Post by icouldblion on Sept 8, 2023 7:54:33 GMT -6
Other point of note: I felt a pit in my stomach when Branch went down with a non-contact injury and they were working on his legs. I had flashbacks of Tracey Walker. So glad it was only cramping.
Hindsight being 20/20... it's interesting to look back and kind of see what needs to be worked on...the creases that need to be ironed out. Tracy Walker didn't find the field on defense which I find a little worrying maybe he's still healing but Kirby Joseph had a lackluster game...Will Harris was put in instead of Tracy Walker which is another concern. James Houston changed his number to 41 but he wasn't really in as much as he should have been...I thought Alim McNeil played very subpar if anything I would hope that James Houston gets more reps than McNeil in the future...jamyr Gibbs didn't touch the ball nearly as much as he should have and David Montgomery is a lot like Williams I do believe and aside from Marvin Jones's lackluster game... Ben Johnson did not call a really good game especially on third downs and short...I don't know if he got too fancy but maybe run the ball on third one or two with Gibbs or Montgomery... With Houston in there the defense the defense played much better it was much more effective...
And I hate talk to text it just never comes out right lol
Post by Blaming Brad on Sept 8, 2023 19:22:25 GMT -6
Rewatched the game. Really excited about the Montgomery/Gibbs backfield. Even after just one game I think it's pretty clear Montgomery > Williams and Gibbs > Swift. I do think they're playing it cool with Gibbs and will unleash him at some point.
Concerning that Tracey Walker didn't play a single defensive snap.
Also, I think LaPorta showed more blocking ability in one game than Hockenson ever showed in his entire Lions career.
Last Edit: Sept 8, 2023 19:33:25 GMT -6 by Blaming Brad
Post by badnews3123 on Sept 9, 2023 3:57:41 GMT -6
I do think the Chiefs showing blitz packages all night might have been part of why Gibbs snaps were limited. He’s definitely a work in progress in pass protection.
Rewatched the game. Really excited about the Montgomery/Gibbs backfield. Even after just one game I think it's pretty clear Montgomery > Williams and Gibbs > Swift. I do think they're playing it cool with Gibbs and will unleash him at some point.
Concerning that Tracey Walker didn't play a single defensive snap.
Also, I think LaPorta showed more blocking ability in one game than Hockenson ever showed in his entire Lions career.
I watched it again this morning. Adding to this. Vaitai was a monster. Jonah is great when they let him pull in the run game. OL as a group as awesome. Hopefully the extra time for Decker helps him heal up for Sunday. Derrick Barnes looks way more comfortable and patient.
I’m sure Lions OL had some, but the Chiefs had some really blatant holds, especially in the first half. Also that was a weak PI on Sutton. The WR stopped running to come back to the ball.
Am I missing something here? Why is Walker not playing a big deal?
Not only is he fresh off the Achilles, he has always only been mediocre/solid at best. I think it's a huge positive he didn't play
I think he was more than mediocre before the injury. Solid maybe, but that's better than mediocre by my definition. I think my main point was that an achilles tear is more often than not a career killer and the fact that he didn't even get on the field nearly a year after the injury doesn't bode well for his future in the NFL. Walker is basically the only free safety on the roster and even Will Harris got more snaps than he did.
Several thoughts. One...it seems branch kind of took the nickel role quicker than anticipated, meaning garner johnson had to move...two, I think most of these guys are interchangeable and not only a strong orfree safety...and I think that's been the plan all along...
so you have 3 positions, 2 are filled...quick,higher ceiling, Joseph or walker? There's your answer.
Watching the game, after a fairly clear first half... that bs PI call, I was like, here we go...refs weren't calling shit all game, no holding, no false start, no illegal formation, nothing, so I was like, chiefs are about to start getting the love...
But holy fuck if the lions didn't get the critical calls in the crucial minutes...its like a light bulb went on for me...the refs may not call every penalty, but they call the "important" ones because maybe they let 5 go, but aren't going to for the big play....in addition, lions have been moving that ratings needle...combine all that shit and guess what fuckers...lions are about to start getting some calls go their way....
yeah, I don't even know how to feel about that...it feels dirty, but I like it
Post by badnews3123 on Sept 10, 2023 5:12:28 GMT -6
I’d guess they’ll be match-up situations that get Walker on the field, but right now. Guys above him are just better. Which isn’t that big of a slight, just good players in front of him.
MJJ had possibly the worst game of his career. Interesting note: that was his first fumble lost EVER. 12 years and over 560 touches. He'll bounce back.
The whole point of having him is the reliability factor, and we weren't able to rely on him at all.
Chark's loss is a net downgrade however you look at it. Our WR core overall is pretty weak.
Chark won't play in week one due to injury, the more things change the more they stay the same...
The whole point of having him is the reliability factor, and we weren't able to rely on him at all.
Chark's loss is a net downgrade however you look at it. Our WR core overall is pretty weak.
Chark won't play in week one due to injury, the more things change the more they stay the same...
Pretty much.
As an aside ... as good as the draft was, I'm still not seeing where any of these picks were like "yea, we really NEEDED someone there." (outside of Branch that is) Forget about positional value ... did we actually fill needs?
Our two first-rounders will be backups and role players for much of the season. Even LaPorta is part of a rotation.
Our opening game victory raised as many questions as it did answers in my book. I saw a team that needed to draw every last ounce of gas from their tanks just to beat an over-confident contender by one point. This supposedly amazing offensive line of ours wasn't even able to muster more than 3.5 yards per carry for their lead back, against a defense who's star player is holding out for a raise. Had it not been for Gibbs' assortment of spin moves on one side of the ball and Hutchinson's assortment of spin moves on the other, we'd be looking at a pretty dismal showing for both lines. We're relying on displays of athletic theatre to carry us through.
Just like last season, our offense is looking pretty slow out of the gates. It wasn't until Chark came along during the last half of 2023 that the offense really took off. Having an additional receiving threat alongside St Brown is pretty important. Relying on JW to fill that role while drafting mostly rotational players in the first three rounds was a pretty big missed opportunity.
Last Edit: Sept 10, 2023 12:35:05 GMT -6 by rustyhilger
Watching the game, after a fairly clear first half... that bs PI call, I was like, here we go...refs weren't calling shit all game, no holding, no false start, no illegal formation, nothing, so I was like, chiefs are about to start getting the love...
But holy fuck if the lions didn't get the critical calls in the crucial minutes...its like a light bulb went on for me...the refs may not call every penalty, but they call the "important" ones because maybe they let 5 go, but aren't going to for the big play....in addition, lions have been moving that ratings needle...combine all that shit and guess what fuckers...lions are about to start getting some calls go their way....
yeah, I don't even know how to feel about that...it feels dirty, but I like it
I said the same thing, esp when they let the LT false start every pass play. I was like here we go again then...🤔 are we now on the good list especially against KC at home?
As an aside ... as good as the draft was, I'm still not seeing where any of these picks were like "yea, we really NEEDED someone there." (outside of Branch that is) Forget about positional value ... did we actually fill needs?
Our two first-rounders will be backups and role players for much of the season. Even LaPorta is part of a rotation.
Our opening game victory raised as many questions as it did answers in my book. I saw a team that needed to draw every last ounce of gas from their tanks just to beat an over-confident contender by one point. This supposedly amazing offensive line of ours wasn't even able to muster more than 3.5 yards per carry for their lead back, against a defense who's star player is holding out for a raise. Had it not been for Gibbs' assortment of spin moves on one side of the ball and Hutchinson's assortment of spin moves on the other, we'd be looking at a pretty dismal showing for both lines. We're relying on displays of athletic theatre to carry us through.
Just like last season, our offense is looking pretty slow out of the gates. It wasn't until Chark came along during the last half of 2023 that the offense really took off. Having an additional receiving threat alongside St Brown is pretty important. Relying on JW to fill that role while drafting mostly rotational players in the first three rounds was a pretty big missed opportunity.
While I don't disagree with some of the sentiment (especially the Gibbs pick which was more of a luxury pick when they had other pieces to fill), I assume you didn't watch the game given your take on the O-line? They were solid all game and a big reason for the win when they wore down the defense in the 4th quarter.
While I don't disagree with some of the sentiment (especially the Gibbs pick which was more of a luxury pick when they had other pieces to fill), I assume you didn't watch the game given your take on the O-line? They were solid all game and a big reason for the win when they wore down the defense in the 4th quarter.
The game that I watched they were pretty inconsistent. Guys bumping in to each other, getting all confused and mis-communicating before the play (plays were taking way too long to get off). Ragnow fumbling the ball. If you just watched the highlights on Twitter (or whatever) or the PFF scores, you'd think they were pretty stellar. Which they were half the time, but they need to be more consistent.
While I don't disagree with some of the sentiment (especially the Gibbs pick which was more of a luxury pick when they had other pieces to fill).
I don't think this is a true statement. I think Gibbs is essential to how they want the O to run. I think Swift was supposed to be that piece, but when he showed he couldn't be counted on, they had to replace his skill set....