Lions News

[Topweasel]

I missed who you are referring to hear CGVT?

Pretty sure it was Valenti. He is king of the hyperbowl and acts like he knows better than everyone else. He is one of the big reasons you see so many people put blinders on for a single move.

[DanO]

Pretty sure it was Valenti. He is king of the hyperbowl and acts like he knows better than everyone else. He is one of the big reasons you see so many people put blinders on for a single move.

Lot of people can't stand Valenti. I rarely listen to talk radio anymore. If I do it's Karsh and Anderson.

[Topweasel]

Lot of people can't stand Valenti. I rarely listen to talk radio anymore. If I do it's Karsh and Anderson.

Really wish that Karsh and Anderson was the drive home crew. So much easier and better to listen to and they have actual conversations and debates. But Valenti basically has me either listening to Audible or SiriusXM on my way home.

[whatever_gong82]

It's time to give some credit to the real reason for this Detroit Lions turnaround




Jeff Seidel
Detroit Free Press



As the Detroit Lions rest up on their bye week and fans plan their trips to Las Vegas for the Super Bowl — OK, I’m joking, kinda — it is time to take a momentary break from this hysteria and offer for some perspective.

Exactly one year ago Thursday, the Lions had a 1-6 record and were coming off a 31-27 loss against the Miami Dolphins. It was not clear if coach Dan Campbell was the long-term answer. Not clear if Brad Holmes’ plan would work. And the Lions' defense was one level below horrible.



One year.

Now, they have a 6-2 record and are in a perfect position to win the NFC North. Even more stunningly, they have a legit chance to earn a No.1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.


So what has changed? On one level, nothing. They stuck to the plan.

Lions owner Sheila Hamp could have fired Campbell at that moment. Just 24 games into his Lions tenure, Campbell had a 4-19-1 record. Consider this: the Las Vegas Raiders just fired Josh McDaniels after 25 games and he actually had more than double the wins of Campbell, with a 9-16 record.



So give Hamp credit for staying the course.


But there was something else.

If there is one factor that has led to this turnaround, it’s this: The defense has improved significantly.


But defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and the entire defensive coaching staff haven’t gotten the credit they deserve.

The Lions are now winning games because of their defense, not just in spite of it. Which is a massive change.



From horrible to acceptable


To understand where you are, it’s important to remember where you were.

So let's go back to that Dolphins loss on Oct. 30, 2022.



Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw for three touchdowns and completed 80.6% of his passes (29-for-36). The Lions could do nothing to slow down Tyreek Hill (12 catches for 188 yards) or Jaylen Waddle (eight catches for 106 yards and two touchdowns).

At that moment, the Lions ranked last in the NFL in points allowed and were on pace to be historically bad. They ranked 27th against the pass (266.4 yards per game), were allowing the most yards per pass play (8.1) and had given up at least 24 points in seven straight games. (This year, by comparison, they have given up 24 points or more just twice).

Detroit Lion Jahmyr Gibbs celebrates his TD_10-30-2023.jpg

After the Miami game, Campbell said the Lions "did not do well in this game plan that was designed for these guys."

Wait? What did he say?

If you read between the lines, Campbell had a plan to slow down the Dolphins — to slow them at the line of scrimmage — but it wasn’t carried out by defensive backs coach/defensive pass game coordinator Aubrey Pleasant,



Or maybe Pleasant wasn’t communicating it to the players well enough.


So, Campbell fired Pleasant, even though he was well liked by the players.

“Just in general, it’s all about how do we relay the message a little better, that’s all,” Campbell said.


Well, that message is now coming through loud and clear.

Since then, the Lions are 14-4.


Now, I’m not placing this turnaround solely on Pleasant's firing.

But Campbell’s vision of a having an explosive offense and a tough, chaos-inducing defense are coming together.



Creating havoc leading to wins


Now, look at that defense.

It has improved across the board.


Instead of being the worst scoring defense, it’s middle of the pack (16th).

The Lions are stopping the run (second in rush defense at 76.87 yards allowed per game). Detroit Lions sack Jimmy Garoppolo_10-30-2023.jpg



They have been stout on third down (ranking third in conversion rate at 32.6%) and rank seventh in total defense (296.9 yards per game) and 14th in pass defense (220.1 yards).


“I just think you want to create havoc and chaos, but it needs to be organized,” Campbell told reporters Tuesday. “So, I think that’s part of our identity and it’s not always going to work out that way, but the fight should always be there.”



I know the Lions defense was awful and got crushed by Baltimore, 38-6. But that seems more like an aberration — a bad game combined with a superhuman performance by Lamar Jackson.




The Lions bounced back on Monday night and beat the Raiders, 26-14, largely because of their defense.

Again, that defense is just not getting enough credit.




The Lions' offense had three turnovers and struggled in the red zone against the Raiders but their defense held the Raiders to 157 net yards, the fewest they’ve allowed an opponent since the Packers had a measly 126 on Nov. 28, 2013.

“They wanted to play tighter, show up in the run game, all those and I thought those guys really just challenged on the perimeter and made a statement,” Campbell said.



The Lions made a statement all right, recording six sacks against the Raiders.

Could you make an argument Holmes should have upgraded this defense even more at the trade deadline? Yes.


But you also have to admit that Glenn has this unit playing well.

And that defense has reached a new stage.



Instead of listing off all the deficiencies, now we are finding new ways to quantify their success:


* Kerby Joseph is the first Lions player to accumulate at least five interceptions and two forced fumbles over his first two seasons since at least 1999;

* Against the Raiders, Alim McNeill became the first Lions interior defensive lineman to log two sacks in a home game since Ndamukong Suh on Sept. 29, 2013;

* Alex Anzalone is the Lions' first inside linebacker to produce a game with at least two sacks and three tackles-for-loss since at least 1994.


Each individual stat matters less than the overall point: Glenn has found a way to keep this team competitive. To figure out what he has and get it to improve.

It’s all pretty amazing, considering where this team was exactly one year ago.



Contact Jeff Seidel at jseidel@freepress.com or follow him @seideljeff

[edindetroit]

Lions owner Sheila Hamp could have fired Campbell at that moment. Just 24 games into his Lions tenure, Campbell had a 4-19-1 record. Consider this: the Las Vegas Raiders just fired Josh McDaniels after 25 games and he actually had more than double the wins of Campbell, with a 9-16 record.

The difference being that MCDC had the team in those losses, they weren't getting blown out.

[Sanders Fan]

The Lions had a plan. You have to give the plan time if you want to execute it properly. The Raiders didn’t have a plan.

[El Axe]

Not sure if this goes here or NFL news.

The Ringer publishes an All-In index a few times per year. To summarize it, it takes a look at (a) how much money a team is currently spending and how much future money the team has leveraged to pay its team this year and (b) how many future draft choices the team has. It then ranks all the NFL teams based on these two factors. The lower on the list, the better the future prospects and resources for the team. In other words, you want to be ranked 32nd.

https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2023/11/2/23942927/all-index-nfl-2023-cleveland-browns-new-orleans-saints-seattle-seahawks

30. Detroit Lions


Spending rank: 26
Draft rank: 29
Preseason rank: 29

again, this is a good ranking


edit: Honestly, if they flipped the ranking and added in average team age, they could call it something like teams with the brightest futures. I think the Lions are still one of the youngest teams in the league, so they would do well in that ranking

[jaadam4]

Wow that’s cool

[mason reese]

The difference being that MCDC had the team in those losses, they weren't getting blown out.

I started to turn around my thinking on MCDC after their second win. Keeping the team motivated for their first win should have been easy, keeping them motivated through the end of the season meant, to me, that they were still listening to him.

[El Axe]

Here's the all-in index prior to the season:

https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2023/9/12/23863450/2023-nfl-season-all-in-cleveland-browns-denver-broncos-miami-dolphins-arizona-cardinals

29. Detroit Lions

Spending rank: 24
Draft rank: 28

The Lions are a team with win-now expectations, but they have laid the foundation for long-term success. Let’s compare, for example, the Lions and the Dolphins. Both teams have a Vegas over/under set at 9.5 wins this season. The difference is that over the past two drafts, the Dolphins have had just one pick in the first two rounds. The Lions have had seven. Sure, the easiest way to win in the NFL is to have a quarterback like Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes. But without a difference maker like that, the next best way to win in a league with a salary cap is by gathering cost-controlled players on rookie contracts who outperform their salaries. Most of the teams making the playoffs have a handful of those guys. The Lions are building their entire team with them, from right tackle Penei Sewell, to receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, to tight end Sam LaPorta, to running back Jahmyr Gibbs, to defensive end Aidan Hutchinson. This team has the rarest of things in the NFL—a true three-year window to compete before some seriously hard financial decisions arise.

[Mainevent]

A team's position on that list is a lot about context. The Bears (31st) are not in better shape than the 49ers (5th). But they are definitely in better shape than New Orleans (2nd). If you have a really good team and you're all in, that's not a bad thing. Need to take your shots when you have a chance. What makes the Lions position nice is they are successful while not being rated as "all-in" by these arbitrary rankings. But the Lions are going to start shooting up this list when they sign Sewell, St. Brown, Goff and others to big extensions. Which is fine, if they are successful team that is in contention.

[jaadam4]

But without a difference maker like that, the next best way to win in a league with a salary cap is by gathering cost-controlled players on rookie contracts who outperform their salaries. Most of the teams making the playoffs have a handful of those guys. The Lions are building their entire team with them

This is so nice to read

[jaadam4]

Holmes and MCDC have crushed it. No matter how awesome their drafts have been the best move was suckering the Rams into “throwing in” Goff like we were doing them a favor.

Thats straight Kaiser Souzai shit

[whatever_gong82]

[whatever_gong82]

Detroit Lions 'unsung hero' Josh Reynolds keeps making big plays despite painful injury



Dave Birkett
Detroit Free Press



Josh Reynolds is on pace to set career-highs in receiving yards and touchdowns, and he has done it while playing through a painful injury.

Reynolds told the Free Press last week he tore an adductor muscle in his groin around the time of the Detroit Lions’ Week 3 win over the Atlanta Falcons. The injury has since healed, and with extra time off Reynolds should return healthy after this week’s bye.


But he has played nearly three-quarters of the Lions’ offensive snaps and made some of the season’s most important catches while dealing with an injury that has further endeared him to Lions coach Dan Campbell.

“Since 2021, he’s been one of the best additions we could’ve had,” Campbell said last week. “I mean, he is — he’s perfect for what we are because he’s – man, the reliability factor, the hands, the route tree that he’s able to run, man, it goes a long way.”


Reynolds, now 28, got off to a fast start last season, catching six or more passes with at least 80 receiving yards in three straight early games before a cascade of injuries limited him in the second half of the year.

He set out this offseason to strengthen his legs and saw the dividends of that investment early on, before his groin injury flared up in late September.

Josh Reynolds catches pass against Carolina Panthers_10-8-2023.jpg

The injury got better, Reynolds said, after his adductor tore off the bone, all while it limited his ability “to pretty much do everything.”

“I wasn’t as explosive off the ball, I didn’t feel great getting in and out of my routes,” Reynolds said. “Like I was still able to do it, but I wasn’t as effective as I wanted to be with it. Just kind of got to get through that thing.”


Reynolds said he was able to avoid surgery because the injury was to the smallest of the three adductor muscles. He played 77% of the Lions’ offensive snaps against the Falcons, but did not catch a pass or have a ball thrown his way for the only time this season.

“It wasn’t as bad as last year,” Reynolds said. “But it was still, anything kind of dealing with the legs for me, these are my moneymakers, I need them. So it was tough for about two, three weeks, but as of right now, shoot, I’m feeling good.”

Josh Reynolds catches pass against Las Vegas Raiders_10-30-2023.jpg

Reynolds has been one of the most valuable and unheralded players this year on a Lions team that ranks second in the NFL in total offense, eighth in scoring offense and fifth in passing yards.

He has 22 catches for 397 yards and three touchdowns through eight games, and 20 of his 22 catches have gone for first downs. He had a game-high 80 yards receiving in the Lions’ Week 1 win over the Kansas City Chiefs, when he caught two big passes for first downs on the Lions’ go-ahead touchdown drive. And he has emerged as one of quarterback Jared Goff’s favorite targets on third down.



Reynolds downplayed his role as a go-to player in a passing game in which Amon-Ra St. Brown has more than twice as many catches (57) as any other receiver, and rookies Sam LaPorta and Jahmyr Gibbs remain heavily involved.

“I’m thinking it’s more because Saint is the primary third (down option) and so teams are realizing that and they’re trying to take him away on the third, and at that point it’s go through your keys and then I’m sometimes that next guy up,” Reynolds said.


But Campbell and Lions assistants Ben Johnson and Tanner Engstrand championed the value Reynolds brings beyond the stat sheet.

Johnson brought Reynolds’ name up unprompted last week, saying he’s someone “we don’t mention enough.”

“This guy’s playing lights out and I’d be remiss not bringing him up,” Johnson said. “It’s like every time we throw him the ball, it’s a big play almost.”



Reynolds, who joined the Lions midway through the 2021 season after being released by the Tennessee Titans, is averaging a career-high 18 yards per catch, third most in the league. And Campbell said his ability to play every position in the receiving corps has helped the Lions stay afloat on offense while missing St. Brown, Gibbs, David Montgomery and Jameson Williams for one or more games.

“He does all the dirty work,” Campbell said. “He’s been an explosive receiver for us and he is very reliable, so he’s a guy, you’re calling plays like Ben or you’re myself, there’s a huge comfort level in having that guy cause he’s been a clutch receiver for us. He’s kind of been an unsung hero for us because he does so many different jobs.”



Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him@davebirkett.