Lions News

[-Deborah-]

We noticed the same things, Dan. Can he turn it around or does he just lack the work ethic to do so? Hope he wakes up.

Speaking of that, lol, who was that yawning on the sideline at the end of the game? Coach is probably gonna have a word with him on that.

I thought this was super cute during the game..

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[Forsh]

It's easy to guess why he didn't play much at Ohio State ... I'll say that. Obviously the talent is there. Draft analysts were saying he was EASILY the best WR among London, Wilson, Olave, etc in 2021. I agreed. I'm wondering if the season at Bama just made him think he's so big time that it's gonna be easy in the NFL

[chemiclord]

I think he's an unknown quantity who was trying to catch passes from a dude who probably is going to be lucky to find a spot on a team's practice squad.

You'd think fans would have learned by now to not put so much weight on pre-season... but of course we haven't.

[Iron Lion]

I'm just not worried about Jamo anymore. I've written him off. It was still a great draft class even if Jamo never plays another down. The offense was top 5 last year without him and there have been no downgrades. Marvin Jones and the 2 new RBs are good replacements for Chark, Jamaal, and Swifty. Glasgow for Evan Brown. LaPorta for Hock. I say forget Jamo. It's fine.

[Iron Lion]

I think he's an unknown quantity who was trying to catch passes from a dude who probably is going to be lucky to find a spot on a team's practice squad.

You'd think fans would have learned by now to not put so much weight on pre-season... but of course we haven't.

Sudfeld is a goose that throws ducks. Yes. But that one deep pass was in Jamo's hands and it hit the ground. And those alligator arms...

[chemiclord]

I dunno if it's possible to "forget," and more to accept that some draft picks are GOING to bust, but it's kinda silly to be making those declarations with such absurdly small sample sizes.

[Iron Lion]

I dunno if it's possible to "forget," and more to accept that some draft picks are GOING to bust, but it's kinda silly to be making those declarations with such absurdly small sample sizes.

I'll be happy to be wrong.

But I remember you pointing out in preseasons past that Lions teams were doomed because they couldn't tackle. Getting smoked on a route in preseason is fine, but there's no excuse for not tackling. Well, not getting separation as a receiver is fine. But there's no excuse for not catching the ball.

You scheme coverage and you scheme separation. Tackling and catching are forged in the inferno of camp. Or in Jamo's case, not.

[chemiclord]

I'll be happy to be wrong.

But I remember you pointing out in preseasons past that Lions teams were doomed because they couldn't tackle. Getting smoked on a route in preseason is fine, but there's no excuse for not tackling. Well, not getting separation as a receiver is fine. But there's no excuse for not catching the ball.

You scheme coverage and you scheme separation. Tackling and catching are forged in the inferno of camp. Or in Jamo's case, not.

I pointed out patterns of behavior from teams over many years. Signs that players weren't being coached and/or developed well. That the Lions routinely year in and year out were demonstrating poor tackling, and that it was a sign of poor coaching, poor talent, or frequently both.

As far as Jamo specifically, it could be bad breaks, or it could be him, or a bit of both. So far, every "red flag" has enough deniability that I'm not willing to write him off yet.

[jaadam4]

2.. Caught the two point conversion one handed. The DB was grabbing his left arm, but I honestly wonder if he just wanted to catch it one handed.?

That was a pretty sweet catch though

[jaadam4]

I think he's an unknown quantity who was trying to catch passes from a dude who probably is going to be lucky to find a spot on a team's practice squad.

You'd think fans would have learned by now to not put so much weight on pre-season... but of course we haven't.

No doubt. Sudfeld isn't good and won't be apart of the teams major plans with Bridgewater signed. You would however expect to read a fair amount of fluff pieces from the beat writers about how amazing he's been in TC with Goff. I haven't gotten a shred of optimism from them and they're paid to give us feel good stories about the team.

The one solid thing that I read was Goff messaging Ben Johnson in the offseason talking about how good he was in a workout session they had. I thought that was really great and hoped to hear more build up.

[ghandi]

JaMo could just run by everyone in college...he didnt have to be a refined route runner or learn intricate offenses.....Now he is JAG...He has to learn how to actually play WR now...he certainly isnt there yet.

[-Deborah-]

Love this!

[-Deborah-]

[-Deborah-]

This double spin move, though!!

[-Deborah-]

TIM AND MIKE: Preseason Week 1 observations

Aug 12, 2023 at 08:00 AM
Tim Twentyman & Mike OHara

Detroitlions.com Writers

Game flipper: Head coach Dan Campbell has stressed the importance of special teams from Day 1 of landing in Detroit. He dedicates a lot of practice time to teams, and feels they are an important aspect of the game.

The Lions were trailing 13-3 Friday night when second-year wide receiver Maurice Alexander returned a punt 95 yards for a touchdown and completely flipped the momentum of that game in an eventual 21-16 Lions win. – Tim Twentyman

Holding firm: The defense did that twice in the first half, forcing the Giants to settle for field goals when they got the ball in Lions territory. First was an interception on the Lions' first play of the game. Later in the first quarter the Giants settled for a second field goal after the Lions failed to convert on a fourth-down attempt. Bottom line the defense held the Giants to two yards on four plays on the first field goal and eight yards on five plays on the second. – Mike O'Hara

Quiet sleeper: Undrafted rookie wide receiver Chase Cota is fighting for a roster spot and potentially a spot on the practice squad. He's been quietly having a productive camp. In fact, Campbell referred to him as the quiet sleeper after Cota's four catches for 60 yards in Friday's win. – Tim Twentyman

Punt control: Alexander's 95-yard punt return for a third-quarter TD started an 11-point splurge to get them back into the game. The Lions got six points on the TD, and two more on a two-point pass to wide receiver Jameson Williams. A short punt when the Giants' offense failed to move the ball let the Lions start their next possession at their 44. They drove to a field goal and a 14-13 lead. – Mike O'Hara

Hit stick: Rookie defensive back Brian Branch has had a terrific training camp so far. How good? It's been hard to get him off the field, and that's allowed veteran C.J. Gardner-Johnson to play more safety so Branch can play the nickel.

Giants wide receiver Cole Beasley was introduced to Branch in not so nice terms when Branch delivered the hit stick on him for a two-yard loss early in Friday's win. Branch can play the run, cover, and now we know he can deliver a hit too. – Tim Twentyman

Okwara brothers: The Okwara brothers – Romeo and Julian – have battled through injuries in recent seasons, but they looked healthy Friday night. Julian had three sacks. Romeo had one. If they're healthy, they can make an impact on the defensive rotation. – Mike O'Hara

Second-year production: When we talk about the tight end position in Detroit, second-round pick Sam LaPorta is the first player mentioned most of the time, and for good reason as LaPorta is having a great camp. But don't forget about second-year tight end James Mitchell, who got a late start to last season and was never 100 percent after suffering a torn ACL in college.

Mitchell is now fully recovered from the injury, and he's had a nice camp so far. He backed that up by catching three passes for 53 yards, including a 32-yard catch Friday night. He's got some terrific run-after-the catch ability. – Tim Twentyman

Third-down production: The Lions' defense was terrific on third down Friday, holding the Giants to just 2-for-13 (15.4 percent). The Lions ranked 30th in third-down defense last season (45.1 percent). Offensively, Detroit converted 46.7 percent (7-of-15) on third down against New York. – Tim Twentyman