Week 14 2018, Detroit Lions @ Arizona Cardinals

Record.

The 5-8 Detroit Lions win this game against the 3-10 Arizona Cardinals 17-3. There was a record set in the game, and there was nearly a 2nd one as well (more on this later).

Matthew Stafford was 15 of 23 (65.22%) for a measly 101 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. There was 142 yards rushing by 4 players after the offensive line was able to run block better then half the time (usually on the left side, not very often at all on the right side). CB Slay ran an interception back for a touchdown, and Zach Zenner ran in the other TD. There were a number of injuries as well, but somehow the Lions managed to pull off a win. The Cardinals rookie QB Josh Rosen was 26 of 41 (63.41%) for 240 yards with no touchdowns and the pick six. The Lions run defense held the Cards to 61 total rushing yards, a task they've been doing well lately since the trade for "snacks" Harrison.

NFL.com had these items on their site... "Darius Slay reached 21.29 MPH on his 67-yard INT return for TD, the 2nd-fastest speed reached by a ball carrier on an defensive return for TD this season." and "Larry Fitzgerald has passed Jerry Rice (1,281 with SF) for the most receptions with a single team in NFL history."

The Lions next play the 4-9 Buffalo Bills in New York. It won't be easy playing back to back road games, but at least they will be playing a team with a worse record, not that means anything this year really. Still, I expect the Lions to manage a win, as the Bills are in the Patriots division and thus Lions head coach Patricia should know a lot about most of their team and how to play them. The Packers also won today so the Lions remain at the bottom of the NFC North division.

It's still too early, but the Lions, despite the win, are looking at a top 10 draft pick... maybe. Depends on what happens the next 3 weeks. It also depends on the record of the other bottom teams in the league.

Week 13, 2018 - Detroit Lions versus the LA Rams @ Home

The Bright Side

The 4-8 Detroit Lions lose this one easily to the powerhouse 11-1 LA Rams at home. The entire NFC North lost their games today, in fact the Packers just fired their head coach after their loss to the Cardinals, so there is a little bit of a bright side, but not much. The Lions now have the same number of wins as the Packers, but they also have the same number of wins as the Buffalo Bills, so there is that.

Matthew Stafford was 20 of 33 (60.6%) for 245 yards with a touchdown and an interception and a fumble. Four runners rushed for a total of 102 yards (2 of them by Stafford) on 26 run plays. So the offense ran 34 pass plays (one by the WR Ellington) and 26 run plays on offense. There where a couple of failed on-side kicks and a few other trick plays, some that worked, some that didn't. But there were still a few times the offense ran their old plays and the Rams defense seemed to know exactly what was going to happen. Now the Lions defense allowed Goff to complete only 17 passes on 33 attempts (51.51%) for 207 yards a touchdown and an interception and a fumble. So Stafford did 3 more completions, had 38 more yards and everything else was basically the same. Or you could say the defenses allowed the opposing QB to do pretty much the same. But wait, the Lions defense also allowed 149 rushing yards by four different guys and 2 rushing touchdowns. This game came down to the Lions rushing defense and Todd Gurley for the Rams. Stafford and the Lions offense could not produce enough to overcome it. It could even be argued they contributed to the loss simply due to the OL not being able to keep Donald (and to a much lesser extent, Ndamakong Suh) out of the Lions backfield. It was not really a fun game to watch, unless you are a Donald/Suh fan... or a Gurley fan. According to NFL.COM "The Rams are 23-11 since 2015 when Todd Gurley scores a TD. They are 9-13 when Gurley doesn’t score. "

So far the Lions haven't fired any coaches, but they could and it wouldn't surprise me. I doubt they will though, simply because it's Patricia's first year and you don't expect the team to do great in the year of a new head coach... well, you do if it's Caldwell you hire, and he delivers, but this new head coach is thus far unable to deliver. (By deliver I mean a winning season, not necessarily a playoff win). The Lions could win all four of their remaining games and still only end up at 8 and 8, so no winning season this year (in case you are keeping track).

This blog post is called "the bright side"... so what is this bright side? Well, as of right now, if the draft were to be held based on the current record, the Lions would be drafting 7th overall. Not in every round, as there are 4 other teams with a 4 and 8 record, but we don't need to go there just yet, since there are still 4 more games left to play. Well, I went there, but 'we' don't need to. We can look at the next game instead. The Lions will be heading to the desert to play the 3-9 Arizona Cardinals (the team that just beat the Packers in Lambeau Field to get their head coach fired). We shall see if the Lions can do better then the Packers did. That's fun, right?

One more item on the bright side... the Lions only play one more game against a team with a winning record (at present)... so maybe their new coaching staff can get them all the way to 7-9 this year. Okay, maybe it's not all that bright, but I haven't much to work with here, so I do what needs must (or whatever that quote should be).

Week 12, 2018 Detroit Lions versus the Chicago Bears @ Home on Thanksgiving Day

Turkey Day.

The 4-7 Detroit Lions lose this one against the 8-3 Chicago Bears with a score of 16-23. The Lions would have to win all their remaining games this year in order to have the same record as what Caldwell achieved for the final two years of his tenure. It's fairly safe to assume the Lions will have taken a step backwards in Patricia's first year as head coach. Even if you prefer to watch the games rather then read stats, it's quite evident the team is not playing as well as they had in the recent past. The offense is (or was) nearly the same as the 2017 offense, even including the same coordinator, yet after 12 weeks there are still guys running the wrong routes and dropping passes. Guys who left were replaced by guys of lesser quality, or at least, so far, unable to produce as well as their predecessors. For example, the TE Roberts in the final minutes of the game today, ran towards the front pylon while Stafford through to the back pylon, which produced an interception, as the Lions were about to tie the game. This was the 2nd wrong route that got intercepted on turkey day, and the third such interception in the past couple of games.

Matthew Stafford was 28 of 38 (73.68%) for 236 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. Blount ran 19 times for 88 yards and two touchdowns. There were another 23 yards rushing by 3 other players on offense. Stafford threw to 10 different receivers during the course of the game. Two or three correct routes being run and the outcome of this game is much different.

Meanwhile, the Bears backup QB Chase Daniel was able to complete 27 of 37 passes (72.97) for 230 yards and two touchdowns. Four different rushers ran for a grand total of 38 yards. How does a defense allow a guy who hasn't thrown in an NFL game for 4 years to complete nearly 73% of his passes, allow two touchdowns, yet completely stop the run game? By not being good enough, that's how.

Lions defense sacked Daniel twice as much as Stafford was sacked. Lions nearly tripled the Bears total rushing yardage. The passing yardage was nearly the identical. Lions had a couple more penalties, but it could be said that there was pass interference not called on that second interception when Roberts was nearly blocked to a stop on his way to the wrong spot. Yet and still, I'm going to blame the officiating for the loss. I'm not going to even blame the Stafford or the defense for the loss. I'm going to continue to blame the coaching until such time as the team is able to execute basic plays. I'm assuming, of course, that that will actually eventually happen... even though so far I've not seen anything to actually convince me of that, other then the games the Lions won (all four of them). Those four games the team actually looked like it could execute basic plays, for most of the time at least.

I do get criticized for not blaming Stafford for his actions though, but that isn't what I mean to convey (that he is not to blame for anything). He does do things wrong, executes plays wrong, some games maybe 6 plays, some games maybe as many as 10. But guess what, most games, most QBs do that many wrong things. Some way more then that even. It's not that Stafford doesn't err, it's that he doesn't err more so then other top QBs in the league. So replacing him simply replaces one set of errors with another set of errors, and the team will still end up with similar results. Why? Because the team is not executing plays correctly, even the basic ones at times. Perhaps I shouldn't blame the coaching for not having the team ready, perhaps it's the nature of the beast that it takes more time then 11 months for a new coaching staff to get all the players on the same page (when the book is relatively new, meaning full of new pages). Perhaps I need to give them more time then to Turkey Day of their first year... but even if that is true, I'm not going to blame someone or something else instead. Not when it's apparent to me at least that the coaching and the players are not yet quite able to execute all the things they are being asked to do.

So once again we Lions fans are sitting at the bottom of the division, looking now towards a draft pick perhaps in the single digits, perhaps shortly after the 10th pick, and once again all the blame tends to end up in the wrong spot. Only thing different this year is that a first year head coach isn't usually fired, a GM who is drafting fairly well isn't usually replaced either, and Stafford's contract is such his cap hit would be too disastrous to cut or even trade in 2019, so he'll be the Lions QB next year along with the coaching staff and front office... aside from the usual exits and entrances of an individual or two or three. It's entirely possible a second year of these coaches coaching, some more influx of talent in the draft, and maybe a lucky free agent pickup or two, and the team will THEN be ready to execute the plays they need to complete. But that leads to another common Lions fan saying... "just wait until next year". And once again we get to start saying it on or in my case, just before, turkey day.

Next Sunday the Lions have off (obviously) so it's December 2nd before they play again. At home. But it's against the 9-1 LA Rams. After that, 3 of the final 4 games are away. Where the Lions will be drafting is about the only thing that isn't decided yet this year. With that, all I have left to say, hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving (or as much of a good one as you could).

Week 11, 2018 Detroit Lions vs the Carolina Panthers @ Home

Better Prepared.

The 4-6 Detroit Lions narrowly won the game against the 6-4 Carolina Panthers at home today with a score of 20-19. One could say that Special Teams was the reason... for the Panthers kicker missed a field goal and an extra point (4 points, both off the uprights) then at the end of the game with a little over a minute to go, the Panthers go for two (and the win) instead of the extra point for a potential tie, and fail to convert it (another point). In other words, the Lions could have easily lost this game 20-24 but that's not what the record book will say, so the Lions won. Final answer.

Matthew Stafford was 23 of 37 (62.162%) for 220 yards a touchdown and no interceptions or fumbles. Kerryon Johnson was 87 yards on 15 carries before injuring his knee. In total the Lions had 94 yards rushing and the defense allowed only 56 yards. The Lions defense did allow Cam Newton to go 25 of 37 (67.568%) for 357 yards 2 touchdowns and an interception. One other note about the game, Stafford was only sacked one time. Compared to the past few weeks that is worthy of remarking on, though I'm not sure what the offensive line did differently, perhaps it was simply the opponent, but if we blame the OL for the sacks when they happen we should commend them on games when it doesn't. They did seem better prepared to pass block at least.

The Vikings and Bears play later tonight, if the Bears win they will be the top contender for winning the division with a couple game lead. But if the Vikings win, that ties things all up with the Lions only 2 games (plus the tie breaker) out. Obviously Lions fans will be rooting for the Vikings to win, but with only 6 more games in the season, the Lions are very unlikely to win 3 more games then the Bears and the Vikings both. Still, it feels good to have the Lions win their game, asterisks and all, and only be a half game behind the Packers in the standings while doing so. In fact, my new goal for the Lions this year is for them to not be the last place team in the division, that honor I'm hoping will belong to the Packers.

With today's win the Lions are no longer drafting in the top 10, well, unless they lose out and other teams with a worse record don't. Still, as it stands right now, the Lions will be drafting between the 11th and the 20th pick. The Lions next game is in only 4 days on Thanksgiving afternoon and they'll be playing the Chicago Bears once again. With the players who were injured today on the Lions team, it will be interesting to see how the Bears player's do tonight, not that I'm wishing them ill will mind you. The won't stop me from being curious though. Just like the unlikelihood of the Lions actually making the playoffs isn't stopping me from watching their games. At least today they actually looked better prepared to play an NFL game, hopefully they will while the turkey is cooking Thursday as well.

Week 10, 2018 Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears

Disappointing.

The 3-6 Detroit Lions lose this game to the 6-3 Chicago Bears 22-34 in a game that wasn't really even that close. Despite the Bear's kicker missing two extra points AND two field goals, the Lions only scored 12 points in the 4th quarter when the Bears had a nice 34 to 10 lead. In fact, as much as the Lions needed this game (almost as much as the one they lost last week) they managed to come across as disappointing and in need of a lot of work.

Many times when a new head coach comes in it takes a couple years for the players to learn the new system and to acquire the talent needed to run it... but after the Lions beat the Packers, Patriots and Dolphins it appeared as though they were ahead of the curve and that perhaps this wasn't a full blown rebuilding year after all. Appearances can be deceiving, instead it now appears that those 3 wins were themselves' the fluke and that winning more games in 2018 will be very hard to come by. For starters, the Lions now play at home against the Panthers (6-3) then at home 4 days later on Thanksgiving to these same Chicago Bears (6-3) followed by a road trip to the LA Rams for the Ndamakong Suh reunion (with a dash of Donald for flavor). There is some potential after those games for a win or two but counting unhatched chickens now comes to mind, so let's just hold off on that for now.

As for today, Matthew Stafford was 25 of 42 (59.52%) for 274 yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He was sacked 6 times and pressured relentlessly. Wagner looked like a very slow old ox when having to contend with the Bears DE, and the rest of the OL was either lost, confused, outplayed, or otherwise just not very good in both the run and pass blocking areas. The defense meanwhile allowed 2nd year QB Trubisky to go 23 of 30 (76.6667%) for 355 yards 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. Trubisky was sacked one time. Trubisky enjoyed his game with very little pressure for much of it. The defense did hold the Bears to 54 yards, so that was not as disappointing as all other aspects of the game, but the Lions were held to only 76 yards themselves, so it kind of equaled out. Special teams didn't do too badly considering the assistant special teams coach is now the coordinator, though I still haven't heard why the previous coordinator was fired last week. Perhaps he was showing up the other coordinators.

Anyway, the Lions are now 4 games out of winning the division with 7 games to go and the next 3 will be nearly impossible to win as things appear to be right now. It is so highly unlikely that the Lions will make the playoffs that ... well... we Lions fans are used to draft talk before Black Friday so nothing terribly new there, just another disappointing season is all. Just wait until next year.

Week 9, 2018 Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings

Uninspired.

The 3-5 Detroit Lions lost to the 5-3-1 Minnesota Vikings 9-24 putting them solidly in last place in the NFC North division. The team played uninspired football, possibly (at least partially) due to the recent trade of WR Golden Tate. His 2,736 yards AFTER the catch (not yards total) in four and a half seasons in Detroit equates to 608 yards a year that he alone created (after the catch). There are any number of players on the Lions during that same time who didn't generate 608 yards a year in total, run-pass-return-YACs-etc. Getting a 3rd rounder for a 30 year old wide receiver on his last year of his contract is sweet. Losing out on that production for the remainder of this year is perhaps the worst thing that could've been done to the team.

Matthew Stafford was 25 of 36 (69.444%) for 199 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions (and one fumble, in an ill advised shuffle pass, that gave the Vikings defense a touchdown). The Lions also had 5 players rush 22 times total for a whopping 66 yards and no touchdowns. The defense allowed 18 completions on 22 attempts for 164 yards with one touchdown and one interception. The Lions defense also allowed 128 yards rushing on 23 attempts. All the points by the Lions were on the 3 attempts by Matt Prater in the form of field goals. There was a very nice, aggressive, fake punt on 4th down that converted for a first down, but other then special teams, the rest of the team really played a very uninspired game of football.

What does the loss of Golden Tate do for the Lions? Some headlines: "Oct 3, 2018 - On his 38-yard touchdown catch in Dallas, wide receiver Golden Tate became the fastest Lion to reach 400 receptions with the team." and "Aug 14, 2018 - A revealing stat proves why Detroit Lions wide receiver Golden Tate is likely the most under-appreciated wideout in the entire NFL." (4 seasons of over 90 catches per season, only the Steelers Antonio Brown has done the same). "Golden Tate leads the NFL in yards after catch since 2014" and finally "Golden Tate's numbers are ridiculous". Thinking that losing that won't have an effect on the team, both in production and in mental stability, is in its self insane. Doing so when waiting 8 games and allowing him to go in free agency which might net you a 4th round pick in 2020 instead of a 3rd in 2019 is also borderline crazy (to me). So for me, the move is indicative of what this year will be like... waiting for the draft.

Somehow the Lions would have to win 3 games more then the Vikings do in the next 8 weeks in order to win the division. I don't see that happening. So I guess we can start looking for a DE in the top 10 of the draft who can replace Ansah (who is not earning his million dollars per game) and also a 3rd round WR with great hands, healthy, and able to get buckoo yards after the catch. That just to stay even or be slightly better then they are now, which is not all that inspiring. In fact, at the moment anyway, I'm so uninspired by the Lions that I find myself rooting for the Rams and the Chiefs more then the Lions. If there are a lot of fans feeling that way the Lions are on a strange track indeed.

Week 6 (Bye Week), Week 7 at Miami Dolphins and Week 8, 2018 vs Seattle Seahawks @ Home

Fully Prepared.

After beating the Green Bay Packers week 5 the Detroit Lions were fully prepared for a bye week, which they were scheduled to do. Then after taking a few days off to recoop from their 2-3 start they prepared for and won against the Miami Dolphins 32-21 in Florida. Now at 3-3 they play at home against the 3-3 Seattle Seahawks only to lose 14-28. Seattle was fully prepared to play, the Lions were not. Not on offense, not on defense, not even on special teams.

The bye week of course has no stats. The Miami game which I had no time to blog about was so much better then the next week when the Lions were home against Seattle. I mean, against Seattle, Matthew Stafford was 27 of 40 (67.5%) for 310 yards with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception, along with a fumble. Ameer Abdullah also fumbled, early in the game, immediately after the kickoff from the Seahawks first score, setting the tone for the entire game really.

The Lions had a grand total of 34 yards rushing by 4 players. Compared to a record number of yards the week before from KJ in Miami. Obviously the Lions are not dictating the offense, but are playing to the defense they are confronting. That has to change.

The Lions were not ready for a fake punt this week, preventing any miracle come back from Stafford, who prior to that sabotaged himself with a fumble and then at the goal line, an interception. Trying to do everything all by yourself usually ends up with these kinds of results. The entire team, sans Prater, needs to look in the mirror, and this includes the entire coaching staff. There is no one to blame for the Seahawks loss, nor the Dolphins win, it's all team. In Miami the team was fully prepared to win, in the Seahawks loss the Lions were not. Not even close.

The Lions play away the next two weeks. At the Vikings and then at the Bears. They are 3-4 with the Vikings now at 4-3-1 and the Bears at 4-3. If the Lions are to continue to be in the mix for the playoffs they must win both of these next two games! They have to be prepared. They can not be injured, poorly coached, or to be having an off day. This is the pivotal point in the season, so get fully prepared, and play to win. If that doesn't happen, neither will there be a post season. It's that important.

Week 5 2018, Green Bay Packers vs the Detroit Lions @ Home

Lions won.

The 2-3 Detroit Lions won this contest 31-23 against the Packers at home today. They were up as much as 3 scores on them before going into a prevent defense which nearly erased the lead. Still, it was great to see a win, even if you must go through the whole game wondering when Rodgers will take the lead away. The outcome may have been a lot different if their ace kicker hadn't missed 3 field goals and an extra point. But then, the Lions wouldn't have gone into prevent either so who knows for sure how the final score would have been. No matter how you slice it, the Lions won.

Matthew Stafford was 14 of 26 (53.85%) for 183 yards and 2 touchdowns with no turnovers. There was only 94 yards rushing and Blount had two rushing touchdowns. Prater was 1 for 2 on field goals and 4 for 4 on extra points. The defense had no interceptions and 3 fumble recoveries. No aspect of the team was great, but they were good enough, for the Lions won.

Lots of work remains to be done to get this team into top shape, the offensive line still needs to work better together (difficult with Lang out injured) and the defense still needs to learn the whole scheme but there is improvement... and hopefully that can continue... as the Lions now have a bye week before going to Miami who is currently 3-2. It won't be easy to win that game, but if the Lions want to keep close in the playoff race they will need to take the game anyway. Hopefully Kerryon Johnson's ankle he injured in the 3rd quarter is able to heal up by then, for his running ability is taking some of the pressure off of Stafford, making it a bit easier for the Lions to win their games.

Week 4 2018, Detroit Lions versus the Dallas Cowboys in Dallas

Ouch.

The 1-3 Detroit Lions lose to the Dallas Cowboys 24-26. The score makes it sound like a close game, but the refs had this one firmly in hand from the first quarter. (yes, I went there).

If I can find the time I will update this blog further later on, for now, I'm working far too many hours to have the time to complain, let alone explain, what I saw last Sunday.

Week 3 2018, Detroit Lions vs New England Patriots @ home.

Stunned!

The 1-2 Detroit Lions beat the 1-2 New England Patriots by a score of 26-10. I think it is safe to say that mostly NO ONE saw this coming. I know that Patricia knows the Patriots very well, and that his desire to win was probably very strong (and that's an inadequate thought) but mostly no one saw this coming. Most were, in fact, stunned!

Matthew Stafford was 27 of 36 (75%) for 262 yards and 2 TDs. Most importantly according to the press, is that the Lions had 101 yards on the ground by Kerryon Johnson, the first one hundred yard rusher for the Lions in over 5 years. In total, the Lions had 159 yards rushing to go with thei 262 yards passing. Meanwhile the Patriots managed 89 yards rushing and only 133 yards passing all by Tom Brady. 14 of 26 (53.85%) for 133 yards 1 TD and 1 INT is astounding, for any defense, let alone the Lions much malingered defense. I am stunned! There was no way I foresaw this kind of proficiency from the Lions defense. The offense I was thinking would get tons of garbage time stats, but that too was a nothing.

I was impressed that when there were seconds to go in the first half the Lions did not just run for a few yards and let the time run out like they would have done under Caldwell... which is a thing. Even though they did not score they did keep playing and ran the clock off while still trying to go down the field. That was a much needed change of attitude in my opinion.

Further more, the defense, though in my opinion, undermanned, was able to hold Tom Brady to 133 yards and then beat his team by 16 points. Once again, I and everyone I know, am STUNNED!

So here we are, week three of preseason (yes, I know it's week three of the regular season but Patricia sat the starters so much it might as well be week three of preseason) and they are finally appearing to understand their roles, in both offense and defense. Whether this education has stuck into their craws is yet to be seen, but it's a very good start. Again, I never thought the Lions could win this game, let alone by two full scores, so I am stunned, and I am also very happy! Can we do this again next week please? Thank you.

Game 2, 2018, Detroit Lions @ San Francisco 49ers

Slightly better.

The now 0-2 Detroit Lions lost to the 1-1 San Francisco 49ers 27-30 proving that they were slightly better prepared to play a football game but still are not completely ready. Winning in the NFL takes a true team effort. One that the Lions are not yet ready to yield as of yet.

Matthew Stafford was 34 of 53 (64.15%) for 347 yards 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. A marked improvement from last week. Yet the Lions defense gave up 18 completions on 26 attempts (69.23%) for 206 yards and 2 touchdowns and no interceptions. The defense also gave up 190 yards rushing to the Lions offense of 98 yards rushing (8 yards from Stafford).

Every aspect of the offense, and the defense, suggests they were slightly better. Even special teams, slightly better.

There is nothing that I can type or report that can denote a marked improvement, nor is there anything that I can point to that can mark a material difference... yet at the same time... there is no one factor that shows a regression or a worse factor then what happened last week.

No, the Lions improved, but at the same time, they were only slightly better.

At this rate, they might win against head coaches previous team (the Patriots) next week, but I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you. In fact, until week 5 I wouldn't place any bets on the Lions as they are only now into week 3 of preseason, despite it being week 2 of the regular season.

So no, in my opinion, the Lions have improved, yet they are only slightly better then last week, and no where's near as good as they should be at this point in the year.

Week 1, 2018 - Detroit Lions vs New York Jets @ Home

Not ready at all.

The (now 0-1) Detroit Lions played Monday Night Football at home against the visiting (now 1-0) New York Jets and were soundly beaten 17-48. They were beaten in all aspects of the game and it was readily apparent they were not in the least bit ready at all.

I normally post blog entries after every pre-season game, but this year all the games were used for player evaluation and not for implementing game specific plays, so I didn't bother. I did go to Detroit from the 28th of July to the 1st of August to watch three open practices, and I did update my estimated depth chart as usual, but I didn't have the time or inclination to blog about the preseason games. Now I find it's week 1 of the 2018 season and I wish I didn't have to blog about this game either.

Matthew Stafford was 27 of 46 (58.696%) for 286 yards and one touchdown but also with 4 interceptions. This is horrible. Considering the core of his offense is back from last year along with the coordinator; but with new OL, RB, and QB coaches... who knows what went wrong here... but it is completely safe to say that Stafford was not ready at all to play week 1. (Not to mention the pain he was in due to the OL also not being ready at all to play).

Meanwhile the opposing QB, one Mr Darnold - the youngest QB to start ever in week 1 - was 16 of 21 (76.19%) for 198 yards 2 TDs and only 1 INT (the very first play of his career). Only 4 missed passes in a game as a rookie in his first ever game... inexcusable. The Jet were ready to play... the Lions... were not even close to ready to play.

The Lions had only 15 attempted runs for 39 yards, while the defense allowed 36 attempts for 169 yards and 2 TDs. Stop me if any of this sounds familiar.

Special Teams was also not ready... allowing 239 return yards to the Lions 37 yards. Then there were the 2 missed field goals for the Lions (none for the Jets)... and I didn't even go into the missed tackles, the drops (some in the endzone), or Cassels interception.

The Lions came out of pre-season pretty healthy and completely unprepared for the season. There were no aspects of their game that appeared to be ready to play. Golladay and Diggs did a few good things, and the rest of the team was in week one of preseason (readiness wise).

Blame whoever you want for the loss, me... I blame the coaching staff for not having the team ready to play, at all.

2018 NFL Draft - Detroit Lions - Rounds 4 through 7+

DE/DT Da'Shawn Hand
OT/OG Tyrell Crosby
FB/QB Nick Bawden

Day 3, the final day, of the 2018 NFL Draft is in the books (fyi: that means finished). The Detroit Lions finally answered the question on how they were going to address the defensive line when only having picks in rounds 5 and 7 remaining. They didn't. Address the defensive line that is, with those picks, just like they didn't with the picks from the first two days. Maybe the whole issue with the DL in 2017 was the coaching after all? Maybe they plan to address it in 2019 instead? Ah, but see, they did, sort of. Yesterday they traded their 4th round pick to the Patriots to move up in round two in order to select RB Kerryon Johnson. So today, surprise (not really, I said they might both in my blog post last night and in the chat room in my forum today) they traded their 2019 third round pick in order to get back into the 4th round and then drafted DE/DT Da'Shawn Hand. Get this, they traded with the Patriots. So now you can say the Lions traded their 2019 third round pick to move up in the 2nd round of the 2018 draft, and be mostly accurate. That's a lot of capital to spend on a RB. But I digress. In fact, I'm all over the place here, so let's start this in a more orderly fashion. I mean, I could write thousands of words on just day 3 and not cover all the material, so time to do this NetRat style.

In the 2018 draft on day 3 the Detroit Lions started by trading their 2019 3rd round pick to the Patriots to select DE/DT Da'Shawn Hand. Da'Shawn has an RAS score of 8.74. That makes him an elite athlete. Since he weighs in at 282 pounds and can play defensive end, that kind of goes without saying. But wait, when they say he plays DE, they mean in a 3-4, which is a bit different then in a 4-3 style defense. So he is a classic tweener. Not quite heavy enough to play DT full time, not quite light enough to play DE in a 4-3. But should you put together a package of defensive plays that alternate him inside, outside, and with a blitzing LB then you have a versatile chapter in your defensive playbook. That is what I think the Lions were looking for all along. If not, they sure didn't find what they were looking for instead, so I hope this is what they desired to have in the draft. Mr Hand showed up in all 5 of my draft guides, plus he is on most all online rankings as well. He managed a 2nd round grade in one of the guides, a 3rd round grade in two of the guides, and 5th/6th round grades in the others that I looked at. Apparently those who reviewed his film (not those that work for the Lions) couldn't come to common ground on how he'll do in the NFL versus how he did in college. With his athletic score proving he is an elite athlete, and with at least some others outside of the Lions believing he was worth being drafted in either rounds 2 or 3... there is at least a chance this was not a waste of next year's 3rd round pick. As long as you ignore completely the trading up last night for Kerryon, but alas, I shall not go there.

With the Lions own 5th round pick they selected OT/OG Tyrell Crosby, who is ranked by some as a 2nd round type of player but with some medical concerns. One guide goes on to say they believe he will be a solid starter at left tackle in the NFL. Another guide says he could play left or right tackle, and there is no reason to believe he couldn't play guard if needed to. So I guess versatile is the word. Now this pick I can understand and get behind. Might even be a value pick since it was the 5th round. During the latter part of the draft I had received a text about an article from someone at nfl.com that read he is as good as former first round pick Michael Oher. Only one guide was super critical of his play, mostly saying he is 'grabby' and isn't good in space. Which makes me wonder, if true, if he won't be a guard instead of a tackle. Perhaps he'll be depth only at tackle and guard for now, but as the 4th best OT in the draft (according to almost everyone) that isn't such a horrible thing for a 5th round pick.

The Lions didn't do any 'stupid GM tricks' in the 6th round, and then drafted in the 7th round Nick Bawden. Some of you caught in the beginning I put in he is a FB/QB and are probably trying to figure out why. Well, it seems Nick started out as a QB... I'll just insert a portion of Bruglar's Draft Guide Here (worth the $5 he charges each year by the way)... BACKGROUND: A two-star quarterback recruit out of high school, Charles Nicholas “Nick” Bawden was a two-year starting quarterback at Los Gatos, throwing for 1,622 yards and 14 touchdowns as a senior. He received only two Division-I scholarship offers out of high school and committed to San Diego State as a quarterback over Eastern Washington. He was thrust into action as a true freshman due to injury and made two starts in 2014, completing 34.2% of his passes with one touchdown and two interceptions. Aztecs head coach Rocky Long gave Bawden a choice of moving positions or transferring if he wanted to remain at quarterback and he elected to become a fullback. After not recording any statistics as a back-up in 2015, he started 11 games at fullback as a junior and recorded 15 catches for 137 yards in 2016. Bawden started 12 games as a senior and finished with 15 receptions for 103 yards and his only career touchdown catch. He accepted his invitation to the 2018 Senior Bowl.

So yeah, our 7th round pick is a Fullback, sort of, and a QB, sort of. I have no idea how the Lions plan to use him, most likely they plan to waive him and put him on the practice squad, but who knows, maybe they are going back to using a FB more often. I mean, they did say they wanted to fix the run game. They did fire the OL coach. They did sign a free agent running back. They did draft a running back in round 2. They did draft a guard (or is he a center) in round 1. If these moves don't fix the run game then there is something definitely wrong in Denmark (that's a saying by the way).

After the draft the Lions started signing undrafted guys, or are rumored to have. Not all these rumors will prove to be true, every year something ends up different, but at the moment they supposedly got:

DE Jojo Wicker, Arizona State (RUMOR)
G John Montelus, Virginia (Source)
DB Chris Jones, Nebraska (Source)
DB Antwuan Davis, Texas (Source)
DB Amari Coleman, Central Michigan (Source)
WR Teo Redding, Bowling Green (Source)
CB Mike Ford, Southeast Missouri State (Source)
LB Chad Meredith, Southeast Missouri State (Source)
S Anthony Sherrils, Missouri (Source)
OL Brett Kendrick, Tennessee (Source)
LB Al-Rasheed Benton, West Virginia (Source)
K/P Ryan Santoso, Minnesota (Source)

UDFAs invited to Lions minicamp
DL Michael Hill, Ohio State (Source)

None of whom are WR Brandon Bean who I truly thought they were going to draft in round 7 or sign after the draft... I mentioned as much last night, oh well, the Lions did a lot of unexpected things this week. Including repeatedly passing on many of the DT and DE prospects available, all through the draft and even after, with the noted exception(s). Like I said, they must have a DL plan that I am not aware of, or truly feel the only DL issue was the coaching.

So to summarize the draft, using my "big board" as a reference, and including each player's RAS scores from when I last updated my database of them, we have:

1st round, my 41st ranked player, taken at 20, C/G Frank Ragnow. RAS of 9.85 (anything over an 8.0 is elite, anything over 5.0 is above average). 319 pounds of OL muscle.

2nd round, my 68th ranked player, taken by trading away the 4th round pick and moving up higher in the 2nd, RB Kerryon Johnson. RAS of 6.93 (which I think went up slightly after his pro-day). 212 pounds of hopefully upgraded running back.

3rd round, my 181st ranked player, taken way too early by most accounts (other then the Lions account), FS Tracy Walker. RAS of 6.74 and if he can stay healthy and learn for year plus with a year in the NFL weight training program, could be our new starting FS sooner rather then later.

4th round, my 125th ranked player, taken with our 2019 3rd round pick, DE Da'Shawn Hand. RAS of 8.74. 282 pounds of tweener that is not called that any more, rather he is 'versatile'. Should he rotate in and produce he can be called whatever anyone wants.

5th round, my 45th ranked player, taken in potentially in a super value spot without any crazy trading, OT/OG Tyrell Crosby. RAS of 6.19. 320 pounds of huge potential as a quality OL player. My personal favorite pick of this draft (sorry about the jinx I just laid on you).

7th round, my 338th ranked player (okay, you caught me, I only ranked 337 guys, none were this guy), FB/QB Nick Bawden. RAS of 7.89 (very nearly elite). 244 pounds of the most bad-ass QB you ever saw (I hope). It makes the whole draft more interesting at any rate.

And a slew of undrafted guys, none of whom are the guys I had wanted the Lions to draft in round 7 either. The top one being DE Hercules Mata'afa who is rumored to be a Viking now. I haven't heard what happened to WR Bean as of yet either. Anyway, I'll go into more detail later, should it appear needed, after I allow this all to soak in a bit first. This is the kind of draft you need to give time to, so you can get over your own, even if not admitted, beliefs of who should have been drafted instead.

Edit: new information found less then an hour ago... this explains a few things from day 2!

Adam Schefter ‏Verified account @adamschefter Lions keep picking players before other teams can. Detroit drafted Auburn RB Kerryon Johnson at No. 43 with Washington preparing to take him at No. 44. Then Detroit drafted UL Laf CB Tracy Walker at No. 82 before Carolina could get him at No. 85. Always stories behind each pick. 8:20 AM - 28 Apr 2018

2018 NFL Draft - Detroit Lions - Rounds 2 and 3

Kerryon Johnson
Tracy Walker

The 2nd night of the 2018 NFL Draft is in the books, rounds 2 and 3 all settled, and the Lions have two new players to welcome to the team. Running Back Kerryon Johnson and Safety Tracy Walker will be donning Detroit Lions jerseys in the near future and will start to learn what the NFL is really all about. But just who are these players? Why did the Lions draft them? What's next? Allow me to attempt to provide some information on all of that.

Kerryon Johnson - RAS Card:

After the Lions surprised many fans by selecting a Guard/Center in round 1, they decided to completely stun the same fans by not only selecting a running back in round 2, but giving away a 4th round pick to move up a couple handfuls of spots to take him. That's right, at present the Lions no longer have their 4th round pick, and instead of defensive help they once again went offense. Now Kerryon was projected to go in the 3rd round, and some thought maybe he'd slide to the 4th round. Just exactly why the Lions moved up to take him has not yet be answered, at least, I haven't heard yet. But the most likely answer is, they had reason to believe some other team was going to take him before their original 2nd round pick. True or not, Quinn obviously targeted this player in the second round, and when you do that, you make moves to secure your target. As most know, I don't believe in that kind of draft, I would prefer the draft falls to me, but so be it.

Kerryon has the correct hand size for the position (9 3/4"). All the draft guides state he has fantastic vision. They also all say he doesn't have the extra gear to outrun pursuit. Some even go so far as to say he'll be a 3rd down back, a short yardage guy, one to pound it between the tackles. Basically, a younger version of LaGarrette Blount, who the Lions signed this past off season to a one year deal. However, Kerryon Johnson is about an inch shorter, 28 pounds lighter, 0.05 seconds faster (40 time), and Blount's RAS score is 4.88... so in some ways they are similar, and in others they are not. The biggest difference is, Blount is going to be 32 next year and a free agent... Kerryon will be 21 and will be signed through the 2021 season.

Kerryon RAS score (and his appeal to teams) would have been higher had he bench pressed more then 11 times, and if his 3 cone was quicker. I think, no I hope, that with proper NFL coaching, he will be able to use the rest of his better attributes to improve those deficit areas. The rest of his measurables are nearly elite. So that leaves game speed... and the draft guides are all over the place with that. I mean, one will say he has no next gear and the next says he can make moves that allow him to escape tackles. I'm not about to over rule any of them, so I'm forced to believe the Lions didn't use both their 2nd and their 4th round picks for a RB who is the same as a player already on the team, and leave it at that. Of course someone else will have to make me truly believe that is true, and that someone is Kerryon Johnson.


In round 3 the Lions were watching as at least three defensive tackles and three defensive ends that were on the Lions contact list (the list my forum creates to keep track of who the Lions have had contact with before the draft, and all 3 of the first 3 picks this year were on the list by the way... and a personal thank you to Captain19 for maintaining the list). So instead of finally addressing the DL after going offense in the first two rounds the Lions selected a Free Safety.

Tracy Walker - RAS Card:

Tracy Walker happens to have gone to the same high school as current cornerback Darius Slay. In fact, they are cousins (2nd or 3rd cousins that is, the reports are mixed on that). Slay is a bit more athletic according to his RAS sheet (Slay is a 8.76) but Walker is 1" taller and 14 pounds heavier and runs the 40 about .15 slower then Slay (4.36 seconds). Walker ran the 3 cone in an 7.0 seconds (Slay is 6.9). As I said, Walker is a bit taller and a bit heavier but just a bit under Slay's measurables, as you would expect.

The problem is that no one knows Walker. He's a small school stand-out. Only one of my draft guides even did a profile on him. It basically says that Walker needs time in an NFL training program, but that he was very productive in the class of competition he was in. Which makes sense. This could be a home run draft pick at Safety for the Lions, in a couple years. So while I don't think he was the right position to draft at this point, he definitely has a very high ceiling, so I can live with the pick, if he actually turns out to be as good as the Lions think he will be.

The bigger problem is how do the Lions fix the DL (defensive line) with only a 5th and a 7th round pick left? Well, they could trade away a 2019 pick for a 2018 player, they have two extra picks next year, but if they took a RB and a Safety over the currently available DTs and DEs then maybe they won't go that route. Perhaps they intend to use one of those two picks on Hurst, a DT who was diagnosed with a heart condition that has scared most teams away from him, despite his first round grade. Perhaps the Lions have trade thoughts after the draft or maybe they have guys who are free agents who they can yet get that we don't know about. We fans can only wait and see how they will address the DL, which in my opinion is their final piece of the puzzle for this year, except there is one more player they liked who might go post-draft, or in the 7th, to them. A punt returner. I won't name names publicly just in case. Just remember the letter "B" for now, I'll get back to that tomorrow night.

In the end, the perceived ability to fix an entire roster in one draft isn't a valid thing to even attempt, as the Lions well know, which is why they are trying to improve the roster where they can, with what resources they have. They probably upgraded the OL with a guard/center in round 1, with a RB in round 2, and a Safety in round 3. Four and six are currently non-options. These players could all be a significant part of the Lions roster, in 2019 and 2020 and after. Many fans, if they dig deep deep down, know that you draft for the future of your team, not the current year. It's just near on impossible to ignore perceived holes now for the future of the team. But then that's why they get the big bucks.

Am I good with the draft? I would have done it differently, for sure. I don't know if what I would've done would have made things any better, either in 2018 or 2020 or in any other year. Since I don't and can't know for sure, I have to accept the results that we have, and hope there is a plan for the rest that I just don't know about. If they're wrong, they won't get the big bucks any more. I'll still be a Lions fan.

2018 NFL Draft - Detroit Lions - Round 1

Frank Ragnow.

With the 20th pick in round 1 of the 2018 draft the Detroit Lions select.... Frank Ragnow [gasps] [shocked silence] That was the fans and various talking heads... but in the Cincinnati War Room it was all cussing. The Lions just selected their pick, so they went with Billy Price next instead (also a center). But wait a minute, is Ragnow a center? Sure he played it for 2 years, but the year before that he played Guard. And before that, in High School, he played Tackle. He's versatile.

Ragnow will be 22 on May 17th, so he's 21 now. I saw a graphic the other day that more players have success in the NFL if they start at a younger age, Ragnow will be on his 5th year option when other players who get drafted at that age (25) often do not succeed. So he is the right age. His RAS score (when I last updated my scores) was 9.85 (that's against all centers not just this draft class). So, he fits the suit. Unlike Tomlinson who scored below a 3 if my memory serves me, Ragnow is an elite athlete.

But can he play?! PFF who says they study more film on prospects then even NFL football teams do (and they might), ranks Ragnow as the 16th best player in the 2018 draft. They have him as their best center in this draft. We don't know if he'll play center, he might play guard, but yes, he can play.

He has played in a pro-style offense and should be more ready then most to start right away. It's entirely likely he will become the starter, at either left guard or center. My assumption is at left guard, but that depends on Glasgow a little bit, as in how well he does in pre-season and in the team activities. The problem is, is he really all that? Some of my draft guides had him as the 3rd best center. He was ranked 40th overall, 26th overall, 95th overall, 72nd overall, 33rd overall, 36th overall, and those are just the draft guides I have. My rank? He was the 41st on my board. But, not everyone watches every game, as I explained in my last blog post, you can't watch all the games of all the players for all the years they played the sport. Not enough hours to watch it all before they retire from the NFL (joking, barely). So some guides think he's worth the pick, and others don't. Kind of sounds like the fans.

Myself, I prefer to draft my centers in round 3 and my guards in round 4. But, the Lions weren't drafting someone to slowly bring up to starter ready (as in a few years), they were drafting to start. To help fix the dismal run game. To protect one of the most sacked QBs in the NFL last year. So why Ragnow? In two years he allowed no sacks. Zero. Nada. Also, in those two years, he only allowed 15 hurries. Total. That's like half a hurry per game and no sacks. Now that's protection! Get this, his run blocking is BETTER then his pass blocking. Almost all the guides agree on that.

Now don't get me wrong, I totally wanted a defensive line player in the first round. I was prepared to accept a Safety or an OLB who can be used to pass rush (though that is actually situational, and you don't normally draft situational in round 1 unless it's the last piece of your puzzle). I was even prepared to see them draft guard Will Hernandez, who has a RAS score of 8.79. Well that means Ragnow's RAS (athleticism) score is BETTER then Hernandez and Hernandez was not drafted in round 1 and is now still available in round 2. So are defensive players such as DT Hurst, OLB/DE Landry, RB Guice, WR Sutton, RB Chubb, and most of the TEs. There is something up with that. There is a reason. I don't know what it is, but for some reason these players are still available. Will they make it to 51? I've no more clue then anyone else. What it appears to me is, the players the Lions wanted ahead of Ragnow were taken, and the players taken later weren't ranked by the Lions as high as Ragnow. So that makes the pick okay.

It might be better then okay, but I just can't go there yet. We'll see. Looks promising. There is no reason to think or even have a gut feeling that things won't work out. Aside from the position he plays and the round he was taken in, there is nothing to complain about. It was a need. So I will shelve my objections to taking a guard or center that early, and assume, for now, that he is worth the capital spent to get him (the draft pick). The Patriots had two first round picks and they took an OT/OG (not sure which he will be, kind of short for a tackle) and a running back, and their defense was maybe worse then the Lions.

Quinn said he likes to build from the ball out. Meaning the trenches. Ragnow is a trench player. He just doesn't play defense. BUT if he can protect Stafford in pass-pro and help the run game, then I can forgive he's an offensive player taken in round one. It'll also be easier to take once I see the rest of the draft, as the Lions still have 5 more picks scheduled over the next two days, and all of them could be defense. (They could all be offense too, you know, but let's not go there).

If you are need of convincing yourself, then just think -0- sacks allowed and only 15 hurries in 2 years of college play. That will help if anything will.

My 2018 Lions Draft Musings.

The NFL 2018 Draft starts on Thursday night (in two days). Before I get into my thoughts and explanations of that process some updates since my previous post (scroll down). The Lions currently have 70 players under contract and $9,431,709 in salary cap available. They also made the following roster moves...

04/04/2018 The Detroit Lions waive QB Alek Torgersen.
04/06/2018 The Detroit Lions waive CB Desmond Lawrence.
04/09/2018 The Detroit Lions sign QB Matt Cassel.
04/09/2018 The Detroit Lions re-sign WR TJ Jones. (Means he actually signed his tendered offer)
04/10/2018 The Detroit Lions place T Emmett Cleary on Reserve-Retired. (I didn't see this one coming, opens up a roster spot)
04/17/2018 The Detroit Lions re-sign DE Ezekiel Ansah. (Means he actually signed his franchise tag offer)
04/18/2018 The Detroit Lions sign CB Raysean Pringle. (The Lions doing the cornerback shuffle)
04/19/2018 The Detroit Lions waive CB Adairius Barnes. (and more shuffling)

Since I had Torgersen making the team and he was waived then Matt Cassel was signed, I shall change my roster review to say the Lions will keep 2 Quarterbacks, Stafford and Cassel. Rudock will, if he clears waivers, make the practice squad.

I also had Cleary making the team as depth at guard and tackle. Since he retired, that opens up a spot, one that could be added in the upcoming draft or in free agency after the draft. I think it makes the Lions taking a guard in the draft a slightly higher probability then it was before.

Now the draft its self. Some teams (and most mock drafters) try to fill a team's biggest need with a first round pick. That can lead to reaching for a prospect (say maybe an Ebron over a Donald for example) or some other undesired result. Some teams will rank the players from say 1 to 300 and pick from the top (or near the top) of the list for each round, regardless of need at all, and sometimes regardless of fit as well. Some teams (and mock drafters) will assign a round grade to players, and then pick from that group, trying to fill team needs (plural, not ranked, just holes in the roster) as much as possible. Problem is, many times there are fewer graded players for a round then there are picks needed. Say you have 25 guys ranked as draft-able in the first round, who does the other 7 teams in round 1 draft? Some of the round 2 graded guys? There are even more "systems" out there then that. So what's the right system, or draft approach, or whatever you want to call it? Well, first, who ever said it's the same method for the whole draft? Maybe there is one method used for one round, and another used in other rounds. Or, maybe, it gets even more involved then that... after all, the entire front office of an NFL team could end up fired in 5 years if some positive results aren't reached. Then, if a front office gets too successful, members of the team will end up getting hired to run other teams who hadn't had success. There are millions upon millions of dollars at stake, not to mention jobs... jobs of which there are only 32 of in the whole world. So while mocks might be a means of learning players, creating entertainment, even feeding the need to know RIGHT NOW what will happen later... teams are taking steps to make it right,and that never stops.

Now some will talk only about college production, "show me the film", and that is definitely a part of it, a large part of it. BUT, there is so much more, and I'm not talking just about projecting how a player will fare in the NFL surrounded by the best of the best of the best. Thought projecting is also a part of it. Okay, I mentioned team fit before, and that too is part of it... why draft a player at all if he can't play in the scheme you are implementing? Some teams do ignore that, or at least, believe they have correctly projected a player can indeed play in their scheme (incorrectly I might add), but most teams do have guys who are not on their draft board at all. Might be due to fit. Might be due to injury. Might be due to some measurable athletic attribute that is missing that they desire their players to have in that position. It could also be drug test results, interview results, even just scouts opinions who talked to teachers and fellow students (and family). It all gets added in. Then there is the hardest part, how hard is a 21 to 24 year old who has never had much money going to work when he suddenly comes into hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of dollars? How hard will his ego get bashed when he finds out that every single person on his team is as good (or better) then he is? Not everyone makes a team, your teammates who you work with for months leading up to the final cut down day want your job (as in, your roster spot). But you are their teammate, not their opponent. Some just can't reconcile these things. Some can't take their work seriously after the money is received (forget that there is more coming, these are guys under age 25 here, and yes I'm projecting some of myself into that, because it's a real thing).

Anyway, you have grades, and schemes along with fits, you have holes in your roster, you have young stud players who have not had the money they are about to get, played with and against players their equal (or close to it), as in a full team of them, and you are risking your own job and livelihood if you get it wrong. Sounds easy right? [/sarcasm]

I believe the Lions will have a list of players they would be willing to draft in each round. I believe that every one of those players would fill some kind of need on the team, if not, they wouldn't even be on the list for that round. I believe they know the holes on their roster, but have not ranked them as the most needy position to fill to the least needy position, and so are free to not reach for anyone in any given round. I also believe they have players in each round they would particularly like to have, depending on who they already drafted and who they think other teams will draft before their next pick. Finally, I believe they know, in advance, there is no way they can get all the rosters "holes" filled... all they can do is try to improve their roster as much as each round allows them to... with good, hard working, football players. Ones that love the game and even if they do suddenly have more money then they have ever seen in their entire lives, will still work to make the team then make the team better.

So who will the Lions draft this week? I have no earthly idea. But I do know a few they will not. That won't help much since there are hundreds of players to pick from. In addition to that, there is one more curve ball. Almost no team (and it might be all 32 teams) has seen every play of every game a prospect has played. Mock draft guys do the same thing, and that is, to go through a few games... maybe in the case of the top guys, double that, which is still about half of one year's worth of football games played. Scouts and front office people, even mock drafters, may have missed great plays in great games that were never viewed. Or, a player may be scored on plays in 3 games that just happened to be his best games ever. So even when you think you got all the info, and know what is, it isn't. Why so few games? Due to the numbers. Say 500 to 1,000 players, at 12 or more games each. Who could possibly 6,000 or more hours of play in order to rank 500 players in one draft (there are only 8,760 hours in a year, if you don't sleep).

I do know teams want to win. I do know there are different ways to build a team, and to rank players for the draft, and even to strategize who to select and when. What I don't know is what the Lions know, and I don't know if they know everything there is to know, or in other words, what they missed. So good luck athletes, may your dreams come true this week, then may you work your butt off to keep them! (Especially the ones drafted by the Lions).

2018 Pre-Draft Roster Review

Time to review the roster as it sits today.

The coaching hires (and firings) have come and gone, so has the start of free agency when most of the action takes place. Now we can better see just where the Lions are at. With 72 players under contract (or tendered, or tagged) the Detroit Lions are sitting on $10,067,577 in salary cap space. They currently have 6 draft picks in the upcoming draft and they usually sign around 10 guys who go undrafted immediately after the draft ends. That means they have room for one or two more "vet" players they could sign in free agency over the next few weeks. Still, the roster is pretty much shaped up into what they will have in their OTAs and off season programs so let's take a look at it one position group at a time.

I shall preface this with a few thoughts though... the coaching staff and front office tend to favor players who are versatile over players who are not... and the front office (and not the coaching staff) have the salary cap to contend with so some guys just won't be going anywhere while others could. 53 jobs are up for grabs and the competition to work one of those spots is fierce. But, at the same time, teams need a modicum of depth so if an injury happens they have someone, who may not be quite as good at it, who can take over. Teams are also dealing with a set number of roster spots, so a few assumptions have to be made.

Let's start off the quarterback. The Lions have under contract their starter, who is lock to make the 2018 team, in Matthew Stafford. They also have carried only one other QB on the roster these past couple years and tried to stash the 3rd on their practice squad. That didn't work out so well in 2017 as Brad Kaaya was signed off their squad and is no longer under the teams' control. Their 2nd string QB (Stafford's backup) could be either Jake Rudock (last year's backup) or Alex Torgerson, who they signed right after the 2017 season ended to a future/reserve contract. It's also possible they could select another QB in the upcoming draft to compete with these two. It's possible they keep 3 on the roster so they don't lose their practice squad QB to another team. It's also possible they will gamble and only keep 2 again. They want that 3rd QB to help with film study so if there isn't on the 53 roster their must be one on the practice squad. My 2018 Roster Estimate at QB is: Matthew Stafford (lock) and both Rudock and Torgerson make the roster. The 4th camp arm might be an undrafted player they sign after the draft is over or an unsigned vet to a vet minimum deal.

At Tight End they ended Eric Ebron's contract and signed two veterans to go with their 4th round pick in last year's draft Michael Roberts. Roberts started the year in the dog house having some issues being late to meetings and so on, but nothing a better alarm clock won't cure. Luke Willson had a $900,000 signing bonus and $500,000 of his 2018 salary is guaranteed and he's about to be paid $100,000 for attending the workouts that start in a week... so $1.5 million of his $2.5 million contract is guaranteed. That makes him a lock. Roberts is in his 2nd year of his rookie deal, as a 4th round draft pick he's also a lock. Levine Toilolo signed with $400,000 in a signing bonus and is also about to make $100,000 in workout bonuses, so a third of his $1.5 million contract is guaranteed as well. That doesn't make him a lock, but it does make him hard to get off the roster if you are Brandon Barnes, Hakeem Valles, a draft pick or an undrafted player (the first two being signed to contracts right after the 2017 season ended). My 2018 Roster Estimate at TE is: 3 make the roster, Roberts and Willson are locks and Toilolo won't be outplayed enough to move him. Up until Toilolo was signed I figured the Lions were looking to the draft for their 3rd, but no longer.

At Running Back they are returning the entire 2017 corp and then added LaGarrette Blount in free agency. Blount had a $1 million signing bonus and was the 11th ranked RB in yards per attempt last year, he is a lock. Speaking of ranking in the yards-per-attempt category, I find that stat to be the most meaningful as far as rushing goes. There are 32 teams with 32 QBs and 32 OLs and 32 coaching staffs... just about every variable or combination of such is in that group of 32... and with teams having from 3 to 6 running backs, well, rushing yards per attempt would be the only stat that you can use to see how your players stacked up (and that includes your coaching staff, your OL, your QB, and all the pieces that go into making a run game work). You'd think the Lions would have a runner in the top 32 (before Blount was signed)... nope... the top 50?... nope... the top 100? well, yeah, at 99 Jamal Agnew, the corner back, managed to rank there. The Lions were so bad at running that not only don't they have a runner in the top 100, but you have to go to 155 to find the first one on the roster that is in fact a running back... Tion Green. The OL coach was fired... and the OL is being worked on and hopefully will be healthier, but the RBs themselves are not safe either... not a single one of them. Oh sure, they can do this or do that, but most of them would find it hard to make the roster of another team and actually be a starter. Here is how they ranked in 2017:

99 Jamal Agnew
108 Golden Tate
155 Tion Green
201 Theo Riddick
202 Matthew Stafford
206 Ameer Abdullah
241 Dwayne Washington
257 Zach Zenner

The Lions will keep 4 or 5 running backs, probably five but I'm going to say four for now. Blount is the lock. Riddick is also a decent receiver and gets yards after the catch, he has the next best chance to make the roster. Ameer did some good stuff before his Lisfranc injury, if he can come back full speed from that this year he probably has the next best chance... and by virtue of being better then the rest of the roster, Tion Green has a shot. I fully and completely expect the Lions to draft a running back in the 2018 draft, day 2 (2nd or 3rd round). My 2018 Roster Estimate at RB is: Blount, Riddick, Draft Pick, and Green. There is no salary cap reason to keep the others, and there is no production reason to keep them either. Zenner, Washington, Abdullah and whoever else the Lions sign after the draft will compete against Tion Green for that one roster spot, unless they keep five... then those two roster spots.

At Wide Receiver they are returning most of the 2017 corp as well. Golden Tate III and Marvin Jones are locks to make the roster. Kenny Golladay is as well, through virtue of his size, draft pick status, and rookie production. That leaves two spots for TJ Jones (who is set to make $1,907,000 but it is not guaranteed so he's really got to prove he is worth that much, as so far, he has not done that), Jace Billingsley, Andy Jones, Bradley Marquez, and Dontez Ford. Those 5 guys will find themselves also competing against the Lions draft pick I expect them to make at WR, and perhaps other undrafted players and veteran signings in free agency after the draft. I also expect the draft pick will be some kind of special teams ace, either gunner or punt returner, so he'll most likely be the 4th lock. That leaves all of them fighting for one spot (barring injury... knock on wood). My 2018 Roster Estimate at WR is: Tate III, Marvin Jones, Golladay, draft pick, and TJ Jones (unless anyone else comes mildly close to his ability, then they are in and he is out).

Last but not least on the offense we have the Offensive Line players. The Lions will keep 9 or 10, most likely 9, so here we go. The locks to make the team are; LT Taylor Decker, C/G Graham Glasgow, RG TJ Lang, and RT Rick Wagner. Vet pickup Kenny Wiggins has the inside track on the 5th and final starting spot on the OL, but it is not guaranteed. The other 4ish spots have no less then 7 guys fighting for those jobs and there will likely be a draft pick added to that fight. Depending on when drafted, the draft pick would also become a lock. Last year's 5th round draft pick Joe Dahl has a small inside bonus for his draft status, and a couple of the backup tackles did half way decent in relief last year so the race is really going to be something. Versatility might be key, as will draft status (they didn't draft them if they didn't like them) and salary cap... so my 2018 Roster estimate at OL is: Decker, Dahl, Glasgow, Lang, Wagner, Draft Pick, Wiggins, Cleary, and Mahalik. The last 3 will face stiff competition from Koloamatangl, Wesley Johnson, Corey Robinson, and Dan skipper.

We all know who the special teams players to make the roster are; Martin, Prater and Muhlbach are here for another year, so it's off to the defensive side we go.

The Lions have spent draft picks on guard, wide receiver, and running back (see above)... so we need to mix in three more with the next 4 corps. At cornerback the Lions have their locks in Darius Slay (production), Nevin Lawson (contract), Teez Tabor (draft status), Jamal Agnew (returner), and DeShawn Shead (contract and free agent status). That leaves 3 guys hoping for an injury as I don't think there will be an open roster spot for another. Charles Washington, Desmond Lawrence, and Adairius Barnes will be joined by some undrafted players so that some may make the practice squad. Obviously my 2018 estimated CB corp is: Slay, Lawson, Tabor, Agnew, and Shead. I don't anticipate a draft pick being used on a cornerback this year, unless he can play safety as well.

Speaking of corners who can play safety, the 2015 6th round pick Quandre Diggs is one my locks at Safety, since he can also play corner. My other locks at Safety are Glover Quin (production), Killebrew (draft status and production), and Tavon Wilson (past production and contract). That leaves one roster spot open for the draft pick I assume they will select and Stefan McClure and Rolan Milligan. Needless to say, the draft pick would likely make the roster over the other two barring injury and off field stuff. My 2018 Safety corp is: Diggs, Quin, Killebrew, Wilson, and a draft pick.

Now Linebackers have 8 guys signed for what should be 6 spots. The Locks are Christian Jones (free agent status and contract), Devon Kennard (free agent status and contract), Jarrad JD Davis (draft status and production), Jaleen Reeves-Davis (draft status and ceiling), and you guessed it - Nick Bellore (can play full back and LB and special teams). That leaves one spot for Steve Longa, Brandon Chubb, and Jonathan Freeny. I don't expect a draft pick for this group any longer with the vet pickups in free agency. So my 2018 estimated LB corp is: Davis, Kennard, Jones, Bellore, Reeves-Maybin, and Longa (sorry Freeny, but Longa on special teams takes your spot).

At Defensive End the lock is Ziggy Ansah. I would say Hyder as well but less then half of all athlete's can come back from the injury he had last year so I'm not able to say he's a lock, or even if he'll make the roster. Zettel could be a lock due to his being a 6th round pick in 2016, but he has to show at least more then the rest. Cam Johnson, Jeremiah Valoaga, and Alex Barrett may or may not ever develop. I have never understood the Cornelius Washington signing and saw nothing that should suggest he automatically has a roster spot. I'd almost bet anything that a DE will be drafted in the first two days of the draft this year, and that means the pick will be a lock. Just about anyone who shows something could make the final roster, so it's all up for grabs really. The Lions usually keep 5, though 4 and a DT who can switch back and forth, or even an OLB who can switch back and forth, are possible. My 2018 estimated DE corp at this time is: Ziggy Ansah, a high Draft Pick, Kerry Hyder (50/50 he can do it), Anthony Zettel (draft status), and and and... ah... oh heck, Jeremiah Valoaga (cool name).

At Defensive Tackle the Lions will probably keep 5 and the locks are A'Shawn Robinson (draft status), Akeem Spence (a little of the production and free agent status), Jeremiah Ledbetter (draft status and ceiling), and Sylvester Williams (contract this year in free agency... ala $2 million signing bonus). That leaves one spot open for Toby Johnson and Christian Ringo and an early Draft Pick that I assume will also, like the DE, be in the first two days of the draft... which would make him the final lock and roster spot barring injury or some kind of super human effort by the last two. My 2018 estimated DT corp then is: Robinson, Spence, Ledbetter, Williams and a Draft pick.

The link to my estimated depth chart (and salary cap chart) is to the upper right. My next blog entries should all be on the 2018 draft. Obviously I'm looking for the Lions to pick:

DE
RB
DT
OG
FS
WR/Gunner

Not everyone agrees with these but that's the way I see it, for the reasons given above.

Head Coaching Search and Draft Picks, etc.

The Lions 2017 draft picks are as follows:

Due to some ties the Lions move around a little, not staying at 20th pick of each round. Also, one trade is recorded and one is pending. So here's the latest info on the draft...

Round 1, 20th Overall.

Round 2, 51st Overall.

Round 3, 82nd Overall.

All picks after this spot will be moved down once compensatory picks are awarded, Lions are not expected to get any compensatory picks in 2018.

Round 4, 113th Overall.

Round 5, 144th Overall.

Round 6, 180th Overall... traded to Rams • Greg Robinson to Lions for 2018 sixth round pick (?-?) on 06-15-2017.

Round 7, 211th Overall... traded to Buccaneers (conditional) PICK MAY OR MAY NOT TRANSFER DEPENDING ON UNCONFIRMED CONDITIONS Traded • Johnthan Banks to Lions for 2018 conditional seventh round pick (?-?) on 11-01-2016 ... Conditions on pick are unconfirmed.

In addition, for next year, Laken Tomlinson was traded for a 5th rounder in 2019... The Lions traded Bademosi to the Patriots. ESPN reported the deal is for a 2019 sixth-round draft pick.


Now as for the head coaching search, rumor is that the Patriots DC Patricia will get the job, but you can't always count on rumors, so here's the interviews so far.

Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur
Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin
Lions offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter
Packers assistant head coach/linebackers coach Winston Moss (but the Lions blocked Teryl Austin from interviewing for their DC)
Texans defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel
Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia

and of course right after I type the whole thing I find what I was looking for already done, with even more details. http://www.prideofdetroit.com/2018/1/2/16840692/detroit-lions-2018-head-coach-tracker-latest-news-rumors

That's what I got on it so far, other then Teryl Austin was given permission to interview for the Bengals defensive coordinator job and rumor is he may end up there, unless the Lions sign him as their new head coach.


In my forum I have a great deal of info on each position group, but it is mostly just my musings on how I came up with my estimated depth chart, so I won't post all that here. On the other hand, if the Patriots keep in the playoffs the Lions won't be able to hire Patricia and therefor he and Quinn won't be able to put together a coaching staff. The longer that goes on the more likely that many of the current Lions coaches will remain on staff (with a few additions and promotions I would imagine). More on that later too.

More (early 2018) Salary Cap stuff

The Lions currently, by my estimate, have about $53.5 million in salary cap space available for 2018 (see yesterday's post below). So who are the top 15 in taking up the cap space already spoken for?

Stafford (of course) $26,500,000
TJ Lang $10,916,666
Golden Tate $ 9,351,250
Marvin Jones $ 8,600,000
Eric Ebron $ 8,250,000 (unless he gets an extension)
Glover Quinn $ 6,516,666
Ricky Wagner $ 5,900,000
Darius Slay $ 5,576,269
Theo Riddick $ 3,887,500
Akeem Spence $ 3,500,000
Cornelius Washington $ 3,487,500
Matt Prater $ 3,200,000
Taylor Decker $ 2,990,994
Sam Martin $ 2,925,000
Jarrad Davis $ 2,493,050

all the rest are under $2 million this year (so far). http://www.overthecap.com/Lions

Bob Quinn's signature is on 14 of those 15 contracts. The only exception is Golden Tate, signed two years before he got here. ALL the rest are directly due to Quinn.

That's 1 QB, 3 OL, 2 WR, 1 TE, 1 S, 1 CB, 1 RB, 2 DL, 1 LB, and 2 K/P

That should be the "core" of the team. These are the top assets (cap). So if any on this list don't appear to be core to you, then perhaps the GM made an oopsie, since his name is on all but 1 of their contracts. Or, perhaps, they were developed correctly, used correctly, were healthy, or adjusted to their new team quickly enough.

The next 9 cap hits are all draft picks still playing their rookie contracts. After those, you're below a million a year on the rest of the roster.

So we are a young(ish) team. We have a core that may or may not need to be improved upon. And we MUST be able to develop these players. Just some more stuff I noted as I'm working on my cap info these last couple days.

By the way, I suspect the number two slot will eventually be Ziggy Ansah, moving the rest down a peg. Number three or so will be Ngata or even more likely, his replacement (a free agent) moving them all down another slot, and adding two more DL to the balance. Before the list runs out, sooner or later a Center (or another OL) will be added to the numbers... I don't think Glasgow or the free agent concussion prone Swanson are the final answer, so a draft pick or a free agent who would likely show up on this list at that point.

Our 2018 1st and 2nd rounders from this draft will also end up on this list. Could it be another DL and then a RB? That's what I'm predicting right now, but we'll see and I'll change my mind a dozen times before the end of April.

Maybe I should qualify that statement. On my estimated depth chart I have 14 current Lions free agents who I would re-sign that would make the final roster. I have 32 players already under contract that make the final roster. I suspect two free agent pickups from other teams (as in 'name' players, not camp fodder). And I have the 5 draft picks making the final roster. Total of 53. My "needs" then are (and this is AFTER re-signing 14 guys):

WR
RB
QB
DT
DT
OLB
C

The way I see it, if it went according to plan, is the need for a starting center and a starting defensive tackle. So those would be the two free agents. Then a 5th WR, a 3rd QB, a 5th DT to eventually rotate in and develop, a 6th LB (same) and hopefully finding a starting RB in round 2 of the draft. By the way, the Lions could have selected a number of RBs in round 2 in 2017 instead of CB Teez Tabor, the names include Mixon, Kamara, Hunt, and Foreman. I wouldn't have minded that not that I have anything against Teez Tabor though. Still, if even one of the 14 free agents do not re-sign with the Lions, or if the draft falls in a weird way, the entire plan of mine would be ripped up and thrown away. In addition to that, it's perhaps the Lions won't see things the same way I do, so anything is truly possible right now. I'm pretty much just thinking out loud as it were. Still, what else have we to do while the Lions look for a new head coach? Take a peek at the links up to the right for my estimated depth chart and salary cap chart for more info.

2017 Detroit Lions Player Eval (and other tidbits)

The Flip Side.

Here we are, what is known in the NFL as Black Monday. That is, the day after the regular season ends. The day when many coaches are fired in the NFL. Yesterday a couple teams started Black Monday a day early, similar to many Black Friday sales after Thanksgiving start on Thanksgiving day. This morning though the Detroit Lions fired head coach Jim Caldwell. They also fired the assistant head coach, who is also the offensive line coach, Ron Prince. Ron was the one coach I wanted the Lions to fire, so that didn't take long. Now the Lions are setting up interviews for the head coach position. I'd put money on the Patriots DC Patricia but it remains to be seen who will end up with the job.

Meanwhile, there are a number of other tidbits in the news today. For example, the Lions will be drafting 20th overall. It is likely they will have only 5 draft picks in 2018 as they have a couple pending trades (called conditional picks at the time) that will be going through, unless they make other deals before the end of April. www.prosportstransactions.com/football/DraftTrades/Future/Lions.htm


Another news item is it now know who the Lions opponents are for 2018:

Home: Bears, Vikings, Packers, Rams, Seahawks, Patriots, Jets, Panthers
Away: Bears, Vikings, Packers, Cardinals, 49ers, Bills, Dolphins, Cowboys

www.prideofdetroit.com/2017/12/31/16837000/detroit-lions-2018-nfl-schedule-first-look-opponents-home-away

At first glance it would appear it's going to be an interesting year.


2017 Player Review

At quarterback Matthew Stafford hit over 4,000 yards for his 7th straight year, only Drew Brees has a longer streak going at present. He is also the quickest to obtain 3,000 completions. www.espn.com/blog/detroit-lions/post/_/id/32779/matthew-stafford-fastest-quarterback-in-nfl-history-to-3000-completions His yearly completion percentage exceeded 65% for 2017 and his contract is such he is going no where. Meanwhile, his backup, Jake Rudock, briefly showed why Stafford continues to play even when he is not at 100%. Brad Kaaya, the Lions 3rd QB drafted in 2017 was cut and placed on the practice squad, the Panthers signed him, later cut him, the Lions claimed him, cut him, put him on the practice squad, and a bit over a week ago the Colts claimed him. So no 3rd QB exists for the Lions at this point in time. In fact, no backup either for 2018 as Rudock is a free agent, but I assume he'll be re-signed. I imagine a 3rd QB will be drafted to compete against Rudock in camp.

At running back Ameer Abdullah, Zach Zenner, Dwayne Washington, and even Theo Riddick had to watch undrafted 2016 free agent Tion Green be active when they were not, or at least take snaps away from them. Mike James ended up on IR and as far as I know didn't ever see a single snap in a game. Riddick, Abdullah, Washington and Green all have 2018 contracts but I'm not so sure they will all make the 2018 team. Zach Zenner may be offered a minimum contract to compete in camp. Mike James probably won't be back. It's also possible the Lions will either pick up a cheap free agent or draft a RB to compete with the rest of them. The Lions are now going on 4 years without a 100 yard rusher, but is it the RBs or is it the OL blocking?

At wide receiver the Lions had Marvin Jones Jr, Golden Tate, TJ Jones, and Kenny Golladay. TJ Jones ended up on IR and Jace Billingsley was re-signed to take his place but was inactive. Andy Jones and Bradley Marquez never saw the field. TJ Jones is also a free agent now. I expect TJ will get re-signed and they will look for a 5th WR in camp. The two already on the roster will be competing against free agents and maybe even a draft pick to make the roster. I doubt the Lions will carry more then 5 WRs and they could go with 4 but that too is doubtful. The WR corp for the Lions is decent, not talking about super stars but Golden Tate regularly leads the league in run after the catch and towards the end of the year both Marvin Jones Jr and Golladay were showing they can go deep and make plays.

At tight end the Lions had Eric Ebron, Darren Fells, and rookie Michael Roberts. Roberts played like a rookie, Fells did okay but is now a free agent who I think the Lions will try to re-sign, and Eric Ebron started doing better as the year went along. He was even the top receiver in a number of games late in the year. Ebron is signed for one more year, but the contract is for $8.25 million... so it's possible the Lions might try to sign him longer term to lower the 2018 cap hit. It's also possible they will allow him to play out the year as is to see if he is worth signing longer term. Hakeem Valles was recently signed too, but again as far as I know he didn't see any playing time. So he'll start the camp competition at TE along with whoever else is picked up.

The offensive line was the real problem with the Lions this year. Ranking 32nd at run blocking, allowing over 60 sacks (a Stafford record for one year) and 31st overall in the league. The OL coach has already been fired, but was that the whole issue? At tackle there was Taylor Decker who missed half the year but came back strong and will be the mainstay at LT as long as he is healthy. Rick Wagner was signed to take over the right tackle spot and played okay (not great) when healthy, but he missed a number of games. The Lions traded for Greg Robinson to play in place of Decker but he ended up on IR, so that, along with the Wagner injuries had the team scrambling to sign depth, and found Emmett Cleary (who did okay then got hurt) and Brian Mihalik (who also did okay but got hurt) and finally had to play Corey Robinson... the only guy on the OL who Quinn did not personally find (sign). At guard Graham Glasgow played left guard and T.J. Lang was signed to play right guard (after signing a monster sized contract for a guard) they were backed up by Joe Dahl who I think should have played instead of Glasgow but the Lions like their vets (or maybe it was the recently fired coaches who did). Glasgow is also the backup center so he at times had to move out of the guard position. Lang was injured a number of times as well. The added backups of Don Barclay and Zac Kerin ended up on IR, so at times one of the tackles played guard. Travis Swanson was the only center other then Glasgow, and he ended up on IR with another concussion. Swanson is also now a free agent and may not be back. Heck, with two big time concussions he may be done in the NFL for all I know. Kerin and Robinson are also now free agents. I don't know if the Lions will sign any of the three back, and I don't think Glasgow is the answer at center (but he makes a great backup at center and guard) so it's possible the Lions will look to free agency for a new center this year.

Kerry Hyder Jr was supposed to start at right defensive end but ended up on IR to start the year. Ziggy Ansah had 6 sacks in the lst two games for 11 total on the year (if memory serves me correctly) but is now a free agent along with Hyder and Brandon Copeland. In fact, ALL the Lions DEs are free agents except for Cornelius Washington and tackle turned end Anthony Zettel. Ziggy Ansah only really started doing well when Dwight Freeney was signed, and it was mentioned that moves Ziggy made in the last game of the season were nearly trademark moves last seen done by Freeney. It's my estimation that Freeney is the reason Ziggy started to pour it on and he should either be kept or hired as a coach! The Lions need to re-sign at least a couple of their free agents or go shopping as they can't play with only the two remaining that they have and draft picks have a tendency to take more then a season to learn the position.

Starting defensive tackles A'Shawn Robinson and Haloti Ngata started the year causing all kinds of problems for teams, especially against the run, but when Ngata went on IR early in the season the entire defense went down hill, fast. DC Austin was unable to find a means to bring the defense around, despite some pretty good play by the back 7 (at times). Ngata is also now a free agent and in his mid-30's so his NFL career may be over too, probably depends on him. I suspect the Lions will sign another free agent DT and probably draft one as well, as backups Rodney Coe, Jeremiah Ledbetter, Christian Ringo, Akeem Spence and Jordan Hill (another who went on IR) don't appear to have the same starting quality as Ngata has and Austin needs to make the defense work. Plus three of those backups are also free agents (Coe, Ringo, and Hill).

Rookie Jarrad Davis had a rocky start but learns fast and showed everyone why he was drafted in the first round. Nick Bellore did some good stuff as a backup and on special teams but really helped out by playing full back from time to time on offense. He's one free agent I hope the Lions do re-sign for sure. Draft pick Jalen Reeves-Maybin started to pick up the art of being a LB toward the end of the year and Steve Longa did some special teams work. Tahir Whitehead did okay at times and stuggled at other times, not sure what to think about him yet... but he was better at weak side then middle linebacker. Paul Worrilow also contributed on the strong side when the Lions weren't in nickle, which they were a lot. Both Whitehead of Worrilow are free agents along with Bellore, so the Lions need to re-sign or replace at least 3 guys and it wouldn't hurt to have a draft pick to compete for the final spot against Longa and Brandon Chubb (who I don't think saw the field this year). At least this LB corp was able to get some sacks and some tackles for a loss on running backs... last year's corp got nary a single one of either.

At safety Glover Quin did his usual good showing, while Don Carey is especially important for special teams. Miles Killebrew got a lot of playing time but seems to be having problems learning or maybe he just needs more time. Charles Washington made too many errors to see the field a lot. Tavon Wilson went on IR early in the year so there was a bit of a scramble to fix the safety position until Quandre Diggs was moved from cornerback to safety. He needed a game to get the swing of it then excelled. I suspect safety will be his full time position from now on. Carey and Wilson are free agents and should be re-signed.

Cornerback Darius Slay is the only Lions to make the pro-bowl this year, so that explains how good of a year he had. Jamal Agnew was the return man and a good one, he also got time in playing CB but he's a rookie and they take time to learn the position. DJ Hayden, played a lot due to injuries and is now a free agent. Not sure if he'll be back and he certainly doesn't play like the first round pick he is (not picked by Lions, they got him later) but he can fill in well. Nevin Lawson started opposite Slay for most of the year and did okay with a few weird games here and there. He too is a free agent now. Rookie Teez Tabor eventually saw the field, but not until injury made it happen. If the Lions re-sign Hayden and Lawson they will probably be set at CB, or nearly so. They'll still load up for camp just in case of more injuries.

I updated my estimated depth chart today and the link is towards the top right, and also can be found on my website and in my forum. I show the free agent with an orange background and where the Lions might draft in yellow... along with the names of those who will likely be fighting for a roster spot on the right side. After finishing it up I found out the Lions signed 10 guys (9 from their practice squad) to future/reserve contracts. They are:

Barnes, Adairius CB
Barnes, Brandon TE
Barrett, Alex DE
Ford, Dontez WR
Johnson, Toby DT
Koloamatangi, Leo C
Milligan, Rolan S
Skipper, Dan T
Torgersen, Alek QB
Valoaga, Jeremiah DE

All ten will also compete for roster spots now, with the center perhaps having the best odds of making the team, imo.


In addition to my estimated depth chart I updated my salary cap chart for the Lions. They have 40 others under contract for 2018 and about 34 of them I expect will be making the team unless something odd happens. Of course, if the Lions do re-sign the 15 free agents and select 5 in the draft they would have over 53 players to keep so someone who might otherwise make the team will be cut... and that doesn't count undrafted rookies, other free agents they may sign, and some of the other names I listed above. I estimated the team cap to increase by about $11 million over last year, and the Lions have $4.1 million left in 2017 cap space to roll over into 2018, so that would give them about $53.5 million in cap space to work with. Plenty to re-sign their guys, sign their draft picks, even franchise tag Ziggy Ansah if need be and have cap to work the season. All this is assuming that these players will fit whatever system the new head coach installs (if any new systems are installed). More on Salary Cap space later, this blog post is getting rather lengthy and it's time to turn in for the night. See you all on the flip side (that means tomorrow lol).