Detroit Lions team needs
by tjdove123 on Jan 26, 2010 5:00 PM EST
in Mocking the NFC North
34 comments
This might be easier to examine what the Detroit Lions don’t need. However, they did manage to pull several nice prospects out of last year’s draft. If Stafford can stay healthy he looks like the real deal and he along with Brandon Pettigrew, Louis Delmas, Sammie Lee Hill, and DeAndre Levy provide a glimpse of hope. Coach Jim Schwartz seems like the right guy for this tough job and it’s nice to see him putting in the extra time down at the Senior Bowl. Here is what I see as the top needs for the Detroit Lions:
1. Left Tackle
- Having a talent like Matt Stafford does you no good if he is constantly injured due to receiving continuous punishment from opposing defenses. Unfortunately for the Lions there isn’t a left tackle prospect worry of the #2 pick, in this year’s draft. Look for the Lions to snatch up offensive linemen later in the draft. Too bad they selected Brandon Pettigrew over Michael Oher last year.
2. Defensive Line
- Lion’s management are all wearing their lucky underwear in hopes that Ndamukon Suh drops to them at #2, but Gerald McCoy would be a nice consolation prize. The fact is that while McCoy is not Suh but he is better than everyone on their defensive line right now. As of now I am very confident that McCoy or Suh will be the pick at #2.
3. Cornerback
- Phillip Buchanon is serviceable but the rest of the players at this position are problems. Look for the Lions to address this later in the draft with several picks. The addition of Suh or McCoy will help against the pass but new talent and depth is needed.
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No offense...
but I think someone who follows the Lions regularly (like Pride of Detroit bloggers) should have written about our team needs b/c you are pretty wrong about them. The fact is that Jeff Backus played pretty well this season, and it really wasn’t his fault for all of the sacks allowed. Our biggest needs are (IMO):
1) Secondary
2) D-line
3) Offensive Guard
4) Wide Receiver
5) Offensive tackles
The beginning of the end of the misery
by latif on Jan 26, 2010 5:21 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
agreed, Left Tackle is NOT our biggest need
Matthew Stafford was sacked 24 times and had 377 regular season attempts.
Mark Sanchez was sacked 26 times and had 364 regular season attempts.
I suppose the Jets need to immediately find somebody to replace D’Brickashaw Ferguson.
The Lions need a Left Guard desperately, but Backus is fine for the next few years.
by n4ry4 on Jan 27, 2010 4:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
To build on that stat lets look at Backus and Ferguson on their own.
Both played virtually every offensive snap for their teams. A great big positive in my book.
Ferguson: Gave up six 6 sacks in 423 passing attempts. Rate of 1.42%.
Backus: Gave up eight 8 sacks in 628 attempts. Rate of 1.27%.
Ferguson had seven penalties [six majors and one minor], while Backus had five [three majors and two minors].
So, how bad is Backus?
by NorthLeft12 on Jan 28, 2010 8:07 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
bad.
I speak fluent English and Arabic and have a working knowledge of Spanish. Yet a certain GrahamCrakalaka cannot distinguish me from Mike Fox. My God, the Dodgers suck.
by Ramah71 on Jan 28, 2010 10:04 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Stafford didn't play the whole season due to injury , there is definitely a problem on the O line.
Your team still surrendered 40 plus sacks. right? Maybe it isn’t LT, but it is something.
Tribute to #44...............The Elmira Express!!
by rlott#42 on Jan 30, 2010 1:18 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
In fairness, his shoulder injury was after a 10-second scramble on a Hail Mary at the end of the game
…not a breakdown in protection. But yeah, we do have a huge problem on the O-Line—left guard.
by n4ry4 on Feb 1, 2010 4:10 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I think we could expand that list a bit to make it more precise…
1) CB (I won’t be happy till Buchannon is a backup or only a returner)
2) DT (no sacks from Hill or Grady though Hill at least added some hits and pressure)
3) OG (Petterman is the only good one, Manny is useful as a run blocking backup)
4) WR (preferably a #2 or #3 with good hands and route running)
5) S (Ko Simpson is ok at pass cov enough to benefit from other upgrades though SS needed)
6) LT (Future left tackle. We could always move Backus to RT)
by kirmie on Feb 9, 2010 1:49 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I voted that Pettigrew will be great and Backus is fine for now.
Our problems on the O Line are more at the Guard position, especially Left Guard, and the poor performance by our 2008 first round pick [Gosder Cherilus] at Right Tackle.
I’ll be optimistic and say that Cherilus will improve in 2010 or possibly get moved into a Guard position. Left Tackle is something the Lions need to think about in the long term, but it is not really a big need right now. Picking up a really good Guard [Iupati, Pouncey, or Mike Johnson] would really help. Hopefully that will be done with the #34 pick.
Our pass defence is brutal. A combination of a weak pass rush and a weak secondary has led to a horror show. The rush defence made a big improvement over the last year and that trend will continue with the addition of another good DT. I see the #2 pick being used on either Suh or G. McCoy to provide an interior push that will make that whole defence a lot better.
A Cornerback or a second Safety to pair with L. Delmas is also important. The best available one at our third round pick [#66] would be my preference. Guys like Kyle Wilson, Brandon Ghee or Devin McCourty at CB or Chad Jones at S would be ideal. We have to hope one of them falls or one of the other prospects shines.
Our fourth and fifth round picks should be used on a DE and/or WRs to play the slot.
DEs like CJ Wilson or Austen Lane for instance. WRs like Blair White, Freddy Barnes, Shay Hodge, Antonio Brown….guys like that.
by NorthLeft12 on Jan 26, 2010 5:33 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I agree with almost everything you said! There are only three things that I have any issue with. First, we should take a CB in the second if they have a higher value than the guards available at that time and then take a guard in the third. Sometimes I see the CB’s going before the third, sometimes not. Second, is that you forgot to mention grabbing a RB like Blount in the late rounds to help in case Kevin Smith isn’t up to being the back he was last year while also giving us a power back option. Finally, its Freddie Barnes, not Freddy. I’m a BGSU alum so I have to complain. ;)
by kirmie on Feb 9, 2010 1:36 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
You can't possibly fault the Lions for taking the #1 rated TE on their board instead of the #4 tackle.
Holmgren would have drafted Crabtree.
by Fearless Frog on Jan 26, 2010 7:47 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Have you heard of position value?
by TheRealSlimShady on Jan 27, 2010 12:28 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I am a Lions fan and yes, we can fault them.
Although everyone is operating under the premise that we have a desperate need for an LT or RT. In the 2008 draft we took Cherilus at # 17 to play RT and we have Backus on a good sized contract at LT. Oher had nowhere to go but Guard or the bench.
There have also been reports that some teams, the Lions one of them, shied away from Oher because of his “learning disabilities”. That would not shock me. This is the NFL. Short sighted thinking like that is par for the course. About twenty other teams passed on him too. Including the Patriots, Browns, Bengals, 49ers, Bills, Jaguars, Packers, Texans, Chargers, Vikings,…
by NorthLeft12 on Jan 27, 2010 8:06 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Detroit actually needs to draft a LG not a LT.
by Lions1788 on Jan 26, 2010 9:16 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
+100000000
Coaches aren’t in any hurry to replace Backus. LT is not a need.
Pride of Detroit, SB Nation's Lions Blog
by Sean Yuille on Jan 28, 2010 11:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
wow this has to be one of the most ignernt vews of the lions ever
just b/c you have LT there did you watch a game?? or even a highlight?? hell a pres conference?? read about it in a paper?? go down to DET and ask the singing dude in front of comerica park?? i think if you had done any of thees one time you would know that LT isn’t even close to the biggest need.. i would put punter before LT lol(and the FO would to i think the bitched about it alot but had nothing but praise for Backus)
why do people always seem to forget that there is more positions on the OL then LT?? its really starting to bug me when people start trying to talk about other teams like they are the now all of ever team..
inorder
DL
Secondary
OG
RB(only if smith is down… if he is good then ignor this one)
WR
P(not to draft put FA i think our current P avg is like 20 yards lol…)
OT
by det32 on Jan 26, 2010 11:42 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
but i voted for
Pettigrew is going to be great, Jeff Backus can handle Left Tackle
as some one said the best TE is better then the 4th OT.. we all so picked a RT with the 17th overall in 08.. so gos and Backus contacts would not and still wont allow us to draft one high
by det32 on Jan 26, 2010 11:48 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
its funny...
because around this time last year….basically 95% of Lions fans wanted to send Backus jump off a cliff.
The thought was..“why draft QB (Stafford) when our OL Sucks SOOOO bad”. If I said Backus is not that bad…A Lions fan might tell me exactly your first few lines….
If there was a LT who was worthy of the #2 overall…it would be pretty ignorant to pass on him.
Backus is good…yet, as I put below, while he’s rated in the top 15 tackles, he’s not getting any younger and is only gonna ‘decline’.
You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you are going, because you might not get there
by FreeBradshaw on Jan 27, 2010 12:17 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Yes, a lot of Lions fans were banging that drum FB.
They also wanted Aaron Curry instead of Stafford. How would that have worked out? Not to freaking good.
Our O Line still needs improvement. We need a Guard and better depth…..everywhere.
by NorthLeft12 on Jan 27, 2010 8:09 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
What a difference a year makes
AND a new coaching staff. Under the new Offensive schemes Backus was allowed to be pruductive, and he played very well this year. If you look at his running mates, BAckus has not played with the same LG in consecutive years since he was drafted.
Man invented language to satisfy his deep need to complain. Lily Tomlin
by Leapin Lion on Jan 29, 2010 11:47 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
There is nothing wrong with getting an outsider's perspective..........but.......
Sometimes that just propagates a mistaken mindset. In this case it is the “O Line bad, replace your LT” mentality. I guess it would never occur to people that a problem on the O line might be anywhere else. Go figure.
Nobody watches the Lions unless they are playing on Thanksgiving or against their team. So these preconceptions live forever. Especially when supported by the talking heads and draft gurus, and by the overall poor play of the Lions.
by NorthLeft12 on Jan 29, 2010 7:30 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Pettigrew is going to be a beast
Hindsight is 20/20. The Lions still nailed the pick
by JazzyBBP on Jan 26, 2010 11:53 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
we'll see.
For every woman masturbating right now, there is a guy masturbating while imagining that woman masturbate.
2009 NY Phin PhansFantasy League Champion
2009 Best Regular Season Record in NYPPL.
by Patssuck456 on Jan 28, 2010 12:32 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
We will
Vernon Davis SUCKED his first 3 years, now he’s lights out. Are people going to be fair and give Pettigrew some time?
by JazzyBBP on Jan 28, 2010 9:24 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Vernon Davis is a future Hall-of-Famer. He just needed the right coach (Singletary) to help him realize his potential.
I speak fluent English and Arabic and have a working knowledge of Spanish. Yet a certain GrahamCrakalaka cannot distinguish me from Mike Fox. My God, the Dodgers suck.
by Ramah71 on Jan 28, 2010 10:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
VD
isn’t that a STD?! Is a exceptional reciever, so is Pettigrew.
BUT Pettigrew LOVES to block. He is the complete package and this arguement will be moot in about a year.
Man invented language to satisfy his deep need to complain. Lily Tomlin
by Leapin Lion on Jan 29, 2010 11:55 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
The Lions don't need a LT...
Backus is fine.
Actually..he was rated as the 12th best OT in the NFL last year (one spot below Kareem McKenzie….)
Pettigrew’s good. Could they have used Oher? Probably..Backus can’t play at this “level” forever, but as much as Stafford needs OL protection, he needs weapons and safety valves, which is exactly what Pettigrew is.
OG, could use a RB, DL and secondary.
You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you are going, because you might not get there
by FreeBradshaw on Jan 27, 2010 12:13 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
but an OT wouldn't be a bad idea.
You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you are going, because you might not get there
by FreeBradshaw on Jan 27, 2010 12:18 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
If a top LT slipped into the second round [unlikely] the Lions might take him.
Best…….Player…….Available.
by NorthLeft12 on Jan 27, 2010 8:11 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I dont believe Backus is terrible but he also isnt the long term solution at the position. It would be a shame to not properly protect stafford. With that being said, i wrote that there isnt a left tackle worthy of the 2nd overall pick, which doesnt mean that its not a need or a position that they shouldnt address. That also doesnt mean they should address in this years draft, but it is something they need to think about and in my opinion one of the main things they should be planning to upgrade.
Jon Dove
by tjdove123 on Jan 27, 2010 8:34 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I think all Lions fans would agree that a replacement for Backus needs to be developed.
Or somehow planned for. Even if that plan is to use an early pick in 2011 or 2012 for an LT.
by NorthLeft12 on Jan 27, 2010 11:39 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Maybe in a few years
But this year it isn’t anywhere near the top. Sure, the Lions need to focus on building the offensive line, but that starts with finding a talented LG. LT is just not a need right now. Schwartz thought Backus was Pro Bowl caliber last season.
Pride of Detroit, SB Nation's Lions Blog
by Sean Yuille on Jan 28, 2010 11:15 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
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