Preseason Game 3: Patriots @ Lions Thread

[motown1958]

As long as our corners can play press and hold up wr's for at least a few seconds we should be able to force qb's out of the pocket or destroy the pocket for sacks and knockdowns. They really have looked incredible.

 

[tomdalton22]

As long as our corners can play press and hold up wr's for at least a few seconds we should be able to force qb's out of the pocket or destroy the pocket for sacks and knockdowns. They really have looked incredible.

I think it will be boom or bust for the defense. There will be times that we all think they are great because the D-line is getting good pressure on the QB which will get results like last night. Other games they will not and the secondary & LBs will get torched.

 

[boogerlovejoy]

I just hope Gunther keeps up the pressure mentality he had last night. He is so vanilla in the regular season and rarely blitzes. The defensive play calling last night is EXACTLY what a good defense should do.....FORCE the offense to adjust to you. 99% of 2012, we did the exact opposite....let the offense dictate....and Gunther was always one step behind.

And look what it caused? 4 TO. Did we get burnt a couple times on the outside. Yes. But I would rather have that then the constant slow death approach they took in '12. And Slay and Houston will win a few of those deep battles too. It took perfect passes from Tom Freakin Brady to connect.

 

[cheeno]

I just hope Gunther keeps up the pressure mentality he had last night. He is so vanilla in the regular season and rarely blitzes. The defensive play calling last night is EXACTLY what a good defense should do.....FORCE the offense to adjust to you. 99% of 2012, we did the exact opposite....let the offense dictate....and Gunther was always one step behind.

And look what it caused? 4 TO. Did we get burnt a couple times on the outside. Yes. But I would rather have that then the constant slow death approach they took in '12. And Slay and Houston will win a few of those deep battles too. It took perfect passes from Tom Freakin Brady to connect.

Houston passing off the pick route messed up Brady on his INT. That was a well timed adjustment.

 

[boogerlovejoy]

Houston passing off the pick route messed up Brady on his INT. That was a well timed adjustment.

I LOVE the Houston/Slay pairing. Slay is going to have his rookie mistakes, but talent wise, this might be the best duo in MY lifetime (I'm 34). I am very excited to see what these two are going to do with the pressure that D-line is going to create.

And Bentley looked good in the slot yesterday. Forced that 3rd fumble.

The Lions need 16 performances like yesterday and we could be looking at a potential playoff team.

Otherwise, if on a weekly basis we perform closer to last weeks disaster......3-13.

 

[Mitchrapp]

lol........just because its preseason doesn't mean you treat it like a game of Madden. He's checking down so much for 2 reasons.

1. Bush is a GREAT receiver out of the backfield and without CJ, our most dangerous offensive weapon.

2. NOBODY else is open.

"Chucking the ball down field" is not a solution. Unless you want your QB to throw 40 INT's this season.

Without your best receiver it'd be nice to know if he can complete passes down field. No Guarantee CJ is going to play all 16. We already know what Bush can do, try to throw to the other guys..

 

[wheels002]

The one thing I really liked last night was we stopped the screens and the draws. The pats tried to run them multiple times and we sniffed them out with ease. I do not miss Avril or KVB.

 

[Mitchrapp]

As far as turnovers, those first 2 looked like a Pettigrew fumble. Its great to have but they basically just fell out..

 

[boogerlovejoy]

Without your best receiver it'd be nice to know if he can complete passes down field. No Guarantee CJ is going to play all 16. We already know what Bush can do, try to throw to the other guys..

I think the point myself and other are trying to make is that nobody else seems open. Why try to force it? I would rather see Stafford make the right throw.....even if it is a checkdown.....then try to force it in somewhere to have it get picked off.

It's preseason and he isn't fighting for a job, but that doesn't mean that Staff should be chucking it all over the field, forcing passes that shouldn't be thrown. Guys get hurt that way. More turnovers.

Just not smart football to do that at any level.

 

[Mitchrapp]

I think the point myself and other are trying to make is that nobody else seems open. Why try to force it? I would rather see Stafford make the right throw.....even if it is a checkdown.....then try to force it in somewhere to have it get picked off.

It's preseason and he isn't fighting for a job, but that doesn't mean that Staff should be chucking it all over the field, forcing passes that shouldn't be thrown. Guys get hurt that way. More turnovers.

Just not smart football to do that at any level.

That's troubling too. Eventually those Bush plays won't happen, defense will be always over him. You need more than one guy open or else its 2012 all over again.

 

[boogerlovejoy]

Again, CJ will be out there too. Double teaming two guys creates major holes in the defense. At that point you can only rush 4, cant blitz, if you hope to cover everyone else. Stafford would destroy a defense if they did that.

Broyles and Willis can beat single coverage against any 3 or 4 CB in football. Burleson can still be effective against zone coverage....he's smart enough to find the holes underneath.

BUT.....that means both CJ and Bush need to be healthy pretty much all year. Tough for ANYONE to do in the NFL these days.

 

[cheeno]

I want them to trade for Denarius Moore. He's rumoured to be on the block and they need a TE give em Scheffler.

 

[Mitchrapp]

Again, CJ will be out there too. Double teaming two guys creates major holes in the defense. At that point you can only rush 4, cant blitz, if you hope to cover everyone else. Stafford would destroy a defense if they did that.

Broyles and Willis can beat single coverage against any 3 or 4 CB in football. Burleson can still be effective against zone coverage....he's smart enough to find the holes underneath.

BUT.....that means both CJ and Bush need to be healthy pretty much all year. Tough for ANYONE to do in the NFL these days.

Bush can do a lot of things and will be game planned against but double team him? I'm worried that without CJ, teams will just line up closer to the line because we'll either run it or Staff will dump it off..

 

[lgolfer]

Again, CJ will be out there too. Double teaming two guys creates major holes in the defense. At that point you can only rush 4, cant blitz, if you hope to cover everyone else. Stafford would destroy a defense if they did that.

Broyles and Willis can beat single coverage against any 3 or 4 CB in football. Burleson can still be effective against zone coverage....he's smart enough to find the holes underneath.

BUT.....that means both CJ and Bush need to be healthy pretty much all year. Tough for ANYONE to do in the NFL these days.

The #2 CB wouldn't cover Bush. Which leaves CBs #2 and #3 to cover Broyles and Willis. They should hopefully be able to win that sometimes, but based on what we've seen, I won't count on it yet.
The O-line needs to consistently give Stafford a little more time and Stafford needs to relax a little and go through his reads, instead of looking at one guy and checking down or throwing it away.

 

[tomdalton22]

The #2 CB wouldn't cover Bush. Which leaves CBs #2 and #3 to cover Broyles and Willis. They should hopefully be able to win that sometimes, but based on what we've seen, I won't count on it yet.
The O-line needs to consistently give Stafford a little more time and Stafford needs to relax a little and go through his reads, instead of looking at one guy and checking down or throwing it away.

I haven't watched Bush much in Miami but I would expect that him coming out of the backfield would be a LB's responsiblity. Whoever is responsible it just opens up the passing lanes for the WRs.

 

[kalinecountry]

Yeah, Fauria from the Lions is the nephew of Christian Fauria...former TE and Patriot.

Thanks Tony.

 

[boogerlovejoy]

I haven't watched Bush much in Miami but I would expect that him coming out of the backfield would be a LB's responsiblity. Whoever is responsible it just opens up the passing lanes for the WRs.

Can't man up Bush out of the backfield with LB's. Any decent OC would eat that up all fuckin day. AT WORST you cover him with a S. That's where the mismatch comes in with Reggie Bush.....Bring down a S to cover him and you risk single high with CJ.....cover him with a LB and Bush is going to win that battle 9 our of 10 times.

Lions are going to see a shit ton of zone this year. Double high shaded to Calvin and LB's shaded to Bush. We have to have someone else step up and make teams pay for that.

 

[boogerlovejoy]

The #2 CB wouldn't cover Bush. Which leaves CBs #2 and #3 to cover Broyles and Willis. They should hopefully be able to win that sometimes, but based on what we've seen, I won't count on it yet.
The O-line needs to consistently give Stafford a little more time and Stafford needs to relax a little and go through his reads, instead of looking at one guy and checking down or throwing it away.

You're right about that. However, going through your progressions doesn't mean anyone is open. I didn't see a whole lot of separation last night from the WR. Of course, I don't have game film or anything.....just didn't see it. If Staff is missing open WR/TE that's on him. But I didn't see a whole lot of guys running free.

 

[Mitchrapp]

Doesn't that concern you, boog? That our WR don't get separation? We need someone to get separation besides CJ.

 

[jrange378]

Doesn't that concern you, boog? That our WR don't get separation? We need someone to get separation besides CJ.

CJ being on the field means there will be more opportunities for the others to get open, hell have the defenses full attention. And with Bush running underneath, Theres no reason this offense can't create mismatches every week.