Tag: Taylor Decker

Lions cancel Tuesday’s practice, come together to promote social justice in wake of Jacob Blake shooting

The Detroit Lions have canceled Tuesday’s practice, come together to promote social justice in wake of Jacob Blake shooting.

Detroit Lions’ practice was supposed to begin at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday but the media was told practice would be delayed after player meetings were running long. Practice was delayed again, then delayed again, and finally canceled.

The Lions have made social justice a priority this offseason, and after the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin over the weekend, the Lions’ players felt compelled to spend the day having raw conversations about it.

At 1:30 in the afternoon, Lions’ players came out to address the media as a group, standing together with a whiteboard message that read, “The World Can’t Go On!” and “We Won’t Be Silent!!”.

Duron Harmon, Trey Flowers, and Taylor Decker addressed the media outside the Lions facility in Allen Park.

Team leaders Matthew Stafford, Trey Flowers, Duron Harmon, Taylor Decker, and coach Matt Patricia met virtually with the media to further discuss this issue, while other players and coaches took to social media after the demonstration to express their feelings:

2019 Lions rewatch project: Week 14 notebook from Minnesota

One of the weakest efforts by a Lions team in the post-Millen era

After a bit of extended rest following the Thanksgiving loss to the Chicago Bears, the Lions packed up their game and headed out west to Minnesota. The 3-8-1 Lions limp into the beautiful new home of the Vikings in a rematch of Detroit’s most lopsided loss of the season.

The 8-4 Vikings enter the game coming off a tough loss to Seattle. They’re chasing the 9-3 Packers in the NFC North while also trying to stay above the 7-5 Rams in the race for the final NFC Wild Card spot. Detroit was officially eliminated in Week 13.

Pregame notes

The Lions still have Matthew Stafford on the active roster but placed Jeff Driskel on IR. He’s replaced as David Blough’s backup by Kelly Sloter. CB/RS Jamal Agnew and DE Da’Shawn Hand are the only regulars who are inactive, though CB Rashaan Melvin is sitting out despite being active.

Minnesota is still without WR Adam Thielen, who injured himself catching a TD in the Week 7 matchup in Detroit.

Walt Anderson is the referee for the indoor game. The Lions are clad in their road white jerseys with blue pants, while the Vikings are in the purple tops and white pants.

Because this game was (spoiler alert!) never really competitive, I’m cutting back more on the play-to-play analysis and offering a more general vibe of who is playing well and what is/not working for Detroit.

First quarter

David Blough’s first two passes are batted down at the line of scrimmage. He’s sacked quickly on 3rd-and-10 when Jesse James flat-out fails in trying to block Danielle Hunter. Sam Martin’s booming punt is poorly covered, allowing a 17-yard return by Mike Hughes as both Tavon Wilson and Steve Longa got caught out of their lanes. The “uh-oh” feeling is already creeping up.

At least the Lions defense comes out sharp. Christian Jones nicely blows up a screen pass. A’Shawn Robinson smothers a stretch run where Jarrad Davis nicely sealed off the cutback lane. Darius Slay breaks up the final pass, a back-foot heave by Kirk Cousins who was under heavy pressure from a sweet A-gap blitz by Davis.

We see a bit of creativity on 2nd-and-10 during this drive. The Lions have all three DTs in the game–Damon Harrison, A’Shawn Robinson, John Atkins–all aligned right of the center and inside the tackle box. Devon Kennard is the lone EDGE on the left. Cousins simply rolls gently to his left and easily completes a short pass to TE Kyle Rudolph.

Another poor 3-and-out from the Lions offense. James again loses badly on a block, Blough misfires behind Marvin Jones.

The next Vikings drive is aided by Lions penalties. Slay gets flagged for holding (valid call) and later Tavai gets called for lowering the head to initiate contact as he ran into a scrum late. It’s a letter-of-the-law penalty and it sets up the Vikings TD.

The touchdown is a pass from Cousins to Bisi Johnson, who beat Amani Oruwariye in man coverage on a crosser in the back of the end zone. It’s not a great throw and the rookie CB gets a contest on it but Johnson hangs on and scores. Cousins had enough time to order a tea set in the pocket. The conversion makes it 7-0 Vikings.

The Lions finally get a first down on offense! A nice catch by Marvin Jones on a contested throw gains 18. Minnesota follows that up with a penalty to keep the chains moving but the Lions cannot capitalize. Receivers are not open and Blough has no time to throw, and it’s that way every snap.

Second quarter

I will not question effort, but I’ll just say this: the Vikings offensive line is not nearly as dominant as what the Lions defensive line is making them out to be. Watching Harrison, Mike Daniels and Robinson get pushed around and staying blocked in the run game is very frustrating. It’s especially notable on the first Vikings drive of the second quarter.

Robinson does make a nice TFL but it’s almost entirely RB Dalvin Cook’s own fault for ignoring the hole and bouncing the cut directly into big No. 91, with Wilson there to finish him. A similar thing happens on his next run; Cook tries to cut back inside and that gives a lining Harrison enough time to catch up and drop him at the line. If Cook keeps his line outside and follows his blocking he’s got a first down. That is where this game is at already–the only real Lions positives are when Vikings players screw up.

Scarbrough continues to be a bright spot. He gets nine yards on three carries on the Lions’ next 3-and-out. While that doesn’t seem successful, he’s maximizing yards. Isaac Nauta is in at fullback and on second down he throws a very nice cut block. The 3rd-and-1 is an uncreative nightmare. With 10 (10!) Vikings in the box and the Lions in a 3TE set, Scarbrough plows headlong into a scrum of bodies. Ragnow and Decker get push but the other OL-men are knocked backward. Easy stop on a bad offensive call.

Spotlight play on Jahlani Tavai: 2nd-and-8, 8:19 on the clock. Tavai is lined up as a JACK over left tackle but feigns (poorly I might add) a rush. He drops 3-4 yards deep and his assignment on the play is the RB Mattison, who holds in initially as a potential pass blocker and then released when Tavai doesn’t rush. Tavai is on top of it, flows well as Mattison starts to circle out to the left. But the rookie LB can’t take his eye off Cousins, who would have a wide open lane to run through between C and LG as the DL has been pushed aside. Tavai takes a full step inside to quell that notion, but it gives Mattison enough room to get free for the outlet pass. A diving Tavai cannot reach him to make the tackle, and Mattison rumbles for a first down, leaping over a terrible Wilson tackle attempt in the process. To make matters worse, Robinson gets injured while showing great hustle to chase the play down.

Cousins was never going to run. He wasn’t even thinking about it. When Tavai hedged inside, Cousins was looking for his TE down the middle (good bracket coverage by Jones and Will Harris here). If Tavai just stays on task with Mattison, this play almost certainly goes nowhere. Based on Cousins’ inside throw, Tavai might have even had a shot at an INT. Alas, none of that happened.

A nice red zone stand, aided by a Vikings penalty, keeps the damage to a field goal and it’s 10-0.

Detroit’s next drive is Minnesota’s chance to prove they can screw things up. Three separate defensive penalties, a great contested catch by Kenny Golladay and two nice Scarbrough runs behind Ragnow and Glasgow set the Lions up nicely in the red zone.

That’s where Blough shows his inexperience. On 3rd-and-2 from the MIN 15, Blough looks around from the shotgun. And looks. And looks. Nobody is even close to being open. After 4.4 seconds (I timed it twice) he gets sacked back at the 27. He has to throw the ball away. The lost yards prove critical when Prater slices the kick wide right. It would have been good from 33 yards but wasn’t at 45.

The Vikings pounce. Cousins finds Stefon Diggs deep against Slay. It’s been a pretty even battle on the day between these two but Diggs wins this one. It appears Slay played inside technique instead of outside, which nullified Harris’ over-the-top coverage help. The outside shoulder throw is where Slay should have been based on the help.

The 44-yard gain sets up a too-easy Cook TD off right tackle and it’s 17-0 hitting the half.

Third quarter

Both teams come out in the second half with the energy of a game that is already decided. The Vikings harmlessly and unaggressively run 3-and-out, and the Lions follow suit with a Jones drop on a low throw on third down. Then another 3-and-out for both teams, the Lions losing a conversion due to a (legit) Golladay illegal block penalty. The gnawing feeling that I should be doing something more constructive than watching these two teams go through the motions creeps in heavily.

We get some real action with a Blough interception. The rookie QB rolls to his left despite being under no real pressure and throws an off-balance wobbler over Golladay’s head. Easy pickings for Harrison Smith, who somehow injured CB Xavier Rhodes with a ninja kick while making the catch.

The Lions A-gap run defense continues to be a problem. The RB is getting to the second level too cleanly. Walker and Wilson are making first contact well past the line of scrimmage. The defense eventually holds when Harrison blows up a draw, forcing a 50-yard FG attempt. It’s good and it’s 20-0 at the end of the third, technically on the first play of the fourth quarter. This was Tavai’s best drive in weeks, including a devastating TFL where he perfectly shot the gap at the snap.

Fourth quarter

Blough and the Lions continue to try the quick-hit pass plays. He’s very accurate with his feet set on the short throws to the outside. THe drive stalls when Everson Griffen screams around Decker from a Wide-9 stance and sacks Blough untouched. Tyrell Crosby, in at right tackle, also got beaten badly on the play. After the play Decker and Ragnow discuss the protection like there was a miscommunication. At least Sam Martin’s punt is fantastic and pins the Vikings at their own 5.

Will Harris has generally had a strong game to this point, but he’s on the wrong end of the highlight reel on the ensuing drive. In Cover-3 zone, Harris closes too late on Laquon Treadwell, who makes the catch. Harris’ tackle attempt winds up with him being thrown to the ground after clinging to the big WR for 3-4 yards. Slay was within reach to help but just watched it happen.

Trey Flowers bags the Lions’ first sack by bulling right through ex-Lion Riley Reiff, now the Vikings’ LT. Really nice tight press coverage by Oruwariye forced Cousins to eat the sack instead of trying a throw.

It’s now the peak of garbage time and the Vikings defensive effort reflects that. With about five minutes to go, it’s clear the Lions want to avoid being shutout more than the Vikings care about shutting them out. Blough to Amendola on 1-2 read throws continues to move the chains. Decker and Joe Dahl at LT/LG make a couple of nice switch adjustments on rushes.

The Lions find the end zone when Blough zips a pass to a well-covered Golladay in the back of the end zone. CB Trae Waynes stumbled (Golladay got away with some pushing here) and it allowed Golladay to reach around him and catch it. Prater banks the extra point in off the left upright and it’s 20-7.

The onside kick–a good try by Prater–fails. So does the Vikings offense, inexplicably going for it on 4th-and-2 from near midfield. Robinson absolutely devours 4th-string RB Mike Boone in the backfield. The Lions get another shot.

Once again the first-read throws by Blough are very effective. The up-tempo offense finds first downs with completions to Golladay, Logan Thomas and Jones. Decker’s pass protection in obvious passing situations here deserves respect, he’s great on Griffen this entire drive. Blough gets greedy looking for Thomas up the seam and safety Andrew Sendejo picks it off in the end zone. Game over, thank goodness.

Good games

Tracy Walker, Bo Scarbrough, Danny Amendola (except for one drop), Taylor Decker (outside the miscue sack), Ty Johnson, Frank Ragnow, John Atkins, Amani Oruwariye in coverage, Jahlani Tavai vs. the run, Sam Martin

Bad games

David Blough, Marvin Jones, Matt Prater, Rick Wagner, Jesse James, Jahlani Tavai in coverage, Damon Harrison (mostly), Romeo Okwara, A’Shawn Robinson outside of two great plays, Kenny Golladay aside from his TD catch

If you’re down on Blough as the potential Lions backup QB, this is probably the game that you point to in validation. The rookie was very rough in his second start, taking coverage sacks instead of throwing the ball away and leaving some opportunities on the field. The line was a lot better than Blough made it appear in this one, too.

Taylor Decker says the Lions have yet propose any contract offers

Decker is entering the final season of his rookie contract

Taylor Decker is entering the final year of his contract with the Detroit Lions. The veteran left tackle is playing out the fifth-year option of his original rookie deal signed as the team’s first-round pick in 2016.

Decker has been good enough to earn a lucrative offer if he were to hit the open market. While he’s not an elite talent, replacing him at such a key position would be a major ordeal for the Lions. Tackles of his caliber don’t hit free agency often, and the draft is an even less-certain way to fill a critical hole. Detroit is flush with salary cap room too, near the top of the league in available cap.

Despite all that, Decker says the Lions have not yet presented him or his agent with an extension. He made the admission during a Zoom teleconference with reporters on Thursday.

When asked if he’s considered different contract options, Decker responded,

“I haven’t considered anything because there hasn’t been anything put on the table. However those conversations go, I’ll speak with my agent about that, he’ll speak with the organization about that and then however they go, they go. But obviously anything could be considered.”

He also doesn’t seem worried about a timetable.

“I didn’t really have any expectations on when something would be done or if something would be done,” Decker explained without sounding concerned. He noted the team and the country have bigger things to worry about in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Here is the Lions’ salary cap position heading into training camp

Examining where the Detroit Lions salary cap resides as they enter the 2020 training camp.

With the NFL and NFLPA reaching a resolution on the addendum to the CBA (collective bargaining agreement), there has been a lot of confusion surrounding the numbers publicized about the NFL’s salary cap.

In this piece, we will take what has changed, what has stayed the same, where the Lions sit entering training camp, and where they could be in the future.

2020

With regards to the 2020 salary cap, the above NFL and NFLPA addendum agreed to leave it unchanged at $198.2 million. The Lions, who have the fifth-most cap space in the league, sit with a comfortable $23 million in available space according to OverTheCap.com.

$23 million will allow general manager Bob Quinn and cap guru Mike Disner to take their time evaluating free agents, as well as determining which current players could receive contract extensions. So far we at Lions Wire have projected extensions for Kenny Golladay and Taylor Decker, while Matt Prater also remains a strong candidate for a new deal.

To get a better understanding of where the Lions are spending their money, we broke down all 89 player contracts (estimating Jashon Cornell’s contract as he has not yet signed his rookie deal) and then sectioned them off by position to determine how they were allocating funds.

While the current COVID-19 environment will ask the Lions to cut the roster down to 80 players during training camp, that will more than likely not impact the current roster space, as the cap only factors in the top-51 contracts. But, when the roster is cut to 53 players in September — with 16 on the practice squad — there will be some movement to the cap.

2021-2024

While it will be tempting to spend the $23 million during the 2020 season, there are also several reasons to stash that money away for the future, especially considering the league is expected to take a financial loss this season.

The salary cap is directly determined by the profit/loss of the league year prior, and with losses on the horizon due to the pandemic, the NFL and NFLPA have taken steps to soften the impact on future salary caps.

Instead of forcing 2021 alone to offset the loss, they agreed to spread out the loss over four years (through 2024), while also setting a cap floor of $175 million in 2021. By setting the floor for 2021, it will allow general managers the ability to begin planning for the future.

For the last decade, the salary cap has steadily risen and teams have structured contracts with this in mind, but with a potential drop of $23 million (from $198.2 to $175 million), some teams will have to make quick unplanned adjustments.

Currently, the Lions have $175 million invested in 44 players for the 2021 season — which would leave them with literally zero wiggle room — but with the potential to rollover 2020 cap, Quinn could move over much of the $23 million in available funds in order to create more room in 2021.

There are several ways to create more cap space — extensions, rework contracts, cuts — and we are a full football season away from seeing many of those moves, but as things stand today, the Lions would open up the 2021 offseason around 16th in the NFL in available funds.

Conclusion

The Lions are in good shape for 2020 and having $23 million available gives them some flexibility to make moves they determine necessary. But with potential roadblocks ahead in 2021-2024, don’t expect the Lions to risk their future and make any big moves unless the deal is too good to pass up.

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Taylor Decker: Projecting what the Lions left tackle’s next contract will cost

Decker is going to get paid this coming offseason, if not sooner

Taylor Decker is entering the final season of his rookie contract, and the Lions starting left tackle is due for a handsome reward. The Lions have a chance to reach an extension this offseason before the price tag goes up, if they so choose. Or they could play it out, possibly use a franchise tag to keep him or let Decker hit free agency and create a huge hole on Matthew Stafford’s blindside.

What kind of money is Decker looking at in his next deal, be it in Detroit or elsewhere?

The Lions might have unwittingly set the market value higher for their left tackle by paying what they did to lure right tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai as a free agent this offseason. Detroit inked Vaitai, a career backup (although an oft-used one) in Philadelphia, to a 5-year, $45 million deal that could bump to $50 million. A full $20 million is guaranteed at signing.

Vaitai’s deal raised the floor considerably for tackles. While Decker was primed to earn significantly more regardless of this contract, what Vaitai got solidified Decker’s leverage and value, be it in Detroit or on the open market.

Another 2020 free agent tackle, this one more of Decker’s caliber of player, that helps set the value is Jack Conklin. The Browns signed the former Titan right tackle to a 3-year, $42 million contract with $30 million guaranteed at signing.

The $14 million per year is a good bargaining point. Decker and Conklin have largely parallel career arcs, starting out very well as rookie first-round picks in 2016, fading back to average for a couple of years before rebounding with a solid 2019. Both are slightly above-average starters for their positions with a high overall floor but also enough issues that they’re unlikely to ever get much higher than that current status.

Then again, left tackles do earn significantly more. Donovan Smith of the Buccaneers inked a 3-year, $41.25 million deal in 2019. He’s not even close to as good as Decker; per Pro Football Focus, Smith has allowed 10 more sacks, 49 more QB pressures and committed 18 more penalties over the last four seasons than Decker.

Houston’s Laremy Tunsil, another 2016 first-rounder, signed for $66 million over three years just before April’s draft. A full $40 million of that money is guaranteed. Tunsil’s PFF numbers are close to Decker’s, allowing fewer sacks and pressures but committing far more penalties and earning consistently lower run-blocking marks.

Expect Decker’s next contract to come in between what Conklin and Smith got and what Tunsil earned in his extension with the Texans. A 3-year deal for $50 million, with $35 million guaranteed, is the right range for a deal for both sides. Decker could take a longer deal with a lower percentage of his salary guaranteed, too.

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No preseason is a big problem for the Lions’ rebuilt offensive line

Detroit will have at least two new starters on the offensive line in 2020

Every NFL team will lose some benefits by not having preseason games. The Detroit Lions continuity on the coaching staff and at the offensive skill position players puts the team in a better spot than many of their opponents.

The offensive line, however…

Detroit is breaking in two new starters on the right side. Rick Wagner and Graham Glasgow are both gone. Big-ticket free agent Halapoulivaati Vaitai will be the right tackle, a role he played with a limited degree of success as a reserve in Philadelphia. At least he’s a known commodity.

Right guard is a complete mystery right now. It was the only real open spot on the starting offense entering camp. Kenny Wiggins figured to have the best chance, and his chances are augmented by the lack of proving-ground competition that the preseason would have provided. It’s going to be that much harder for rookies Jonah Jackson and Logan Stenberg to try and crack the starting lineup.

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Left guard was poised for competition, too. I’ve often predicted Jackson, the team’s third-round pick from Ohio State, would win the starting left guard spot over holdover Joe Dahl, or Wiggins, or veteran Oday Aboushi, or newcomer Joshua Garnett. Now I can’t hold to that prediction with any sort of confidence. Even though I do expect the guard rotation experiment from last season to continue, there should be a first amongst equals. Jackson’s opportunity to earn that first status is severely hampered by the preseason cancelation.

The uncertainty at those spots negatively impacts the two established, quality starters up front in left tackle Taylor Decker and center Frank Ragnow. Don’t forget the Lions are breaking in a new offensive line coach in Hank Fraley, who takes over for Jeff Davidson after being an assistant last year. Fraley is familiar with the players and the blocking scheme is expected to remain essentially the same, but it’s still another card that can collapse the whole offensive house.

It’s a lot of moving parts that need to come together quickly to keep the Lions offense flying high with Matthew Stafford and his weapons. Losing the chance to play together in preseason is a major hit to the Detroit offensive line.

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Lions 2019 rewatch: Week 11 notebook from the shootout loss to the Cowboys

Dallas beat Detroit 35-27 in Ford Field in a game where the Lions’ backups played well

The 2019 rewatch project returns to Ford Field for a home date with the Dallas Cowboys in Week 11.

The visitors from Dallas brought a 5-4 record with them, fresh off a home loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 10. The Cowboys entered the contest 4th in scoring offense and 10th in scoring defense.

Pregame notes

The Lions were missing several regular starters not already on injured reserve. Most notable is QB Matthew Stafford, meaning Jeff Driskel gets his second start. Right tackle Rick Wagner and defensive ends Romeo Okwara and Da’Shawn Hand also missed the game due to injury. Bo Scarbrough made his Lions debut as the starting running back, the fifth starter at RB in 10 games.

Dallas did not have any regular starters inactive.

The referee for the game was Tony Corrente. Detroit wore white shirts and the Honolulu Blue pants, while Dallas donned their dark blue jerseys and silver pants.

First quarter

The first snap after Dallas gets the opening kickoff for a touchback is a great use of defensive creativity. Trey Flowers twists with A’Shawn Robinson and then safety Tavon Wilson blitzes in the void behind it. Dak Prescott throws the ball directly to Darius Slay in blanket coverage on Amari Cooper. Great start.

It gets even greater on the very next snap. Trey Flowers slams into Zeke Elliott at the line of scrimmage and forces a fumble that Jarrad Davis pounces on for the recovery. Huge hit, great job by Flowers to let the block flow away from him. Lions take over at the Dallas 28.

Frank Ragnow pancakes his man on the first snap, a nice run by Scarbrough. A couple of quick-hit completions from Driskel and a facemask penalty set up the Lions at the Dallas 5. Scarbrough takes advantage of a great seal block from Ragnow and an unusually deep set by the Cowboy LBs to plow into the end zone. Nice block from Marvin Jones on the TD too. Matt Prater’s conversion is good and the Lions spring out to a quick, too-easy 7-0 lead.

Dallas botches the kick return when Tony Pollard ignores his teammates telling him to kneel in the end zone. Several Lions cascade over him at the Dallas 14. Cowboys clearly did not have “return” on in looking at their blocking but nobody told Pollard. Oops.

The defense forces a quick 3-and-out. Great work in coverage by Jarrad Davis as an Elliott spy. Prescott looked for that on both 2nd and 3rd downs but Davis was in great position both plays. Flowers continues to dominate up front, nearly got a sack on 2nd down.

What ensues is a really bad offensive series for LT Taylor Decker. He earns a false start penalty and then misses the snap count on 3rd down, nearly getting Driskel blown up. Sam Martin salvaged dignity for Detroit with a great punt off a bouncing snap from Don Muhlbach. Great punt coverage by Dee Virgin and Cory Moore, though the Cowboys attempt at blocking here is charitably described as apathetic.

Two drives per team and it’s clear the Cowboys were not prepared to play. the next possession shows Dallas waking from its slumber. Prescott engineers a methodical drive that gets both him and the Cowboys very good OL into rhythm. It’s worth noting that every completion on this drive came when the Lions were in zone coverage, and Prescott missed every throw but one (on Rashaan Melvin) against man.

Devon Kennard comes up with a huge sack on 3rd-and-goal to keep Dallas out of the end zone. Lions pass coverage — dropping 8 with Davis spying Prescott — worked great in the red zone. Dallas kicks the short FG and it’s 7-3 Lions.

Second quarter

After a 3-and-out by the Lions offense, helped by a Kenny Golladay drop that probably should have been pass interference, the Cowboys keep the momentum.

With Slay effectively erasing Cooper from the field, Prescott turns to Michael Gallup and Pollard, in for Elliott at RB for the series. Pollard catches a simple crosser, Tracy Walker, who had made two very nice open-field tackles earlier on the drive, misses the open-field tackle and Pollard scoots in for a TD. Worth noting that Will Harris was still running away from the play well after Pollard caught it, no ball awareness.

What follows is one of the most embarrassing offensive sequences seen in any NFL stadium all season.

Decker’s rough day continues on the very next Lions snap. Robert Quinn blows around the edge with a nice shoulder dip and nearly strip-sacks Driskel, who avoids the first contact but succumbs to the second. On the 2nd down-and-long, both guards, Graham Glasgow and Kenny Wiggins whiff on their run blocks and RB J.D. McKissic gets annihilated by a flying Jaylon Smith in a tackle reminiscent of Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka of WWE fame in the 1980s. Third down sees Driskel very nearly throw a pick-six to LB Leighton Vander Esch after staring down T.J. Hockenson. This was as bad of an offensive series as I’ve seen from the Lions all year.

Thankfully Dallas screws up on special teams once again. An illegal block penalty and Pollard opting to sprint sideways for 30 yards instead of forward salvages some field position.

Detroit comes out in a 5-man front with Davis nad Christian Jones at LB but also Wilson playing as an OLB. Interesting look. Prescott has all day to throw an outlet swing pass to Elliott that picks up a 1st down, alas. Very nice coverage by Jones downfield.

Now Wilson has joined Davis as Elliott spies. Wilson travels with Elliott as he motions from one side of Prescott to the other. It works very well. Prescott wildly misses on 3rd down and the Lions have some life when Jamal Agnew breaks off a fantastic return that is once again more about Dallas’s special teams being truly awful. Four guys in the same lane?! Easy pickings for Agnew.

Detroit capitalizes. Good blocks on runs by Scarbrough from Frank Ragnow, Hockenson and Glasgow set up a too-easy red zone QB keeper for Driskel, who sashays in untouched. Great series for the Lions OL and they take the lead, 14-10. As bad as the last series was, this one was vintage ground-and-pound and it worked wonderfully.

Dallas answers impressively. Prescott isn’t even considering throwing at Slay, and he finds Gallup vs. Mike Ford down the field. Ford is guilty of interference but Gallup still makes a fantastic catch. Not one of the Lions’ four pass rushers crossed the line of scrimmage on the play, it must be noted. Elliott dives in two plays later and the Cowboys are right back on top 17-10 with just under 5:00 to play in the half. All momentum Detroit had is gone.

The Cowboys bury any hope of momentum with their next drive thanks to one big play. Chasing Randall Cobb on an intermediate corner route, Justin Coleman trips in traffic. Harris never sees to pick him up and Cobb gobbles up 49 yards before Amani Oruwariye runs him down. Harris made one of the worst open-field tackle attempts you’ll ever see, too; never even touched Cobb despite having a good angle.

Cobb lands in the end zone two plays later, surviving a helmet-to-helmet hit (which was correctly penalized) by Harris as he collects the catch. Coleman got torched in man coverage on the play, too. Great 2-minute offense by Dallas, egregious defensive effort from Detroit just before the half and it’s 24-14. The Lions did try a gadget play pass to Jones and it almost worked, except Driskel put too much air under the ball and Dahl was a good 12 yards down the field, drawing a penalty.

Third quarter

The Lions get the ball first off a touchback and come out running. And running. Seven of the first nine plays feature the run or an instant pass out from Driskel that effectively serves as one. Those seven plays net a total of just nine yards, but a Cowboys penalty and a nice YAC from McKissic on a pass keep the chains moving. Decker has come out of the locker room playing much more inspired football. This is also the best Hockenson has blocked over an extended series all year. That last point really shows when Jesse James comes in for a rep and flat-out misses a reach block that results in Scarbrough getting hammered at the line.

And then Marvin Hall happens. The Lions insert the speedster into the lineup and he runs away from both the CB and S on a deep corner. A well-protected Driskel hits him in perfect stride to set up the Lions with 1st-and-goal. Great play.

A rolling Driskel, showing good pocket awareness and poise, finds Jones in the back of the end zone two plays later. Nice subtle push-off from Jones made it look easier than it was. Prater drills the extra point and the Lions are back in business, down 24-21.

Lions D comes out in zone and Prescott instantly picks it apart. Asking Davis to stay with Cobb in zone coverage is worse than man coverage because any potential help is preoccupied with other assignments. Flowers and Kennard are both getting pretty consistent pressure (Lions rushing four) but the containment is poor. Prescott scrambles out of a would-be Flowers sack and embarrasses Wilson in the open field to get Dallas into the red zone. The defense holds with Kennard playing a great set and nice coverage from Slay and Coleman. Maher’s field goal — nearly blocked by Mike Ford — puts Dallas back up by six.

I love the G-power run with Scarbrough on the Lions’ next play. Dahl pulls nicely and creates a huge seam but Glasgow can’t hit the LB in space and the gain only goes for four. It could have been much more if Glasgow lands the block.

You might have noticed a lack of Kenny Golladay mentions. Just as Slay has erased Cooper from the field, Golladay is effectively wearing Chidobe Awuzie’s No. 24 jersey. There isn’t even a yard of separation on most every route. Golladay isn’t exactly asserting his will as a blocker, either. He certainly did not on this play.

Scarbrough continues to chug downhill impressively. If he gets to full stride before the defender can get to him, No. 43 is a real load to bring down. Ragnow, Dahl and Glasgow are having a good series here opening and sealing running lanes. Hockenson atones for a false start penalty with a very good seal block.

Fourth quarter

The Lions run the exact same punt gimmick play they did a week earlier, with up-back Logan Thomas (a former QB) sliding under center. Dallas panics and jumps offsides. Detroit’s execution on this was much cleaner and more urgent than the last time they tried it, and it buys a fresh set of downs.

The drive stalls near midfield and it stalls because Driskel makes poor decisions. The line is blocking better than he shows and he’s not seeing viable targets in time.

Slay is having a great game but he misses opportunities on consecutive throws to get an INT. The first is in deep coverage on Austin and the Cowboys WR is clearly guilty of pass interference to break it up. The next one is a gift from Prescott that somehow gets through both hands and into Cooper’s mitts. Prescott knows it’s a terrible throw from the second he lets go, as he immediately runs over to effort making a tackle.

This is a very frustrating possession. The Lions are playing good defense but the Cowboys keep grinding forward. Harris makes a nic read and tackle. Kennard is reliably generating pressure and forcing the issue. Davis has the outlet receiver locked down. But the Cowboys matriculate into the end zone, the key play being a nicely designed screen where Pollard makes Wilson miss in space. Elliott plunges into the end zone and it’s 35-21 with under 8:00 to play.

Driskel comes out and attacks with his legs. A 23-yard run that could be construed as a designed keeper. A strike on the move to Amendola, who expertly helps his QB by coming back to the ball. Then comes this TD:

Note the nice pass pro pickup from Ty Johnson and solid protection up front.

The ensuing 2-pt. conversion goes awry, leaving the score 35-27.

Dallas gets lucky again on the kickoff. Prater kicks the ball over Pollard’s head as the return man waits at the 10. Instead of going into the end zone it bounces straight up into Pollard. Ford just misses a tackle at the 10 and Pollard somehow scoots out past the 30 before Ty Johnson jumps on his back. So close to a huge play for Detroit but instead Dallas winds up getting a good bounce.

The Cowboys do the Lions a huge favor and insist on throwing the ball instead of draining the clock. One 3rd-down conversion to Gallup running away from Melvin on a crosser is the only thing that salvages positivity for the Dallas offense. After six plays (and a penalty) that takes off just 2:00 and doesn’t cost the Lions any timeouts, Dallas punts. Mike Daniels and Kennard again provide nice pressure, and Cobb helps by dropping a pass.

With 3:44 to go, Driskel and the Lions trot out at their own 14, with two timeouts. Golladay finally does something positive, and it’s spectacular. Driskel hangs up a deep post where Golladay split the coverage and was wide open. As he’s being facemasked by Darian Thompson as the ball arrives, Golladay still manages to complete the catch as he slams into the turf. Amazing play and the Lions are in business in Dallas territory. It should be noted that a more timely and accurate throw from Driskel probably results in a TD for Golladay here.

Driskel’s magic runs out, alas. A bad sack (Dahl whiffed in pass pro) and a couple of misfires to a fully covered Golladay gives the ball back to Dallas at the 2:00 warning. Coach Patricia elects to punt from the DAL 47 on 4th-and-26 instead of trying an early Hail Mary.

Detroit’s defense needs a stop. After smothering Elliott on 1st down for no gain, the Lions bite hard on the play-action bootleg. Prescott calmly finds an uncovered Blake Jarwin for the game-sealing conversion. Great play design by the Cowboys gets them the win.

Good games: Darius Slay, Bo Scarbrough, J.D. McKissic, Frank Ragnow, Marvin Jones, Devon Kennard, Dee Virgin on special teams, Jarrad Davis in Zeke Elliott spy duty, T.J. Hockenson (mostly)

Bad games: Joe Dahl, Kenny Golladay (outside of his spectacular catch it’s the worst game of his career), Tyrell Crosby, Taylor Decker (more of a bad 1st half than full game), Justin Coleman, Tavon Wilson, Will Harris

The Lions were close here and devised a gameplan that largely accomplished the main goal on both offense and defense. The Cowboys caught a few fortunate bounces and their role players stepped up where Detroit’s could not match. Driskel and Scarbrough both showed real long-term viability as backups in this one but also limitations that prove why they’ll only ever be backups. Cowboys fans should probably feel fortunate to escape with the road win here.

What Madden 21 ratings tell us about the Lions roster

What Madden 21 ratings tell us about the Lions roster and the national perception of the players and the team

The much-ballyhooed release of the player ratings in the latest edition of the Madden football video game franchise shed some light on how the Detroit Lions players and overall talent level are viewed from the outside. Based on the initial ratings and the general reaction to them, there is not much light at all to be found.

Detroit’s ratings are a great example of the relative darkness that is perceived to envelop the franchise by many on the outside — and a fair portion of its own fanbase, too. It’s a dark reflection on the lack of top-end talent and big-name players.

The two highest-rated Lions, WR Kenny Golladay and DE Trey Flowers, both earned an 86 overall rating. That is the lowest figure for any team’s top-rated player, just below Jacksonville (center Brandon Linder) and Washington (guard Brandon Scherff), whose top players earned 87 ratings.

Just 13 Lions earned ratings of at least 80; only Washington and Jacksonville (notice a trend here?) have fewer. What’s more ominous about that figure for the Lions is that four of those earning 80 or above are newcomers to the team.

  • Desmond Trufant – 83
  • Jamie Collins – 83
  • Danny Shelton – 81
  • Duron Harmon – 80

Detroit fans are rightly excited by some of the young talent on the roster. Players like Tracy Walker, Frank Ragnow, T.J. Hockenson, Da’Shawn Hand, Kerryon Johnson and the top two rookies, Jeff Okudah and D’Andre Swift. The Madden ratings for all those players are lower than expected and low relative to their positional status with their NFL peers on other teams.

Madden 21 developer EA Sports appears to have fallen into the same trap many in the national media, often unwittingly, stumble into about the Lions. The lack of winning culture darkens the outlook and waters down the perception of the players.

Sure, some of the low ratings can be justified. Matthew Stafford sits at 83 despite coming off a fantastic 8-game season. But he’s an injury concern and hasn’t always performed at such a high level as he did in 2019. Kerryon Johnson’s injury woes dock him down to an 83 as well.

It’s a video game built around the promise of exciting game play, and the Lions are simply not very exciting right now. Winning in the real NFL is the only way to pump up the enthusiasm and ratings in the world of Madden football, however. That’s what the Lions ratings in Madden 21 say about the broader perception of Detroit football entering the 2020 NFL season.

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PFF ranks Lions OL in the middle of the pack heading into 2020 season

Pro Football Focus ranked all the offensive lines in the NFL heading into the 2020 NFL seasons and the Detroit Lions checked in at 16.

Pro Football Focus ranked all 32 offensive lines heading into the 2020 NFL seasons and the Detroit Lions checked in the dead middle of the pack at 16th overall.

“The Lions finished with the No. 11 offensive line last season as they had two players finish in the top 10 at their respective positions — center Frank Ragnow finished sixth and right guard Graham Glasgow finished 10th — while left tackle Taylor Decker ranked 19th,” PFF’s Steve Palazzolo said. “There will be some turnover as Glasgow moves on in free agency and right tackle Rick Wagner also departs.”

The loss of Glasgow is a big enough blow for the Lions to drop in pre-season rankings but swapping out Wagner for Halapoulivaati Vaitai was an upgrade according to PFF’s end of year grades, where Wagner finished as the 61st ranked offensive tackle and Vaitai graded as the 22nd.

“At tackle, Decker enters the fifth year of his rookie contract, and he has ranked above the league average on true pass sets and run blocking grade on both gap and zone runs since 2016,” Palazzolo continued. “Left guard Joe Dahl performed well in his first year as a starter in 2019, though it was a bit lopsided as he ranked 23rd with a pass-blocking grade of 73.0, but he finished just 48th as a run blocker at 57.1. Ragnow had the No. 2 grade among centers in the run game at 78.2, showing off the skills that made him one of the best interior offensive line prospects of the PFF College era (since 2014).”

Decker, Ragnow, and Dahl give the Lions a trio of returning talent, solidifying the left tackle and center spots, while Dahl’s ability to play both guard spots — and center — gives the Lions flexibility to find the best player available at the other guard position.

“The questions are on the right side, where Halapoulivaati Vaitai signed for $45 million over five years to start at right tackle,” Palazzolo said. “Vaitai is coming off a career-high 76.2 run block grade, but his pass-blocking grade of just 55.2 since 2016 ranks 84 out of 94 qualifiers, so that remains a major question mark. At right guard, third-round pick Jonah Jackson was our favorite pass protecting guard in the draft, and he has the all-around game to step right in as a starter. He’ll compete with veteran Oday Aboushi, who hasn’t posted an overall grade above 62.7 since 2014. Keep an eye on fourth-rounder Logan Stenberg, who brings excellent power and size to the line and may be a solid starter down the road.”

Curiously missing from Palazzolo’s assessment is Kenny Wiggins, who finished last season as PFF’s 41st highest-rated guard. Last season he played ahead of Aboushi and figures to be the biggest challenger for Jonah Jackson at right guard in 2020. At worst, Wiggins is likely ticketed to be a big part of the guard rotation.

“Between Decker, Dahl and Ragnow, the Lions have a strong foundation up front,” Palazzolo summarized, “but the right side of the line will determine where the Lions finish in the end-of-the-season rankings.”

Based on the COVID-19 environment and lack of warm-up practices/preseason games, it wouldn’t be overly surprising to see the Lions turn to Wiggins at right guard to start the season. He has scheme experience and familiarity playing next to Ragnow which could give him an early edge over the rookies. How long Wiggins can hold Jackson/Stenberg off will be one of the more interesting storylines to follow during training camp and the early parts of the season.

Lions 2019 rewatch: Week 9 notebook from Detroit’s downer vs. the Raiders

The Lions blew a win with sloppy mistakes trumping some amazing performances

Fresh off a win over the New York Giants in Week 8, the Detroit Lions made their final trip to Oakland to face the Raiders in the Black Hole.

The Raiders entered the game at 3-4, having lost two in a row, falling to the Packers and Texans. On a beautiful, sunny Sunday afternoon, the Raiders were slightly favored (-2.5) to beat the Lions.

Pregame notes

Tracy Walker, Graham Glasgow and Mike Daniels were all out for Detroit among the starters. Darius Slay returned after missing one week, but RB Tra Carson was lost to IR after the Giants game. The Raiders were missing center Rodney Hudson and return man Dwayne Harris as regulars.

Shawn Hochuli is the referee. One of the first things the FOX broadcast crew notes is that Hochuli’s crew calls the most holding penalties of any officiating group and both coaches noted that in their pre-production meetings with the TV crew.

First quarter

The Lions came out throwing. The first four plays were all quick passes, with Matthew Stafford completing the first three to three different receivers. Oakland’s defense was coming off games where the short, quick passing games using RBs and crossing routes had destroyed them in their losses. Using Kenny Golladay as a big slot on a shallow cross was an excellent wrinkle. Nice to see Lions OC Darrell Bevell attacking that soft underbelly right away.

An impressive opening drive ends abruptly when J.D. McKissic mishandles a simple handoff from Stafford and boots it into the line. The Raiders recover. As with the prior run play, a nice 10-yarder from Ty Johnson, the Lions OL created a big hole. Interestingly, the game book credits the fumble to Stafford but it’s clearly on McKissic.

Oakland answers with an impressive, ground-oriented drive. Rookie RB Josh Jacobs quickly proves he can read his blocks and get downhill quickly. The Lions LBs, notably Jahlani Tavai, are consistently a step late or stuck in the wrong hole. Rookie safety Will Harris allows several extra yards on two runs by running right past a tackling opportunity. Jacobs scoots in easily from the 2 as Raiders guard Richie Incognito takes out three Lions pursuers with one block. Raiders go up 7-0. Terrible drive from the defensive rookies, Tavai and Harris.

It’s the earliest action Corey Moore has seen at safety all season, playing as the No. 3 with Harris and Tavon Wilson. Interesting that the Lions stick with the 3-safety look and roll with Moore instead of LB Christian Jones on most plays. The Raiders deploy just one TE, Darren Waller, and he’s almost never aligned in-line, so it does make sense from a tactical standpoint.

Jamal Agnew shows zero intention of returning either of the first two kickoffs, something he was clearly told before taking the field. The Lions blocking was not very intense either. Definitely by design.

Stafford to T.J. Hockenson on a naked bootleg play-fake is absolutely gorgeous. Four defenders bite on the fake to Ty Johnson, who is finding the hole and attacking well as a runner early on. The drive continues with a perfect throw down the field to Marvin Jones. He’s well-covered but hauls in the contested catch because the CB never locates the ball. Great throw, perfect catch. Stafford rewards Jones with the TD pill on 4th down, one play after McKissic drops what should have been a score on a quick out.

Worth noting that Jones got up slowly from the long pass and was again deliberately slow and kept teammates from touching him during the TD celebration. Stafford sensed it right away when he congratulated him on the great catch. Matt Prater’s extra point makes it 7-7.

Damon Harrison makes a couple of very nice run stuffs on Jacobs on the ensuing drives. He’s basically the only Lions defender playing well here.

Second quarter

We have our first bad call on the first play of the quarter. Davis gets flagged for pass interference. It’s a terrible call versus Davis on a terrible throw from Carr.

Da’Shawn Hand jumps offsides on 3rd-and-6, making it a short-yardage situation. Jacobs pulls off a simple A-gap dive play for the conversion to keep the drive moving. The Lions are not good enough to make these kinds of mistakes. A botched snap bails out the defense and forces Oakland to kick a field goal and it’s 10-7. This early-going is as bad as Tavai can possibly play.

Tyrell Crosby checks in as an extra tackle and promptly gets called (correctly) for holding on his very first snap. Taylor Decker gets flagged (correctly) for holding on the next play, which is actually beneficial because Hockenson was guilty of a crackback block where he dove at the back of a defender’s legs but it wasn’t called.

This happens next, on 1st-and-20:

Now that’s some truly dreadful defense by the Raiders, but the route concept, throw and run after the catch are all money in the bank. 14-10 Lions back up top.

The next drive for Oakland is Trey Flowers’ turn to be the one Lions defender playing well. Davis is playing in a spy role on Washington and he still gets lost two plays in a row. He runs into Christian Jones on a simple RB circle route that goes for big yardage by Washington.

Fortunately, Flowers comes up with two great stops in a row. He annihilates Incognito for a TFL while playing 3T on the right side. On the next rep he’s playing Wide-9 off the left edge and bulls the backup right tackle into Carr, forcing a hasty throwaway. The Raiders go for it but fail when Carr badly misses tiny slot receiver Hunter Renfrow on a quick out. Justin Coleman was beaten but Carr misses the throw by several feet. Lions ball.

A great cutback run by Paul Perkins gets the Lions rolling. Great blocks by Frank Ragnow and Rick Wagner set it up. The refs give one back to Detroit, calling Maxx Crosby for a trip on Perkins’ next run. It’s a legit call but one that gets flagged maybe one time out of 100.

Alas, the drive fizzles badly. On the next play, Stafford gets exactly what he wants with Golladay isolated on CB Daryl Worley, who has been terrible all game. It’s a jump ball by design but Stafford throws it too far inside. Golladay mistimes the jump just a bit and Worley comes down with the INT in the end zone. Not a good throw by Stafford, not a good play by Golladay — who had absolutely no separation — either.

The Raiders are doing a great job isolating Waller on Harris, who shows no anticipation on routes or ball awareness in coverage.

Tavai finally does something positive! A throw hits him in the back in coverage. He never made contact with WR Zay Jones in the zone coverage and the Raiders burn a timeout challenging the no-call. On that coverage note, the Lions have played more zone than man in this one, especially when Waller lines up split out.

The Raiders score on a TD plunge by Jacobs. Flowers did a fantastic job blowing up the lead block and opening the edge, but Wilson was late to fill and Davis got picked off by a block. Raiders go back on top 17-14.

Stafford gets sacked on the final play of the half on a miscommunication between Decker and Joe Dahl on a simple line twist. Based on the teammate reactions, it was Dahl’s error.

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