Lions News

[Futureshock]

When you see something like this on a pro level, where they have won but a portion of the team does nothing all game, it is one of 2 things:

1. A team just doesn't have the horses to stay with a really great team - I'm gonna say this ain't it.
2. OR, the gameplan is so wrong that the players are in the wrong position or being coached to do the wrong things all game.

I went back and watched and SEA audibled, alot, and most of the time it was to the good of their offense. So this is really troubling in that their defense is so predictable and able to be countered that a reasonably bad team like SEA could put 41 points up on them. I'm gonna make a solid guess that they will not have another game in which they won't punt this year.

AND they are so bad that they could not make adjustments to get 1 punt on the day. 1. Which is worse to me. That's JBC - The D players are calling out our play before we run it - level.

[kreton]

He is off to a slow start this year for sure. I'm not saying the guy has been great. But last year? He performed as expected. He averaged 53 tackles a year the 3 years prior, and got 52 here. 1 sack was low, but the d line sucked. He didn't have Donald pulling double teams. It was expected.

Seems like again, your expectations are unrealistic.

I'm not a fan of the guy. I hope he is off the roster next year. I hope he sees little playing time this year as there are guys I'd rather see develop. But you are talking like the Lions threw some big investment here. A 24 million contract for a starting DL is not a big investment. It is an average pay for an average guy.

I think you and I view investing in the defense differently. I don't consider Brockers and Anzalone investing in a defense. I see them as guys plugged in cause no one better else is there.

Hutch/Pascall they were investments into the defense. But they are rookies. I think it is ok to give them more than 4 games to blossom.

Aside from rookies, Okudah, and maybe Walker/Elliot no one on this defense is starting NFL caliber material from what I've seen.

[Futureshock]

Brockers has been terrible, a guy off of the street would have been better. He was terrible last year (40.6 PFF grade), he has 4 tackles this year. He has a cap hit of 10 million this year and if they waive him, they will be in the hook for 4 million next year. If you trade assets to get Brockers and then give him a 3 year 24 million dollar contract. He has to be an impact player.

Agree. His value is being a mentor on the sideline. They need to draft a DT in the first rd next year or bring in a stud. Just to me, FA DT don't seem to work out. IDK. Maybe they sshould get Suh in here with a promise to get a look at being a coach next year. Who knows if he'd be receptive to it. But where else can they turn?

[kreton]

I know DT is a huge need, but I am hoping more than anything for a blue chip LB next year. We have 2 firsts and seems like 1 will be top 5 and one top 15-20 (fingers crossed). If the Lions can pull a DT/LB I'd be thrilled.

[froot loops]

A 40 PFF grade is abhorrent.

[Futureshock]

You shouldn't have to pick a lb in the top 5. Realistically, they need a bigger faster version of MaRod. They traditionally can be drafted at the top of the second. BUT if they are desperate and panicky, go ahead.

The other question is if they trust a rookie, or second year guy, to call the defense.

I'm not a big fan of Elliot either so it would be nice to add a blue chip speedster at Safety too.

[Futureshock]

A 40 PFF grade is abhorrent.

For whom? There's about 18 candidates

[froot loops]

For the defense to turn around in year three some of the 10 defensive draft picks and the free agents they signed in then last two years need to turn into impact players . If these players are not to be depended on, Holmes is sunk.

[froot loops]

For whom? There's about 18 candidates

Brockers in 2021 had a 40. That is the guy they traded for and then gave him a 3 year 24 million contract. Last month they restructured to add 2 million more to the dead cap hit.

When you spend that money, he needs to be an impact player.

[Futureshock]

My goodness. They need some D gurus to come in and help turn this around. Most of their "expertise" seems to be on the offensive side. WTF is Spielman saying?

[Futureshock]

Brockers in 2021 had a 40. That is the guy they traded for and then gave him a 3 year 24 million contract. Last month they restructured to add 2 million more to the dead cap hit.

When you spend that money, he needs to be an impact player.

Well, what do you think of Harris? He seems to side step criticisms. i was one who thought they could use that money elsewhere. At least with AO turning into a pumpkin now, they (we hope) won't give him a bunch of FA money. I hope Jacobs comes back and takes somebodies' position.

[froot loops]

Harris has been a disappointment this year, but he was good last year so I think of a lot more of him than Brockers.

[kreton]

For the defense to turn around in year three some of the 10 defensive draft picks and the free agents they signed in then last two years need to turn into impact players . If these players are not to be depended on, Holmes is sunk.

I agree on this. Hutch and Pascall need to well above average at a minimum. Onwuzirike and McNeil need to take big steps forward that they haven't done yet.

If the coaches fail to properly develop these players, that is going to be a problem and they shouldn't be coaching at the NFL level. From my opinion this is how I am grading the coaching staff right now. Not W and L. And I say that because we simply don't have the talent to win many games, especially on defense. However, Ra, Sewell, Hutch, Pascall, Joseph, gMcNeil, Martinez, Okudah ect need to be taking steps as players as the season goes on. There are going to be growing pains and we have a lot of young guys on defense. Shit is going to happen. That growth and development is what the marker for success right now should be. After 4 games, I'll admit especially with Hutch, I'm a little nervous but certainly not panicked and feeling like it is time to fire the staff and restart again. It also is not the SOL crap. Our entire defense is made up of 1st/2nd year players or guys who should not be NFL starters save for maybe 3. Impatience is not going to fix this team and neither is miraculously expecting rookies to develop overnight.



As for the other conversation about the FA, Brockers is playing the same level he did in LA, and Elliot is exactly who he was in Baltimore. I'd love if they were better, but at the end of the day, the level they are playing at should not be any surprise. You can keep pointing to the 24 mil contract, and that is simply not a huge contract.

Personally I think every starter should be an impact player. That should come with the starter label. So in that sense, Brockers should be playing better right now. His contract isn't that much though.

[Fraquar]

Kreton, right now their problem is more scheme up front than players.
There are only 3 reasons why a player would blow an assignment - and two of those are fixable with coaching.
a) He doesn't know what his assignment is - that is fixable - it's called communications.
b) You got some loose cannons that are just freelancing - that is fixable - it's called discipline.
c) He isn't capable of fulfilling that assignment - that isn't fixable.

Focus on what you can fix (a and b) - and right now this defense looks like 11 guys running around like a chicken with their head cut off.
Focusing on c is going to get you nowhere fast - because you really can't change c between now and January - your bed is made with what you got.

[ghandi]

Brockers in 2021 had a 40. That is the guy they traded for and then gave him a 3 year 24 million contract. Last month they restructured to add 2 million more to the dead cap hit.

When you spend that money, he needs to be an impact player.

I didnt understand the extension either....He just isn't an impact player anymore....There is talk that Demetrious Taylor will start getting some of his snaps.