Game 1: Giants @ Lions *Monday Night Football* Thread

[tonyballs]

I don't expect gaudy numbers from the kid at all. Don't presume to insult me without knowing how I truly feel about him.

The fact of the matter is, Ebron didn't catch one pass last night and the offense looked tremendous despite that fact. Did he do other things? Sure he did. Is he going to be a great player? I never denied that he would be.

The question is NEED. Do we need a third TE even if he is top quality? Last night to me was evidence that the answer to that question was no. Long season though, I'm sure he will get his catches like you said.

Hey, i said the dummies on this board expect big numbers from him right away. Are you a dummy? They know who they are and they're running rampant on here. Chill the fuck out.

And Ebron is like a WR. He doesn't run your typical TE routes. He opens things up and forces defenses to move around. Even if he isn't catching the ball. His time will come..

 

[UMRules06]

Hey, i said the dummies on this board expect big numbers from him right away. Are you a dummy? They know who they are and they're running rampant on here. Chill the fuck out.

And Ebron is like a WR. He doesn't run your typical TE routes. He opens things up and forces defenses to move around. Even if he isn't catching the ball. His time will come..

I'm perfectly calm, but thank you This line of conversation was started by myself, so I had to assume you were including me in your statement.

And I understand Ebron is talented, gifted, and will be good and all of that. He might very well be Jimmy Graham 2.0. That's not the point. The question is whether or not the Lions NEED him to be successful this season. It's like buying a 70 inch plasma TV, when you have a leaky roof that needs fixing at the same time. Yeah the TV is frickin sweet, but you've neglected parts of your home that needed much more serious attention.

 

[dubbsco]

That is a great analogy. And now that there is going to be some potentially serious news about Bentley, guys like Couplin and the other dude who has two names are going to be getting a lot of playing time.

 

[tonyballs]

No one expects him to be a 100/2 kid every night. But I sure as hell would look to see the first round pick (top 10) get A YARD against a really horrible Giants team. Pettigrew played fine, and Fauria showed pretty damn good burst on one play. It's hard to argue that he is necessary while looking at some of the names that were on the field in that secondary. James Couplin? Come on.

No no no, don't give me that bs. Idiots on this board expect him to be Jimmy Graham from day 1. Thats not going to happen. He'll be brought along slowly and get his looks when the time is right. I would have liked to see him make some plays too but he contributed with some nice blocks. Patience.

As for Couplin being out there? Dig was out and Quin went down. Along with Bentley dropping, you're going to see backups out there. Couplin filled in nicely

 

[tonyballs]

That is a great analogy. And now that there is going to be some potentially serious news about Bentley, guys like Couplin and the other dude who has two names are going to be getting a lot of playing time.

Time to hit the waiver wire then, bud!! Bring in Champ too.

 

[byco42]

Now on to Carolina

My back yard. But I'll watch on TV. Tickets are too expensive.

 

[tonyballs]

I'm perfectly calm, but thank you This line of conversation was started by myself, so I had to assume you were including me in your statement.

And I understand Ebron is talented, gifted, and will be good and all of that. He might very well be Jimmy Graham 2.0. That's not the point. The question is whether or not the Lions NEED him to be successful this season. It's like buying a 70 inch plasma TV, when you have a leaky roof that needs fixing at the same time. Yeah the TV is frickin sweet, but you've neglected parts of your home that needed much more serious attention.

I won't argue that. I will argue about you saying they neglected parts of the team because they didn't draft said player early enough. I don't buy it.

 

[UMRules06]

To go off on another topic...it was certainly clear that Stafford's mobility was a major reason for the offensive success last night. The guys in the booth talked about how he worked in the offseason to get in better shape. Do you guys feel that was part of the issue last season late in the game? Would Stafford lose his legs and thus strength in his throws? I hope we can count on him staying consistent for all 4 quarters. First game he looked great!

 

[dubbsco]

Right, you are going to see backups out there. And those backups are untested, unproven, and from what I remember hearing on the broadcast, undrafted. That terrifies me about the potential of teams with good QBs being able to shred this secondary.

 

[biggunsbob]

The question on Ebron is would we rather have a Cornerback/safety instead of a luxury pick tight end? I think he will be way better then people think but next week we could sure use more depth in the secondary right?

I am sure we are on the phone to someone off the scrap heap... But it sure would be nice to draft a top secondary
guy some year...

 

[jared]

srsly how much flexibility do you need? no wonder why ebrons heads was spinning all offseason. 2 back 1back 3 te 2te 4 wide .....the amount of sets we had was ridiculous...then throw ontop of that they are constantly rotating fauria and Pettigrew in lol. .

Its posts like this that make me wonder if you are serious or the other side of the LKP trolling coin. If you watched that game and this is what you came away with there is no help for you. Start following the team where you live. You clearly don't want to root for this one.

 

[jared]

Right, you are going to see backups out there. And those backups are untested, unproven, and from what I remember hearing on the broadcast, undrafted. That terrifies me about the potential of teams with good QBs being able to shred this secondary.

Mayhew seems to be better at finding UDA's than drafting. At least that's a bright spot.

 

[biggunsbob]

Matt's footwork was way way way better then last year....

 

[boogerlovejoy]

I don't expect gaudy numbers from the kid at all. Don't presume to insult me without knowing how I truly feel about him.

The fact of the matter is, Ebron didn't catch one pass last night and the offense looked tremendous despite that fact. Did he do other things? Sure he did. Is he going to be a great player? I never denied that he would be.

The question is NEED. Do we need a third TE even if he is top quality? Last night to me was evidence that the answer to that question was no. Long season though, I'm sure he will get his catches like you said.

You're presuming that every game will, offensively, be just the same as last night. It wont. The Giants tried to single CJ and bring more pressure......it didn't work. (ask Dallas) Teams will not play us that way all year long. Ebron will be needed at some point this year. Saying the pick wasnt NEEDED after 6% of the season has passed is jumping the gun a bit.

He wasn't needed yesterday, no doubt about it.........but its a long season. If his role doesn't increase as the season goes on I'd be shocked. Injuries and other unforseen problems can come up......he might just turn out to be invaluable come playoff time (assuming, of course, we're in it)!!!!!

 

[dubbsco]

Yes, the biggest thing I took away from that game is that Stafford can move a little bit in the pocket now. It's amazing what happens when you take your body seriously and get in shape. He also made some pretty smart decisions.

 

[UMRules06]

You're presuming that every game will, offensively, be just the same as last night. It wont. The Giants tried to single CJ and bring more pressure......it didn't work. (ask Dallas) Teams will not play us that way all year long. Ebron will be needed at some point this year. Saying the pick wasnt NEEDED after 6% of the season has passed is jumping the gun a bit.

He wasn't needed yesterday, no doubt about it.........but its a long season. If his role doesn't increase as the season goes on I'd be shocked. Injuries and other unforseen problems can come up......he might just turn out to be invaluable come playoff time (assuming, of course, we're in it)!!!!!

I said it was evidence that he wasn't needed, not proof. I left it at that, and yes I'm as optimistic as anyone else about what Ebron can do and where this team is headed. We'll see what happens moving forward.

It's more a question of philosophy as well. I don't believe an NFL team needs 6 or more great offensive receiving options to win a championship. The Seahawks and Ravens the last few years seem to have proven that point. Yeah it's fun to watch, but is it really the best way to put together a team? I dunno I suppose. We're all hoping for the best regardless.

 

[boogerlovejoy]

Matt's footwork was way way way better then last year....

I agree with this. Hopefully, its a combination of maturity and coaching. I don't want him to become Peyton Manning in the sense that he can't move outside the pocket....

Last night was exactly how I think Stafford is at his best. Had really good footwork inside the pocket....but got outside and made plays with is arm WHEN NEEDED. I didn't see him throwing at different angles or using bad mechanics when he didn't have to.

Game 1. Good Stafford.

Lets hope game 2 is the same!!!!

 

[jared]

I said it was evidence that he wasn't needed, not proof. I left it at that, and yes I'm as optimistic as anyone else about what Ebron can do and where this team is headed. We'll see what happens moving forward.

It's more a question of philosophy as well. I don't believe an NFL team needs 6 or more great offensive receiving options to win a championship. The Seahawks and Ravens the last few years seem to have proven that point. Yeah it's fun to watch, but is it really the best way to put together a team? I dunno I suppose. We're all hoping for the best regardless.

Agree. Personally, I thought Fauria showed some signs last year (and certainly last night) and drafting a TE that high was bad strategy. Maybe Dix was low on their board, but it was a clear area of need and Mayhew ignored it.

I think Ebron will be a very good player, but with the weapons on offense, we needed to go another way.

 

[boogerlovejoy]

I said it was evidence that he wasn't needed, not proof. I left it at that, and yes I'm as optimistic as anyone else about what Ebron can do and where this team is headed. We'll see what happens moving forward.

It's more a question of philosophy as well. I don't believe an NFL team needs 6 or more great offensive receiving options to win a championship. The Seahawks and Ravens the last few years seem to have proven that point. Yeah it's fun to watch, but is it really the best way to put together a team? I dunno I suppose. We're all hoping for the best regardless.

I 100% agree with your second statement. However......having the 2014 Lions try to play like the Seahawks of last year or some of the old Raves teams would be TERRIBLE COACHING. We simply don't have the personnel. And no matter WHO they drafted at 10, we weren't going to. So they built on their strength this offseason. I have no problem with that.

Does that mean you never address the defense.....of course not. I'm hoping their plan is to get younger and more athletic on O this season....which they absolutely did.....and focus on the D from here on out.

Listen, I wanted a CB in the 1st round......i really did....but they chose Ebron. So Im not going to sit here and argue about what that DB, if drafted, would have done. You have to draft for the future as well, as many on this board have pointed out NUMEROUS times....so even if Ebron doesn't set rookie records this year, they got a player that will absolutely help them win games for years to come.

 

[dubbsco]

I have contended the entire off-season that adding Tate, along with Calvin, the RBs is enough. Pettigrew and Fauria are a fine complement. They aren't elite by any stretch. But the teams that have won Super Bowls have rarely had elite TEs.

There is so much more need in the secondary, and now that need increases with Bentley going down (who isn't even that good to begin with).