Tracking former Lions

[Forsh]

Tyree Jackson was never a Lion ... a bunch of us just wanted him to be. Think they worked him out and that's it

[Futureshock]

I thought he had brief stint on the PS

Regardless, they love our castoffs

[Futureshock]

Kerryon Johnson looking forward to competing with Eagles’ other running backs

Posted by Michael David Smith on May 12, 2021, 5:30 AM EDT

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When the Eagles claimed running back Kerryon Johnson off waivers, they were adding him to a crowded running back room that already featured Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, Jordan Howard and Jason Huntley, as well as fifth-round rookie Kenneth Gainwell. Johnson welcomes being part of that crowd.

Johnson said he sees a running back room with proven veterans and young, hungry guys, and he is glad to compete with them.

“My expectation is to compete,” Johnson said. “I don’t think having a crowded room full of talented guys is ever an issue. All it’s going to do is make every single one of us perform at our best. It’s going to give us the best product in the end on the field.”

As a second-round pick, Johnson didn’t have to compete to make a roster during his three years in Detroit. But the new regime in Detroit decided to move on from him, and now Johnson hopes the competition makes him better, and that he makes the Eagles better.

[Futureshock]

Kerryon Johnson feels great, “ready to roll” with the Eagles

Posted by Charean Williams on May 11, 2021, 4:04 PM EDT

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Kerryon Johnson didn’t see his release from the Lions coming, but it didn’t take long for him to find a new home. The Eagles claimed the running back off waivers last week.

“It was kind of scary,” Johnson told Dave Spadaro of the team website. “It only lasted 24 hours, but it was weird. Kudos to those who have been through it before. I’m ready to roll here.”

Johnson had a knee injury as a rookie, playing only 10 games, and another knee injury in 2019 cut his season to eight games. He played all 16 games last season.

“I feel great,” Johnson said of his health. “Better than I’ve felt in a long time. It’s been a great offseason. I’m excited to be an Eagle.”

Johnson said he will continue to wear a knee brace.

[edindetroit]

Only 3 head coaches were less aggressive on 4th down than Matt Patricia in 2020

There were a lot of things that Matt Patricia failed to create in Detroit during his three years as the team’s head coach. He failed to establish a defense that could either stop the run or slow down the opposing quarterback. He didn’t create a winning culture that attracted free agents of all types. And most importantly, he failed to build a winner by any stretch of the imagination.

It also turns out he didn’t create a very aggressive mentality when it comes to the Detroit Lions’ 2020 season.
Football Outsiders created a metric for head coaches called the “Aggressiveness Index.” The statistic measures fourth-down attempts against the league average, to see which NFL coaches are more likely to go for it, and which are more likely to kick. Here are Football Outsiders explaining their metric in a little more detail:

Jim Armstrong created this metric which measures how often a team goes for a first down in various fourth down situations, compared to the league average in those situations. It was introduced in Pro Football Prospectus 2006. The NFL average is represented by 1.0. A coach over 1.0 is more aggressive, and a coach under 1.0 is less aggressive.
Also worth noting about the metric is that it does not include fourth down situations that are obvious go-for-it scenarios, including trailing by 15+ points in the third quarter, 9+ points in the fourth quarter, or any time in the last five minutes of the game.

Patricia ended up ranked 29th out of 32 coaches last year on the Aggressiveness Index, going for it just four times in 57 opportunities. Though his 1.10 Aggressiveness Index score suggests he went for it more than the average coach, that’s compared to NFL coaches in history, not just last year. In 2020, the average score was 1.6, well above Patricia’s score.

What’s also fascinating are the identities of the three coaches who were even less aggressive than Patricia: Joe Judge, Brian Flores, and Vic Fangio. Both Judge and Flores come from the Patriots tree of coaches. Coincidence? Perhaps.

Obviously, just because a coach is aggressive doesn’t mean they’ll be successful. There were plenty of coaches low on the aggressiveness metric who saw plenty of success last year (Mike Tomlin 1.21 AI; Pete Carroll 1.26) and there were a handful of aggressive coaches who didn’t see a lot of wins last year (Doug Pederson 2.64, Doug Marrone (1.96).

So where will the Lions fall on this list under new head coach Dan Campbell? While Campbell certainly has a bit of “old school” in his identity, which may lead to a less aggressive approach. However, you may remember Campbell saying he learned the value of an aggressive mentality from Saints head coach Sean Payton.

“Sean, now, is on the other (end of the) spectrum,” Campbell said. “He’s very aggressive. If there’s anything I did learn from him, just from that side of it, you want to throw some defenses off? There’s a time to be aggressive, and use your special teams and use offense and try to get these defenses on their heels.”

Payton has notoriously been at the top of the aggressiveness index for years. Prior to 2020, he was responsible for two of the top 15 most aggressive seasons in the past 30 years. In 2020, his score was 1.73, good enough for 11th in the NFL.

Will Campbell follow that trend or forge his own path?

https://www.prideofdetroit.com/platform/amp/2021/5/16/22435414/detroit-lions-aggressiveness-index-2020-matt-patricia-4th-worst

[Futureshock]

Jeff Driskel joining the Texans on a one-year deal

Posted by Charean Williams on May 19, 2021, 8:38 PM EDT

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Four quarterbacks apparently weren’t enough for the Texans. They have added a fifth.

Houston has agreed to terms with veteran Jeff Driskel on a one-year contract worth up to $2.5 million, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. The deal includes a $250,000 signing bonus and a $1 million base salary with $500,000 of that guaranteed.

Driskel, 28, visited the Cowboys earlier this month but left without a deal.

He has nine career NFL starts.

Driskel appeared in three games for Denver in 2020, starting one for an injured Drew Lock. He completed 55 percent of his passes for 432 yards with three touchdowns and a pair of interceptions.

The Texans are Driskel’s fifth team since he entered the league as a sixth-round choice of the 49ers in 2016. He spent 2016-2019 with the Bengals, starting five games in 2018. He also started three games with the Lions in 2019. In all, he’s completed 58.6 percent of his passes for 2,120 yards with 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

The Texans have uncertainty about the future of Deshaun Watson, who is not expected to play for them again. They drafted Davis Mills in the third round of last month’s draft. They signed Tyrod Taylor in free agency and traded for Ryan Finley earlier this offseason.

Taylor is expected to begin the season as the starter.

[edindetroit]

Detroit Lions to give back money to Calvin Johnson

Ever since Calvin Johnson retired from the NFL, there has been a dispute between him and the Detroit Lions.
That dispute stems from the Lions telling Johnson that he had to give back some of his $16 million signing bonus when he retired before his contract expired. That amount is reported to be around $1 million.

The Lions have a history of not treating their players properly and this would certainly be a step in the right direction.

https://detroitsportsnation.com/detroit-lions-to-give-back-money-to-calvin-johnson/wgbrady/nfl/detroit-lions-news/05/25/2021/250340/?fbclid=IwAR1hexTmAKaw1pPkOh7RvuVn_B_10zGRdKgn8fJWDPUQ1BvFRPfR6kB8QyM

[Forsh]

Sure, cool, whatever they wanna do

[Futureshock]

Sure, cool, whatever they wanna do

Ur not bitter at all.

[Forsh]

Ur not bitter at all.

I'm being serious. If they wanted to give it back that's cool. If not, ok. It was their call

[Futureshock]

Report: Jaguars interviewing Brayden Coombs for special teams coach

Posted by Charean Williams on May 25, 2021, 7:08 PM EDT

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The Jaguars unexpectedly are looking for a special teams coordinator after Brian Schneider took a leave of absence for personal reasons.

On Tuesday, the Jaguars interviewed former Lions special teams coordinator Brayden Coombs for the job, Aaron Wilson reports.

Urban Meyer knows the Coombs family well. Coombs is the son of Ohio State defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs.

Coombs spent 11 seasons with the Bengals after Marvin Lewis hired him and Zac Taylor kept him for the 2019 season. He was assistant special teams coach most of that time.

Coombs moved to Detroit last season.

The Lions fired him late last season after he went rogue on a fake punt that failed.

[Futureshock]

Browns player tests positive for COVID, others sent home as close contacts

Posted by Charean Williams on May 25, 2021, 5:37 PM EDT

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The COVID-19 pandemic isn’t completely over. That much became clear Tuesday when a Browns player tested positive before on-field work Tuesday, Lindsay Jones of TheAthletic.com reports.

The team sent home “several” other players who were determined to be close contacts. Those players were between their first and second doses of vaccines, according to Jones.

Players not fully vaccinated are required by NFL rules to quarantine after exposure.

The Browns had light field work with limited attendance and virtual meetings Tuesday as Phase 3 of the offseason program began.

The NFL is considering relaxing some restrictions for teams once they reach the threshold of 85 percent of vaccinated players. The problem for some teams, including the Bills, is too many players refuse to get the vaccine.

So COVID-19 remains a potential problem for the NFL in 2021.
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[Forsh]

I guess Decker is the only guy on the Lions who has been noted as an anti-vaccer?

If teams are testing this year like they did last ... it's prob gonna be even worse for missing games this season. That's assuming what I've heard about still being able to contract Covid after vaccination is true

[The King]

"I guess Decker is the only guy on the Lions who has been noted as an anti-vaccer?"

He is a hairless nut, after all.

[The King]

Dude has a ton of tats and has had half his body injected with ink, but won't get a little shot. LOL.