Bye-Week Shake-Up

DTOW · Joined: 05 Feb 2009 Posts: 857

My biggest problems are:

1. The lack of playmakers in the secondary.
2. Our porous tackling.
3. Our awful special teams play.
4. Our bad offensive line play.
5. DROPPED PASSES

m0town12 · Joined: 12 Jan 2006 Posts: 4299 Location: Michigan

1. Pettigrew is garbage. Needs to be a backup. Wouldn't cut it on any other team in the league. He is a bottom tier TE.

2. ST coach needs to go.

3. Linehan is terrible, always has been a terrible coach. Make a change in the Off season.

4. Cunningham is okay, we just don't have any defensive talent in the secondary at all.

5. Fairly needs to be starting immediately.

6. Burleson (even though playing well), needs to move down in order for Young and Broyles to play.

7. Riley needs to start

8. Stafford needs to stop playing scared. Takes way too many sacks and refuses to throw deep.

Stop wasting draft picks if you're not going to play them. Theyre virtually going to be rookies next year.

carlande · Joined: 21 Jan 2007 Posts: 1410

The Lions need to learn how to score TDs.

The timing of the offense in the redzone has cost them game after game.

In the 1st half after the Vikings had a personal foul penalty on a receiver the Lions were gifted a new set of downs in the Redzone. The Lions threw it 3 times:

1st) Stafford play-action to Pettigrew over the middle was too high and nearly intercepted.

2nd) Throw to Calvin Johnson on slant was high and he came down with it only to get it knocked out of his chest on the way down. Good play by Lions, better play by Vikes.

3rd) Stafford throws high again but Pettigrew should have had it - went right through his hands.

Stafford was being criticized even in the second half for throwing high and hot. He has lacked touch on his throws. His best passes are on ropes. But for some reason he's throwing balls that are high and fast, maybe thinking they're safer. This can work if the receiver is prepared for this kind of throw. But often it seems the throw is just arbitrarily high and hot. Even the beautiful catch by Burleson early in the game was high and didn't need to be.

The timing seems to be an issue. This is frustrating coming from a team that is expected to be high-octane. I saw passes that appeared to startle Calvin Johnson today. Some of this is good defense rest assured. If a defense plays their zone well guys aren't open and stuff either gets forced at the wrong time or it gets dumped off. One pass came up a yard short of the goal-line. There are near misses that need to be converted. Part of that is getting the ball in the receivers hands on time.

The Lions seem to be able to move the ball well enough, but they should focus these two weeks on rhythm and timing with their receivers in the red-zone. Receivers need to know when to expect the ball, and where to expect it.

diehardlionfan · Joined: 12 Mar 2007 Posts: 21540 Location: Ottawa

YlionsY · Joined: 28 Apr 2008 Posts: 14011

X_Factor_40 · Joined: 24 Oct 2005 Posts: 16149 Location: Hockeytown

vike daddy · Joined: 12 Mar 2005 Posts: 66652

tytalton · Joined: 12 Jan 2010 Posts: 844

that's disappointing....in no way should his job be safe after the string of performances he put together.

detfan782004 · Joined: 01 Apr 2005 Posts: 39390 Location: Montana

diehardlionfan · Joined: 12 Mar 2007 Posts: 21540 Location: Ottawa

Jrugges · Joined: 26 Mar 2007 Posts: 8238

1st- I'd get Reiff/Broyles into this offense as starters.

2nd- Fire special teams coach or adjust specail teams coverage to where basically we don't cover and just kick it out.

3rd- Tony Schfeller becomes the starting TE.

4th- Hey Riccardo Silva can tackle! Great! Keep him on the team somewhere!

m0town12 · Joined: 12 Jan 2006 Posts: 4299 Location: Michigan

flyguy1609 · Joined: 22 Jan 2007 Posts: 2010 Location: New Jersey

we have to work on catching the ball..Stafford has to work on his throws, the running game has to hit the holes and defense(special team's) has to learn how to tackle better...