reiff's performance as starting lt

[zyxt9]

Seemed to do very well for his first start, especially considering the talent on the Houston dl. Didn't really notice his name being called much, which means he did a good job usually, just wondering if others felt same or different.

 

[manchild98]

I thought the same thing. I wasn't watching him specifically but I didn't hear his name called much at all which is always a good thing. I thought the announcers would say more things about how he is getting his first start and show him getting beat but they didn't.

 

[tsmith7559]

Seemed to do very well for his first start, especially considering the talent on the Houston dl. Didn't really notice his name being called much, which means he did a good job usually, just wondering if others felt same or different.

I think he has played well all year. He is very athletic and is a great blocker. I'm not sure if he was responsible for JJ Watts performance as he was moved around all day. The time I had to watch him live thursday he seemed to do a good job. Backus getting a little long in the tooth(although signed thru next year at a reasonable rate) and Cherilus an UFA it will be interesting to see where he is starting next year.

 

[manchild98]

I thought Watt kept sacking Staff from the middle and right side of our line.

 

[ruff]

I thought Watt kept sacking Staff from the middle and right side of our line.

yeah, he abused Gosder ost the day, i'm surprised they didn't rush him from the left side alot

 

[tigermud]

http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2012/11/detroit_lions_second_look_rile_1.html

all in all I thought it did pretty damn good for his first start against a good group of pass rushers.

And I apologize to the slappys in advance if my comment was too positive.

 

[manchild98]

I think it says a lot that he started his very 1st game as a rookie at LT....and we still threw the ball 61 times. And I don't remember one single negative comment about him in the game thread.

 

[kdp1980]

Saw him get tossed by Peppers in the Chicago game, but thats bound to happen at some point. Like seeing a Hawkeyes guy on the Lions team, that isnt shitting the bed.

 

[mhughes0021]

Detroit Lions second look: Riley Reiff's debut at tackle inconsistent
By Justin Rogers | [email protected] MLive.com
on November 24, 2012 at 12:10 PM, updated November 24, 2012 at 1:45 PM
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Offensive tackle Riley Reiff struggled with the strength of Connor Barwin at times, but the rookie did a decent job preventing quarterback Matthew Stafford from absorbing many hits.

Reiff's assignments were no walk in the park either. For the majority of the game he matched up one-on-one with rush linebacker Connor Barwin (6-foot-4, 268 pounds), but also had to deal with rotational edge rusher Whitney Mercilus, defensive tackle Antonio Smith, and the ever-dominant J.J. Watt.

The Lions only provided a chipping tight end or running back for Reiff on four of the Texans' 68 pass-rush situations.

For the most part, considering the tremendous amount of plays (68) Reiff was in pass protection, he did a good job staying in front of his man. Where he struggled was with the strength of Barwin, who regularly pushed the rookie back toward Matthew Stafford, collapsing the quarterback's pocket and forcing quick decisions and throws.

Reiff's technique appeared to get stronger later in the game as he regularly drove Barwin beyond Stafford, instead of trying to stand him up.

Reiff did allow a handful of pressures, including two on third downs.

In the first quarter, the Texans sent an overload blitz to Reiff's side, bringing three rushers off that edge. The offensive tackle didn't make the necessary adjustment quickly enough, leaving two unblocked men for running back Kevin Smith. Stafford was flushed from the pocket and forced to throw the ball it away.

In the fourth quarter, with the Lions on the edge of field-goal range and up seven points, Reiff was beat by Barwin, who faked an inside move before accelerating to the outside. The pressure forced Stafford to step into the pocket into the waiting arms of J.J. Watt. The sack knocked Detroit out of field-goal range and the Texans were able to score the game-tying touchdown on the ensuing drive.

Reiff also had mixed success run blocking.

In the first quarter, Watt twice beat the rookie in one-on-one situations to disrupt the play in the backfield, resulting in a pair of short gains.

In the third quarter, the Lions wanted to open a hole by doubling Antonio Smith at the snap, then have Reiff peel off and block the outside linebacker in the second level. The play was a disaster as the double was ineffective and Smith dove into the backfield disrupting Mikel Leshoure's momentum. To make matters worse, Reiff missed his second level block, allowing the linebacker to come through untouched to finish the play off for a one-yard loss.

On the other side of the coin, Reiff also made some nice blocks for the ground game. At the end of the first quarter, he, along with guard Rob Sims, got excellent push on a double-team to open a big running lane. Reiff then peeled off to take out safety Quin Glover for an 11-yard gain for Leshoure.

Reiff also opened up a huge lane for Kevin Smith in the third quarter by standing up Barwin on the edge. The play went for just six yards since Sims wasn't able to get to the second level and put a body on the outside linebacker.

 

[zyxt9]

Interesting analysis. I would still rate his work as above average and better than Gos.

 

[coel73]

I think to be thrown in the fire all of a sudden, he did good. Nobody expected him to be perfect in his first start, and Stafford didn't take any major shots because of his blocking so It looks like a mostly successful first start.