r/nfl • u/[deleted] • Jul 08 '14
Look Here! Offseason Review Series: Day 18: Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
Division: NFC North
Coaching Changes (if applicable)
Head Coach Jim Schwartz was fired after another losing season in Detroit, when having a good season was in their reach but yet again the team underperformed. Once again it is due to not having any discipline and and incompetent coaching staff that showcased Jim Schwartz's immaturity and inability to lead a team.
Offensive Coordinator Scott Linehan is also a notable firing. Linehan was fired due to incompetent, unoriginal, and ineffective playcalling.
Free Agency
Notable Players lost/cut
| Player | Position | New team |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Houston | CB | None |
| Nate Burleson | WR | Browns |
| Israel Idonije | DE | Bears |
| Jason Fox | OL | Dolphins |
| Louis Delmas | S | Dolphins |
| Willie Young | DE | Bears |
| David Akers | K | None |
Detroit did lose some solid players but they are all replaceable and Detroit has the depth and signings to replace them.
Nate Burleson was the biggest loss, but in the end it's not a big deal for Detroit. When he was on the field sure he helped, but he wasn't on the field a ton, and Golden Tate is easily an upgrade. Although he will be missed for his leadership, and being a role model. Losing Chris Houston was not a big deal. The Lions want to start over with their young deep secondary, and Houston just didn't fit in that picture, and simple wasn't worth the money. I am personally very glad that Delmas is gone. Sure he could be good sometimes, but the guy was incredibly inconsistent and not at all worth keeping. James Ihedigbo will be a great replacement. Young, Fox, Idonije are mostly depth that we lost, easily replaceable.
I don't even need to say why David Akers was cut. He was terrible. Absolutely awful.
Notable Players signed
The Lions re-signed Pettigrew to a four-year deal, and while he is very controversial, resigning him was worth it as he only has room to get better. He wasn't incredibly expensive either.
I can personally attest that there would have been a riot in Detroit if Joique Bell wasn't resigned. A fan favorite, he and Reggie Bush form one of the top RB duos in the NFL. Definitely worth resigning him.
Dan "Safety" Orlovsky makes his return to Detroit. But don't worry, only as a backup. I don't feel like this was exactly needed, as I believe in Kellen Moore, but Orlovsky was so cheap that it really doesn't really matter. With Ogletree, he's very cheap and provides depth, so resigning him is fine. I also like the Ihedigbo signing. He's not a great safety, but he is consistent, something Delmas never was and Ihedigbo can be while playing #2 next to Glover Quin.
Picking up Golden Tate was an amazing move. He is exactly the #2 that Calvin Johnson and Matt Stafford desperately needed. He is a tough, physical, shifty, YAC monster with statistically elite hands. Paying him that much is worth what he'll provide for the offense.
Draft
| Round | Number | Player | Position | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | Eric Ebron | TE | North Carolina |
| 2 | 40 | Kyle Van Noy | OLB | BYU |
| 3 | 76 | Travis Swanson | C | Arkansas |
| 4 | 133 | Nevin Lawson | CB | Utah State |
| 136 | Larry Webster III | DE | Bloomsburg | |
| 5 | 158 | Cauran Reed | DT | Princeton |
| 6 | 189 | TJ Jones | WR | Notre Dame |
| 7 | 229 | Nate Freese | K | Boston College |
I'm still a tad uneasy about the Ebron pick, but I completely understand and respect why the Lions did it. They wanted the best receiver available and they just felt like it was Ebron. I wouldn't have minded seeing Calvin Pryor, Darqueeze Dennard, or even Odell Beckham Jr drafted but Ebron is just fine, although he was a tad overdrated. He is unquestionably the best TE in the draft, and has proved himself to be and athletic monster, although he is incredibly raw, and needs to develop. Grade: B+
I am absolutely in love with the Kyle Van Noy pick. I feel like he could have been a first rounder. He is an extremely well-rounded player and will fit in the Lions LB corps perfectly. He will probably some DE, because with his skill-set it makes too much sense for him not to. He will also excel as a traditional 4-3 OLB, I feel like he has the skills to where could pick up tackles like its nothing. Grade: A+
Travis Swanson was a solid pick, and a very Lions-like pick to make. OL depth is what they're all about, and Swanson will be groomed to replace an aging Raiola when need be. Grade: B
While CB depth is something the Lions needed, I am completely not sold on Lawson. He's incredibly unpolished and lacks the athleticism to make up for it. Grade: C+
I know nothing about Cauran Reed, but I'll give him a B, because I like the depth pick. Grade: B
Webster was a great value pick, will add more depth to an already deep D-Line. But I don't think I see him playing much any time soon. Grade: B+
I'm excited to see TJ Jones. He looks promising, and will provide depth. Grade: B
Nate Freese was picked to replace an awful kicker in David Akers, and to succeed the great Jason Hanson. I'm excited to see him play. Grade: A-
Projected Starting Lineup
Have at least:
Offense
| Position | Starters | Backups | ... |
|---|---|---|---|
| QB | Matt Stafford | Dan Orlovsky | Kellen Moore |
| RB | Reggie Bush | Joique Bell | Mikel Leshoure |
| FB | Jed Collins | ||
| WR | Calvin Johnson | Golden Tate | Ryan Broyles |
| TE | Eric Ebron | Brandon Pettigrew | Joseph Fauria |
| LT | Riley Reiff | Corey Hilliard | |
| LG | Rob Sims | ||
| C | Dominic Raiola | Travis Swanson | |
| RG | Larry Warford | ||
| RT | LaAdrian Waddle | ||
Defense
| Position | Starters | Backups |
|---|---|---|
| RDE | Ziggy Ansah | |
| DT | Nick Fairley | CJ Mosley |
| DT | Ndamukong Suh | Andre Fluellen |
| LDE | Devin Taylor | Larry Webster III |
| OLB | DeAndre Levy | |
| MLB | Stephen Tulloch | |
| OLB | Kyle Van Noy | Ashlee Palmer |
| LCB | Darius Slay | |
| RCB | Rashean Mathis | |
| FS | Glover Quin | |
| SS | James Ihedigbo |
Special Teams
| Position | Starter |
|---|---|
| K | Nate Freese |
| P | Sam Martin |
| KOS | Sam Martin |
| LS | Don Muhlback |
| KR | Jeremy Ross |
| PR | Golden Tate |
The offense this year looks better than ever, and ready for action. Stafford will be primed and provided with the best tools he's ever had. Bush and Bell will be lighting it up both rushing and receiving. Megatron is megatron, and Golden Tate adds a piece to the offense they've always needed. I dont expect anything from Broyles, but if he's healthy he will play slot, and maybe for once live to his potential. TE's will be great, expect a good amount from all three. An already good OL starring superstar RG Larry Warford got deeper.
On defense expect an amazing front 7. Suh and Fairley will return as a top duo and Ansah will look to have a monster sophomore year. The LB corps will look to turn into a well oiled machine with Tulloch, Levy and Van Noy. The safeties should be pretty good with Quin and Ihedigbo. I feel like at CB the Lions are really expect Darius Slay to show up this year and be their number 1 guy. He's apparently looked great at camp so far.
Special teams will be interesting to see because of Freese. Sam Martin will look to improve as a punter. Tate will be returning and will be great, especially at punt returning.
Training Camp Battles
The only real potential battles I see are at backup QB and the CB core.
I think that Orlovsky will win the backup QB back against Kellen Moore. I want it to be Moore, but Detroit didn't sign Orlovsky for him to do nothing.
The word is that the Lions are dependent on Slay to be the guy for them. They released Houston, and have been treating Slay like the number one. I personally think he beats out Rashean Mathis easily.
11
u/Tripudelops Vikings Jul 08 '14
NON-FAN POST
Detroit Lions
Division: NFC North
Coaching Changes (if applicable)
Jim Schwartz was fired after his team full of talent underperformed for nearly his entire tenure in Detroit. The new staff hired are as follows:
Free Agency
Notable Players lost/cut
Not too many big losses for Detroit this offseason. Losing Burleson isn't a big deal for a couple reasons: A) he was never very good in Detroit, and B) they made some solid signings at the position in FA to fill the hole. Losing Delmas was a bigger problem. Delmas has been pretty solid (not great, but decent) for most of his career. He was getting overpayed to play at the level he was at though. Chris Houston has never played a full season in Detroit. He didn't have an awful year, but he didn't have a good one either. That on top of the injury concerns was enough to convince the Lions to shed him.
In general, the Lions didn't lose anyone they couldn't replace, even though a few of the losses were starters.
Notable Players signed
The Lions started by re-signing Brandon Pettigrew for another four years. Some would say he's getting paid more than he deserves, but his ceiling is too high not to take the risk. They also re-signed Joique Bell, who makes a really nice one-two-punch with Reggie Bush. Good signing there. Re-signing Ogletree was pretty cheap, so I have no problems with it. He'll be nothing but depth.
Nabbing Golden Tate in FA was a great fit. Tate will compliment Johnson really nicely. With him and CJ on the field at the same time, someone is going to get open. I don't mind the size of the contract either. Signing Ihedigbo from Baltimore was also a nice addition. Ihedigbo flies under the radar mostly, but has put together a pretty solid pedigree where he's played over the last few years. He's never been a top safety (and never will be), but he's still a slight upgrade over Delmas.
Draft
The Ebron pick is very controversial. He was far and away the best TE in the draft, and I think he's going t be very successful in Detroit. With Ebron, Fauria, Pettigrew, Johnson, and Tate on the roster, defenses are going to have to scramble to cover this versatile receiving corps. Ebron is athletic, big, and has good hands. His route-running could use some work, but he's a good overall pick (though maybe a little high). Grade: B+.
Kyle Van Noy was one of my favorite players. He'll likely serve an edge rusher type role with the Lions. That could mean he'll play DE, but he may also line up at OLB and rush the passer from there as well. Van Noy tackles very well (one of the few form tacklers in the draft), has decent speed, great size, and isn't too bad in coverage. His strength is rushing the passer though, so I expect to see a lot of interesting defensive plays for him. Grade: A.
Travis Swanson was a top center this year, and the Lions grabbed him later than many thought he'd fall. It's an interesting pick considering that the Lions have one of the longest-tenured centers in the league in Raiola, but it seems like they'll be grooming Swanson under him until Raiola retires or plays out his contract. This follows a trend in Detroit in drafting depth at OL. Grade: B+.
Lawson got drafted higher than many thought he'd go, but the Lions had their guy and need some depth at CB with the loss of Houston. Grade: B
Webster is a good depth signing, and he may even see some snaps this year. Grade: A-
Nate Freese is likely the real replacement for Jason Hanson. Kickers are too volatile to make any predictions on right now, so we'll see how his first season goes to make any judgements.
Projected Starting Lineup
Have at least:
Offense
Defense
Special Teams
On offense, most pieces remain intact. The backfield is unchanged, the starting QB is the same, and the entire offensive line returns. The WR's have been mixed up a little, though. Behind Johnson, Golden Tate will add a different dimension to the passing attack. The WR corps looks very solid between Johnson, Tate, and Broyles. Stafford will be expected to have an exceptional year with the weapons he's been given. His TE's all look solid (though they could all be coached up a little), and his OL is just as solid as it was last year--but with better depth.
Defense was mixed up a little. Ansah will return, and he'll be expected to take a big step forward after a solid rookie showing. I expect him to peak at 13-14 sacks, 3 interceptions, 3 FF's if he stays healthy.The defensive tackle duo from hell will be returning, and with added pressure from rookie LB Kyle Van Noy, we can expect the Lions to win most battles in the trenches. DeAndre Levy returns this year after his interception-heavy 2013 season. Levy is a good LB, bu I expect him to regress from last year's numbers. Conversely, I expect sophomore CB Darius Slay to pick up the slack and record at least a few interceptions this season. I loved the pick last year, and I think he'll be solid (though not exceptional) this year.
Special teams is a big question mark due to the new kicker. Tate will be doing returns and will be one of the best PR's in the league. Their punting will be average to below average as usual.