Friday Notes: Giants Game Observations
by Sean Yuille
on Aug 8, 2008 3:44 AM EDT
in Notes
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- Gosder Cherilus did not have an ideal start to his NFL career as he was called for a couple false starts and a holding penalty during last night's game. Cherilus wasn't alone when it came to getting penalties as there were 6 total called on the Lions, but it's never a good thing when one player accounts for half of them.
- I know Lions coaches want to run the ball more this year, but if the running game this season is going to look like it did last night then I hope Jon Kitna never hands the ball off. No matter who was in the game at running back, it seemed like even gaining a single yard was like pulling teeth. For evidence of that, take a look at who the Lions' leading rusher was. Drum roll please... Drew Stanton. That's right, in only three plays Drew Stanton was able to rush for more yards than any running back did. Now that is alarming.
- There were three players that sustained injuries in last night's game: Stanley Wilson, Gilbert Gardner; and Jason Hanson. If you read the post below that contains quotes from Rod Marinelli then you already know what happened to each, but in case you haven't, I'll bring you up to speed.
Wilson hurt his Achilles; Gardner sustained a concussion, and Hanson strained his left thigh. Out of those three, Wilson is the one we should watch the closest as it seems like his injury is the most serious. Then again, anytime there is an issue with Jason Hanson it is a cause for concern. I guess stay tuned for further updates on each of these three players. - All of Detroit's quarterbacks played well for the most part. Their combined passing totals produced a great stat line, and I saw something I liked from each of them. Jon Kitna kept his mistakes to a minimum. Out of all the passes he made, only one was poorly thrown in my opinion (the one that went behind Roy Williams). Dan Orlovsky looked comfortable in the pocket and was hitting his targets with stellar accuracy. And Drew Stanton made plays by running when he couldn't find anyone open.
- Going back to Stanton really quickly, I will say that he needs to stay in the pocket longer than he did in yesterday's game. I'm not going to criticize him too much since this was the first time he even got in an NFL game, but he needs to be more patient before taking off and running downfield.
- The player of the game without a doubt was Calvin Johnson. He was all over the field making plays and he made it look easy. I hope this is a sign of things to come, because if it is, he and Roy Williams are going to make for a hell of a wide receiver duo.
- Defensively, the rookies showed a lot of promise. Jordon Dizon made a couple of nice plays. Cliff Avril seemed to do a nice job of pass rushing. And Andre Fluellen came up with a huge sack toward the end of the game that helped put the nail in New York's coffin.
- I have a feeling that this game put cornerback Dovonte Edwards and running back Brian Calhoun one step closer to being cut. Edwards was being targeted by Giants QBs every time he was on the field and they were abusing him quite a bit. And Calhoun simply just didn't look very impressive when he was in the game at running back. Not only is Aveion Cason more versatile with his ability to return kicks, but Artose Pinner looked much better in his limited time on the field at running back. I'd say that Calhoun is gone for sure at this point.
- Leon Joe surprised me and had an outstanding game. His name was called quite a bit and in the end he finished with a team-high 6 tackles. Joe is a linebacker that was recently signed after being released by the Buccaneers, and although his chances of making the team are slim, playing like this certainly won't hurt.
- To view highlights of last night's win or to look through stats from the game, head on over to NFL.com.
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Leon Joe
About Joe…I am a Maryland Alum, so I have seen a lot of old Leon. He is a physical specimen, but has tight hips (even for a LB) and while he is good against the run, he has always been a sucker for play action. I know he had a good game, but if Leon Joe makes the team, then the Lions’ LB crew is much worse than anyone could have hoped.
by TonyS on
Aug 8, 2008 11:31 AM EDT
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I don’t like the idea of any sort of injury to Hanson. Why do they even bother to let him kick in the preseason? It’s not like kicking in practice is THAT much different from kicking in a game (or at least it doesn’t seem like it is), and there is the potential for something like last night to happen.
Lets pray he’s alright so that backup doesn’t have to kick more and move on. God knows if Hanson isn’t around, the Lions might never score.
by The Prodigy on
Aug 8, 2008 1:56 PM EDT
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