No adjustments....

[Mitchrapp]

This is why Joe must go.. Stupid is .. is stupid does.

"On a third-and-13 from the Detroit 29-yard line, the Lions pitched to Theo Riddick. Riddick lost a yard on a play that appeared to be destined to fail, considering Riddick has not had a rush over 9 yards during his three-year NFL career.

Two others were equally baffling.

Detroit showed offensive momentum for the first time since the first quarter on its penultimate drive of the game, getting all the way to the Minnesota 1-yard line. The Lions, after passing it on first down, chose to run on second and third down.

That’s fine, but the Lions also decided they would hand the ball to George Winn -- first carry of the season after being promoted from the practice squad on Tuesday -- on second down instead of giving it Joique Bell or Ameer Abdullah. Then they handed it to fullback Michael Burton on third down instead of either of their highly paid or highly drafted backs.

Neither player gained a yard. The use of the fullback, in some cases, makes sense. But to go with a guy who hasn’t touched the ball all season was a bit strange."

 

[tonyballs]

This is why Joe must go.. Stupid is .. is stupid does.

"On a third-and-13 from the Detroit 29-yard line, the Lions pitched to Theo Riddick. Riddick lost a yard on a play that appeared to be destined to fail, considering Riddick has not had a rush over 9 yards during his three-year NFL career.

Two others were equally baffling.

Detroit showed offensive momentum for the first time since the first quarter on its penultimate drive of the game, getting all the way to the Minnesota 1-yard line. The Lions, after passing it on first down, chose to run on second and third down.

That?s fine, but the Lions also decided they would hand the ball to George Winn -- first carry of the season after being promoted from the practice squad on Tuesday -- on second down instead of giving it Joique Bell or Ameer Abdullah. Then they handed it to fullback Michael Burton on third down instead of either of their highly paid or highly drafted backs.

Neither player gained a yard. The use of the fullback, in some cases, makes sense. But to go with a guy who hasn?t touched the ball all season was a bit strange."

Yep...he should be fired just for this. I actually didn't mind the Winn and Burton carries to tell you the truth. Personally, I would have called #9's number at least once maybe twice in that situation. What irked me was Stafford going into shotgun on the 4th down. Shotgun?! Are you fkn kidding me?! That was terrible
....

 

[brewer229]

To be fair, when they did get to the 1 yard line, they did attempt a pass on second down (incomplete), but there was an offside called and the down didn't count. So it's not 100% accurate to say they got to the 1 and ran twice in a row.

It is pathetic that you can't get 1 damn yard on two attempts, that is partly a player issue. I agree not giving the ball to AA, way to many hands reaching for a guy with fumble issues. Joique Bell would of been an option too me. He's good at getting only 1 yard.

 

[Mitchrapp]

To be fair, when they did get to the 1 yard line, they did attempt a pass on second down (incomplete), but there was an offside called and the down didn't count. So it's not 100% accurate to say they got to the 1 and ran twice in a row.

It is pathetic that you can't get 1 damn yard on two attempts, that is partly a player issue. I agree not giving the ball to AA, way to many hands reaching for a guy with fumble issues. Joique Bell would of been an option too me. He's good at getting only 1 yard.

Not just us though, we stopped them twice as well. The baffling one was 3rd and 13 and a pitch out.

 

[brewer229]

Not just us though, we stopped them twice as well. The baffling one was 3rd and 13 and a pitch out.

Yea, not sure what they were thinking on that one. That was stupid.

 

[LKP]

3rd and 5 to Tate for 3 yards.
3rd and 13 sweep.
Stafford miss to Riddick on 4th after two stuffs using Winn and Burton (why not Bell?)
Stafford slide on 3rd and 6 after only 5 yards to end the game.

Plus 7 sacks and 13 QB hits.

Stafford was 69% for 9.8 YPA, Lions were +1 in turnovers and didn't turn it over. Lions played good red zone defense. Lions had 4.5 YPC rushing on the day. Lions held Peterson in check sans one play. Calvin and Ebron have nice days.

Yet we lose badly.

 

[tonyballs]

3rd and 5 to Tate for 3 yards.
3rd and 13 sweep.
Stafford miss to Riddick on 4th after two stuffs using Winn and Burton (why not Bell?)
Stafford slide on 3rd and 6 after only 5 yards to end the game.

Plus 7 sacks and 13 QB hits.

Stafford was 69% for 9.8 YPA, Lions were +1 in turnovers and didn't turn it over. Lions played good red zone defense. Lions had 4.5 YPC rushing on the day. Lions held Peterson in check sans one play. Calvin and Ebron have nice days.

Yet we lose badly.

And that's on coaching...

 

[LKP]

And that's on coaching...

It's definitely coaching. Or the players are too stupid to be coached/having a mental lapse (Tate/Stafford).

The unblocked players, I don't know. It may be Stafford not making the correct adjustments or Oline not doing what their assignments should be. Tough to tell.

 

[LKP]

Ebron running out of bounds at end of first half was ugly too.
Sack after a time out.

 

[dubbsco]

I know everyone is all about blaming coaching, and that's fine. But is it entirely possible that the talent on this team just isn't all that great? Playcalling aside, I saw a defense impose their will in all facets of the game, and an offense that did just enough to move the ball and strike when they had opportunities. Lions got decent pressure on Bridgewater, but you can tell why he's so highly thought of early in his career. His ability to elude pressure and make plays is 2nd to none already.

 

[LKP]

It wasn't getting beat one on one though. It was leaving guys unblocked. It could be the players mentally messing up too.

Zimmmer/their DC outcoached Lombardi with the blitzes.

Smith, Greenway, Kendricks twice, Everson unblocked. That's mostly blitzes.

And then you have the 3 yarder to Tate on 3rd down. And two stuffs and a bad throw in the redzone.

 

[dubbsco]

This goes beyond play calling. I would argue that in the first half, the play calling was some of the best I've seen in awhile. Lombardi was doing a lot of playaction, rolling Stafford out of the pocket, and it seemed to work.

But when the call is a toss sweep on 3rd down, the coach needs to hear the play call, and bitch smack Lombardi and call his own play. There's no accountability on this staff. And that starts with the GM.

 

[LKP]

Defensively, there was good pressure. Run D was fine sans one play (Ansah made a great play saving the TD though).

However, the coverage this year when there is no pressure, is a big problem. Tip of the cap to Diggs though. That guy can play.

 

[kdp1980]

Defensively, there was good pressure. Run D was fine sans one play (Ansah made a great play saving the TD though).

No there wasnt, Bridgewater had a clean pocket pretty much all day.

 

[dubbsco]

No he didn't. He scrambled a ton. None of his throws had any zip because he was always moving right or left.

 

[LKP]

No there wasnt, Bridgewater had a clean pocket pretty much all day.

4 sacks and 11 QB hits. He did not have a clean pocket all day.

 

[tonyballs]

No there wasnt, Bridgewater had a clean pocket pretty much all day.

No way, man. Bridgewater was pressured

 

[zyxt9]

They DID make adjustments. Let me explain...

Think back to W1 vs SD. Lions were up 21-3 and lost despite that huge lead...but there was still a chance that the Lions might win that game late.

This week, they only blew a 14-3 lead and kept themselves from having a chance to win late.

So, you see...they are improving because they are not forced to blow quite as big a lead as they did in W1. Additionally, with the Arizona game they gave up in the 3rd quarter. This game they experimented with how to make a potential comeback disappear later, as they waited until the 4th quarter to give up. It was a brilliant maneuver and instills plenty of hope that they can manage to lose late on purpose. They cannot always rely on a great play by one of the best defenders currently in the game like they did vs Seattle.

They understand what's at stake here, so they let off the gas before they could get too much more of a lead and then in the 4th they quit before the game could get too close. Those in-game adjustments were crucial and the way they pulled them off this week was a thing of beauty, equal to some of the greatest works of art of all time. Da Vinci and Michaelangelo would have been understandably impressed and wonder how such precision can be improved upon.

It was bad enough that they beat the Bears last week. I guess they circled that game as the one they would win in order to not go 0-16. They took a bit of a gamble with it, but it was calculated as they knew that at that point in the season, they could afford a win while still holding on to the #1 overall pick.

Gotta protect that #1 Draft Position. They did a great job of blowing it and losing a Must Lose game. Too many other teams still with only 1 loss, and have you seen how terrible Houston is playing??? And now that they lost Foster for the year, they are obviously working to ensure a #2 slot and are ready to pounce if the Lions screw up and win another game.

Caldwell & Co. did exactly what was needed. I applaud their efforts and dedication, and their adjustments worked to perfection this game.

 

[LKP]

The Lions may have adjusted. They could have just been really really bad adjustments.

 

[zyxt9]

The Lions may have adjusted. They could have just been really really bad adjustments.

Or more accurately, Lion-esque adjustments.