Nonstopdrivel
14 years ago

Defense's struggles mean no Detroit Lions lead is safe and offense needs to get on track 
Published: Sunday, September 19, 2010, 8:45 PM Updated: Sunday, September 19, 2010, 9:52 PM
Tom Kowalski

[img_r]http://media.mlive.com/lions_impact/photo/ndamukong-suh-19jpg-b2c29b3ed4dfd136_large.jpg[/img_r]DETROIT -- Now that it's pretty clear Detroit Lions rookie Jahvid Best is as good as advertised -- three more touchdowns this week -- there are some other issues that must be addressed in the wake of Detroit's 35-32 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday at Ford Field.

Schwartz made right call

Lions coach Jim Schwartz made the right call in going for it on fourth-and-one early in the fourth quarter. Some people will try to add two and two -- or 32 and three -- and figure a field goal there would have resulted in a tie game and overtime.

Not really. First, Schwartz wasn't really worried about the long field goal attempt or Jason Hanson's ability to make it. Hanson had already hit a 49-yarder earlier in the game (and it would've been good from 60 yards out).

No, Schwartz knew that three points probably wasn't going to be enough. The Eagles had already tacked on 28 points against this defense in three quarters and he had to believe that, if pressed, they were capable of scoring again. (They were.) The Lions needed touchdowns, not field goals.

The reason the Lions were able to score those last two touchdowns so quickly is because the Eagles went to a prevent defense, believing they could bleed the clock before the Lions could catch up. While the game got a little tighter than they had hoped, the Eagles' strategy worked.

Where's Calvin?

Before the Eagles went to that prevent defense, Lions receiver Calvin Johnson had two catches for 13 yards and the Lions have to start taking ownership of this problem.

Yeah, he's getting double-covered a lot, but that excuse can't linger. The Lions need to get more creative in getting Johnson open across the middle, weaving him through some traffic to get open. People know how to defend all of these deep fades and post patterns. Those routes certainly need to be part of the overall package, but the Lions need to dial up something a little different to spring Johnson free.

Missed opportunity

One of the most crucial plays in the game came midway through the second quarter. The Lions were winning 17-7 and the Eagles were driving. Philadelphia quarterback Michael Vick threw a deep post to receiver DeSean Jackson and Detroit cornerback Jonathan Wade played it perfectly. He beat Jackson to the pass and had an easy interception. But he dropped it.

Instead of the Lions taking possession and keeping momentum firmly on their side, the Eagles took advantage of the mistake and eventually scored a touchdown to cut the lead and steal momentum. And then they scored another touchdown to steal the lead as well.

"When (Vick) throws balls up, our secondary has to be able to convert,'' Schwartz said.

"We've got to make the plays that we have,'' Wade said. "I've got to make my interception, C.C. Brown's got to make his, we have to capitalize. I just took my eyes off it. That's my fault, I've got to catch the ball first. That's the most important thing. It gets us off the field.''

Defense's struggles

When you're not good enough, the best game plan in the world isn't going to help much. That's the situation Lions defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham found himself in during Sunday's game.

The Lions didn't blitz Vick much early in the game and he was buying time with his legs and finding receivers open downfield. The Lions couldn't let that keep happening, so they had to bring the blitz and hope they could sack Vick or pressure him into some bad throws. It's a game of chicken: Can we hit you before you hit our secondary?

It worked perfectly for Detroit. The Lions had several players running into the backfield unblocked with nothing between them and Vick but air and opportunity.

The Lions missed almost every time. Some were brilliant plays by Vick while others were just whiffs. That's the difference between fourth-and-18 and first-and-10 and Vick simply ran away from the best defensive strategy the Lions had.

Remember, this is what we talked about at the beginning of the season and it unfolded during this game. The Lions need their offense to win shootouts because their defense is vulnerable and no lead is safe. The Lions came close to pulling it off but, in a maddening trend you're likely to see for most of this season, they fell short.

That's why the original prediction of 4-12 remains intact.


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Mucky Tundra (1h) : THE GREEN BAY PACKERS ARE PLAYING FOOTBALL TONIGHT!!!!!! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!!!!
Zero2Cool (3h) : Woo-hoo
TheKanataThrilla (3h) : NFL Network is broadcasting the game tonight, but not in Canada. Not sure why as no local television is showing the game.
beast (23h) : But the Return from IR designations had to be applied by the 53 man cutdown.
beast (23h) : It's a new rule, so it's not clear, but my understanding was that they could be IR'd at any time
Mucky Tundra (8-Aug) : *had to be IRed at 53
Mucky Tundra (8-Aug) : beast, I thought the designate return from IR players had to be IR at cutdowns to 53, not before
beast (8-Aug) : It's a brand new rule, either last season or this season, prior, all pre-season IRs were done for the season
beast (8-Aug) : But the Packers would have to use one for their return from IR spots on him, when they cut down to 53.
beast (8-Aug) : I think the NFL recently changed the IR rules, so maybe the season might not be over for OL Glover.
Zero2Cool (8-Aug) : Packers star Howton, first NFLPA prez, dies at 95 😔
dfosterf (8-Aug) : Apparently it is too complicated for several to follow your simple instructions, but I digress
dfosterf (8-Aug) : Zero- Did you see what I posted about Voice of Reason and his wife? She posted over at fleaflicker that they are both "In"
Zero2Cool (7-Aug) : Well, not crazy, it makes sense. Crazy I didn't notice/find it earlier
Zero2Cool (7-Aug) : it's crazy how one stored procedure to get data bogged everything down for speed here
dfosterf (7-Aug) : to herd cats or goldfish without a bowl. They reminded me of the annual assembly of our fantasy league
dfosterf (7-Aug) : out on a field trip, outfitting them with little yellow smocks. Most of the little folk were well behaved, but several were like trying
dfosterf (7-Aug) : Yesterday my wife and I spent the afternoon on the waterfront here in Alexandria, Va. A daycare company took about 15 three/four year olds
wpr (7-Aug) : seems faster. yay
dfosterf (7-Aug) : Wife of reason posted on the in/out thread on fleaflicker that both she and vor are in
Zero2Cool (7-Aug) : This page was generated in 0.135 seconds.
Mucky Tundra (7-Aug) : Tbh, I can never tell the difference in speed unless it's completely shitting the bed
Zero2Cool (7-Aug) : Sure does feel like site is more snappy
Zero2Cool (6-Aug) : I thought that was the Lions OL
Mucky Tundra (6-Aug) : Travis Glover placed on IR; seasons over for him
Zero2Cool (6-Aug) : found bad sql in database, maybe site faster now?
dfosterf (5-Aug) : I'm going to call that a good move.
Zero2Cool (4-Aug) : Packers sign CB Corey Ballentine
Zero2Cool (4-Aug) : I'm not sure how to kill the draft order just yet so it's not so confusing.
Mucky Tundra (4-Aug) : *to be able
Mucky Tundra (4-Aug) : and because it's not a dynasty league (which makes a lot more sense to be ability to trade picks)
Mucky Tundra (4-Aug) : Oh I know; I was just exploring and it blew my mind that you could trade picks because of the whole reordering thing
Mucky Tundra (4-Aug) : Zero, I think I preferred my offer: your 1st for my 15th rounder
Zero2Cool (4-Aug) : Keep in mind, we do a draft reorder once all members locked in
Zero2Cool (4-Aug) : You can have my 12th Rd for your 2nd round
Mucky Tundra (4-Aug) : Hey i didn't know we could trade picks in fantasy
Mucky Tundra (3-Aug) : Update: Rock has tried a cheese curd, promises it's not his last
Zero2Cool (3-Aug) : watch it!! lol
Mucky Tundra (3-Aug) : you're right, we never did leave, the site just went down :P
Mucky Tundra (3-Aug) : Rock claims to have never eaten a cheese curd
Zero2Cool (3-Aug) : We did not leave.
Mucky Tundra (3-Aug) : Family Night! WE ARE SO BACK!
Mucky Tundra (2-Aug) : To this day, I'm still miffed about his 4 TD game against Dallas on Thanksgiving going to waste
Martha Careful (2-Aug) : Congratulations Sterling Sharpe. He was terrific and I loved watching him play.
beast (2-Aug) : I believe it's technically against the CBA rules, but Jerry just calls it a simple unofficial chat... and somehow gets away with it.
beast (2-Aug) : Jerry Jones is infamous for ̶n̶e̶g̶o̶t̶i̶a̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ chatting with players one on one... and going around the agent.
Mucky Tundra (1-Aug) : Oo just saw a blurb saying that Dallas negotiated directly with Parsons and not through his agent
Mucky Tundra (1-Aug) : I assumed that both guys will get paid, just a matter of when or how we get there
Zero2Cool (1-Aug) : McLaurin nor Micah going anywhere. They will get money
Mucky Tundra (1-Aug) : the Synder years or do they take care of one of their own?
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