My thoughts on the 53 man rooster

by MisterEK on Sep 3, 2011 8:51 PM EDT

Its official the Lions have their 53 man rooster. We will see how long it lasts but here is the list and my thoughts on it.

Quarterback

Matthew Stafford, Shaun Hill, Drew Stanton

Nothing exciting here, just the same as last year. I would like to see Shaun and Drew play all of one play during the this upcoming season.

Running Back

Jahvid Best, Maurice Morris, Aaron Brown, Stefan Logan, Jerome Harrison

Placed on IR: Mikel Leshoure

Nothing here to discuss frankly. AB did a good job and shows he can be solid back up to JB. MM is our power back and JH seems to be in the same vane in the little bit I saw of him. SL is a solid returner and when he is end in the backfield you never know what will happen.

Fullback

We are keeping none on the rooster as Heller has shown he can fill in when needed. Plus we do have Suh that can help out in Goal line situations.

Wide Receiver

Calvin Johnson, Nate Burleson, Titus Young, Maurice Stovall, Rashied Davis

I like our top 5 and this happens to be what I predicted would occur, give me a pat on the back. BTW I think we have good group here and I see no changes here unless one gets hurt.

Tight End

Brandon Pettigrew, Tony Scheffler, Will Heller

Heller has proved to be very versitile during the preseason now he needs to do it during the regular season. Overall all though we have best TE trio in the league IMHO.

Offensive Tackle

Jeff Backus, Gosder Cherilus, Jason Fox, Corey Hilliard

Placed on IR: Johnny Culbreath

Not surprised by this grouping. Culbreath is going to be taking a year off and getting some bulk to run for a position next year. BTW JB is in his final contract year so I would expect him to be dominant this year.

Offensive Guard

Rob Sims, Stephen Peterman

I am a little suprised by us not keeping 3 but Sims is a solid player and Peterman provided he is not hurt plays decent. I would say with the same 5 for another year this OL can only get better.

Center

Dominic Raiola, Dylan Gandy, Chris Morris

I think having 3 listed is a little odd but with Gandy being able to play Guard as well I think it will work out.

Defensive Tackle

Ndamukong Suh, Corey Williams, Nick Fairley, Sammie Hill, Andre Fluellen

Again I called this one but I think just about everybody could have called this and the DE. All I am going to say is that the NFL teams we face better have all 3 QBs on the active rooster when we play them and not short themselves a QB.

Defensive End

Kyle Vanden Bosch, Cliff Avril, Lawrence Jackson, Willie Young

This is the same as above with the DTs. I like this grouping.

Linebacker

DeAndre Levy, Stephen Tulloch, Justin Durant, Bobby Carpenter, Doug Hogue, Ashlee Palmer, Isaiah Ekejiuba

I was a little surprised by keeping 7 but we just have too much talent not to cut one and add a lower talent CB.

Cornerback

Chris Houston, Eric Wright, Alphonso Smith, Aaron Berry, Brandon McDonald

I was taken a back by not keeping 6 corners but the 5 we have are the best on the team. Heck they only have to hold their man coverage for 4 to 5 seconds at most. That should be doable.

Safety

Louis Delmas, Amari Spievey, Erik Coleman, John Wendling

Not much to say here but I called it after many people lately were saying lets cut JW or EC. The cap has a big impact into what players will be kept and that is why Vasher was let go above, his base is over a million for essentially a dime or worse CB is not worth it. That is why they did not cut JW, cutting him would mean eating half a million

Special Teams

Keep (3): Jason Hanson, Ryan Donahue, Don Muhlbach

I was a little surprised by the cut of Nick the simple fact is he shanked a punt and that bodes badly for making the team. We need players that can deal with a bad situation like what happened and still preform. Your job in the NFL is to play the best all the time and not let somebody else problems affect you..

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pride of Detroit or its writers. FanPosts are valued expressions of opinion by passionate and knowledgeable fans.

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Comments

i know alot of us are drinking the kool-aid left and right but.....

I see a few weaknesses that will likely be exposed during the season

1. Our D-line is good but not great like many (want it to be) yes we will have moments where we creat pressure.. but the Lions edge rushers are decent not great. And that reallly is where you get the bulk of the qb pressures and sct (sack/cause fumble/ turnovers)… but i do think that the Dline will be Unique with pressure up the middle… but i don’t think it will be as dominate as many may think because of the lack of edge rush potiental.

2. I am not convinced our running game will be game enough to prevent teams from selling out to stop the pass. This will put Stafford in many dangerous situations without a respectable run game… and this will be the major thing that holds this team back…. teams will come back on Detroit after the Lions get leads because we can’t run it down people throats…it will make short yardage/goal line situations painful.

3. So much of the season rest the shoulders of Stafford and EVEN if he stays healthy he will need to maintain a very high level of play without runners that put the ball in the end zone often…. and every good offence from a statistical perspective always has someone in the back field that scores often…not saying we don’t have that. But it is still a unknown.

4 The run Defence looked very shaky from the starting unit. This unit has to play alot better in order to contend for the Division. Yes it is a pass happy league but if teams can run and pass on your then there is no hope of stopping really good quarterbacks (kinda the reason why Stafford will have trouble)

If a Lions running back steps up

If the run defence improves

If Cliff Avril and someone else plays better off the edge

Then all of these concerns would go away in my mind…. IF there is a upgrade at runningback to be had among the free agent cuts that can help in the short yardage and goaline then i would hope we could make something happen…..

Also i think Aaron Brown has a redundent skill set…. we have logan and Best ….though i must admit Brown is the best reciever out of the backfield….if he is used in this manner i would say YES keep him….if he doesn’t even get in the game. Then i would suggest getting a RB with more situational use…we can get what brown does from 2 other running backs (logan and best)

by Shankdiddy on Sep 3, 2011 10:26 PM EDT reply actions

I think we have great edge rush potential

Avril is one of the better speed rushers, KVB is still dangerous and our depth are pretty good at getting to the QB as well. I wouldn’t call our DE’s decent.

by Hyperion Ecta on Sep 4, 2011 2:11 AM EDT up reply actions

I think we are being homers if we don't look at what our DE really are

Avirl has been here a while…KVB is on the decline….Lo Jack hasn’t show much so far this season….willie young is a young player that hasn’t played much regular season snaps………NOT the edge rushers of a “top 5 line” from a edge rusher stand point…and to be great in the NFL you have to be really good off the edge…and the Lions are there yet…not saying they can’t……. but alot of people are gonna be pissed because so many "want " them to be that…instead of looking at what they are right now.

by Shankdiddy on Sep 4, 2011 8:07 AM EDT up reply actions

Psh.

You’re argument against Avril is that he’s “been here awhile?” LoJack was beast last year too, as he had the best sack per play ratio in all of the NFL (correct me if I’m wrong though). KVB still has his motor, and Willie Young won’t play more than 10 snaps a game even though he could start for another team. We’re not being homers, that’s just how good our line is.

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by Bighaircut on Sep 4, 2011 12:35 PM EDT up reply actions

+1

by Hyperion Ecta on Sep 5, 2011 2:29 AM EDT up reply actions

"to be great in the NFL you have to be really good off the edge"

Could not disagree more. Five guys on our line had 4+ sacks last year, Avril had what, 8? Suh had 10.

If not for Umenyiora’s record setting 10 forced fumbles last year, we would have had the best DL in the league bar none. This year, we will. Plain and simple.

by Mavyrk on Sep 4, 2011 1:48 PM EDT up reply actions

Cock-a-doodle doooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NO HOMO!!!!!!!

by FMFDOC8404 on Sep 4, 2011 12:39 AM EDT reply actions

I would like to see

them use aaron brown as a Reggie bush kind of scheme!
I mean i dont really even know if bush was even considered a Rb lol

by bnumerich on Sep 4, 2011 1:08 AM EDT reply actions

minus the 90-100 receptions he got in his earlier years,

I could see them using him in a receiver out of the backfield role.

NO HOMO!!!!!!!

by FMFDOC8404 on Sep 4, 2011 1:14 AM EDT up reply actions

When Reggie first came into league

People were big on his running but to me he really was a WR my oppinon lol

by bnumerich on Sep 4, 2011 1:25 AM EDT up reply actions

People labeled him a bust too,

with as many receptions as he had….

NO HOMO!!!!!!!

by FMFDOC8404 on Sep 4, 2011 1:35 AM EDT up reply actions

I'm irritated we kept Coleman

The guy sucked balls in camp from what I’ve heard and read and was no means steallaer in games yet we keep him. Then we cut a guy that shows real promise, to me that is baffleing!!!!!! I just do not understand that.

by Usmarine0341 on Sep 4, 2011 1:18 AM EDT reply actions

coleman didnt do to bad in the preseason games

that i saw of :/ but that was me.

by bnumerich on Sep 4, 2011 1:26 AM EDT up reply actions

While I understand you point...

Silva was not really a viable option. After watching him closely in the Buffalo game I learned that he is a gambler. He was very lucky on a couple plays where he tried to jump routes and missed. On one play the ball was dropped by the receiver or he would have been off to the races, and on a second, the receiver stepped out of bounds or it would have been another TD.

The Lions play a lot of cover 2 and when they do the safeties are expected to be over the top of the receiver in order to contain them. When Silva undercuts the route he is playing an all or nothing gamble that he will lose as much, or more, than he wins as the teams in the NFL get used to his style.

The Lions dod the right thing by cutting Silva. He needs to be on a practice squad where he can be taught to play a more controlled game and to pick his risks more carefully.

I never met him, but he was family to me... R.I.P. Tom Kowalski We will all miss you.

by TuffLynx on Sep 4, 2011 2:06 AM EDT up reply actions

this is a great point!

That’s exactly how he played and where he should go as well as why. I do have to say that I wasn’t all that impressed by Coleman tho.

Individuals should protect themselves. Governments can't protect individuals from themselves, it's just impossible, otherwise they become a tyranical state. -Ron Paul

by Ee Oulo on Sep 4, 2011 3:01 AM EDT up reply actions

In fairness to Mr. Silva

If I’m an UDFA with a slim chance of making a team, I play the exact same way. I go for the big plays that will get me noticed and get me an NFL roster spot somewhere, not the safe, conservative coverage that fits the system I’m playing in but gets me completely unnoticed by the NFL at large.

by Trysdor on Sep 4, 2011 3:15 AM EDT up reply actions

I agree. Silva showed that he's a play maker. Coleman is not.

Coleman DID suck in camp. Oh, he did keep the play in front of him—way in front of him. Coleman will never get the press coverage on a slot receiver that Silva did. Coleman takes poor angles on the ball, preferring to keep the play in front of him rather than make a play.

Coleman was burned twice in preseason. once on a running play against Cleveland and once when he bit and chewed on the Brady play fake. Some have pointed out that Silva also bit on the play. He did freeze, but he didn’t go into full run support mode. Furthermore, Welker wasn’t Silva’s responsibility.

Mark my words—Coleman will be the target of choice for offensive coordinators around the league when he’s in the game.

Then, there’s the question of who has more value? Silva or Ekejiuba? Ekejiuba is lost as an LB—we’ve all seen that. The Lions would have been fine without him as a special teams ace.

by mikeyclaw on Sep 4, 2011 7:58 AM EDT up reply actions

All i know is that Coleman was scored on twice...

Once vs Cleveland when he looked helpless to even challenge the TD….and once vs th Pats where he bite on the play action big time….Silva on the very same play did not bite on the fake and reacted toward Coleman like “wtf man”….and that is from a rookie…he appeared to know what he was doing and where he was suppose to be.

i totally disagree with this logic that he was a gambler and was not serviceable… he is clearly the better player …just not experienced…. i think some are trying to rationalize their homerizm lol…clearly it isn’t even close who the better player is…not even close…… but the coach wants experience players in those roles which i can understand.

Or for people to say that Silva had more of a sense of urgency so he played better lol…it is all funny to me…that is even MORE reason he is a better player right now

Look the ONLY reason Coleman is on the active roster over Silva is experience… because if both players did not have a name on their Jersey and you had no knowledge of their prior history rookie or veteran…then CLEARLY Silva is a better player… I can’t remember 1 play Coleman made…not even one…but i can remember a hand full each Game that Silva played…..it is really funny how people try to make Silva out to be a ’gambler" like that is a bad thing lol…. we better go ahead and cut Troy Palomau or Ed Reed that is their entire skill set lol….too funny

by Shankdiddy on Sep 4, 2011 8:23 AM EDT up reply actions

When you look at great safeties they all have something in common:

They are all intuitive and instinctive. They gamble.

Sure, they get burned occasionally. But, the Ed Reeds and Troy Polamalu’s of this league are play makers. Just like Silva, they gamble.

Coleman, and, to a lesser extent, Delmas, are not good in coverage and will be abused for huge chunks of yardage. The play of the safeties is largely by design by the coaching staff. It’s a sissy scheme that will be exploited.

Give me Spievey and Silva any day.

by mikeyclaw on Sep 4, 2011 9:11 AM EDT up reply actions

That is what i am saying...

You can’t teach a safety to know when to gamble or when not too..you can teach a scheme but within the scheme you can’t teach a guy when it is a good time to take a risk….and when you find someone that knows instinctively when to take that risk you hit the jack pot…

With all that being said i don’t see where all this “risk taking” is coming form…Silva just played how your suppose to play…i don’t see any unusal risk involved with his choices… then again it was just preseason and that is why i thin he did not make it…not because of play but because the coaches didnn’t have enough material to go on… but form what we saw you can tell he is a better player than coleman…. just very raw…it is the right choice because of
that reason an no other that they kept Coleman.

But again it is funny how people’s gripe against him is that he gambles lol….that is what the best playeers at the position do…so entirely mind blowingly funny lol… smdh

by Shankdiddy on Sep 4, 2011 9:49 AM EDT up reply actions

Did Coleman take the starting job or something?

I’m confused now. Do we want play makers as backups, or do we want competent depth?

by Mavyrk on Sep 4, 2011 1:50 PM EDT up reply actions

Maybe true, but still not what the Lions want.

The Lions defense is constructed to prevent big plays above EVERYTHING else they do. The Lions philosophy is simple, if you force the other team to move down the field methodically, you will get a couple chances at third downs to stop the drive almost every possession. But if you allow the other team to make big plays, then your opportunities to stop the drive without points are greatly reduced.

You might like gamblers, but the Lions want the gambles to be taken in a very calculated and situation aware way. Silva was not doing that, he was taking just about every gamble that he could. Yes, it got him noticed, in both a good and a bad way. It was probably enough to get him on the practice squad, but not enough to get him on the final roster. That is because he was sometimes taking too much risk for what Schwartz and Cunningham will allow in the defense. That likely led them to conclude that he needs to be developed before he can be an every down safety. So the gambles cut both ways for Silva.

I am not defending the play of Coleman, I was not really impressed with him much either. What I do know is that the Lions felt that Silva is not ready yet, so they cut him. That should be obvious at this point. If the Lions wanted to put Silva on the PS they needed to cut him while there were hundreds of other cuts for teams to wade through as well. They wanted to hide him in the crowd. So this was the most logical thing for them to do with Silva.

I never met him, but he was family to me... R.I.P. Tom Kowalski We will all miss you.

by TuffLynx on Sep 4, 2011 2:52 PM EDT up reply actions