In reviewing the first game, I saw three things that need to be corrected if the Lions expect to have a good season. And unfortunately, they seem to be the same three things that plagued the team last year - drops, bad line play, and unimaginative play calling. Allow me to explain...
1 - Drops. For most of the game, I thought I was watching a bad repeat of last year on Offense. Way too many dropped EASY passes - I counted 5 BAD drops, 3 by Hakim. Joey was 14 of 26 - barely over 50%. Convert 3 of those to completions, and he's 17 of 26 - 65%. If he had completed 65% of his passes, I doubt that anyone here would be complaining about how Joey played. Especially since 4 of the 5 drops would have converted 3rd downs.
2 - O-Line. Where we need improvement from game one to game two most is on the O-Line. Backus got beat badly on the sack. Loverne and Woody didn't seem to have any push on the Bears D-line, and Raiola had a bad game. In all honesty, in most games if you look at how our O-Line plays, it dictates exactly how the game goes - save the drops.
3 - Play Calling. I was also disappointed in the play calling - way too predictable. When I see KJ getting hit in the backfield just after taking the handoff, I get bad Barry flashbacks - except Barry could make a guy miss. The reason he was getting hit was bad play calling - if a team is going to Blitz like that, you have to make them pay - draws, play action, screens, slants. Those are all staples of the WCO, and yet we were so unimaginative that the Bears seemed to know exactly which way we were coming on every play.
With all that said, we really didn't have that bad of a game. The first two field goals should both have been touchdowns. The 3rd down conversion percentage was directly a result of the items I have already mentioned - It's hard to convert 3rd and 8 for any team, and the drops don't help. We got to 3rd and 8 by obvious play calling and poor O-line play. The defense played well enough to keep us in the game. I HOPE we'll see more blitzing this week, but somehow I doubt it. Now on to my player observations...
Roy - looked a heck of a lot more comfortable out there than he did in the pre-season. He still needs to adjust to the Pro game (that play he got chucked off at the goal line should have been called pass interference), but all in all not a bad game.
CRog - damn that sucks. I was rooting for him so hard, and figured he would have a monster year. Instead his season lasted 3 plays. That new plate in his shoulder had better work...
SRog - Here's your pro-bowl ticket. Let me be the first to say it - this guy is the best DT in the league. He's a one man wrecking crew out there.
KJ - We saw glimpses, hope to see more of it this week. I think we will. Can't wait for you to break a long one and silence everyone who thinks you aren't fast...
Teddy - The great LB's all are instinctual players. Based on one game, I see great things ahead...
Dre - That's why you shouldn't celebrate a big hit. The hit was awesome, but I hate to lose you for 2 games beacuse you bounced up funny from tatooing that guy.
Joey - My only words of advice - throw to Tai and Roy, and ignore Az if you want to move the ball downfield. Trust me, you'll save the entire city of Detroit a lot of Rolaids if you stop throwing it in the direction of Az...
Toose - Just look at what Dom Rhodes does in Indy. You can be that kind of player for the Lions, which isn't bad. Rhodes had a 1000 yard season when Edge went down...
Fernando - Glad to have you. Nice to know that other teams don't throw at you because you guard receivers like a blanket. Now if you would just CATCH the dang INT...
Bracy - I neve knew you had that in you. Thanks. And here's some Oxygen - you must still be tired.
With that, here's looking ahead at Week 2. I wil say that with the injuries we suffered, I may have to drop my season prediction by a game or two. I had been thinking 11-5, but now I'm thinking 9-7 feels right...
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