Two weeks into the preseason, and we've already had the rollercoaster start. After PW1, it was "this team could be awesome!" Now it's "we could be in for a LONG season".
Brace yourselves for my next obvious statement.
Preseason means nothing.
Take a deep breath in. Exhale. Repeat. Now repeat after me "Hi, I'm (state your name). I know that the results of any preseason game mean next to nothing about what will happen in the regular season." It's like a Lions 12-step course in dealing with reality. And we're going through it with some regularity already this year.
What I saw in the game has been already described in detail by a lot of other posters, and based on the late date of my writing, I'd be rehashing the same points over and over again. So I'll keep this one kinda short and simple.
On O, I'm concerned about the run game, but not because of KJ. It's the O-Line again. It's the same problem as last week, last year, last 5 years, every year since 1991. The line needs to improve in these areas:
- Get push on the D-Line at the line of scrimmage
- Make the correct line calls and ignore out of position defenders
- FB's and pulling OL need to hit the correct 2nd level defenders.
It's been an ongoing theme in Lions O-Line play for a long time. There is some communication we can chalk up to new players like Verba, but the same mistakes are being made that have been made for multiple years. Hopefully Beightol can correct this, but at some point you have to place the blame on the players in the system.
On D, we just got pushed around by the Browns O-Line. You want a textbook example of what I want to see our O-Line do, watch Cleveland's O-Line against us. Big holes were opened. Pulling guards hitting the correct second level defenders. Backs not getting touched until they were 4 yards downfield. That was good O-Line play, and outside of Shaun Rogers not playing, most of the guys on our D-Line will get significant PT this year. Granted, we still were without our starting LB's (what else is new?), but this was a bad job at stopping the run.
That's all I care to write about. It's too late after the game to bring anything more meaningful to the discussion. I'll be more prompt after the next game. That I promise.
Monday, August 21, 2006
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Slowly but surely...
Sorry about the delay folks. I've been out of town over the weekend. I watched about the first half Friday night before I fell asleep on the couch. Yes, it was that boring of a game. But don't worry, I have it on TiVo and I'll finish watching it and have the writeup tomorrow night.
Of course you can guess that it won't be pretty. I kinda spelled it out in my one post over at The Den Saturday morning before we left for the relatives. "I guess that kinda killed the feel-good attitude we had from the first game, eh?"
More tomorrow night...
Of course you can guess that it won't be pretty. I kinda spelled it out in my one post over at The Den Saturday morning before we left for the relatives. "I guess that kinda killed the feel-good attitude we had from the first game, eh?"
More tomorrow night...
Saturday, August 12, 2006
What I learned last night...
It seems that Lions fans fall into fits of hyperbole when given the slightest glimmer of hope. The game last night was no different from most preseason games - it teased you enough on many different levels and gave you glimmers of what might be. As always with preseason games, it is next to impossible to judge every player on the roster as no one gets a lot of time against the first strings, and many starters are held out for the most minor of reasons. But we did see some things that are remarkably different from years past. In all, this was an interesting game from a number of points.
- That was definitely NOT the 'Greatest Show on Turf' offense. It didn't look bad, but they 'pounded the rock' a lot more than any Martz team I've seen in the last few years. Heck, they pounded more than any Lions team we've seen since Boss Ross was around. 25 runs in 46 plays. Definitely not what I expected to see from Martz.
- On the other hand, the choice of passes was a HUGE difference to last year. Far more passes (percentage-wise, not pure number) were thrown downfield than we've seen around here in a LONG time. And it looks like we've got the horses to run those routes.
- One thing I'm a bit concerned about after last night is not allowing the QB to audible out of a bad setup. On two different plays, Denver stacked 9 in the box against KJ, and the Lions called sweeps - a recipe for disaster. Unless there is a halfback option pass that is part of the play call, those two plays should never have been run. In addition, the two throws to Pollard were both destined to only get 1-2 yards based on where the D lined up against him. Maybe those were more on the QB for a bad read (both were quick throws with a defender in close), but they should be audibled out of.
- Kitna looked solid. I'm not sold on his arm strength as it looked like one or two of his passes were slow in getting to the target, but he was on the money. Dan-O looked good except for the duck he threw up. In re-watching the game, I'm not sure that INT was on him - it looked like he threw a corner route and Bodiford ran a post. IMHO, it's pretty obvious why he's #2 on the depth chart over McCown. McCown didn't look bad, but he was playing with the third string. I'd guess Martz switches it up next week, plays McCown with the second string and DanO with the third just to get a better feel for where each of them are.
- KJ is going to get a lot of work this year. As long as we can keep him from having to do a Barry Sanders impression (dodging 2-3 guys in the backfield), he should have a huge year. Based on the defense played against the Lions last night, teams definitely fear KJ more than the passing attack right now. The Broncos typically put either 8 or 9 in the box when KJ was in the game. Once he was done and Harris came in, they brought more than 7 on only one play - the quick TD toss to Harris. It was a remarkable difference to see when I watched the tape, and it speaks volumes about what other teams think the strength of the Lions O is right now.
- The O-line didn't impress me too much. Of course Woody and Tucker weren't playing, but it was the other side of the line - Backus and Verba - that didn't impress. Too much penetration was allowed from that side of the line. In re-watching the game, it appears that it may be more of a 'gelling' issue than anything. There were a few missed assignments that looked very much like they didn't know where each other was supposed to be just yet. Hopefully we'll see improvement in this area in the next few games. One good thing was that our QB's didn't get hit anywhere near as much as I had been fearing they would. I hope we see that continue next week.
- It was hard to get a read on any of the receivers. Too many guys out there and not enough balls thrown to any of them individually to really get a great feel for any of them. There were a few nice plays though - Roy, Bradford and BMW all made decent grabs. On the other hand, Drummond and Bodiford didn't impress me much as both caught only 1 of 3 balls thrown their way, when all were catchable. Martinez looked lost on the one pass he caught, and he was easily out muscled at the goal line on a play that BMW or Chuck could have made. There is a reason those two guys were 1st round picks, and Martinez, Bodiford and Drummond were undrafted. The last three may play with more desire right now, but they are physically limited and can't make some of the plays that the other guys can. That's why I expect that both BMW and CRog will make the team - for all their other assorted issues, they still are supremely talented. Hopefully the motivation will kick in and they'll get it soon.
- On the D side, even though the Lions were running without 6 of the front 7 projected starters, they did OK. The stats look skewed for both TOP and # of plays. Originally, I thought it was the result of the Lions working a short field most of the time. In re-watching the game, I was a bit more surprised at what I saw. Denver moved down the field pretty easily on most of their possessions. Had they not fumbled twice in the first half, they looked like they could have scored 14 more points as the D was giving up lots of yardage. Thankfully Denver couldn't hold onto the ball. Again, the Lions played without 6 of their front 7 starters, so I can cut them some slack.
- On the D-line, the two guys who stood out the most were Swancutt and Harriott. They were driving and creating havoc in the backfield. But we didn't see anything even remotely similar to what we should see in the regular season since Shaun Rogers, Shaun Cody and Cory Redding all sat this one out.
- At LB, Levar Woods still impresses the heck out of me. The guy looked like our best LB in the final 3 games last year, and he was all over the field today. But his play was overshadowed by Ernie Sims. Ernie should be playing on the first string next week, period. He looked that good, flying around, hitting people, and even doing it on special teams. When Boss gets back in the lineup, hopefully next week, this unit should improve considerably.
- At DB, I was impressed with the play of McCann and Bullocks. These two guys look like keepers. McCann did a good job in getting in front of the ball and defending a few passes. Bullocks laid the lumber a few times, and looks like a natural back there already. I think he may be starting over Holt by the end of the pre-season. On the other hand, Dre' looked like he knew it was a preseason game and wasn't flying around the way we have become accustomed to seeing him play. A guess is that it may have been due to Rod Smith and Javon Walker sitting out and him not feeling challenged. And once again, Fernando Bryant was invisible, but what else is new?
In all, we saw enough in this game to give us a better feel for what we will see once the games count - not in terms of the players, but in terms of the basic strategies. The deep pass is back, and once teams have to respect that, it should open things up for KJ more. The D is harder to read without so many starters, but it looked Ok even while being outmanned. Not a bad start to the preseason, but nothing to get too overly excited about.
- That was definitely NOT the 'Greatest Show on Turf' offense. It didn't look bad, but they 'pounded the rock' a lot more than any Martz team I've seen in the last few years. Heck, they pounded more than any Lions team we've seen since Boss Ross was around. 25 runs in 46 plays. Definitely not what I expected to see from Martz.
- On the other hand, the choice of passes was a HUGE difference to last year. Far more passes (percentage-wise, not pure number) were thrown downfield than we've seen around here in a LONG time. And it looks like we've got the horses to run those routes.
- One thing I'm a bit concerned about after last night is not allowing the QB to audible out of a bad setup. On two different plays, Denver stacked 9 in the box against KJ, and the Lions called sweeps - a recipe for disaster. Unless there is a halfback option pass that is part of the play call, those two plays should never have been run. In addition, the two throws to Pollard were both destined to only get 1-2 yards based on where the D lined up against him. Maybe those were more on the QB for a bad read (both were quick throws with a defender in close), but they should be audibled out of.
- Kitna looked solid. I'm not sold on his arm strength as it looked like one or two of his passes were slow in getting to the target, but he was on the money. Dan-O looked good except for the duck he threw up. In re-watching the game, I'm not sure that INT was on him - it looked like he threw a corner route and Bodiford ran a post. IMHO, it's pretty obvious why he's #2 on the depth chart over McCown. McCown didn't look bad, but he was playing with the third string. I'd guess Martz switches it up next week, plays McCown with the second string and DanO with the third just to get a better feel for where each of them are.
- KJ is going to get a lot of work this year. As long as we can keep him from having to do a Barry Sanders impression (dodging 2-3 guys in the backfield), he should have a huge year. Based on the defense played against the Lions last night, teams definitely fear KJ more than the passing attack right now. The Broncos typically put either 8 or 9 in the box when KJ was in the game. Once he was done and Harris came in, they brought more than 7 on only one play - the quick TD toss to Harris. It was a remarkable difference to see when I watched the tape, and it speaks volumes about what other teams think the strength of the Lions O is right now.
- The O-line didn't impress me too much. Of course Woody and Tucker weren't playing, but it was the other side of the line - Backus and Verba - that didn't impress. Too much penetration was allowed from that side of the line. In re-watching the game, it appears that it may be more of a 'gelling' issue than anything. There were a few missed assignments that looked very much like they didn't know where each other was supposed to be just yet. Hopefully we'll see improvement in this area in the next few games. One good thing was that our QB's didn't get hit anywhere near as much as I had been fearing they would. I hope we see that continue next week.
- It was hard to get a read on any of the receivers. Too many guys out there and not enough balls thrown to any of them individually to really get a great feel for any of them. There were a few nice plays though - Roy, Bradford and BMW all made decent grabs. On the other hand, Drummond and Bodiford didn't impress me much as both caught only 1 of 3 balls thrown their way, when all were catchable. Martinez looked lost on the one pass he caught, and he was easily out muscled at the goal line on a play that BMW or Chuck could have made. There is a reason those two guys were 1st round picks, and Martinez, Bodiford and Drummond were undrafted. The last three may play with more desire right now, but they are physically limited and can't make some of the plays that the other guys can. That's why I expect that both BMW and CRog will make the team - for all their other assorted issues, they still are supremely talented. Hopefully the motivation will kick in and they'll get it soon.
- On the D side, even though the Lions were running without 6 of the front 7 projected starters, they did OK. The stats look skewed for both TOP and # of plays. Originally, I thought it was the result of the Lions working a short field most of the time. In re-watching the game, I was a bit more surprised at what I saw. Denver moved down the field pretty easily on most of their possessions. Had they not fumbled twice in the first half, they looked like they could have scored 14 more points as the D was giving up lots of yardage. Thankfully Denver couldn't hold onto the ball. Again, the Lions played without 6 of their front 7 starters, so I can cut them some slack.
- On the D-line, the two guys who stood out the most were Swancutt and Harriott. They were driving and creating havoc in the backfield. But we didn't see anything even remotely similar to what we should see in the regular season since Shaun Rogers, Shaun Cody and Cory Redding all sat this one out.
- At LB, Levar Woods still impresses the heck out of me. The guy looked like our best LB in the final 3 games last year, and he was all over the field today. But his play was overshadowed by Ernie Sims. Ernie should be playing on the first string next week, period. He looked that good, flying around, hitting people, and even doing it on special teams. When Boss gets back in the lineup, hopefully next week, this unit should improve considerably.
- At DB, I was impressed with the play of McCann and Bullocks. These two guys look like keepers. McCann did a good job in getting in front of the ball and defending a few passes. Bullocks laid the lumber a few times, and looks like a natural back there already. I think he may be starting over Holt by the end of the pre-season. On the other hand, Dre' looked like he knew it was a preseason game and wasn't flying around the way we have become accustomed to seeing him play. A guess is that it may have been due to Rod Smith and Javon Walker sitting out and him not feeling challenged. And once again, Fernando Bryant was invisible, but what else is new?
In all, we saw enough in this game to give us a better feel for what we will see once the games count - not in terms of the players, but in terms of the basic strategies. The deep pass is back, and once teams have to respect that, it should open things up for KJ more. The D is harder to read without so many starters, but it looked Ok even while being outmanned. Not a bad start to the preseason, but nothing to get too overly excited about.
Monday, July 31, 2006
Heading to Las Vegas
Well next week, I'll be in Las Vegas for a few days. I get sent out to Phoenix and Vegas on occasion as part of hot weather testing for cars. In case anyone didn't know, I'm a fuel systems engineer for a large supplier here in Detroit, and part of my job is to go on these test trips. The cool thing about hot testing is that we stay in Phoenix and Las Vegas and these are two GREAT cities to visit. The bad thing is that we go in the summer when the average temps are well over 100F. It makes it hard on the cars to keep running, but thats what we do the tests for - to make sure our systems don't break down because of the heat. The major OEM proving grounds are all around the Phoenix area, so we usually fly in there. But Death Valley is the hottest spot in the USA, and that's about 8 hours from Phoenix but only 3 hours from Vegas, so we go to Vegas for a few nights. The Death Valley day is a LONG day of testing - usually about 12 hours on the road between driving there, testing and returning, and it's usually 120F+ in Death Valley, so these days are anything but a picnic. But we do get to spend the nights on the strip in Vegas, so...
That really brings me to the main point of this post. Since I'll be spending time in Vegas, I intend on hitting a few Sports Books to check out the odds on the Lions for the upcoming season. I figure I can lay down a few smallish size bets (impossible to bet large when you have 3 kids) if the odds seem interesting enough. I'll definitely be looking at the over-under for wins, and the Super Bowl odds. My gut is telling me that any odds for the Super Bowl are worth spending only a $20 on as it's still a pie-in-the-sky type of dream. But the over-under has me intrigued...
If anything, it will force me to commit to what I think the Lions record will be next year. If the O-U is at 6, I'm definitely betting the Over. But what if the line is 8? Do I feel confident enough yet to bet the over? What if it's 9? Am I pessimistic enough to bet the under? The problem is that I'll be making these bets prior to seeing any pre-season action. Not that pre-season action has typically ever told us how the Lions will play in the regular season, but I'll really have no clue about all the question marks we have with the club. I'll be betting blind. Plus, I have no idea how much I'll be betting. I'm thinking to keep my total bets to under $100, so that would leave $80 for O-U and other bets after my Super Bowl bet.
With all that said, I'd love to hear people's opinions as to which way to go with bets. I'm going to open up comments without moderation so that I don't have to approve each and every one before it is posted (and I'll still delete all the BS 'pimp viagara pills' posts to keep it clean). I'm very curious about what people really think, and if they'd put their own money down on this team. Let me hear it! I'll get into Vegas on August 6, so there is time before I get there...
That really brings me to the main point of this post. Since I'll be spending time in Vegas, I intend on hitting a few Sports Books to check out the odds on the Lions for the upcoming season. I figure I can lay down a few smallish size bets (impossible to bet large when you have 3 kids) if the odds seem interesting enough. I'll definitely be looking at the over-under for wins, and the Super Bowl odds. My gut is telling me that any odds for the Super Bowl are worth spending only a $20 on as it's still a pie-in-the-sky type of dream. But the over-under has me intrigued...
If anything, it will force me to commit to what I think the Lions record will be next year. If the O-U is at 6, I'm definitely betting the Over. But what if the line is 8? Do I feel confident enough yet to bet the over? What if it's 9? Am I pessimistic enough to bet the under? The problem is that I'll be making these bets prior to seeing any pre-season action. Not that pre-season action has typically ever told us how the Lions will play in the regular season, but I'll really have no clue about all the question marks we have with the club. I'll be betting blind. Plus, I have no idea how much I'll be betting. I'm thinking to keep my total bets to under $100, so that would leave $80 for O-U and other bets after my Super Bowl bet.
With all that said, I'd love to hear people's opinions as to which way to go with bets. I'm going to open up comments without moderation so that I don't have to approve each and every one before it is posted (and I'll still delete all the BS 'pimp viagara pills' posts to keep it clean). I'm very curious about what people really think, and if they'd put their own money down on this team. Let me hear it! I'll get into Vegas on August 6, so there is time before I get there...
Sunday, July 30, 2006
And here we go...
It's finally here - Lions pre-season 2006. It's time for me to begin posting more once again, since the dog days are finally over. It sure has been an interesting offseason for the Lions, and seemingly everything has changed. New head coach, new assistant coaches, new quarterbacks, new rookies, new hope. Well, at least I can temper my hope a bit until I see the team on the field.
This promises to be a very interesting season. Depending on if you're a glass half-full or half-empty type of person, you think the Lions were either miles away from the playoffs last year, or that they were improperly screwed out of being at least 8-8. And that can go a long way toward what you expect in this coming season. Personally, I've always been a glass half-full type of guy.
In any case, it's time to get excited. I now have season tickets, although it already looks like there may be 1 preseason and 1-2 regular season games I'll have to miss due to other commitments (Florida at Christmas kills one...). But this should be fun.
And here's another cool thing - I just created a Frappr group for Lions fans. Log in, join the group. How the map below works to display the group on this page I really don't know, but it does. Feel free to log in and have fun.
This promises to be a very interesting season. Depending on if you're a glass half-full or half-empty type of person, you think the Lions were either miles away from the playoffs last year, or that they were improperly screwed out of being at least 8-8. And that can go a long way toward what you expect in this coming season. Personally, I've always been a glass half-full type of guy.
In any case, it's time to get excited. I now have season tickets, although it already looks like there may be 1 preseason and 1-2 regular season games I'll have to miss due to other commitments (Florida at Christmas kills one...). But this should be fun.
And here's another cool thing - I just created a Frappr group for Lions fans. Log in, join the group. How the map below works to display the group on this page I really don't know, but it does. Feel free to log in and have fun.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)