Lions News

[Forsh]

I'm not trying to rag on Goff with this post ... but has the guy ever lifted a weight? I agree with most of what chemi posted ... but Goff has the frame that at least looks like at some point he should've gotten stronger or whatever. Yeah his arm is fine ... but he looks so weak

[Iron Lion]

About the only thing I really wish about Goff's game was better was his mobility. At the very least to extend plays on the occasions that they break down. He is a pretty slow dude, and he doesn't quite have those pocket instincts that you need to have if you don't have legs. The fortunate thing is that the latter is something that tends to come with experience, and he's showing signs of improvement on that score. He's not doing that "spin into a defender's waiting arms like a maiden in a romance novel" much this year, for example.

He's got plenty of arm, he's got plenty of accuracy, his awareness has taken massive strides, his decision making has as well... he has all the tools, and they're starting to come together. No, he's never going to be throwing side arm passes while horizontal with the ground like Mahomes. No, he's not going to break two lineman's ankles then dash for 50 yards like Lamar Jackson. No, he's not going to flick his wrist and throw 70 yards downfield like Stafford did. He's never going to wow spectators with transcendent physical ability.

Fortunately, he doesn't need to. He's got just enough of everything he needs.

More than mobility is just being able to read the field. We've all seen him staring down the primary route and then checking it down if that's not open. I think a large part of this Jaguars win was him having all day in the pocket. He's capable of reading a defense, but he's not able to make decisions as quickly as top-tier QBs. Your point about mobility could assuage that if he can smoothly move around to buy time while keeping his eyes downfield. Russell Wilson is probably a below average passer if he has to drop back, read the D quickly, and pop it out of there. He killed defenses by keeping plays alive all day, breaking the secondary's back.

Unfortunately, I don't think it's possible to fix a QB's "speed-reading" this far into a career. Kneecap Dan employing an extra OL on a lot of plays is phenomenally brilliant in that it plays to our strengths. A strong OL typically means the 6th guy isn't total trash. We have the option to bulldoze you in the run game or provide better protection for a pass. With our best WR being a slot guy, the primary WR doesn't have long-developing routes that are by necessity a 2nd or 3rd read.

[Futureshock]

PFT’s Week 13 2022 NFL awards

Posted by Mike Florio on December 7, 2022, 6:44 AM EST

Getty Images

The stretch run is coming, one week at a time.

And to cap every remaining week, we’ll have out some awards.

You know the routine by now. Five winners. Plenty of other deserving finalists.

Here we go.

Coach of the week: Lions coach Dan Campbell.

After the Lions started 1-6, it once again looked as if ownership would be pulling the plug on the latest reboot of the franchise. They were scoring plenty of points, but they weren’t winning games.

Then came a tough, hard-fought, 15-9 win over the Packers. Then came a high-scoring, back-and-forth, rollercoaster 31-30 win at Chicago. Then came the signature win, a road victory by 13 over the Giants, at a time when the Giants were as hot as the Lions are now.

Undeterred by a late lost to the Bills on Thanksgiving, the Lions made themselves into a true contender in the NFC by destroying the Jaguars, 40-14.

Jacksonville was actually favored to win, after beating the Ravens. And then the Lions made the Jaguars look like the team they’ve pretty much been ever since losing the AFC Championship five years ago.

Now, the Lions host a team that is truly surging for the first time since losing the NFC Championship five years ago. And Detroit can’t play the “no one believes in us” card; the Lions are favored by 2.5 points over the 10-2 Vikings.

Other finalists: 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, Bengals coach Zac Taylor, Ravens coach John Harbaugh.

[Futureshock]

Michael Badgley named NFC special teams player of the week

Posted by Josh Alper on December 7, 2022, 8:51 AM EST

Getty Images

The Lions had a lot of things go their way in last Sunday’s 40-14 win over the Jaguars and kicker Michael Badgley‘s work was on that list.

Badgley made all eight kicks — four field goals and four extra points — during the victory. The 16 points scored were a new career high for Badgley.

The NFL recognized his production by naming Badgley the NFC special teams player of the week on Wednesday. Badgley was previously named the AFC special teams player of the week while with the Chargers in Week 14 of the 2018 season.

Badgley has now appeared in seven games for the Lions. He’s made 11-of-12 field goal attempts and all 18 of his extra point tries.

[froot loops]

Sometimes on pass plays there are only 2 legitimate options. I'm leery of the using the criticism of a quarterback staring down a receiver, I'm sure Goff does it, but I'm not sure he does it more than most quarterbacks. Of all the quarterbacks I watch, I watch Goff the most, that's probably the case for everyone in here so we are going to see stuff like that. We saw that with Stafford, there were some articles showing how Stafford was missing the third option being wide open and he just couldn't stop staring down the primary target. Then he went to a proper team with talent and he won a Superbowl in his first season, at the end of the Superbowl he had only Kupp left and he found a way to complete the comeback victory by staring him down on nearly every passing attempt.

[froot loops]

Man, that Vitamin W will change a man.

Not necessarily Vitamin W, more that I'm skeptical of incoming quarterbacks. I was saying this about Goff when they traded for him. In his career he has had two Pro Bowl appearances where each season he had yardage in the mid 4000s. One of those seasons he went to the Superbowl with CJ Wilson as his running back. His last year in LA he won a playoff game with a broken hand. He finished last season really well and is having a good season this season, but people talk like he is Bubby Brister.

Jared Goff is as dull as dirt, there is no sizzle. He makes a similarly dull Stafford look like a media dynamo in comparison. It's why clowns like Mike Florio had a campaign to bring Baker Mayfield to Detroit. He brought the grit and fire that Dan Campbell needed, except he is nowhere close to Goff as a quarterback. The grit and fire from Mayfield turns the locker room off. They want a dull quarterback to face the media and take all the arrows for mistakes that sometimes weren't his mistakes.

[chemiclord]

Sometimes on pass plays there are only 2 legitimate options. I'm leery of the using the criticism of a quarterback staring down a receiver, I'm sure Goff does it, but I'm not sure he does it more than most quarterbacks. Of all the quarterbacks I watch, I watch Goff the most, that's probably the case for everyone in here so we are going to see stuff like that. We saw that with Stafford, there were some articles showing how Stafford was missing the third option being wide open and he just couldn't stop staring down the primary target. Then he went to a proper team with talent and he won a Superbowl in his first season, at the end of the Superbowl he had only Kupp left and he found a way to complete the comeback victory by staring him down on nearly every passing attempt.

Well, what I will say to that particular thing is if your plays are only giving your QB two options, then he rather needs to have that ability to scramble as a third option in the current NFL. Defenses are more than capable of taking away two receivers if they know who those receivers are, and eventually any elite defense is going to have enough tape to be able to figure that out. Two reads or throw it away is a quick way to a three-and-out against playoff level opponents.

I'd argue that's a major part of the reason why the Titans chronically underperform come playoff time. Quick reads with a statue of a QB is a recipe for one-and-done in the current NFL, even if you have a generational RB in the backfield. It's very easy for good to great defenses to stop that strategy.

[Nick Pappageorgio]

I have been as critical as anyone of Goff….but I basically agree with Froot here.

Earlier in the season when Goff was staring down his first option and doing a lot of immature-QB shit, I absolutely thought there was an upside to going with a cheaper journeyman or a high draft pick (both crapshoots). Now…Goff is playing above replacement level and I think it’s better with the devil you know, the team can reduce his cap # with a reasonable extension.

My current thinking is that Goff has the tools to be a good QB. I think he’s maybe just a little dumb and it takes him a little adjust, and Johnson’s O from this year was more different than we’d think.

Assuming there a contract redo do that gives us more space and Goff doesn’t shit the bed in the next month….I think sticking with Goff is the right move

[chemiclord]

A general rule I would say is that a championship level offense needs at least three things that an opponent has to account for on every play. Now what those three things are can be fluid. A home-run hitting RB can be one. A hands made of glue possession receiver can be one. A speedster that can take the top off a secondary any play can be one. A QB with running ability can be one. A QB with a cannon for an arm can be one. But it's why no matter how good of an arm your QB has "more weaponz" is evergreen.

So yeah, a mobile QB isn't necessary, but if that QB at least doesn't have that threat in their back pocket, that accountability has to come from somewhere else. Having that "dual threat" QB is handy because it can fill two of those roles in one person, especially as running QBs are getting much better passing as well.

[chemiclord]

So I get the hand-wringing about Goff, because the guy is not a weapon in and of himself. There's nothing about his game that defenses have to account for.

He's developing into an exceptional facilitator, someone who reliably gets the ball to his playmakers, but that's got fans asking if a "game manager" is worth $30+ million a year.

What I think a lot of fans don't understand is that considering just how rare even Goff's level of talent and ability is that the answer is, "Yes."

[froot loops]

If you have been to two Pro Bowls, led a team to the Super Bowl and are currently running a top 7 offense in the NFL you are already a good quarterback. Don't let perfect be the enemy of good.

[Nick Pappageorgio]

If you have been to two Pro Bowls, led a team to the Super Bowl and are currently running a top 7 offense in the NFL you are already a good quarterback. Don't let perfect be the enemy of good.

FTR….I don’t care what he”s done, only how he’s playing now.

Joe Flacco and Russell Wilson have both been to more pro bowls and actually have a ring, but I wouldn’t take either of them over Goff (right now).

Goff isn’t a savior and shouldn’t get paid like one

[Mainevent]

Goff has really embraced the checkdown. He looks for his first couple of reads, if they aren’t there he’s moving quickly to his outlet option. Which is what you want because he’s not a guy that will create plays the longer he holds the ball.

[Cody_Russell]

Goff has been good enough where the Lions shouldn’t feel pressured to find the next QB this offseason IMO. Barring a huge decline in Goff in these last 5 games (doubtful). If the Lions love a QB in the 2023 draft, perfect! If the Lions like a developmental QB (Max Duggan, etc) in the later rounds, that works too! The big point is the Lions shouldn’t force it.

I’m totally fine with Goff in 2023. The roster around Goff should be better… leading to the expectations of having a better record.

As for trades or free agency… the two QBs that standout are Lamar Jackson and Derek Carr.
Jackson would cost too much for my liking. Multiple 1sts, $200 million. Also questions about Lamar’s health/ body in recent years.
Carr is on the same tier as Goff. Not much of a difference.

[ghandi]

What we are seeing lately has been Goff being much better about not turning the ball over, and the Lions defense has been much better....Goff doesnt have to be perfect and score 30+ points to even have a chance to win.....Obviously the next 5 games are important...There is a little bit of pressure now...lets see how he holds up.....If the Lions win 8 games, then I think he has earned starter in 2023 at least...Theres no guarantee Bryce Young or one of the other college QBs will be better, and it could set the Lions back to go with a rookie QB.