Lions News

[chemiclord]

The problem is that Williams doesn't really have any path to taking snaps in the slot. The Sun God has that spot on lock-down, and Raymond is his backup. Meanwhile, if the Lions were to have four receiver sets, that means LaPorta is not on the field, and that's not a viable option either.

If JaMo wants touches, it's going to have to come as an outside receiver.

[whatever_gong82]

The problem is that Williams doesn't really have any path to taking snaps in the slot. The Sun God has that spot on lock-down, and Raymond is his backup. Meanwhile, if the Lions were to have four receiver sets, that means LaPorta is not on the field, and that's not a viable option either.

If JaMo wants touches, it's going to have to come as an outside receiver.

And he needs to do what Herman Moore suggested if he wants to see the ball.

And to be better at his routes, so that Goff can trust him with the football.

[ghandi]

I've heard several of the Lions receivers talk about Ben Johnsons offense, and how they have to be at a certain spot at a certain time or the play doesnt work.....I think that is one of the reasons why St Brown is so good and JaMo is struggling....One of the biggest reasons why they drafted LaPorta was how well he grasped the offense (and it shows)...I dont think they did that with JaMo....I imagine he was never brought in as they werent expecting to draft him.

[chemiclord]

I suppose it's possible that the acquisition of People-Jones will actually afford JaMo the opportunity to play the slot position as St. Brown's backup, rather than always set up on the outside, but I'll believe that when I see it.

[-Deborah-]

[wcfwtf]

https://youtu.be/0BA4Sz6PQUM?si=RSQFj4-PJYZLANr_

[Mainevent]

I get why they threw the flag on Campbell with the rules they have in place, but I just don’t see what any player is supposed to do in those situations. Sucks.

[jaadam4]

The problem is that Williams doesn't really have any path to taking snaps in the slot. The Sun God has that spot on lock-down, and Raymond is his backup. Meanwhile, if the Lions were to have four receiver sets, that means LaPorta is not on the field, and that's not a viable option either.

If JaMo wants touches, it's going to have to come as an outside receiver.

IMO they’ve tried to get him more involved quicker specifically with quick slants but he’s either alligator armed it (twice) or dropped the ball (one occasion Goff misfired but was still a catchable ball). He seems like he’s scared of contact of the short routes.

The problem for the Lions is that Goff isn’t good at the deep ball. Case in point the TB reception. Goff didn’t put a good ball on him but JaMo made a spectacular catch that he wasn’t worried about being levelled

If you want quick shots make the catch.

[jaadam4]

I felt for him on the end around where Crosby blew up the play. Maxx just made an incredible perfectly timed play. They need to set that one up better as it utilizes his speed and he can keep his vision in front of him as opposed to looking back for the ball with defenders running down hill at him

[froot loops]

I have never seen so many suggestions on how to make a receiver productive. He has to do it. There is also a chance his sole season at Alabama was the fluke season. He didn't do anything at OSU.

[ghandi]

I have never seen so many suggestions on how to make a receiver productive. He has to do it. There is also a chance his sole season at Alabama was the fluke season. He didn't do anything at OSU.

Alabama was so dominant during that stretch that it has to be really hard to evaluate their WRs and how good will they be in the NFL.....Most of the highlights I remember of JaMo, the QB had forever to throw the ball and by the time he did JaMo was wide open...I dont know how often he had to catch a ball in traffic where he got clobbered right away.....His entire game is running faster than everyone....The NFL doesnt really work that way....I think Tyreke Hill's success made it look so easy...and that the formula was just get a guy that runs super fast and he will be as good as Tyreke.....Also someone mentioned maybe JaMo has vision issues? I guess that could be a possibility even though I thought they are pretty well tested on that stuff.

[jaadam4]

I have never seen so many suggestions on how to make a receiver productive. He has to do it. There is also a chance his sole season at Alabama was the fluke season. He didn't do anything at OSU.

No arguments with this

[jaadam4]

JaMo for George Pickens. Would you guys make that trade?

[edindetroit]

Not ready to throw in the towel on JaMo just yet.

[whatever_gong82]

Detroit Lions midseason grades: Strong marks across the board, especially on offense



Dave Birkett
Detroit Free Press


Dan Campbell called this the “perfect” time to have a bye.

The Detroit Lions are at essentially the midpoint of their 17-game season, comfortably atop the NFC North with a 6-2 record and ready to mount up for a nine-game stretch run that could propel them to their first division title in 30 years.



The Lions should return mostly healthy from the break, then face a three-game-in-12-day stretch against the Los Angeles Chargers, Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers before getting another mini-break Thanksgiving weekend.

“It couldn’t have come at a better time,” Campbell said. “I think we’re going to get reinforcements back when we get back for the Chargers that are going to be critical to helping us. Certainly, it’ll only help us. And then we’ve got a number of guys that, just the nature of the way we play, that I think, just to get a little more energy back, get their legs back under them, it’s going to do a number of guys, I think, a lot of good here. So it’s perfect timing.”


Because of where it lands on the calendar, the bye feels like the perfect time to hand out midseason grades, too, and there’s a lot to like about what the Lions have done so far.


The Lions are one of two teams (along with the Kansas City Chiefs) who rank in the top seven of total offense and defense. They’re getting Pro Bowl-caliber play from their biggest stars. They’ve survived injury woes thanks to a strong bottom of the roster. And they have an advantage over most opponents because of their coaching staff.

Their Week 7 slip-up against the Baltimore Ravens aside, the Lions have played like one of the best teams in the NFL this year and these grades reflect that.


Quarterback


Jared Goff has put together one of the best eight-game stretches of his career and it won’t be a surprise if he is in MVP conversation when the season is done. The Lions are going to win a lot of games, and Goff has put up good (though not quite eye-popping) numbers as their leader. He’s completing a career-high 68.3% of his passes and is on pace to top 4,600 yards for the third time in his career.


Feared to be a bridge quarterback when the Lions acquired him in the winter of 2021, Goff is in line for a mega contract extension after the season. He’s processing the game at a high level, he makes quick decisions off run action, he doesn’t take bad sacks and he’s been resilient enough to bounce back from bad plays and deliver in crunch time.


Goff had his worst game of the season two weeks ago against the Baltimore Ravens, when the wind appeared to impact his performance. He has thrown five interceptions, including two that were returned for touchdowns. His interception rate (1.7%) is in line with his career numbers, so the picks aren’t too worrisome, but if he can clean up his mistakes in the second half of the season and exorcise some of the concerns about his play outdoors the Lions will be well positioned for a playoff run. Grade: A-minus


Running backs

The Lions had a top-half-of-the-NFL rushing offfense last season for the first time since Barry Sanders’ playing days, then promptly went out and overhauled their running back room this offseason. They signed David Montgomery in free agency, drafted Jahmyr Gibbs in the first round, and through eight games have shown a more diverse, dependable, dynamic rushing attack despite dealing with injuries.

Montgomery missed one September game with a thigh bruise and two more in recent weeks with rib injuries, but he’s proven to be a tough between-the-tackles runner with 385 yards and six touchdowns. He has 13 broken tackles in five games, according to Pro Football Reference, and had 113 yards after contact in a single game against the Packers, according to the NFL’s NextGen Stats. But he also has two fumbles.

Jameson Williams and David Montgomery_10-8-2023.jpg

Gibbs, who missed two games with an ankle injury, hasn’t been quite as consistent, but he’s coming off a breakout 26-carry, 152-yard rushing day against the Las Vegas Raiders. Gibbs plays at top speed all the time and has shown more power than expected, with six broken tackles in the Lions’ Week 1 win over the Chiefs. He hasn’t been quite as dynamic a receiver as expected (5.9 ypr), but he leads the Lions in rushing (76 carries, 399 yards) and defenses clearly respect for his playmaking ability. Craig Reynolds (41 carries, 179 yards) has been a productive No. 3. Grade: A-minus

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