Restore The Roar

Bryant Johnson: Why Is He On The Team?

2009-12-26T17:55:00.001-08:00

I'm going to keep this post short for the simple fact that sometimes words just get in the way. I read a stat here that completely blew my mind.

Bryant Johnson has gone 9 straight games with 2 or fewer catches.

How does that happen? How does the receiver opposite Calvin Johnson have less than 18 catches over 9 games? To put that into perspective, Brandon Marshall caught 21 in one game.

This makes me wonder, with the defensive secondary catching the heat it does for lack of production, why doesn't this guy get benched for the same? Its his time to go. He is in a prime spot to revive his career and this is what he does? Bench him. Its time to move on without him. Derrick Williams has to be better than this. Eric Fowler, somebody, anybody has to be better than this. Just sit him down already and make sure he takes Dennis Northcutt with him.

Team Seems To Quit On Culpepper

2009-12-21T06:55:00.000-08:00

Something I have to acknowledge, or at least question, is the feeling about Daunte Culpepper in the Detroit locker room. Obviously, he has played terrible and the coaching staff had enough. Finally, they turned to Drew Stanton and while he didn’t play great, it seemed the team responded to him. All of sudden, the line are opening holes for long runs and the offense proved to do more waste time until the punter can come unto the field. Sure, Stanton failed to move the ball on the final drive but that had to be the definition of behind the 8-ball. Imagine you’re a quarterback with one good receiver, no timeouts, a long field and you haven’t played a meaningful snap your whole career. Thanks, coach!

Anyways, it was odd to see how much better the offense gelled around the youngster as opposed to the ‘savvy’ vet who was supposed to bring a calming influence to the huddle. I can’t help but to think something happened between(or during) the Pittsburg game and the Green Bay goose egg game. The team seemed to play for him against the Steelers, but dropped a donut at Lambeau Field. Even Jason Hanson doesn’t like playing for him, going into a funk when ever Culpepper is the quarterback.

This is the point in a player’s career when he thanks the coaching staff for giving him a chance and rides off into the sunset. I was a fan of Culpeppers when the season started and was hoping he would win the QB battle during the preseason. I think Stafford was too erratic and inaccurate. He still may be but he has something I believe Culpepper may have never had; leadership. Even in Minnesota, that was Cris Carter’s and Randy Moss’ team. He just didn’t have to screw it up. Now, when asked to be the “Man” on a young team, not only does he choke, but the rest of his unit doesn’t seem interested in helping him out.

I may be wrong, but that’s what it seems like to me at least.

Kevin Smith Getting A Bad Rap

2009-12-11T13:01:00.000-08:00

It kills me when fans and even Coach Schwarts complains that the team is lacking big plays from the ground game.

The reason it bothers me so is because the Lions, for all the talk about becoming a power rushing team, has at time completely abandoned the run. Sure, critics will claim that it's hard to run when you are behind. I agree, but there have only a handful of games where the team was too far behind to continue on the ground.

There seems to be a perception that in order to run the ball consistently, that a team must be ahead; the whole game. That is not true. Unless you are behind by two touchdowns or more in the forth quarter, there is no reason to go pass happy.

Even while staging a comeback, the ground game can be very beneficial. Running the ball provides a balance to the offense and gives the defense something else to think about. When a team is playing from behind, it is expected to throw the ball to catch up quickly. Knowing this, defenses will "pin their ears back" and attack with no fear of giving up yards on the ground. This situation presents the offense with the perfect time for draws and delayed handoffs. It's also a great time for screen passes, which are basically passing draw plays.

This brings us back to Mr. Smith. He has shown to be a very capable when given an opportunity. He is a hard runner and does a good job of moving the chains. He consistently gets the hard yards when not much is available. So what that he doesn't break 50 yard plays, his consistent threat can open up 50 yard plays in the passing game (i.e; Calvin Johnson), who really is a big play threat.

So Detroit, I beg you: Do not give up on the ground game. With everyone scared of Calvin Johnson, Kevin Smith is your best friend. Besides, with your defense giving up historic passing games, let our backs keep opposing teams off the field.

Detroit Lions: Better Than Expected

2009-10-10T13:06:00.000-07:00

4 games down, 12 games to go.

A quarter of the way thru the season and what have we learned?

Hmmm, Matthew Stafford is better than we (read: I) first believed. He has gotten more effecient with each game, with his passer rating increasing with each game. Also, Stafford has managed to cut down on turnovers after the horrific first two games. I honestly believe he will play Sunday against the Steelers. I'm thinking he is feeling confident about his performance thus far and want to keep the roll going.

Unfortunely, we have also learned the running game is seriously inconsistent. Stafford has only been sacked 10 times in 4 games with half of those coming against Chicago. Also, with the running game being efficient every other game, that tells me the line CAN play well and be competitive. I can't say for sure the cause of the inconsistency, but I know the talent is there.

We have also learned that the special teams unit, besides the actual kicking part, is horrendous. The return team needs to be returned and the coverage units needs to be covered (ie; buried). It is inconceivable for Chicago to have more return yards than offense. That is insane.
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The defense has been pretty good in each game except the Saints game but can we really hold that against them? Against Minnesota, they held Farve to 155 yards passing and AP to 92 yards on the ground. I can't really complain about that at all. If the offense didn't die out in the second half, that was a winnable game. The stats from the Washington game was misleading. Sure, Campbell threw for 340 yards, but 155 of those came on the last two drives when Detroit went to a prevent defense to avoid giving up big plays. The Chicago game was a different scenario all together. The defense only allowed 276 yards but was that because they played well or their special teams unit let them play arena football with the field position.

So, even with a 1-3 record, I am encouraged by the teams performance thus far ecspecially when you take into account the 3 teams the Lions lost to are a combined 11-1. Matter of fact, its not like anyone thought Detroit was going into the bye week at .500 anyway. So, be patient, I think the team will be alot better as the season progresses and the young players get more experience and the units gel. Remember, about 60% of the roster is new.

Detroit Lion Arms Race

2009-06-24T10:40:00.000-07:00

There can only be one. Well, at least until there's two. Which usually means you really have none. Confused yet?

Well come to the Detroit Lions Quarterback Arms Race. A competition like none other. In lane one you have Daunte Culpepper. The savvy vetern looking to prove he is the same player he was 5 years ago. During the offseason he shed about 30 lbs and has been impressing teammates and coaches alike with his work ethic and leadership. The coach swears theres no depth chart, which I believe, but according to player and the comments made by coaches the team is already his. At least for now, anyway. In lane two, we Matthew Stafford. The bright eyed, pretty boy first player taken in the draft. Its pretty much a fore gone conclusion the job is his once he proves his worth. There were some critics when he was chosen (raising my hand) thinking we didnt need a QB that high, but seems to be proving he was worth it. Although I dont expect the team to throw him under the bus if he sucked, they seem rather impressed with his strong arm and sponge like abilities digesting the playbook. I cant wait to see how this plays out. It'll be pretty interesting as long no one trips over a hurdle on the way to the finish line.

2009-06-19T06:35:00.000-07:00

Great article from Detfan1979

In the article he mentioned the Lions recent nature of cutting off fans except for ticket sales and a couple practices. A very bad habit first established by Millen. Well, recently Coach Schwartz has talked about possibly moving training camp to an off-site, maybe Grand Valley State (although the school was aware of such plans).

All this leads to the point of this post. It brought back some fond and fun memories of the summer before my senior year of high school. Originally from Saginaw, MI, I was fortunate enough to be around when the Lions held training camp at Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU). Great experience. Everything was either free or very inexpensive. Autograph sessions were mandatory for the players, who didnt seem to mind anyway. People were able to get food and bleacher seats and watch practices. Kids were able to field punts, catch passes and throw for touchdowns at various stations. There was the NFL Experience giant balloon setup where kids strapped on bungee cords and tried to dive for touchdowns. High school age kids like myself at the time could work volunteer at these camps and feel like part of the organization. If someone were to ask, I would definitely suggest bringing that back. Ecspecially after a dismal 0-16 season, reconnecting with your fan base, preferrably the younger fans, would be a good step in the right direction. The economic times are so bad, having a bad team is not enough to invoke fan participation. But, fan interaction would be. Give us something to feel good about. I'm currently living out of the state, but if they were to bring this back, when my child is old enough to participate, I would be more than willing to make the trip for a week he wanted to go. I enjoyed it when I was young and I think others would too. We'll see.

Lions First 3 Picks Look Promising

2009-06-17T04:23:00.000-07:00

There’s been a lot of talk around the Lions and it seems the first 3 picks are making good impressions. We all know how impressed the coaches are with Stafford (then again, who would say he sucks at this point?). It seems Pettigrew is coming along well, but I would put him in the category with the defensive front 7, you can’t really tell how good he is until you put the pads on, since is touted as an excellent blocker. But it’s Delmas, who has caught the attention (and love) from some local beat writers. One in particular seems to have a slight man crush on him because I have read the same article at least 3 times. Even some of the readers commented on it during the last two forums. For the rookies sake, I hope he is at least half as good as they are hyping him up as.

I’m getting real excited for the season to start, but that could be me drinking the Kool-aid. And if it is, that’s fine, I’ll take seconds. It has to better than the bitter stuff served last season.

Young Players Voicing Their Confidence

2009-06-11T07:40:00.000-07:00

Recently there was alot (okay, maybe a little) buzz about Kevin Smith stating the Lions will make the playoffs. The thing I am trying to figure out is whats the problem? So what, they went winless. Big deal. Its over and time to move on. Personally, I think Kevin has the right attitude. If you dont believe you can succeed, then you won't. Its that simple. Calvin Johnson has a great season, Kevin had solid year and Cliff Avril, on his own blog kind of/sorta backed Kevin, had a pretty good season. This is the new core of the franchise along with Stafford, Pettigrew and Delmas. Although, we as fans seem a little cautious, they weren't here for the last 50 years so why shouldnt they voice they believe they have what it takes to turn it around? If they didnt, then I would be worried.

Coach Schwartz making good first impression

2009-06-11T06:48:00.001-07:00

From reading forums from the local sports columns (with local meaning local to the team, I’m in NE) a lot of fans have high praises for the new coach. Like those fans, I have a good feeling about the changes being made and the direction of the team. But, without sound pessimistic, I would like to maintain some level of reality. As much as I would like the Lions to go from worst to first in the NFL, it’s just not likely. For starters, the first 6 games are brutal. Let’s see, at home against Minnesota, Washington and Pittsburgh with road games against the Saints, Bears and Packers. And that’s just before the bye week. So I say lets hold this man to reasonable expectations. Only then can we truly appreciate what he can bring to the table. Let him win a game before talking Super Bowls and parades. We got time for that next year.

New Detroit Lions Blog

2009-06-09T07:51:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Lion’s Den, or the litter box depending on what side of the fan fence you sit on. I’ve been a faithful (crazy) supporter of the Detroit Lions for 20+ years and somehow always remain optimistic (though cautiously) every year. While reading different articles from the local papers I noticed a lot of opinions, good and bad. I welcome all responses. Whatever you got, bring them. It’s a big year for Lions football and I want to take it head on with all my fellow followers, the crazier the better.