Matt Stafford is the suckiest suck to ever suck

[dpatnod]

Lombardi was the suckiest suck to ever suck.

[froot loops]

The thing with Lombardi versus Cooter is Cooter is doing basic things that Lombardi seemed to shun. Things fans could see but paid NFL coaches couldn't see or were too obstinate to implement. Matt Stafford is really, really good at hurry up offenses. Lombardi and Linehan were loathe to implement it. So the only time you would see it is when they were behind.

Linehan never wanted Stafford to run, I'm not sure about Lombardi but it's obvious they have decided to push the issue running the ball with Stafford. You definitely have to pick the spots with him running, you don't want him getting hurt but if they run a man D against you, a scramble is the way to punish them for it.

[Panoptes]

One to three additional 1st downs per game via QB rush greatly enhances competitiveness.

[Panoptes]

All I've been asking is to show me consistency. Stafford is in the midst of arriving there. The overall team not so much.

[foxhopper]

When you have 24 come from behind victories in 100 games, one game isn't the threshold. It has always been there but he's more mature and has a better coordinator. Lombardi was really, really bad. It cannot be overstated how bad going from Linehan to Lombardi was. That hire probably cost the Lions a better season in 2014.

Has there ever been a Lions victory where they didn't have to come from behind? Sure hard to remember one...lol

[froot loops]

All I've been asking is to show me consistency. Stafford is in the midst of arriving there. The overall team not so much.

It does take time and one of the issues early on is he was very young. I think most of the consistent quarterbacks tend to be a little older. It takes a long time to get to a point where you know the defenses and they start to run out of tricks to fool you.

Stafford is also at the point where there is nobody else on the team who has been there as long(except the Express) He is it now, it's his team. That's not something that could be said a few years back. You want your QB to take charge but at the same time when you're young and highly paid it doesn't go over well with the vets. Now he's old enough and experienced enough to DGAF.

He has to keep it going and they have to find a way to not have him bail them out. It's unsustainable to continue to pull wins out at the end.

[FVD]

Thanksgiving last year vs Philly, a few years back in Denver when Tebow was the QB.... the throttlings have been few and far between but they are fun to watch.

[LightninBoy]

He has to keep it going and they have to find a way to not have him bail them out. It's unsustainable to continue to pull wins out at the end.

What would help is if they played offense with a fraction of the urgency of that last drive. They have a QB playing at an elite level. Use that talent *before* desperation forces you to.

[LightninBoy]

Lombardi was really, really bad. It cannot be overstated how bad going from Linehan to Lombardi was. That hire probably cost the Lions a better season in 2014.

Yep.

[froot loops]

What would help is if they played offense with a fraction of the urgency of that last drive. They have a QB playing at an elite level. Use that talent *before* desperation forces you to.

That's true, I think maybe they could play with more urgency but they were up 13-3 in the 4th. Some of what we may think of is a lack of urgency is just not scoring more. The pocket collapsed a lot yesterday and they have Z Zenner as their running back.

This is the case with nearly every NFL team, they look a lot better offensively at the end for three reasons.

1. Defenses fear the big play are playing back. Yesterday Washington rushed 3 guys there.
2. When you are down, you don't worry about the mistake like an int.
3. When you are down, you go for it on 4th. This might be the most important factor. Your chances for moving the chains improve 33 percent.

[Lem B]

That's true, I think maybe they could play with more urgency but they were up 13-3 in the 4th. Some of what we may think of is a lack of urgency is just not scoring more. The pocket collapsed a lot yesterday and they have Z Zenner as their running back.

This is the case with nearly every NFL team, they look a lot better offensively at the end for three reasons.

1. Defenses fear the big play are playing back. Yesterday Washington rushed 3 guys there.
2. When you are down, you don't worry about the mistake like an int.
3. When you are down, you go for it on 4th. This might be the most important factor. Your chances for moving the chains improve 33 percent.

Yep.

And, let's not forget if you play quicker and don't pick up first downs, puts your D out there more. Do we really want this D on the field more often?

[LightninBoy]

Yep.

And, let's not forget if you play quicker and don't pick up first downs, puts your D out there more. Do we really want this D on the field more often?

When I say play with urgency I don't mean play quicker. I mean take more risks to prioritize scoring over playing safe to not turn the ball over.

[Lem B]

When I say play with urgency I don't mean play quicker. I mean take more risks to prioritize scoring over playing safe to not turn the ball over.

I get it. Something I've thought for years. Act like a good team and try to win the game, don't be soooo afraid to make a mistake. JC is the epitome of conservatism. (And yeah, I know he's gone for a few 4th downs recently).

[LightninBoy]

That's true, I think maybe they could play with more urgency but they were up 13-3 in the 4th. Some of what we may think of is a lack of urgency is just not scoring more. The pocket collapsed a lot yesterday and they have Z Zenner as their running back.

This is the case with nearly every NFL team, they look a lot better offensively at the end for three reasons.

1. Defenses fear the big play are playing back. Yesterday Washington rushed 3 guys there.
2. When you are down, you don't worry about the mistake like an int.
3. When you are down, you go for it on 4th. This might be the most important factor. Your chances for moving the chains improve 33 percent.

Yes, I mean they need to score more. They need to prioritize scoring more over playing it safe. Basically, from your list above, during the normal part of the game they need to turn dial #2 a couple notches away from "kneel down" and towards "play with abandon". Note I said "a couple notches" - not all the way.

[LightninBoy]

I get it. Something I've thought for years. Act like a good team and try to win the game, don't be soooo afraid to make a mistake. JC is the epitome of conservatism. (And yeah, I know he's gone for a few 4th downs recently).

No worries. "Urgency" is probably not the best word to describe what I mean.