GBU: Bear game 2 Stumblerooski

[froot loops]

Good: Jared Goff is good maybe even be the 13th best quarterback in the NFL
Gibbs excelled as he shouldered the load
Defense only gave up 17 points when the Bears were down 20-0. Forced two turnovers
Jameson Williams had a good game
The Lions radio broadcast gave the player of the game to Christian Mahogany. I want to watch the replay to see some road grading that Lomas and TJ were celebrating.

OK: The re-arranged defense with Robertson on the outside, Branch playing slot, Iffy at safety was OK. They had a blip in the second quarter and that fucking Keenan Allen hurt them.

Bad: These NFL experts acting like the Stumblerooski was a new concept. You are the experts. It was run in the 2015 Rose Bowl. Brian Hoyer did it for MSU against ND in 2007. I know MSU cribbed it from another team.

Ugly: that flag on Jameson Williams was totally fraudulent

[-Deborah-]

Good: This is the Lions' best season ever
Good: The Lions are the only undefeated team on the road in the NFL
Good: This is Goff's 11th game this season with a passer rating over 100
Good: The Eagles lost

[Marko69]

Great: MCDC & The Detroit Lions.

Equally great: The word “Stumblerooski” ……. Sounds like a word my late (equally great) grandad would’ve said, “Shockarooski folks, Michael Jackson is dead!”

Bad: Goff only being 13th? Get your shit sorted the fk out, Jared! Don’t make us start a thread!!

Ugly: Catching the last 3 mins of the game on the MicroMike podcast and major arguments happening on the chat room part! Ugly but entertaining. Very much like the Deuce / Chemiclord / KStat debates !

[Mainevent]

I thought Mahogany looked good, especially for a rookie getting his first real action. It can give the Lions some confidence to not rush Glasgow back given that he was not playing well anyways.

Jamo and Sun God were awesome. Running game was back on the horse (sure, Bears aren’t great against the run, but they did what they should have done).

The defense outside of the Keenan Motherfucking Allen play was solid enough. Would have been nice to cash in on some of those sack opportunities against the most sacked guy in the league.

[froot loops]

Keenan Allen is starting to get into the Jim Thome/Nelson Cruz zone as Detroit killers

[ghandi]

Keenan did all his damage in garbage time...When he does something to win a game then we can talk...He's 32 years old. turns 33 in the spring, so he wont be a hindrance for too many more years.

[chemiclord]

Allen is a lot like Justin Jefferson in that 50/50 balls are really more like 80/20 balls, especially with the smaller sort of cornerbacks that the Lions have generally used over the years. Arnold might be part of the answer to that in time (being a taller, longer arm type of corner that can contest those sort of throws better).

That type of receiver has typically given the Lions fits.

[froot loops]

Keenan did all his damage in garbage time...When he does something to win a game then we can talk...He's 32 years old. turns 33 in the spring, so he wont be a hindrance for too many more years.

That's what we said about Jim Thome and Nelson Cruz.

[whatever_gong82]

Good: Philly lost!!

Great: No reported injuries!!!!!

[whatever_gong82]

[Marko69]

^^^^^^^^ FANTASTIC ^^^^^^^^

[-Deborah-]

[Coop]

Good: A much needed bounce back win in the division. Holding on to the #1 seed and the division with 2 games to go
Bad: Jameson needs not to do stupid things. Refs are watching for it. STOP.
Best: Got through this game with no injuries! AND Philadelphia lost.

[whatever_gong82]

Detroit Lions film review: What did the tape reveal about Christian Mahogany's first start?

Justin Rogers
Dec 24


Allen Park — While the Detroit Lions defense has needed to mix and match pieces for weeks to address a steady stream of injuries, the team’s offense has been blessed with relatively steady durability and continuity.

Sure, a guy on that side of the ball has missed a game here or there, but even most of the unit’s backups are familiar faces with known skill sets. Yet Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears offered a new flavor for consumption; the first start for rookie offensive lineman Christian Mahogany.

Filling in for left guard Graham Glasgow, no one outside the building knew what to expect from Mahogany, a sixth-round draft pick out of Boston College who missed training camp and the preseason while battling mononucleosis. Prior to Sunday’s game, he had logged just three offensive snaps, stepping in for a short series after Kevin Zeitler got hit in the eye a couple of weeks back.

Additionally, Mahogany hadn’t played left guard in a game since 2020, his redshirt freshman season in college. But what’s been increasingly clear for several weeks is the rookie has established himself as the top backup on the depth chart, jumping the preferred option to start the year, Kayode Awosika.


And against the Bears, Mahogany showed why he’d earned the team’s trust.

“It was encouraging,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said about the performance. “I did think that he tried to play violent. It was not too big for him.”

For this week’s film review, we rolled through all 65 snaps from the end zone angle — the best vantage point to review offensive line play — to dissect Mahogany’s first extensive workload.


Run game

On the game’s opening possession, Mahogany (73) had the opportunity to showcase his abilities on both gap and zone run schemes.

The team opened with a duo run, with the offensive line initially doubling both defensive tackles before half of each tandem broke off to block a second-level defender. Mahogany worked with left tackle Taylor Decker (68) to contain defensive tackle Byron Cowart (93) before the rookie climbed to effectively seal linebacker T.J. Edwards (53) outside running back Jahmyr Gibbs’ lane.

The carry gained 8 yards.


Two snaps later, with a fresh set of downs, the Lions executed a zone run with Gibbs going left. Uncovered at the snap, Mahogany’s assignment called for him to again climb to Edwards (53).

We get our first taste of the lineman’s relentless ferocity during the rep as he latched on and drove the linebacker back a few yards.


The Lions ran the ball twice more during the opening possession, starting with a zone carry going right. Mahogany wasn’t as clean with his assignment here, allowing Edwards to cross his face and clog Gibbs’ lane.


And on the next snap, Mahogany got knocked off the trajectory of his blocking effort, which resulted in his man (91) chasing Gibbs down from the backside and contributing to the stop.


On Detroit’s second series, Mahogany had another run-blocking snafu, stumbling on a goal line snap with his assignment, linebacker Tremaine Edmunds (49), making the tackle.


Mahogany seemed to settle down as the first half progressed, continuing to work combo blocks well in the run game.


One thing the Lions didn’t ask Mahogany to do often was pull.

He had an early attempt on the aforementioned goal-line sequence. On the snap, he collided with right tackle Penei Sewell (58). Still, Mahogany was able to recover and maintain his path to make the frontside block, but the collision narrowed the designed lane, causing lead blocker Brock Wright (89) to trip while trying to squeeze through. That was enough to result in Gibbs being stuffed short of scoring.


Mahogany had a far better pulling effort late in the third quarter, leading Craig Reynolds (13) through a right-side lane. The guard blasted Edwards (53) from the path as the running back gained 11.


Concluding Thoughts: The effort and intensity were awesome, while the execution was up and down.

Mahogany was at his best when working off combination blocks, whether he was the one staying with the defensive tackle or climbing to the second level. When marking a linebacker, his movements were controlled and his paths efficient, allowing him to regularly execute his assignment.


Pass protection

Given quarterback Jared Goff dropped back 33 times against the Bears, Mahogany wasn’t tested too often.

Frequently, he’d end up without a specific blocking assignment and would quickly diagnosis the situation before delivering a punishing support block for either Decker or center Frank Ragnow.


In base (one-on-one) blocking, Mahogany largely held his own.


But he did have a couple of losses, notably a QB hit surrendered on third down that resulted in Goff throwing an incompletion.

Chris Williams (91) got the pressure, chopping Mahogany’s outside arm before getting an edge and turning the corner into the pocket.


Where I felt Mahogany thrived was picking a variety of inside twists and stunts, while also understanding when to pass a rusher off to Ragnow to maintain the integrity of the pocket.



Concluding thoughts: Far more good tape than bad in pass protection, although I question the caliber of interior defender Mahogany was tasked with blocking in this matchup. There were several reps, where there was no effort by the defensive tackle to threaten the pocket once the Lions engaged them with a double-team.

There were a couple quick moves at the line that gave Mahogany trouble, including a swim move where he recovered with good feet, as well as the snap where he gave up his lone pressure.

The game often seemed to be moving slowly for him, hinting at mental processing advanced well beyond his experience. He showed good awareness, footwork and processing when handling the stunts.



Screens


The screen game is where Mahogany jumps off the screen. He was patient selling at the line and smooth with his transitions to get in front of the play.

On the second series of the game, despite Edwards (53) cleanly processing the play-action, Mahogany manages to beat the linebacker to the landmark, providing a key downfield block for Gibbs, who gained 23 on the play.


And on a receiver screen to Amon-Ra St. Brown in the red zone, Mahogany provided a critical block on safety Kevin Byard (31) to open up the cutback lane for the 9-yard score.




Email: jrogers@detroitfootball.net

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[whatever_gong82]