but these are the Lions and I will hold judgement until furtehr evidence of progression comes in (ie: another season under center). One thing in our favor is Matt Millen is gone so drafting should be much better in 2010 and beyond!!!

Good numbers you put together N4ry4.

And that the TEAM AROUND Stafford needs to get better too. People also like to forget that he is the 2nd youngest QB EVER to start in the NFL.

…the most telling numbers are the 6 games played by each. For those of you ready to crown Matt Stafford the next Peytong Manning, or at the other end of the extreme spectrum, Joey Harrington, I think it’s only fair to remember that it has only been six games.
As unfair as it is to say that Stafford is a bust because he threw 5INT yesterday, it’s just as unfair to say that he’s going to be as good as Peyton. I understand the purpose of the post was to point out that even someone as great as Peyton struggled initially. I guess I’m just hoping at some point the comparisons will go away. It is nearly impossible to compare a team that finished an 0-16 season with anyone, as this may be something that is never accomplished again.

for some positive info.. I did not know where to go with the feelings I have this morning… darn… that’s a few winnable games we could have had…

……Ive mentioned this a few times in some other peoples posts……It takes time

I haven’t seen any comments on this, so maybe I am remembering this wrong. On that last drive Stafford threw a jump ball up to CJ on the sideline that Johnson got both hands on…but failed to come down with the ball. Just wondering if anyone else noticed that. It’s a little disheartening when the guy you NEED to play well is also coming up short when given an opportunity to help his young QB and help his team.

Very nicely done! Obviously, just because Einstein got bad grades as a kid doesn’t mean everyone with bad grades is Einstein—but to everyone who’s ready to throw in the towel on Stafford, know that it’s impossible to evaluate a quarterback based solely on his first few games as a pro. If he’s not markedly better next season . . . THEN you can start to worry.

Peace
Ty

That was a throw less than half the QBs in the NFL make with any consistancy…honestly

showed a nice progression, as the numbers indicate. Staff has shown regression, as his numbers indicate.
P Man had 2 300+ games, Joey Jr.=0.
Harrison never had a 1000 yd season or 100+ catches until the following year.
In fact, P Man had 0 receivers with over 60 catches, 2 with 50 or more, realied heavily on passes to the RB, who led the team with 86 receptions.

Here are the stats for our top 4 pass-catchers through 8 games. Can you name them?
No fair peeking at stat sites!

Player A 26 catches, 207 yds, 0 TD
Player B 24 catches, 352 yds, 1 TD
Player C 21 catches, 239 yds, 1 TD
Player D 20 catches, 276 yds, 2 TD

The most interesting thing about those stats is how closely bunched they are. No dominant receiver (might have something to do with somebody being double/triple-teamed on seemingly every play). Even a surprise in there, too. Make of these stats what you will.

The surprise is Player C…….it’s Brandon Pettigrew.

(slot WR Dennis Northcutt has 17 catches, 161 yds, 1 TD)
TE Casey Fitzsimmons also has 12 catches, 81 yds, 0 TD
TE Will Heller has 10 catches, 141 yds, 1 TD

What we see is what some of us suspected might happen based on Offensive Coordinator Scott Linehan’s past experience…….heavy use of the TE position in the passing game (and the running game). Lions TE’s have 42 catches. Lions WR’s have 65 catches. Lions RB’s have 46 catches.

Remember, he missed a couple weeks of camp. Grew’s still catching up. He seems to be getting it more lately. Also, he’s getting more plays with Stafford now, and the repetition helps them develop a rapport, especially if that repetition is in games.

In all, that’s a pretty healthy ratio of RB and TE catches. Part of that is WR drops; part of it is CJ being covered like a blanket. Part of it is check-downs by a rookie QB. Part of it is bad OL blocking, which makes those check-downs necessary. Part of it is Linehan’s play-calling, including the heavier use of screen passes this year, and more passes to the TE’s.

I’m happy with the TE’s and happy with ’Grew’s development so far.

The other important thing that I see is a path to improving the pass-catching corps. To some, this solution will be obvious, but let me spell it out.

Linehan’s pass offense emphasizes the WR1, WR2, RB, and TE as the main 4 pass-catchers (by comparison, in 2006 Mike Martz spread catches evenly between Roy Williams, Mike Furrey, and Kevin Jones until Jones got hurt). He will also change formations and mix in one of the following as a 5th eligible receiver: a 2nd TE, a FB, or a slot receiver(WR3). These guys are the spices, but the main staples of the offense are the wideouts, the RB, and the #1 TE.

What that means is while it’s nice to have depth and complementary pieces, guys like Dennis Northcutt, Derrick Williams, even Jerome Felton, are not the heart of the passing game. That may be obvious. These guys also have other roles, such as running/blocking/special teams. The heart of the receiving corps is CJ, BJ, ‘Grew, and K-Smooth. If you want to significantly upgrade our pass-catchers, IMO, that’s where you have to do it. Tinkering around the edges won’t get it done.

Which brings us to Bryant Johnson. Either he’s good enough, or he’s not. Calvin Johnson is……..well, Megatron. Kevin Smith is a fine pass-catcher. Brandon Pettigrew is making up lost ground and doing fine for a rookie. I like his long-term potential. No complaints. Bryant Johnson, meanwhile, is no rookie, but he’s been inconsistent this year. He had a great TD catch against Seattle, a week after he dropped 147 balls (or so it seemed) vs. STL. For his career, his stats have been fairly average. He’s got some size and speed, but is he a playmaker? Is he a true #2 posession WR? Can he be reliable? Is he good enough?

It may be obvious, but IMO the question of the pass-catching corps begins and ends with Bryant Johnson.

(yes, Staff is Staff, but he’ll be Staff next year too…..and Staff will still be here. Can BJ succeed with him?)

I-Normal (WR1, WR2, TE1, RB, FB)
I-Big (WR1, TE1, TE2, RB, FB) (sometimes used for Max Protect)
Singleback-Normal (WR1, WR2, WR3, TE1, RB)
Singleback-Big (WR1, WR2, TE1, TE2, RB) (often used for Max Protect)

Note the prevalence of WR1, WR2, TE1, RB in these formations. You also don’t see many 4-WR/5-WR formations this year. Mike Martz left town.

I don’t really expect Staff to become as good as Peyton, since I believe Peyton could be the best QB to ever play the game, but, I think Staff can be a top 10 QB in the future. He just needs help, he ain’t gonna be able to do it by himself.

I hope you never get tired of running your mouth. I hope you never leave this blog. I hope you live to be 103 years old, just so your wonderfully enlightening presence can remain here for a few more years. Please stay rbanner…..PLEASE DON’T LEAVE US!! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD PLEASE DON’T EVER LEAVE!! You are the next best thing to apple pie. You are the wind beneath everyone’s wings…..and the hot air of all of our balloons.

You are the MAN, and so today I salute you…..

(We interrupt this blog for a commercial break):

Bud Light presents…Real Men of Genius.

(Real Men of Genius …)

Today we salute you, Mr. Unathletic Sports Supporter Guy.

(Mr. Unathletic Sports Supporter Guy …)

You know everything there is to know about the world of sports. Except how to play them.

(No coordination…)

You talk sports for eight hours a day. Which is seven hours and 45 minutes more than anyone listens.

(Is anybody out there?)

Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach. Those who can’t do, or teach, talk.

(I’m really good at talking …)

So crack open an ice cold Bud Light, Mr. Unathletic Supporter. You may never make the company softball team, but you’ll always be a hit with us.

(Mr. Unathletic Sports Supporter Guy…)

For all you do…..this Bud’s for you.