have adjusted. By only rushing our 4 down linemen it is easy to defeat us. If a team holds its tight end in to block and has a decent running back who can block, an offense can still send out 3 wide receivers into action. That leaves 5 O-Linemen, a tight end, and a running back to block our 4 down linemen. 7 vs. 4. that means a double team on both the interior linemen Suh and Fairley or Suh and Williams. You can also double team Avril and then leave Vanden Bosch to be blocked one on one which is not too hard to do, especially when he over runs most plays anyway. It is merely a simple nmbers game and when there are 3 receivers who get 4 to 4.5 seconds to get open, no DB can cover for that long. This falls on the coaching staff and their schemes more than the players at this point.

By: sm980268

sm980268 — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 21:50:23 +0000

Dont think about any games besides the next one. Pretend your job depends on how well you can channel your anger though eachplay and down, Thats a message to the whole team except calvin Johnson. If we love this guy, make him take the next two or three games off to get healthy. SEE WHO STEPS UP!!!!

By: sm980268

sm980268 — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 21:46:39 +0000

Wow! As many players as we had out on defense and Johnson hurt and playing like a beast, We could have won that game. I have a hard time figuring out our defensive Line! There only mission is to deystroy the offensive line and Adrian Peterson ( dont care who he is : destroy the running back ) . WTH Suh and #1 pic from Auburn. No excuses, make a statement when an opposing team makes you look bad!!

By: J.Fitz

J.Fitz — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 16:28:21 +0000

Very good points made by some commetns so far. I have sais from the beginning, I thank Coach Schwartz for what he ahs done, he has changed the mindset of the franchise and gave them the beginning of an identity. However, I do not believe he is the coach to get us to the next level at all.

I am not sure if Gunther is calling the defense or Schwartz at this point. When we play rookie, bad, or struggling QB’s we lay back in a flat and weak zone and never blitz. The corners play 10 yards off and the LB’s play a run oriented zone scheme with no run blitzes or anything. 3rd and long, what do we do, we sit back in this same coverage and bring no pressure.

The game planning is horrible, Backus is terrible (he was getting pancaked against the Vikings instead of trying to block). Our drafts have not been as good as people keep saying, we have done decent in trades but not drafts. Playcalling on both sides of the ball are easy enough for a Pop Warner coach like myself to predict and defeat.

All coaching staff must go. Try to pay the house for Gruden, don’t go after Andy Reed (he needs a year of with all the turmoil he has endured this year away from football). Maybe Billick, or see what you can do to go after Chip Kelly from Oregon with our offense and make sure he gets a DCO worth something because Oregon’s is worse than ours.

By: mickd

mickd — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 15:40:38 +0000

Whoever will listen: Your defense again and again and again is vanilla. Your defense is predictable just as your offense was as the season started. No forward movement of your linebackers up to the line, that’s right keep them 5 yards off the line with little to no stunts with your defensive line. Why not rush 5 defensive lineman or even line up 4 defensive lineman with a linebacker. You add Reiff to your offensive line to help out your offensive, but vanilla your 4 defensive linemen alignment allowing your opponents to size them up for blocking assignments. Conventional defense is not vanilla if it’s working but if it’s not and that’s a game time decision, than make the change. The offensive moves Calvin around until you find a way to get him open. The same thing should apply to your defensive line such as Suh or Fairley. Find them a weakness so they can become more effective. If your not getting pressure on the quarterback with all the injuries in the backfield you know what the results will be.

By: BayCityGuy

BayCityGuy — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 00:18:15 +0000

To BigM53, Yes the team sucks, but don’t come down on Jason Hanson, he is one of the best kickers in the NFL. We just need a lot better special teams performance.

By: BayCityGuy

BayCityGuy — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 23:51:50 +0000

I am watching Cowboys and eagles. The officials just made another blatantly incorrect call, a touchdown catch in the end zone that the replay clearly shows was not a catch. Something the officials are doing an awfully lot of this year.

By: Tom

Tom — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 23:11:08 +0000

typical lions game lets get behind early and then put points on the board when its too late move the ball down the field like its nobody’s business and you scratch your head where did this offense come from CANT WAIT TILL FOURTH QTR TO DO YOUR DAMAGE ON THE SCOREBOARD one week you see what they are capable of doing the next is filled with momentum killing penalties and turnovers which seems to be the norm for this team they find ways to beat themselves they have some talent but it dont do much good when most games they as a team are too inconsistant its the little things that win ball games all phases need to be there for four quarters not one

By: confused

confused — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 22:31:09 +0000

What Greg said… the running game was non-existant last year, and you want to contribute having an offseason/training camp to all secondaries the lions have faced, suddenly being able to defend this WR group? How about throwing the ball down the field once or twice in the first half of the football game. Every game you do that… you throw it downfield the first play of the game and abandon it. I’m just a fan and don’t know what im talking about. But, i will be damned if as simple minded as i am, can figure out rudimentary patterns in the play calling. Also, create better audibles or coach better options and recognition when DB’s are in press man-to-man coverage. … A WR screen doesnt work when its press. Pathetic

By: Greg

Greg — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 22:21:02 +0000

Last year was an anomaly. Right back to the same old lydowns. If we can’t beat a subpar team like the Vikings in two trys, I shudder to see what the two Packer games are going to look like. How long do we have to put up with Linehan only coaching for one quarter a game, Other teams seem to figure out what we’re doing and make appropriate adjustments during the first half as well as at half time. Linehan hasn’tbee able to figure anything out all season! How is that today, Stafford throws his first touchdown pass to an all universe receiver like Megatron? Maybe getting close to bringing in coaches that know how to figure things out before the final ticks of the clock.