Category Archives: Detroit Lions
2012 Mock Draft: NFC North edition
The Divisional Mock breakdown continues with the NFC North and AFC South this week as I get closer to revealing my first 32 team first round mock in just a couple weeks. It was a rough first season for Leslie Frazier as the Head Coach of the Minnesota Vikings that has left them with the third overall pick in the 2012 Draft. It started out as a promising season for the Chicago Bears but injuries suffered by Jay Cutler & Matt Forte killed any chances that they had to reach the playoffs. The Detroit Lions partied like it was 1999 as they made the playoffs for the first time since 1999. The Green Bay Packers were on their way to perfection until the Kansas City Chiefs derailed their plans and a loss to the New York Giants ended any hopes of a repeat. What can each team do to make sure they get back to the playoffs or continue rebuilding?
Spreading the Wealth: What Teams Could Adopt the Spread Offense in 2012
“Conventional knowledge” has always said that the spread offenses featured in the college game would never work in the NFL. However, the Denver Broncos, under Coach John Fox, proved different this year. The Broncos adopted the new system to better compliment quarterback Tim Tebow and ended up winning the AFC West and upsetting the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wildcard round of the playoffs this year. Make no mistake, there are other teams in the NFL that could excel by utilizing this new trend of offense, especially teams with quarterbacks that have had trouble adapting to the pro-style. Here are some teams that would not surprise anyone if they used this new offense in 2012.
Carolina Panthers
- Cam Newton greatly excelled in college and junior college running this scheme, and since he has already established himself as a threat both throwing and running the ball teams would be put into a sticky situation trying to defend him. Compliment that with the one-two punch of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart running the ball and Steve Smith outside could be lethal. One catch here is that they are a fan of the two tight end sets with Jeremy Shockey and Greg Olsen, so the spread could be used as a compliment to their already established offense.
Philadelphia Eagles
- This would be the perfect way to get the fans excited and light a spark underneath the offense. Not to mention that Michael Vick and LeSean McCoy would give defenses nightmares! Also, arguably their top receiver, Jeremy Maclin, had success in the system in college. Inadvertently, this would help out their defense too if they decide to stick with their hybrid-nickel scheme with three corners.
Cleveland Browns
- Considering that Colt McCoy and their suspected target in the draft, Robert Griffin III, both had success in college running the spread, the change would make sense. The hang up here is that Pat Shurmur was the offensive coordinator for Sam Bradford in St. Louis and insisted on running the pro-style. Also, new offensive coordinator Brad Childress is also an advocate for the more conventional offensive scheme. However, with an offense that has Greg Little as its top receiver and a running game that will most likely be without Peyton Hillis, creativity is necessary to have success in the AFC North.
New England Patriots
- When have we ever known Bill Belichick to not love new trends, especially when it condones spreading the ball around in the passing game! In no way do I suggest that they will completely scrap the offense they have featured this year, but with Bill O’Brien leaving for Penn State some minor changes could occur. The most likely replacement for O’Brien is former offensive coordinator and Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels. McDaniels is already on the Patriots’ staff and started to feature the spread last year with the Rams to help out Sam Bradford.
Minnesota Vikings
- This could be an interesting endeavor for the Vikings. Christian Ponder showed signs of being a solid starter in this league, but they greatly overworked Adrian Peterson to make the rookie quarterback’s transition easier. With the spread, it would help Ponder in the passing game, give Adrian Peterson less but more effective carries, and would be better suited to fully utilize the skill set of Percy Harvin. Either way, they need to find a way to limit Peterson’s carries and further Ponder’s fragile progression as a starter in the NFL.
Detroit Lions
- How scary could this be? The passing game would open up further for Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson while also making the running load easier for Jahvid Best. In games against high powered offenses, the Lions seem to convert to a pass-first scheme anyway.
Miami Dolphins
- This is very contingent of them not signing Peyton Manning, but if they decide to stick it out with Matt Moore or sign Matt Flynn this could be a good option. The main reason is because this team had success running the Wildcat in the past and now with personnel like Reggie Bush and Steve Slaton, if they re-sign him, they could run the legs off of teams. Also, with the development of Devone Bess and Brian Hartline alongside Brandon Marshall this offense could put up some serious numbers.
St Louis Rams
- Josh McDaniels tried to implement this offense last year but wasn’t very successful. New coach, Jeff Fisher might try the same moving forward to cater to quarterback Sam Bradford’s strengths. Surely, there will still be pro-style sets since Fisher is old school and favors a run-first offense, which is well-equipped with running backs Stephen Jackson and Cadillac Williams. However, in the modern game you need your quarterback to be productive and the spread would seem to be the answer.
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Blaine Gabbert had a rough time showing any consistency in his rookie season, but coach Mike Mularkey is known for creating unique ways to get production out of his offenses. He will probably try to implement the same style of offense he featured in Atlanta, but considering the Jaguars biggest threat in the receiving game is tight end Marcedes Lewis they will have to effectively utilize the ground game. Also, Gabbert had success running the spread at the University of Missouri.
Steve Gross is a Featured Journalist for The Penalty Flag and can be contacted at SGross@ThePenaltyFlagBlog.com
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Top 10 NFL Stories of 2011
Another year has passed and in that year there has been no shortage of NFL story lines. Starting with a Green Bay Packers Super Bowl Championship run and ending with Tim Tebow and “Tebow-mania” the NFL has been full of surprises in 2011. We thought it may have been a dream for the Philadelphia Eagles but instead the Detroit Lions could be the “Dream Team.” These are the stories that shook us, took us and brought us on a journey for the year of 2011 in the NFL.
10. Al Davis
Al Davis of the Oakland Raiders had his moments, but when all is said and done, he is still a man who will be missed in the National Football League. Raider Nation lost their leader this season when Al Davis passed away at age 82. The long-time owner of the Raiders helped reshape professional football and allowed it to become the juggernaut that it is today.
Davis showed diversity as a coach, general manager and owner of the Oakland Raiders. He briefly left in 1966 to become the commissioner of the AFL to battle the NFL and would spur a championship game between the two, which later became the Super Bowl.
9. Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles used the shortened off-season to bring in a ton of new faces to make a run at the Super Bowl. One may have thought Dan Synder took over the team, but instead it was completely opposite from what the Eagles usually have done over their stellar years with Andy Reid at the helm. Front office members stated the team was “all-in” and many predicted a fast start leading to the playoffs. Vince Young, a back up quarterback for the Eagles, is credited with the creation of the “Dream Team” name, but this team is anything but. They didn’t even make the playoffs?
Let’s also not forget about the commotion wide receiver Desean Jackson caused by missing meetings and showing his anger at the front office for lack of a contract, Michael Vick’s injury that kept him out of a number of games, and even fans turning on long-time coach Andy Reid chanting “fire Andy!” Yes, the Eagles were nothing but a complete mess in 2011, but made for a number of great stories.
8. Free Agent Frenzy
Due to the NFL lockout the Free Agency period was pushed into a two-week circus that had some huge names trading places. Every time you checked the news someone else had signed, yes usually with the Eagles. A few names stood out and contributed to their team’s success. Johnathan Joseph made a huge impact in a new Wade Phillips defense for the Houston Texans, Darren Sproles re-sparked the New Orleans Saints offense, Willis McGahee sparked the Denver Broncos rushing attack. Maybe the NFL should look into condensing the free agency period to two weeks?
7. Cam Newton
The Carolina Panthers selected Cam Newton number one in the 2011 NFL draft and although we knew the choice many of us believed it was because they felt they “had” to choose him. His college stories and father who wouldn’t stay out of things led to an interesting final collegiate year for the Heisman trophy winner. None the less he took his talents to Carolina and instantly made a difference. In his first week Cam set a NFL rookie passing record and when all was said and done he broke a number of Panther’s records, NFL rookie records and NFL records.
Cam broke the NFL rookie record for passing yards and now owns the record for most rushing touchdowns in one season by a quarterback. Despite his lack of accuracy Newton has taken a dismal Carolina offense and made them legit. He has even resurrected the career of Steve Smith who is having a stellar year thanks to Newton. The future is now bright for Carolina and Cam Newton.
6. Detroit Lions
Most of us saw this one coming, but only about 10% of us actually believed it was going to happen. For the first time since 1999 the Detroit Lions have made the playoffs. According to AP News, Head coach Jim Schwartz stated “There’s going to be a time that we don’t celebrate getting to the playoffs, but it’s not going to be tonight. It’s been a long time coming.”
They started the 2011 season on a tear winning their first five games with key victories over the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears. Matt Stafford was finally healthy and the result was a prolific passing attack featuring Calvin Johnson. The Lions were fourth in passing averaging 288 yards per-game and would propel them to a 10 win season.
5. Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts
As the weeks went on we thought we might get to see the improbable. The defending Super Bowl champions were on a quest to become the first team to finish the regular season 16-0 and win the Super Bowl while the Peyton Manning-less Colts were just trying to win one game. In one swift week the dreams of many would come trampling down as the Colts won and the Packers lost.
The Packers’ 19-game winning streak, second longest in NFL history, was snapped with a 19-14 loss at Kansas City, a team that was routed by 27 points last weekend, then fired its coach.
On the same day the Colts’ losing streak was stopped at 14 as they would beat the Tennessee Titans to avoid moving closer to an 0-16 record.
That Sunday was the third time in NFL history that a team without a loss was beaten and a team without a win was victorious on the same day at least 11 games into a season.
4. Packers win Superbowl
The Green Bay Packers never trailed the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV and became the second sixth seed to ever win the Super Bowl.
Led by MVP Aaron Rodgers, who completed 24 of 39 passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, the Packers converted three costly Pittsburgh turnovers into touchdowns before one of the largest crowds in NFL history at Cowboys Stadium.
3. Peyton Manning
It started a few weeks before opening kickoff of the 2011 NFL season and will continue at least until the 2012 NFL draft. What in the world is going on with Peyton Manning? Speculation started when an injury to his neck would cause him to have a third surgery in 19 months. Manning would miss the 2011 NFL season and the Colts would plummet to a two win season.
Colt’s owner Jim Irsay needs to kick a Twitter habit as his tweets have become a laughing matter as the Colts went back and forth on taking future number one pick, Andrew Luck.
Will they, won’t they…what will happen to Peyton? Will the Colts trade Peyton Manning and move towards the future by selecting Luck or will they trade the pick and build around Peyton who could still have a few years left?
The answer lies in the health of Manning. Something we aren’t sure of just yet.
2. NFL Lockout
You bastards! Shame on you for making us miss two preseason games and even worse threatening to cancel the 2011 NFL season. Owners and players left the most popular sport in jeopardy as they were unable how to divide nine billion dollars a year and broke off labor negotiations hours before their collective bargaining agreement expired. The union decertified and 10 players, including MVP quarterbacks Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, sued the owners in federal court in Minneapolis. At midnight, the owners responded by locking out the players which created the NFL’s first work stoppage since 1987 and putting the 2011 season in limbo.
After four and a half months, the NFL lockout came to an end, with the player representatives and NFLPA executive committee agreeing to a settlement of a new collective bargaining deal, the terms of which the 32 owners had approved.
1. Tim Tebow
How can Tim Tebow not be the number one story of 2011? Not only is just Tim Tebow a story but it has branched off into different directions. “Tebow Time” has been made up for his incredible comeback performances against the Dolphins, Jets, and Bears. “Tebowing” is where you take one knee in a random place like Tim Tebow does when he prays after a game. Even Saturday Night Live and Tosh.O have made skits designed to make fun of Tim Tebow. Yes, the world is Tim Tebow crazy in 2011.
Turn on the radio, television, or read news on the internet. Odds are you will find a Tim Tebow story. His religion, accuracy, lack of passing, how he makes a great running back, full back, tight end, or how he is changing the game of football. Everything in 2011 has been about Tim Tebow and it is just beginning.
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Lions Obviously Focusing on Playoffs
At this point in the NFL season fans of the Detroit Lions are usually looking forward to the draft, but instead they are headed to the playoffs for the first time since the 1999 season.
As you can plainly see fans don’t even know what to do with themselves as they can’t even spell the team name they are so excited.
Go Loins!
The Lions will be on the road for the first round of the playoffs – and most likely as long as they’re still playing so there may not be a chance for the organization to rebound from this blunder.
And you wonder why unemployment is at an all time high in the motor city…
Inconsistent Lions Get Early Christmas Present in Win Over Vikings
via getty images
The video will be played on ESPN on the hour, every hour until next Sunday. Every Detroit Lions player will have to answer a plethora of questions about it and head coach Jim Schwartz will have to answer even more. Sports analysts will debate the play until the cows come home and NFL fans will wring their collective hands and lament the fortunes of the dirtiest team in football.
Whether in victory or defeat, the Detroit Lions sure have a way of getting into the spotlight, don’t they?
Let’s just get it out-of-the-way. Yes, DeAndre Levy had a hand full of Joe Webb‘s facemask. It should have been penalized. The Vikings might have retained the ball and they might have won. It doesn’t take a giant leap to figure that out.
The Lions and their fans might take solace in the fact that Levy actually knocked the ball out prior to grabbing the mask. It didn’t lead to the fumble.
Regardless, the officials missed the call.
The Lions will undoubtedly be focused on other things this week though. Their performance was a shining example of the inconsistency that has plagued them all year.
The Lions are a frustrating team. On the stat sheet they look impressive. Matthew Stafford had a decent day, passing for 227 yards and two touchdowns and the Lions’ defense forced six turnovers. Stephen Tulloch scored on a fumble recovery and Alphonso Smith had a pick-six.
Sounds pretty good doesn’t it? But remember, the Lions allowed a 2-10 team without their star running back to hang around. They allowed a rookie quarterback to engineer two impressive scoring drives. Then they allowed a second string QB to do his best Michael Vick impersonation and lead the Vikings on a dramatic comeback.
And it wouldn’t be Lion football without one bone-headed penalty; this one courtesy of Tulloch, who blind-sided Christian Ponder unnecessarily.
I’m not sure this is what Jim Schwartz had in mind when he said he wanted a playoff mindset.
The Lion offense was perhaps the most frustrating. They started off on fire, then took the final two and a half quarters off. Calvin Johnson was not involved, Stafford was pressured and sacked too many times and the running game was going nowhere.
They only converted 50 percent of their third downs.
This is not a formula to be successful in the playoffs, especially with teams like Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints out there.
The Lions have to shore up these issues. But we’ve been saying that all year. I’m beginning to think this is just who these Lions are. They are a team of potential and inconsistency. They are a team that can dominate but can also be dominated. They do things the hard way, not necessarily the right way.
But there is still time to put it all together. Three weeks in the NFL is an eternity.
The Lions have taken the first step in this last quarter of the regular season. They’ve done what they needed to do right now. They are in a better position than they were last week. And that was exactly what they were trying to do.
Mission accomplished.
Christopher Madden is an NFL team writer for The Penalty Flag. He can be contacted at cmadden@thepenaltyflagblog.com.
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Aaron Rodgers: It’s Not Just Suh Who Plays Dirty
The Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions rivalry continues to become more heated than it already is as now Aaron Rodgers said Suh wasn’t the only lineman who crossed the line.
Forget about Ndamukon Suh and his two-game suspension for stomping on Packers guard Evan Dietrich-Smith after slamming his head into the turf multiple times because according to Aaron Rodgers, Kyle Vanden Bosch cut his chin with an illegal hit.
According to the interview transcribed by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
“He hit me in the chin, and it kind of went like this (husky voice) ‘Ohhh I got you goood. That one had to hurt,’” Rodgers said. “That’s how he was talking to me, and I was like, ‘Ah, yeah, that was a good hit.’ He likes to lay on people. Like I said, if you have a camera on him the entire game, and we watch the film, he is late getting to a lot of plays, and he just lays on guys, and stays on there. He probably did that at least a half-dozen times. So he’s laying on me, and I’m laying there. We threw a pass, completed, and he’s like, ‘I got you good, that had to hurt.’ And I’m like, ‘You hit me good, that was a good hit.’ And he goes, ‘Ohh yeah.’ And I’m like, ‘You’re probably getting a penalty though.’ He goes, ‘No way.’
“So I think someone finally came to pull him off me, because he probably would have laid there for awhile, and I was ‘Yeah, you got me on the chin there, it’s probably a penalty.’ And he goes, ‘Noooo.’ And then he saw the penalty flag, and he started to go crazy, similar to the fashion when he got an offside call last year, at home. He proceeded to yell at the head ref that it was Suh who was offside, and not him. ‘Nooo, it was Suh. Suuuhhh.’ I mean, he’s crazy on the field. And if you watch the game, you see he wears those red contacts. He has a crazy motor. He wears red contacts on game day, I think he enjoys that perception that he’s a little bit off.”
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So Suh Me: Ndamukong Suh Lives Up to Badboy Image
Ndamukong Suh’s reputation of being a dirty player is something that has been following him around since he first came into the league as a rookie last year. Up until now it was something that could be easily dismissed by Suh, his coaches, his teammates, and even the media. Not anymore.
Suh is considered to be one of the most imposing forces playing defensive tackle in the game today. A game changer who manhandles offensive linemen with his brute strength and always requires either a double or triple team block. He registered ten sacks in 2010 which is just unheard of for a rookie interior lineman.
Suh plays as if he has a chip on his shoulder which is cool when it’s helping you make plays but can really hurt your team when you lose your cool like Suh did on Thursday. In the third quarter with his team down by only seven points to the Green Bay Packers, Suh would get into a small scrum with Packers’ offensive lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith. While the two were being pulled apart, Suh would then stomp the chest of Dietrich-Smith who was still lying on the ground.
This action immediately drew a flag from the officials who promptly disqualified Suh for the rest of the game. Suh would plead his case to the officials and even tried to spin the incident in the press conference after the game but the evidence is damning. Suh was seen intentionally stomping Dietrich-Smith’s chest. Not an accident as Suh would have people to believe.
So now we all get to see what players who have played against the Lions have seen for the past two years. We also start to understand how a player in only his second year in the league could be voted the league’s dirtiest player by his peers which Suh was just earlier this month.
And now that he is facing suspension for his fourth incident of unsportsmanlike conduct in less than two years, Suh must begin the long task of trying to repair his reputation. Hopefully he understands that it’s harder to shed a reputation than it is to shed a blocker.
Roosevelt Hall is an NFL Featured Journalist for The Penalty Flag and can be contacted at RHall@ThePenaltyFlagBlog.com. Follow him on Twitter @rhall_tpfb.
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Jahvid Best and Detroit’s Rushing Game is a Disappointment
Best and the Detroit Lions rushing game is the biggest disappointment for the Lions offense this year. Best is not the worst running back in the league, but he does not supply the results needed for a team looking for post season play. The league average for total rushing yards this season is 174 yards; Best has rushed for 390 yards. The major concern is his lack of rushing touchdowns; he has earned two touchdowns and is not a reliable runner, he is predictable.
His numbers are misleading; out of the six games he has played, he rushed for 163 yards and 1 touchdown against the Chicago Bears, and this was his best game of the season. The other five games he rushed for an average of 45 yards a game and scored one rushing touchdown. Jahvid Best is not producing the results needed and has only performed great in one game.
He has played in six games and has missed the last two games due to a head injury, his status is day-to-day and it does not look like he will be playing against the Chicago Bears this Sunday. The Detroit Lions need to focus on finding a running back that can produce the numbers needed and replace Jahvid Best for the rest of the season and make him earn his position back.
The Detroit Lions running game is average and isn’t at the level needed to become a successful playoff team. If Jahvid Best is cleared to play this Sunday or within the next few games, he needs to become a 100 yard rusher with two touchdowns per game. Jahvid Best is my disappointment of the season, but can easily earn the best player of the year. He just needs to do two simple tasks, rush the ball and score touchdowns.
Justin Tripp is an NFL team writer for The Penalty Flag. He can be contacted at JTripp@thepenaltyflagblog.com.
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Will Detroit’s Suh explain the rules to Commissioner Goodell?
Detroit Lions’ defensive superstar Ndamukong Suh is traveling to NFL headquarters in search of an explanation of the rules and game from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Suh is taking advantage of the Lions bye-week and is seeking a better understanding of the rules that are levying fines labeling him a dirty player. His visit is inspired from the NFL being aggressive towards on the field contact and conduct between players. If the league continues down this path it will become a soccer league.
Tim Tebow is not a joke
On Sunday, the Detroit Lions dominated the Denver Broncos on offense and defense, winning 45-10. Tim Tebow led his offense to only 10 points and struggled in many ways, but the disrespect he is receiving is wrong as he was truly the only Broncos’ player that came out to play. I have read some of the Detroit Lions’ comments about Tebow, questioning his ability and even calling him a joke, but I would say to them, look at your own history, just a few short years ago you couldn’t even win one game, but now you are a better team and have hopes of post season play, so leave Tebow alone, let me remind everyone, I’m a Lions fan!
The NFL draft is like a box of chocolates
The 2011 NFL Draft is a box of chocolates and each team just received a gift-wrapped box.
Despite accusations Nick Fairley a solid pick for Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions continue to build via the NFL draft and this year is no different as the Lions selected DT, Nick Fairley from the University of Auburn with the 13th pick.
