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- Kenneth Arthur, managing editor at Field Gulls and contributor to Sports on Earth, ranked the secondaries of all 32 teams. Surprisingly, the Detroit Lions landed dead-last on the list. Here’s Kenneth’s explanation:
Despite a 9-7 record, the Lions featured one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL (32nd in DVOA), and their biggest offseason move to improve the secondary was selecting rookie Teez Tabor, one of the slowest corners in the draft. Signing Hayden shouldn't give fans any comfort either. This was a horrible secondary in 2016 and Detroit decided the best course of action would be to keep it exactly the same.
There’s obviously a lot to disagree with here. For example, I’m not sure how spending a second-round and a fifth-round pick on cornerback is deciding to keep the secondary the same. And no mention of Darius Slay, Glover Quin or the potential development of Miles Killebrew? Still, it’s interesting to see how the outside world views the Lions defensive backfield.
- Marvin Jones Jr. seems to be doing fine at OTAs this week:
- Jonathan Jones of MMQB gave the Lions’ offseason an “A” grade, the highest in the NFC North. Jones concluded:
“The upgrades on defense should allow Detroit to get over the hump of ordinary team hanging on in the playoffs to one that can actually get its first postseason victory in more than a quarter-century.”
- T.J. Lang called Ndamukong Suh a “literal psychopath” in the “Pardon My Take” podcast released on Tuesday. Later in the day, Lang clarified that he meant it as a compliment:
I would take this as a compliment if someone said that about me as a player. Right @Mike_Daniels76?? https://t.co/Z9uXdj8b0G
— TJ Lang (@TJLang70) May 31, 2017
- While we’re ranking positional groups, Bleacher Report’s Doug Farrar ranked each team’s receiving corps (including tight ends). The Lions came in at 14th on his list.
- Here are highlights and photos from Tuesday’s OTAs.
- After 23 years, John Clayton’s time at ESPN has come to an end, but don’t you worry:
By the way I am keeping the ponytail
— John Clayton (@ClaytonESPN) May 31, 2017