Tag: Geronimo Allison

Lions top performers from PFF vs Colts and preseason recap

With PFF’s grades released, here are the top performers for the Detroit Lions against the Colts as well as the preseasons top players

The Detroit Lions finished their preseason winless after dropping to the Indianapolis Colts 27-17. However, in a game where coach Dan Campbell decided to rest a fair amount of starters, it gave players fighting for a roster spot one last chance to make an impression.

Pro Football Focus has released grades for the top offensive and defensive performers for the Lions against the Colts. PFF gives you a general feel on how well some of the fringe roster players performed.

Offense:

  1. TE Darren Fells: 92.8
  2. OT Dan Skipper: 76.1
  3. WR Geronimo Allison: 74.4
  4. RB Dedrick Mills: 72.0
  5. OG Logan Stenberg: 69.2

It is nice to see a rebound from Fells after the debacle against the Steelers, considering how thin the Lions are at tight end with disappointing performances from Alize Mack and Brock Wright. It was unfortunate to see Skipper (wish him well) carted off because he had a solid game especially run blocking. It might be too late for Allison, but you can’t say he is not putting up a fight. Stenberg should slot in as a reserve guard, but his status is up in the air without knowing the severity of his injury.

Defense:

  1. CB Corn Elder: 95.3
  2. DT Bruce Hector: 90.3
  3. EDGE Austin Bryant: 90.1
  4. OLB Rashod Berry: 81.5
  5. S Dean Marlowe: 80.1

Elder saw his roster chances diminish after getting pushed down the depth chart. Still, he made the most of his last opportunity to make an impression by securing the only Lions interception this preseason. Hector was thought of as nothing more than a camp body, but he has made a chances count and put his name into considering as a depth defensive tackle. Bryant has been a force on the edge, and if he can stay healthy, he will give the Lions good depth on the outside. Berry provided good pressure against the Colts, but it is hard to see him slotting out a role as a late addition. With the safety group questionable, it is good to see Marlowe performing well in hopes of providing a solid presence down the field.

Noteworthy players:

Penei Sewell is not having a preseason as he hoped for, finishing as the lowest graded offensive player vs. the Colts and near the bottom for the entire preseason. With the transition to right tackle and not having seen a lick of football in nearly two years, he is obviously still getting his feet under him.

Thankfully the Lions got ahold of Derrick Barnes or talked about how bad the inside linebacker corps is. Once again, Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Jahlani Tavai finish as the two worst defensive players against the Colts. It’s hard to see Tavai making the team, and if it weren’t for Reeves-Maybin’s special team’s abilities, it could see that fate as well.

Also, for your viewing pleasure, here are the top performers over the entire preseason.

Offense:

  1. RB Craig Reynolds: 86.0
  2. RB Dedrick Mills: 81.7
  3. QB Jared Goff: 80.1
  4. TE Darren Fells: 79.5
  5. WR Javon McKinley: 79.2

In one of the most heated battles this preseason, Reynold and Mills finish as the top two offensive performers. They have given the coaching staff plenty to think about in the roster construction. Goff finishing this high should tell you how well the Lions backup quarterback position has gone this preseason.

Fells did have a hiccup against the Steelers, but other than that, he has been solid as the second tight end behind T.J. Hockenson. McKinley has had a rollercoaster of a preseason, and he may fall short for a roster spot, but he should be destined for the practice squad.

Defense:

  1. CB Corn Elder: 95.3
  2. S Dean Marlowe: 84.7
  3. DL Levi Onwuzurike: 84.5
  4. LB Derrick Barnes: 83.8
  5. DL Miles Brown: 82.4

Elder only played one game this preseason, but he did make it count and could provide a veteran presence behind A.J. Parker. Marlowe has been the lone bright spot in the safety group and should look on as a steady contributor meaning the deep part of the field.

Onwuzurike proved to be as advertised after returning from his injury as a powerful force on the defensive line and gave the offense a nice punch in the mouth. Barnes has been the single biggest breath of fresh air with the linebacker corps and should look to contribute immediately behind Jamie Collins and Alex Anzalone. With the hype surrounding Bruce Hector and Kevin Strong, Brown has flown under the radar providing a stable body up the middle. With the number of injuries surrounding a few players on the defensive line, he could be a sneaky addition.

Lions roster projection heading into training camp: Offense

Projecting who will make the Detroit Lions final offensive roster at the start of training camp

Detroit Lions training camp kicks off in less than two weeks. Footballs will be flying around the team’s practice facility in Allen Park with 90 players fighting for 53 final roster spots.

This is our first prediction on which players make the Lions roster after the final cutdowns.

To keep things more manageable, we’re splitting up the offense and the defensive projections, with the special teams sticking with the D. First up is the overhauled offense under new coordinator Anthony Lynn.

The projection here leaves the Lions with 25 offensive players, and that includes the return specialist and three quarterbacks.

No NFL players opted out of playing in 2021 due to COVID-19

The Lions had 3 of the 66 players who opted out in 2020

Last year saw the global COVID-19 pandemic impact the NFL in many ways. One was the ability for players who had health or family concerns to opt out of playing without any penalty.

A full 66 players around the league opted out. That includes three Detroit Lions players: WR Geronimo Allison, DT John Atkins and OL Russell Bodine. Their contracts paused for a year while they sat out with permission.

While Atkins and Bodine are no longer in Detroit, Allison returns for his first season with the Lions. And like the other 65 players who opted out, Allison will indeed suit up for the 2021 season. No players file the required paperwork with the NFL to opt out of the coming season by the deadline, which was last Friday.

The vaccination rate among players and staffers around the league, as well as downgraded regulations and restrictions from local authorities around the country, have led all the players to feel secure enough about the COVID-19 risk to play in 2021.

Players have until Thursday to opt-out for the 2020 NFL season

So far John Atkins and Geronimo Allison have opted-out

After a few days without any real clarity on a deadline, NFL players finally got a definite endpoint for their time to choose if they want to play in the 2020 season. On Monday, the NFL established the deadline for opting-out at 4 p.m. on Thursday, August 6th.

The NFL owners and the NFL Players Association agreed to the terms Monday night. The long-reported deadline of seven days from the time of the agreement was amended to the shorter deadline. USA TODAY reports some teams were worried that players would abuse the opt-out clause, and teams also wanted the ability to plan to replace those who do elect to not play due to COVID-19 concerns.

Thus far the only Lions players to opt-out are DT John Atkins and WR Geronimo Allison.

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Geronimo Allison explains why he opted out of 2020

Detroit Lions wide receiver Geronimo Allison took to social media to explain why he opted out of the 2020 NFL season.

On Sunday, Detroit Lions wide receiver Geronimo Allison opted out of the 2020 NFL season and took to social media to explain why he made that decision.

Here’s what Allison had to say, via his Instagram account:

“One of the greatest joys of my life has been playing professional football. I wasn’t sure anything could ever top that until my wife and I welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the world, just a few months ago. I reported to training camp as a new dad, hopeful to play this season.

“However, with still so much uncertainty around this very scary virus and the intense desire to protect the health and well-being of my family, I have decided to opt out of this season. I want to thank the Detroit Lions organization, the Ford Family, and the National Football League for allowing me to play the game I love and supporting me through this unbelievably difficult decision. I am looking forward to next season.”

View this post on Instagram

One of the greatest joys of my life has been playing professional football. I wasn’t sure anything could ever top that until my wife and I welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the world, just a few months ago. I reported to training camp as a new dad, hopeful to play this season. However, with still so much uncertainty around this very scary virus and the intense desire to protect the health and well-being of my family, I have decided to opt out of this season. I want to thank the Detroit Lions organization, the Ford Family, and the National Football League for allowing me to play the game I love and supporting me through this unbelievably difficult decision. I am looking forward to next season.

A post shared by Geronimo Allison (@geronimooooo) on

After sitting out 2020, Allison will revert back to the Lions roster in 2021 where his one-year deal will toll towards next season.

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Former Packers WR Geronimo Allison opts out of 2020 season

Former Packers WR Geronimo Allison opted out of the 2020 season and won’t play for the rival Lions.

Former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Geronimo Allison won’t play for the Detroit Lions, his new team, during the 2020 season.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Allison has opted out of the season.

All players have the option to opt out of the 2020 season due to the on-going coronavirus pandemic. Packers receiver Devin Funchess, who was signed in part to help replace Allison, already opted out.

Allison, an undrafted free agent signed out of Illinois in 2016, played four seasons with the Packers, catching 89 passes for 1,045 yards and six touchdowns. He was the offense’s slot receiver in 2019 but struggled, catching 34 passes for 287 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 8.7 yards per catch and 5.1 yards per target.

Allison signed a one-year deal to join the Lions, giving him a chance to contribute in Detroit in 2021.

Former Packers fullback Danny Vitale, who signed with the New England Patriots in free agency, also opted out.

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Lions WR Geronimo Allison elects to opt-out for 2020

Allison was expected to compete to be the team’s No. 4 WR in 2020

Geronimo Allison was the most prominent addition to the Lions wide receiving corps this offseason. However, Allison has elected to opt-out from playing in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Allison joins DT John Atkins on the opt-out list for Detroit. The veteran wideout will not play in 2020 and will receive a $150,000 advance on his contract as a result. Allison signed a 1-year, $1.05 million contract this offseason to join the Lions after spending his first four seasons with the Green Bay Packers.

The big wideout from Illinois was expected to take over the No. 4 WR role behind Marvin Jones, Kenny Golladay and Danny Amendola. He caught 34 passes for 287 yards and two TDs in 2019.

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Lions 2019 rewatch: Week 6 notes from the Lions vs. the Packers and the officials

Lions 2019 rewatch: Week 6 notes from the Lions vs. the Packers and the officials, who decided Green Bay was supposed to win

The 4-1 Green Bay Packers host the 2-1-1 Detroit Lions on Monday Night Football in Lambeau Field. First place in the NFC North and ongoing bragging rights for Detroit, which had beaten the Packers four straight times entering the game.

Pregame notes

This was the Lions return from their bye week. Detroit wore road blue jerseys with the silver pants accented with blue piping stripes. Temp was 43 degrees at kickoff and the field was somewhat slick after it had rained during the day.

Starters Quandre Diggs, Da’Shawn Hand and Mike Daniels were all out for Detroit. The Packers were missing top WR Davante Adams and starting safety Darnell Savage.

First quarter

The Lions come out firing with a flea-flicker that works perfectly. Kerryon Johnson sells the run fake before flipping the ball back to Matthew Stafford. Kenny Golladay pulls away from Kevin King in man coverage with the safety sucked up to defend the run. Golladay eventually gets caught from behind at the Packers’ 11-yard line. Nick Bawden sold the run fake beautifully too. Huge play.

The very next snap, Bawden brushes into Stafford as he drops back for a handoff to Johnson. Stafford falls on the ball but it’s a wasted down. The Packers have very good coverage on the next two plays and force a short Matt Prater field goal. None of the Lions’ targets (WR or TE) do anything to try and get free after their initial route is covered while Stafford buys time. Pass protection is good enough that Stafford slips and falls down but still can get up and deliver a throw. 3-0 Lions.

Trey Flowers is playing right DE outside the OT’s shoulders and he blows up a nice misdirection run. Justin Coleman helps break up a contested-catch opportunity for WR Geronimo Allison on third down. Jahlani Tavai had a nice zone coverage drop, taking away the underneath route Aaron Rodgers wanted on the play.

The Lions next play is another deep strike, this time from Stafford to Marvin Hall. Kerryon Johnson has a great pass protection pickup and it allows Hall to run past Kevin King (recurring game theme) in coverage. Perfect throw that travels 48 yards in the air.

Kerryon Johnson eventually scores on a goal-line dive play where he barely broke the plane. The run blocking through the first two drives is consistently terrible, exacerbated by the Packers loading up the line and the box without worry of being beaten in single coverage outside. All the momentum remains with the visiting Lions, up 10-0 after less than five minutes off the clock.

A’Shawn Robinson ends the next Packers drive with a brilliant strip tackle that Christian Jones recovers. Lambeau Field is in shaken silence.

Second quarter

Stafford remains red-hot, the run game remains ice-cold. The drive stalls in the red zone as (recurring theme) the Packers load the box and middle-of-field and the Lions’ uncreative receivers cannot get any room without the threat of the deep ball. Graham Glasgow is getting worked at right guard, LT Taylor Decker cannot sustain his blocks either. All three TEs (Jesse James, T.J. Hockenson, Logan Thomas) have been worthless in the run game thus far. Hockenson dropped a difficult contested catch in the zone on this one, too. Another Prater FG makes it 13-0.

To recap: the Lions get 1st-and-goal inside the Packers 8-yard line on all three possessions but come away with just 13 points. Johnson has five carries for three yards in the red zone and was contacted behind the line on every attempt.

Sam Martin’s kickoff goes out of bounds and the Packers finally string together some positive plays. It’s aided by some terrible officiating; on the very first play, Romeo Okwara is held, facemasked and deliberately tripped all in very plain and obvious view but doesn’t get a flag. Twice the umpire reaches for his flag but decides against it.

Lions are playing more zone defense in coverage, showing man and sugaring the box pre-snap but then dropping into Cover-1. Rodgers burns it with a perfect throw to an uncovered Aaron Jones (Christian Jones and Jarrad Davis mix-up) on an RB wheel but the pass hits Jones in the face and falls incomplete in the end zone. Everything is coming up Lions!

A sketchy defensive holding call on Tracy Walker extends the Packers drive. The coverage is holding up well but the run defense keeps getting gashed, as the Packers smartly keep attacking the hole where Davis and/or Tavai show their rush before dropping. Running right at a dropping LB is a prudent strategy but the Lions maintain the look on every rep.

Eventually a Lions illegal substitution penalty (a good call) on 4th down overcomes a poor series from Rodgers and the Packers cash in for a touchdown to cut it to 13-7. Tavon Wilson misses a potential tackle for loss, Jarrad Davis badly overruns the point of attack on the touchdown shovel pass/jet sweep.

The right side of the Lions OL (Wagner/Glasgow) foils a drive with genuine ineptitude. Packers methodically drive for a field goal just before the half to tighten the score to 13-10. The Lions downfield coverage is excellent once again, the up-the-gut run defense remains terrible.

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Establishing the 53: Keeping a 6th WR vs a 4th TE

Examining the Detroit Lions pass-catching options and debating the value of keeping a sixth wide receiver versus a fourth tight end.

We are a long way from NFL training camps and even further from the regular season, but it’s never too early to examine and speculate about the Detroit Lions roster. Currently, the Lions have 90-players on their roster, and come September, there will likely be some difficult decisions to make when determining their final 53-players.

Previously, in this series of articles at Lions Wire, we rounded out the running backs group, declared a winner in the fullback versus H-back competition, and in this piece, we will explore the value of keeping a sixth wide receiver versus a fourth tight end.

Returning WR and TE starters

The Lions return all three wide receiver starters — Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones, and Danny Amendola — and all three are expected to keep there starting spots.

At tight end, Jesse James technically started last season but T.J. Hockenson saw more snaps in 2019, despite missing the final five games of the season. Both return as the Lions top two tight ends, regardless of who starts.

Erik’s prediction: Based on contracts, roles, and talent, all five easily make the 53-man roster.

Key role players

He only played 127 snaps over nine games, but Marvin Hall was the vertical speed option the Lions offense had been searching for all last offseason. The Lions didn’t add another player with a skill set similar to Hall this offseason, indicating he is likely to return to his WR4/5 role.

Like Hall, the Lions don’t have another player like fifth-round pick Quintez Cephus on their roster. An inside-out option who will likely find success in the NFL as a big slot, there was a reason he was targeted in last month’s draft.

In a previous Establishing the 53 article, I laid out my reasoning for keeping Isaac Nauta as a third tight end/H-back option over Nick Bawden, citing positional versatility and health as difference makers.

Erik’s prediction: Hall, Cephus, and Nauta push the Lions pass-catching count to five wide receivers and three tight ends on the 53. Likely leaving, at most, one more skill player that could be added.

In the mix at WR6

With five receivers already locked in, the Lions final six rostered receivers — Geronimo Allison, Chris Lacy, Travis Fulgham, Tom Kennedy, Victor Bolden, and Geremy Davis — will be competing for the sixth wide receiver role. At this point in the offseason, you can probably cut these options in half, leaving the top-3 as realistic competitors.

Lacy and Fulgham battled all camp for a final spot on the roster with Lacy winning out, but only lasting two games on the active roster. He would join Fulgham on the practice squad for the majority of the year, but eventually, both were promoted to the active roster late in the season.

Allison was the Lions’ most notable free-agent wide receiver added this offseason, and like Cephus, he has inside-out potential, but they win in very different ways. His four years of NFL experience gives him a massive edge over Lacy and Fulgham.

Erik’s prediction: Allison is in the lead for the WR6 role but I am not ready to place him on the 53 just yet.

The wild card

A tight end in name only, Hunter Bryant (6-2, 240 pounds) is basically an oversized wide receiver who is a YAC (yards-after-catch) monster in the slot. Defenses will struggle to match up with him and Bryant has the potential to be a true wildcard in this offense.

Bryant gets knocked for his blocking — and rightfully so — but there is a foundation there, and with proper coaching, he should be able to improve his technique.

Erik’s prediction: If Bryant can prove his worth on special teams, he could lock up this final skill player spot early in training camp.

Conclusion

If the Lions are able to keep a WR6 or TE4, in my mind it will likely come down to Allison versus Bryant. Allison’s experience, ability to line up at multiple spots on the field, and contribute on special teams will be very appealing to the Lions, but Bryant’s upside may be too good to pass up.

At this point on the roster, the Lions are looking at a player who would likely see five to eight snaps a game, and would ideally someone who can give them an advantage every time they see the field.

Erik’s prediction: I’ll take the matchup nightmare, give me Bryant on the 53.

Lions make heavy investment in special teams during free agency

Despite losing, and not replacing, a punter in free agency, the Detroit Lions have made a heavy investment in their special teams coverage and blocking units.

After moving on from 2019 special teams coordinator John Bonamego, the Lions made a strong move towards improving their special teams by hiring up-and-comer Brayden Coombs (formerly of the Cincinnati Bengals) to take over the coordinator position.

Coombs spent the last decade learning under Bengals coordinator Darrin Simmons and was part of Football Outsiders #1 DVOA special teams unit in 2019.

But the addition of Coombs was just the beginning. When the Lions hit the free agency market, they made a heavy investment in their special teams coverage and blocking units.

Snap Counts

In 2019, the Lions had around 470 plays on special teams. That works out to about 5,170 snaps spread out over the roster throughout the year. If we remove extra point and field goal attempts, as well as the offensive/defensive linemen, long snapper and kicker snaps, that leaves roughly 3,221 snaps for coverage and blocking units.

Of those 3,221 snaps, the Lions return 24 players and 2,792 of those snaps. Lost in free agency were just 409 snaps, from Logan Thomas (176), Tavon Wilson (120), J.D. McKissic (79), Paul Perkins (29), and Devon Kennard (14).

While not all of the Lions’ offseason signings (or returning players) will make the 2020 roster, they have invested in nine players who contributed on 953 special teams snaps last season including Jayron Kearse (226), Tony McRae (181), Elijah Lee (198), Geremy Davis (97), Darryl Roberts (85), Jamie Collins (76), Geronimo Allison (45), Reggie Ragland (26), Duron Harmon (19).

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That’s an increase of four players and 524 snaps from 2019 special teams units — and this isn’t factoring in the players who will be added via the Lions draft class.

Last season the Lions got special teams contributions from eight rookies that accounted for 817 special teams coverage/blocking snaps. Those snaps came from C.J Moore (292), Will Harris (178), Ty Johnson (118), Isaac Nauta (82), Amani Oruwariye (69), Jahlani Tavai (41), Travis Fulgham (25), and Anthony Pittman (12).

If the Lions can get a similar level of contributions from this year’s rookie class, as well as the additional 524 from this year’s free agents, the Lions will have over 1300 additional snaps to play with when making decisions on their 53-man roster.

Bottom line

As always, players who can contribute on special teams will round out the 2020 roster, and with roughly 25-percent more snap experience than they will need, the Lions will be able to pick from the best of what will assuredly be a fierce training camp competition.

Think of it as being able to pick the best dozen apples from the orchard rather than buying a three-pound bag from the grocery store and hoping none of them are bruised or rotten.

A lot of the recent signings in free agency haven’t been flashy, but the Lions are setting themselves up to put an improved special teams unit on the field. Considering how often special teams can be an intricate part in determining success during a game, its low key moves like this that can pay dividends in December.