Packers Shut Down Lions on Thanksgiving, Win 34-12
by Sean Yuille on Nov 26, 2009 4:08 PM EST
in Detroit Lions Game Recaps
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PrintThanksgiving got off to a great start when news broke that Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson were going to start against the Packers. The day got even better on the opening kickoff of today's game, because the Packers fumbled and Detroit capitalized by getting into the end zone on a touchdown pass to Calvin. Things continued to get better when the Packers capped off an 8-minute-long drive by missing a field goal, and it just seemed like everything was going the Lions' way.
The good fortune finally ran out on the Lions' next drive, though, because Stafford was picked off. Shortly after, Donald Driver made a catch for a gain of 68 yards to end the first quarter, and the Packers quickly turned that big gain into a touchdown. From this point in the game on, it was all Green Bay. The Packers slowly increased their lead with a bunch of field goals and then got into the end zone twice in the third quarter. The Lions attempted to make it interesting by driving down close to the end zone twice, but they only got a safety after turning the ball over on downs and a field goal out of those drives. Detroit did cut the lead down to only two possessions, but Charles Woodson picked off his second pass of the game and returned it for a touchdown to put the nail in the Lions' coffin. That was interception No. 4 of the game for Stafford.
It was tough to see Matthew Stafford and the offense struggle so much today after playing so well last week, but I will point out two things: 1) Green Bay is obviously a much better team than Cleveland; and 2) Stafford is still banged up. While he did tough it out and play the entire game, Stafford's facial expression throughout much of the day revealed that he was in a good amount of pain. His shoulder seemed to bother him more and more as the game went on, and the same could be said about whatever injury Calvin Johnson is suffering from. He looked sore from start to finish, so it will be important for both him and Stafford to heal up in the next week or so.
The Lions will now go on the road for their next two games. When Detroit returns to action on December 6, it will take on the Bengals in Cinncinati, and then it will play at Baltimore on December 13.
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Another Loss
Another digusting game played by the Lions. With the Db’s blown out and the secondaries in the Lions Defense did terrible. Though CJ and Staff played not much changed, Staff through a 20/43 completion game and CJ got 2 receptions yeah 2! A touchdown for 1 yard and a 9 yard catch. Might as well not played. Though it did seem that the Tight End’s for the Lions contributed much. Casey Fitzsimmons with averaging 7.6 yards a pass moved the team down the field time to time. He seemed like a large target for Matthew Stafford being thrown to about 12 to 15 times. As for Brandon Pettigrew our Rookie, sent to the Locker room being thrown to once before the injury, he set up the first down for the TD pass to Calvin Johnson. Seems enough contributed to this team. The next game against the Bengals will be a better game then this one even though its on the road.
Happy Thanksgiving
Better Luck Next Time Lions.
pettigrew
I am bummed about petteigrews injury. It doesn’t sound too good. He was playing so well recently. Every key player on offense is hurt now.
Once again
Can i ask…HOW DO WE GET HURT SO MUCH? I mean I don’t watch other teams the way I watch the Lions, but it does not seem like there is near as many injuries in other games. It’s unbelievable and feels like it’s been like this for quite a few years. Is it just me, or do we get hurt the same amount as other teams?
That same question has been bothering me for a few years now.
At first I thought we were sort of lucky as we did not have any season ending injuries to key players, just nagging injuries to a lot of players. Now the IR is getting full and even more guys are going down during the game and not being ready for the next week.
Calvin is the guy who I am really concerned about. He has missed two games and has not looked healthy in a few more.
This is the most frustrating part of the year for me. I can stand the on the field issues [no pass rush, can’t cover, no run game, rookie inconsistency, etc.] but these injuries make it difficult to sort out what the real issues are and whether we have the guys in place to fix them.
Very good point
As much as we’ve struggled this year, the injuries have made everything seem duller. How are we really supposed to know how good our full strength team is if we’ve never been full strength this year? It’s very frustrating.
2009 = The start of the Lions Golden Age (We hope).
Zack Follett: he will hurt your mind.
by Hyperion Ecta on Nov 29, 2009 5:26 PM EST up reply actions
Another painful game.
More players beat up, the DBs look horrible again, can’t run the ball, receivers can’t get open, Staff gets too aggressive and throws a bunch of picks.
I think the Lions need to target a running back a little earlier in the next draft or two. I thought there were some holes there but Smith could just not turn them into bigger gains.
Schwartz has talked about the lack of explosion plays by the RB's
Plus, at Tennessee Schwartz saw a big bruising power back (LenDale White) paired with an insanely fast speed back (Chris Johnson). In the first draft after arriving in Detroit, Schwartz (with Mayhew) draft a very fast speed back, Aaron Brown. Is a big bruiser in the plans? Kevin Smith thrived in a zone blocking scheme here last year and at UCF before that, but we’re primarily a power downhill blocking team now. Are Smith’s days numbered? As for Jerome Felton, he’s developing into a solid FB and possible goal-line RB, but IMO he’s shown little lateral movement, not even enough to go off-tackle. It’s just straight up the gut. Perhaps too predictable with Felton in at RB. Maybe that’s why the preseason “Felton at RB” experiment didn’t lead anywhere and Linehan seems content to just use him as a FB. Maybe we’re looking to draft a big back with more lateral movement, a T.J. Ducket type.
What? He can’t block a dead gopher? Humph, details.
Will Anthony Dixon of Miss. St. be around in the third round?
I say third round because picking him at the front of the second round seems a bit high.
by NorthLeft12 on Nov 27, 2009 12:02 PM EST up reply actions
i was just looking him up
unless there is a run on rb’s…which i don’t really see this year…he should be. i was looking him up based on size…be nice to have someone who has to be “wrapped up” to be tackled.
If we are going to get an RB to replace Smith......
which I seriously doubt will happen……then we might as well say F it and draft LeGarrette Blount.
i wasn't thinking replacement...
but an actual big rb…smith is great for receiving out of the backfield…a brown fantastic change of pace…but we lack someone who can bang it up the middle…i know felton was hoped to be that guy…but really i see him as a diverse fb. if you can grab someone like that in the third…preferrably fourth or fifth i say go for it…then you have a back for all situations. there are many other needs that come first however.
I'd like to see us get a big bruising 230+ lb back in the middle/late round if one is available.........
………to replace Maurice Morris. Team the new guy with Kevin Smith and Aaron Brown at RB, and keep Felton at FB. That gives us a power back, a speed back, and a well-rounded back who can catch. 3 RB’s, 3 different styles, lots of possibilites, and lots of depth.
What? He can’t block a dead gopher? Humph, details.
Some of the RB's I'm looking at...........
(info here from cbssports.com in association with nfldraftscout.com)
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospectrankings/TSX/2010_RB
Anthony Dixon, Miss. St. 6-1 235
Toby Gerhart, Stanford 6-1 235
Charles Scott, LSU 5-11 234
LeGarrette Blount, Oregon 6-1 240 <——-(kids are immature, and people will have their hothead moments…….hopefully he’s learned from his mistake…..and hey, if a guy like Tom Cable still has a job, we can at least give this kid a chance)(if nothing else, this may allow us to get him cheap)
I’m also intrigued by:
Ben Tate, Auburn 5-11, 218
What? He can’t block a dead gopher? Humph, details.
I said this
He can’t break tackles and he’s slow, but people continue to think he is a great runningback. He’s mediocre at best, which is what he’d be with a VERY GOOD offensive line in front of him
I don't think Kevin Smith is mediocre.......I just don't think he is an elite back.
He does a number of things very well, blocks, catches passes, and is a slashing runner….but he does not have breakaway speed or the power to break tackles. He is another one who has been playing hurt for most of the year.
I thought he showed more last year as a runner. I think he is the kind of RB who needs to be in a committee.
NL
There are truly very few running backs in the NFL that are “elite”. In fact, I would say that only Adrian Peterson and Chris Johnson are truly “elite” backs. Even then, those guys do not have the most complete games themselves. Peterson is not a great pass catcher, and Johnson is not a power back. Every running back has his strengths and weaknesses. “Elite” is ultimately a subjective term.
If we define “elite” by speed and ability to break or elude tackles, then AP and Chris Johnson definitely are “elite”. If we define “elite” as the level of completeness that a back possesses (speed, agility, vision, power, elusiveness, ability to break tackles, pass catching ability, route running, blocking, and durability), then are AP and Chris Johnson really any more elite than Steven Jackson, DeAngelo Williams, MJD, Ryan Grant, Thomas Jones, Cedric Benson, Michael Turner, Ray Rice, Brandon Jacobs, Ronnie Brown, Marion Barber, Frank Gore, or Kevin Smith?? I think not.
+100
2009 = The start of the Lions Golden Age (We hope).
Zack Follett: he will hurt your mind.
by Hyperion Ecta on Nov 29, 2009 5:27 PM EST up reply actions
Please
You have no clue what you’re talking about. I GUARANTEE if Smith is traded he’s 1200-1500 yards a year with another team.
This team run blocks like shit, no push, no leverage.
Again....I agree 100%
Smith has deceptive speed, he is extremely agile, and he has great vision…..he just lacks a line in front of him that can sustain blocks to the second level.
He may not have Adrian Peterson or Chris Johnson type breakaway speed, but how many backs in the NFL do?
our draft is going to be O line, secondary and D line
that’s it… to hell with the best player available BS, if we continue to have a sieve for a secondary we’ll never flirt with contention. Right now we’re staring at a top 5 pick, it’s gotta be a big man in the trenches.
Hey
guys im not a lions fan im a die hard Dolphins fan. But i would just like to say that i feel for you, to go through what you wnt through last year, i know what thats like, we managed our one win in 07(thank god) over Baltimore in overtime. The pain throughout that season was unbearable, and i would never wish that on anyone, i know it doesn’t mean much but was rooting for ya down the stretch last year, and it just didn’t quite happen. almost but not quite. As someone who knows the heartbreak, i wish you great luck in the future, and to Stafford. At least Swartz and Mayhew are competent, i respect all die hard fans of a struggling team.
P.S. Someday you be able to feel the magic that we got to when we won the div. last year off of 1-15 unbeliavable feeling, like winning the superbowl, and by the way could we have Ernie Sims that kids a football player.
"it is with books as with men, a few play a great part, and the rest are lost in the multitude."-Voltaire
"Give me Ernest or give me death"-me
Make us an offer my aquatic friend.
No reasonable offer refused.
by NorthLeft12 on Nov 27, 2009 12:04 PM EST up reply actions
Oh Stafford...
you giveth and you taketh away.
Read my Lions analysis at: http://www.studyofsports.com/?cat=142
PETTIGREW OUT FOR THE YEAR W/ TORN ACL
sucks…now they better be careful with the big money man staff…he needs to stay healthy for the sake of his development…too young to become tenative due to injury
Lets get real
If you guys HONESTLY think that the DB’s were to blame for this game you need to quit commenting or watching football.
When you give ANY quarterback 10-15 seconds to throw a ball NO ONE is going to be able to stop that.
Our defensive front was horrible besides the play of Turk McBride. The only other worthwhile play came on a missed block that let Peterson cut the corner for a sack.
You guys need to stop seeing games and start watching them.
D-line and Secondary equally to blame
The man I’d hate to be right now is Gunther Cunningham. You clearly saw him try every option on the table yesterday. He tried blitzing, but Rodgers would just tear apart the secondary. He tried just sending 4, and they gave Rodgers (like you said) waaaaaaaaaaay too much time. Both units are awful, and if you really think the DBs should be absolved from blame, maybe you should be the one rewatching the games.
Read my Lions analysis at: http://www.studyofsports.com/?cat=142
Not completely sims.....
But I think a majority of the problem is no pass rush, which hangs the DBs out to dry.
Doesn't stop James and Buchanon getting torched regularly on streaks downfield
I know the pass rush is horrible at the moment but the DB’s are at least twice as bad.
2009 = The start of the Lions Golden Age (We hope).
Zack Follett: he will hurt your mind.
by Hyperion Ecta on Nov 29, 2009 5:30 PM EST up reply actions
+1 Hyper
ALthough it is tough in the NFL to cover a WR for >6 seconds but still the plays that we are beaten on WAYYYYYYYYYY downfield are very discouraging.
I spray paint my dog Honolulu Blue and Silver
Pic - me vs. Bears fans
Yeah, anything more than 5 or 6 seconds does make coverage tough
But it seems as though James and Buchanon are getting torched in less than that.
2009 = The start of the Lions Golden Age (We hope).
Zack Follett: he will hurt your mind.
by Hyperion Ecta on Nov 30, 2009 5:03 PM EST up reply actions
They're not always in man coverage.....
So either some of those deep plays are on the safeties, or there a lack of communication.
I think Schwartz chalks em up to lack of communication
But it doesn’t stop our DB’s leaving guys uncovered on short routes. We don’t even seem to deflect many passes, although James has done an adequate job of that at times.
2009 = The start of the Lions Golden Age (We hope).
Zack Follett: he will hurt your mind.
by Hyperion Ecta on Nov 30, 2009 11:44 PM EST up reply actions
yep, sometimes we're in man with 2-deep safeties over the top in zone to double whoever goes deep
Of course, sometimes the S doesn’t double the deep WR (completions in single coverage), or the CB doesn’t stay with the WR running deep (completions to open WR’s underneath the S)……….or both.
It’s that both thing that torches us for wide open WR’s catching long passes for easy TD’s. The both thing is bad.
(and sometimes we just play an occasional zone to “mix things up”…….and the defensive players are what gets “mixed up”)
What? He can’t block a dead gopher? Humph, details.
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