Detroit Lions' Winners and Losers in Buffalo
by VoiceoftheLions on Sep 4, 2009 1:08 PM EDT
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PrintThere was a whole lot to like about the Detroit Lions' 17-6 handling of the Buffalo Bills Thursday night, if you're a Lions fan.
Almost 250 yards rushing, mostly improved blocking out of the non-Backus section of the offensive line, no offensive touchdowns given up, and the only preseason win that wasn't a come-from-behind shocker via Drew Stanton are all things to get excited about.
Of course, a winning effort in the preseason is more about what players heard their names called the most over the course of the night, and less about the final score.
So what players get a gold star for the final game before cuts, and who wishes they could do it all over again?
Let's observe, by position.
Quarterback
Winners: Brooks Bollinger, Daunte Culpepper
Brooks Bollinger actually looked capable out there.
Given only two days to learn the Lions playbook and personnel (what is it with the Lions and throwing former Vikings QBs into a game after a sudden midweek acquisition?), Bollinger actually had a statistically better night than Stafford, without the benefit of Calvin Johnson to throw to.
Don't read anything into that.
Culpepper comes out a winner because Matthew Stafford failed to deliver a knockout punch, which means Culpepper is still a viable candidate to start the season for the Lions.
Losers: Matthew Stafford, Kevin O'Connell
Stafford could have tied up and gift-wrapped the starting job for himself with a strong performance against the Bills. Instead, he went 5-9 with an interception (possibly not his fault, but "receiver's fault" doesn't show up in the stat sheet), and a lost fumble. The job is still open.
Do you think there's any way in the world Kevin O'Connell knew, in his first snap as a Lion, after handing the ball off to Tristan Davis, that he wasn't going to see that ball again?
O'Connell would have actually gotten some time, but instead, he took three snaps. The handoff to Davis, 79-yard touchdown. Later, two kneel-downs.
If Bollinger and O'Connell were fighting for a roster spot with the Lions, O'Connell just lost it in a shutout.
Running Back
Winner: Tristan Davis
If you're like me, you just said, "who?"
Tristan Davis, an unheralded, undrafted, unknown rookie out of Auburn who joined the team after they cut Kenneth Harris (again, who?), made lots of people learn his name Thursday night, when he ran right by 11 guys untouched for a 79-yard score midway through the fourth quarter. His yards-per-carry average was 30.7.
Two days ago, Davis would have been an easy cut. Now he's going to get a second or third look.
Three carries in the fourth quarter of a preseason game is not enough to call him a gamebreaker, of course. But 92 yards in those three carries just might be worth a roster spot.
Loser: Aveion Cason
Before I say anything about Aveion Cason, let me first say this.
I've never seen the man run harder or better than he did Thursday night. Six carries for 40 yards is a solid performance. He earned my respect.
Unfortunately, he is also 30 years old, has absolutely no upside, is playing for a team looking several years into the future, is no better than the fourth-best back on the team right now (Kevin Smith, Maurice Morris, Aaron Brown, to answer your question), and now has another rookie back with breakaway speed pushing him for that spot.
To make matters worse, the team has finally wised up and taken him out of the return game.
Cason is the loser here, because the Lions likely have no place for him, even though he might finally be playing some solid football.
Wide Receiver
Winner: Calvin Johnson
I'm sure you remember, but Calvin Johnson is still an awe-inspiring player.
Against first-string defenses, he looks like a superstar.
Against the Bills' second-string, he looked like a Hall-of-Famer picking on high schoolers.
In the time that Johnson was on the field, he caught two (three, if you include the touchdown called back for holding) passes, and was responsible for 56 of Stafford's 81 yards passing.
Loser: Keary Colbert
Colbert may have been responsible for both quarterbacks' interceptions Thursday night.
On Stafford's, he fell down on what looked to be a timing-based comeback route.
On Bollinger's, he couldn't get a handle on a pass thrown a bit behind him, and tipped it up in the air for an end zone pick.
Colbert needed a strong performance against the Bills to erase a preseason full or dropped passes and weak performances.
He finished with one reception for nine yards. He'll be looking for a practice squad soon enough.
Offensive Line
Winner: George Yarno
Lions' offensive line coach George Yarno gets the nod here, for one simple reason.
The offensive line looks vastly improved, but aside from a few depth signings, they're exactly the same players as last year. The only thing that's different is Yarno and the new, aggressive blocking philosophy.
Why the change? The "downhill" blocking philosophy does a better job of covering up a lack of talent (which the Lions have) than the zone blocking scheme utilized last year, which requires good footwork and talent across the line.
But regardless of whether or not it's smoke and mirrors from a scheme, it's good to see the line winning the battle at the point of attack for once, isn't it?
Loser: Jeff Backus
He is who we thought he was.
He plays well, as long as he's up against mediocre competition. Put anybody with decent pass rushing abilities on him, and there are instant problems.
Rookie Aaron Maybin made Backus look foolish at least once, shooting right around him to notch a fumble-sack on Stafford.
Even in the preseason, adequate left tackles don't get overwhelmed by rookie defensive ends. Not the way Backus did. That was ugly.
Defensive Line
Winner: Orien Harris
Orien Harris hasn't made much noise since the Lions acquired him in trade with the St. Louis Rams for WR Ronald Curry.
Thursday, however, he led all lineman with four tackles and a sack.
Not a world-beating performance, but the Lions don't see a lot of sacks out of their interior linemen, and the performance should help his stock at a time when neither defensive tackle position is certain.
Loser: Cliff Avril
Cliff Avril has had a very quiet offseason after being one of the team's only bright spots on defense last season.
With only one tackle against the Bills, and very little success getting to the quarterback, Avril is not developing into the all-around player we thought he might after setting the rookie pace for sacks last year.
With a stronger preseason, Avril would have locked up a starting job, especially with Jared DeVries going down with injury.
Now, he may be relegated to a pass-rush specialist or backup position.
Linebacker
Winner: Jordon Dizon
In case you didn't get the memo, Jordon Dizon's "bust" label was a bit premature.
Dizon started on the weak side in place of the resting Ernie Sims. He led the team in tackles with six, five of which came in Buffalo's second drive.
Dizon flew all over the field in the drive, making stops on running and passing plays alike, before capping the drive off by forcing a fumble on a short completion to Derek Schouman.
His performance, coupled with a strong preseason and strong praise from his coaches, should lay to rest any doubt that he can come in and contribute, perhaps sooner rather than later.
Loser: Larry Foote
By no means has Larry Foote had a bad preseason, just a quiet one.
More importantly, the young guys behind him on the depth chart, Dizon and rookie DeAndre Levy, have had fantastic preseasons, and either one can play the middle (both were drafted for it).
The longer Foote plays the vanilla brand of football he has been playing, and the longer Dizon and Levy continue to impress, the less time Foote will spend on the field.
Maybe that one-year contract was a good idea, after all.
Cornerback
Winner: Chris Roberson
Mark my words, Chris Roberson locked down a roster spot.
One tackle on defense, one on special teams, a fumble recovery, and a phenomenal diving interception were the highlights of Roberson's day in Buffalo.
The transitional nature of the Lions' secondary coupled with his strong play should be enough to keep him around, at least for depth.
Loser: Eric King
Another example of a player not making any noise while those around him do.
Eric King's contribution against Buffalo was one defended pass and one illegal contact penalty. Meanwhile, Roberson and Ramzee Robinson are making plays and showing that they belong.
By not making his presence felt, King may have lost himself a job Thursday night.
Safety
Winner: Stuart Schweigert
Stuart Schweigert hasn't seen much action in the first half of games this preseason, but what time he has gotten, he's made count.
Schweigert played seek-and-destroy with the Bills' running backs Thursday night, making five tackles total, three of them at or near the line of scrimmage on running plays.
With performances like that throughout the preseason, Schweigert could be looking at not only a roster spot, but considerable playing in the regular season.
Loser: Louis Delmas
Calm down and listen.
Delmas will still be a great player, and probably sooner rather than later. But he's not going to be a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer when he takes the field in New Orleans, so just deal with that.
Delmas is jumpy out there. He's a rookie making rookie mistakes, just as he should be. He is overpursuing and getting caught out of position on most plays he spends in the game.
That can - and will - be coached away. He will adjust his play, settle down, and start playing smarter football. His football IQ is one of his best qualities, so expect him to snap out of it sooner than later.
Still, Delmas was a lock to start the moment Gerald Alexander was shipped out. After two shaky preseason games, they might instead rotate him in.
Special Teams
Winner: Nick Harris
One of the best in the game, though his net average is lacking, primarily because of god-awful coverage teams.
Still, when an average of 43 yards per punt on four punts, with one downed inside the 20 is a sub-par day at the office, you're in pretty good shape.
Loser: Derrick Williams
Williams returned two punts on Thursday.
One was muffed, and fallen on for a zero-yard return.
The other was returned nine yards, on a play where Williams was a half step from being unable to walk off the field.
Somebody needs to teach Williams the "fair catch" signal, because if he pulls another stunt like he did Thursday, trying to return the ball with a gunner bearing down full speed, he's going to get himself killed out there.
On top of that, for a third-round pick drafted primarily for receiving skills, he's... well, he's not that good. Minus all the mistakes, his actual return skills have been average at best.
Just bad, bad, and worse for Williams in Buffalo.
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I think O'Connel does not have to worry much
I take his lack of snaps as evidence that they are not interested in seeing him play. If they wanted to see him play, don’t you think they would have given him one of Bollinger’s series? Do you really think they would just say “Well, I had hoped to see him do more, but he handed off to the RB so that is that. Lets cut him.”
Whatever they grabbed him for (Single game QB insurance, Stanton replacement, trade bait, etc.) they didn’t need to see him on the field to know what their final decision was.
Yes, but...
It seemed like they were trying to give him some play time, but remember, O’Connell came in a practice day later than Bollinger, which means Bollinger literally had twice the time to learn the playbook.
It was obvious they wanted Bollinger in more than O’Connell, but seriously, who in their right mind would have thought, “Oh, Tristan Davis is in, he’s gonna take it to the house!” He would have gotten a series, otherwise.
Still, your point is valid. They seemed much more interested in working out Bollinger than O’Connell, which may indicate where they’ll fall on cut day.
Not only that
But Bollinger was in for a workout last month and it sounded like he learned some of the playbook then.
Pride of Detroit, SB Nation's Lions Blog
Tristan Davis
had a nice TD. Still, there are more capable backs that have done more throughout training camp to earn a roster spot. One 79- yard play during mop up time against a 3rd string Buffalo Bill defense might raise an eyebrow but I still think he gets cut.
Probably true
but he earned himself a look, which, as an undrafted player, is all he’s looking for. That’s why he comes out a winner. Whether he earned himself a spot or not with one play is not the point. Before Thursday, he was going to be one of the first players to pack his bags. Now, he’s going to be looked at a little bit more thoroughly.
And I wouldn’t call it “garbage time,” per se. Yes, both teams were playing the bottom-level players, and the second half of the last preseason game is almost always garbage time to an extent. But within the confines of that particular game, the score was 10-6 Lions, and Davis’ TD put the game away.
by VoiceoftheLions on Sep 4, 2009 4:11 PM EDT up reply actions
Who is more capable?
Surely you do not mean to say that Aveion Cason should make this team?!?!?!
Davis showed breakaway speed! When has Cason EVER had breakaway speed? They need to cut ties with the extra baggage that is Cason, and look to the future with a young, and very fast, rookie named Tristan Davis. Smith, Morris, Brown, Davis…..keep them all.
Oh please. Not Cason.
If I ever gave the impression that I support Cason, let me assure you that that is not the case. Of the running backs, I would want Cason gone first. My comment on Davis was purely written from the opinion that one good play does not earn a player a roster spot. When I wrote that comment, I wasn’t thinking about who else would be staying. If it comes down to Cason or Davis, I would hope that it would be Cason’s baggage being packed. (Insert Tatum Bell baggage joke here)
Great Post
I didnt get to see the game but i heard that Stafford played better than his stats indicated.
my question however is, who is gonna be returning kickoffs/punts this year ?
i thought Williams had the jump but his preseason has been rough.
Proud Detroit Lions season ticket holder since.......2009 !!
Northcutt
They keep SAYING that Northcutt has solid return skills. Where are they? It’s hard to hand him a position (especially in the “open competition” realm that is Jim Schwartz’s camp) when he hasn’t set foot on the field yet. With speedy rookies all over camp hungry for a spot on the team, Northcutt will likely see a diminished role by season’s end.
by VoiceoftheLions on Sep 4, 2009 5:06 PM EDT up reply actions
To the Voice
This was a well thought out and nicely written analysis. I only disagree with two small points. Yes, I am going to tell you what they are….:o)
First of all, I disagree that Larry Foote has had a very quiet preseason. He had 10 tackles (6 solo, 4 assists), and a sack. Neither Levy or Dizon has a sack, and they played quite a bit more than Foote too (not to mention the fact that Dizon only played against a 1st team offense once, and it was at OLB not MLB….Levy never played against a 1st team offense). Dizon had better preseaon stats than Julian Peterson too….so should he be the starter over Peterson? Is Peterson a loser too? I think it is a little shortsighted to think that Levy and Dizon were better than Foote in any aspect other than statistically (and the stats are skewed).
The second point of disagreement pertains to your comments made about Schweigert. I agree that he did a good job in run support, when he played. However, he also was seen chasing receivers and running backs from behind quite a bit, and not very well I might add. For a former state champion sprinter, I didn’t really see much in the speed department out of Stu. The fact that he was chasing instead of making a play on the ball also says that he was over pursuing and misreading plays. I suppose they could have been run blitzing him at times last night, but he should be able to read the play and adjust when he sees that it is not a running play. For the safety to be so far up that he is getting beat over the middle, he must be out of position or someone else is not doing their job. However, I agree that he has earned some more playing time this year, and that Delmas has not shown us much.
I agree with you on these comments, KDawg...
but I’m gonna nitpick a little myself… :o) Aren’t you the one who has been pouring over the stats between Culpepper and Stafford? You’ve helped reiterate my point with these comments that stats do not always tell the whole story when it comes to evaluating the preseason.
I’ve had a busy week and haven’t had any time to post, but after the last game, there is no doubt in my mind that Stafford should start. The fact that it’s even a discussion means there should be no discussion. If you have an 11 year pro and a first overall rookie pick that has four preseason starts and the competition is very close, I don’t know how in the world you justify playing the veteran. In my mind, this is as far from a no-brainer as it can be (no offense to anyone that likes Daunte) and I sincerely hope Schwartz is thinking the same way. I actually have swung back the other way in what I think they’ll do… at this point, I’ll be pretty shocked if Stafford is not named the starter. He has looked every bit the part of the rookie on his way to a stellar career. Flashes of brilliance, mixed with rookie mistakes. But make no mistake about it… our fate as Lion’s fans is DIRECTLY tied to his career. It would behoove us greatly to let this kid get the snaps he deserves. He is ready… he is capable… and he is the better quarterback for this team right now.
Sorry… I’ve been thinking about this for a few days and didn’t know where to fit these thoughts on the site – and didn’t want to post another Culpepper/Stafford article just to say this. Your points always bring out the debate in me, KDawg!
lol Drew.....
I never said “stats always tell the whole story”. However, they do go a long way in backing up an opinion. It is still my opinion that Culpepper should start over Stafford regardless of the stats. The stats (including completion %, attempts, time of possession, TDs, and INTs) just help me to justify my opinion. I say regardless of the stats for reasons that I have already posted elsewhere today (I think on the front page).
That said, it is also my opinion (from watching the games very closely and forming my own analysis and subsequent critiques) that Larry Foote is the obvious starter at MLB, regardless of the stats, and that his play has been superior to Levy’s and Dizon’s. His presence alone makes a big difference on the play calling of the opposing defense, if you didn’t notice. Levy and Dizon performed well against the secondary offenses of our opposition….I am not trying to discount their play or say that they do not deserve to make the team. I am just saying that Larry Foote is the obvious choice at MLB based on what he has done with the 1st team D.
I will say this again….I think Matt Stafford has played well. I think he should take over at some point this season. I just do not think it should be before week 6, and I think the Lions can do themselves a favor by showcasing Culpepper for a minimum of 5 games before we let the kid take over. If they decide to start Stafford after week 1 (I think he will start week 1 by default at this point), then I will definitely hope for the best and I will root for him to do extremely well. I think he can do well. I just think the TEAM is better off starting Culpepper ASAP…..not to Stafford’s detriment, but for the greater good of the team in the long run. If they can get something extra out of Culpepper, they will have to showcase his ability. If they do not do that, then I feel that they will concede the fact that he will be cut at the end of the season with no return on investment.
I thought Jason Hunter started in place of Ernie Sims.
I am one of the Dizon bashers, and he has played his ass off this preseason. I give props when they are earned and he has earned them.
Larry Foote seems to be having problems adjusting back to playing a 4-3. Maybe he’s just holding back in the preseason trying to avoid/cause injury. IDK
TV listed Hunter as the starter, oh well
Dizon played great this preseason, I hope the kid can keep proving me wrong
the O line
actually the zone blocking scheme is dsigned to be easier for O line men. the o line does not have to blow 300 plus pound lineman straight back they run them down the line and the running back makes reads there is no specific hole assignment. in a power running scheme there is a certain hole call and and if it is called behind you you better beat your guy because the back is coming right behind you.
Correct
But in a zone blocking scheme footwork and technique is key for offensive linemen….something our guys clearly lack. When they can get off the ball and run block downhill, they do a much better job. Run blocking has not been the issue so far this year….pass pro has.
our line tends to be more of the mauler variety
than the nimble toes get out & pull up field type…lol
I would have to say that the biggest winner not only against buffalo but throughout the entire preseason has been aaron brown. This kid is flat out electric everytime he touches the ball. He has averaged over 5 yds per carry 3 out of 4 preseason games and his ability to catch the ball and make things happen in space is a threat that Detroit desperately needs. I was excited about him just watching him at practice and am glad that he is putting that on the field come game time as well. I would love to see him move up to number 2 on the depth chart as that would give us a great change of pace back. Not to take anything away from M. Morris, but he is a poor mans Kevin Smith and I never like the idea of downgrading talent on the field in any situation. I think Brown is every bit as talented as Smith but in different areas of the game. GO LIONS!!!
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