Can William clay ford kick the bucket already official Detroit Lions 2013-14 season thread

[NormanConnors]

Not all of my Lions brehs, not all of the people on the Roar Report.

This is Stafford's scouting report coming out of Georgia

http://walterfootball.com/scoutingreport2009mstafford.php


He has not improved and in many ways, he's regressed.

yeah looking at the link he has regressed, he stares down recievers entirely too much, per that analysis it was something he did not do previously.

 

[eastside313]

Anthony Kuehn is the editor of the Detroit Lions blog Lions Gab . His opinions do not necessarily reflect those of the Detroit Free Press nor its writers. Get in touch with Anthony at lionsgab@gmail.com or on Twitter @lionsgab.

The Green Bay Packers haven't won since losing Aaron Rodgers a month ago and they are still hanging a half game behind the Detroit Lions for first place in the NFC North.

Just wrap your head around that for a second. The Lions were 5-3 at the halfway mark of the season and now sit at 6-5 with losses to the three-win Steelers and two-win Buccaneers.

The team has committed 14 turnovers in the last four games and forced one. A minus-13 turnover ratio is difficult to achieve in a season, let alone four games. Stafford has eight interceptions in the last four games after throwing four in the first seven games.

Remember four weeks ago when Rodgers went down and the Lions were granted the division by so many? They had the easiest remaining schedule in the league with plenty of home games. Instead of taking the division by the horns, the Lions went 1-2 against the Bears, Steelers and Bucs.

The pass defense is hemorrhaging yardage, the offense is allergic to possessing the football and teams with lesser talent are out-scheming the Lions. Calvin Johnson goes long stretches without touching the ball and Reggie Bush has been stifled the last several weeks. Most troubling is Matthew Stafford has regressed mightily over the last several games despite great pass protection from his line.

I have supported this coaching staff every step of the way since they inherited the 0-16 mess. Most NFL teams look at a three year timeline for a rebuilding project. This was not a normal rebuilding project. Martin Mayhew and Tom Lewand have returned structure to the front office and Mayhew acquired talent for the locker room. Unfortunately, this team continues to be a wreck on the field.

They are among the league leaders in penalties almost every year, they have a terrible record in close games and they have been plagued with turnovers and mistakes. Those are the hallmarks of teams that don't pay attention to details and that falls on the coaching staff.

More troubling than the turnovers is the regression of Matthew Stafford over the last five games. Stafford is throwing the ball more with 45.2 attempts per game as opposed to 39.8 in the first six. He is averaging 7.6 yards per attempt, more than the 7.4 he averaged in the first six games. His average passing yards per game have increased with the extra attempts up to 344.6 from 295.3 and touchdowns per game are up from 2.0 to 2.4 as well. Despite the increase in attempts per game, Stafford is actually averaging fewer completions per game 24.8, down from 25.0. As a result, his completion percentage has dropped 7.9% to 54.9% and his interceptions per game figure has jumped from 0.7 to 1.6.

Now, I've heard a lot of talk about the number of drops by the receiving corps, and the Lions do lead the league in that category. However, as I alluded to last week, I actually feel like the drops are more on Stafford than the receivers.

Stafford has one of the best arms in the league and he's not afraid to uncork a fastball and try to squeeze throws in. That's great from time to time, but you can't throw every pass 100 m.p.h. and expect the receivers to hang on, especially on the shorter passes. This also explains the high number of overthrows on deep passes that we've seen the last few weeks.

Stafford doesn't throw his deep passes with a lot of arch; he throws line drives which don't give the receivers time to run underneath the pass. He has overthrown four likely touchdowns in the last two games and really has not been an effective downfield passer all season. On passes of over 20 yards, Stafford has completed 17 of 59 passes for 556 yards. He has six touchdowns and five interceptions on those passes and a completion percentage of 37.3% despite having Calvin Johnson. That completion percentage is 26th out of 36 quarterbacks that have 16 or more attempts of over 20 yards. He is sandwiched between Ryan Fitzpatrick and Josh Freeman. Stafford simply should be further along in his development as passer and the coaching staff bears a fair amount of responsibility for that.

One of the most upsetting issues this team has had has been the inability to handle success, which is absurd since "success" in this case was a 6-3 record. How on Earth does a team that hasn't won a playoff game in 22 years even get a mentality of arrival? Reggie Bush was quoted after the game as saying this team didn't have the right mentality on the field. Nate Burleson said the players were losing focus during the game. Does that sound like something that should happen on a team that just got upset by a bad team last week?

The Lions handled the "success" of getting blown out in the first round of the 2011 playoffs by having over half a dozen arrests in the offseason and stumbling to a 1-3 start. They got back into the playoff hunt by drawing even at 4-4 and then lost their next eight games. Stupid mistakes, turnovers and penalties suffocated any lead they could achieve and they blew game after game. Sound familiar?

I am not a person that is in favor of rash decisions, especially when it comes to the livelihood of coaches, but this staff needs to be on the hot seat if they are not already. There comes a point when the team needs to show an appreciable amount of progress and the Lions just haven't done that on a consistent basis.

Don't think this is an overreaction to a bad two game stretch, because these issues have been around a lot longer than the last two games. They are what submarined last season and the second half of 2011 as well. I like Jim Schwartz and I really felt he was the right hire back in 2009. He is smart, he has a diverse football background in both scouting and coaching and he worked for two of the most successful coaches of this generation in Bill Belichick and Jeff Fisher. However, the team continues to have issues with sloppy play, untimely mistakes and undisciplined players. Eventually, that has to fall on the coach.

There is a lot of football left this season and the Lions control their destiny. They were perfectly set up with the Bears' collapse, Rodgers' injury and a soft schedule to be in the running for home-field advantage or a first-round bye. They flushed that opportunity down the tubes, but the division and the third seed is still there for the taking. A win Thursday puts them in the driver's seat, but a loss will basically be a death knell for this season.

They would be a half game behind the Packers and they would lose any tie with them (which would be unlikely unless the Lions have a game end in a tie as well.) The mental toll of dropping three straight and losing the division lead would be bad enough, but having to chase the Packers with a potentially healthy Rodgers would not be easy. The Lions are on the outside looking in for a wild card spot right now, so it's division crown or bust.

This 2013 season started with a lot of promise and still has a fair amount of it left, but the Lions' ship is taking on water. If they finish strong and hit the playoffs on a hot streak, this two game streak will be a distant memory. If they limp into the playoffs and get bounced in the first round, like 2011, I think the front office needs to take a hard look at moving on. If they miss the playoffs, I just don't see how they can bring this staff back. For the last 11 months I have preached patience to fans and told them that talk of Schwartz on the hot seat was premature. He deserved a chance to correct the mistakes of the past and if and when those mistakes weren't corrected, then start the discussions. Sadly, for everybody involved, it seems that the time has come to question if Schwartz is the answer. Let's hope he is.

 

[Knights89]

Perfect summary. All those things have been repeatedly over the last 3 years, especially these last two. Its no reason for some of thee problems they have. That Fairley roughing the passer penalty was seen, and EXPECTED coming from a mile away. Any other coaches would have nipped that play in the bud year one, not Schwartz.

As far as Stafford, never been his biggest fan, but he does have lots of talent, however I will say he is not surrounded by the best coaching staff. Those side arms throws , and line drive deep balls, one of which was picked off in the end zone in the Tampa game need to stop. He is due some blame in the last few losses.

Defensive secondary...my godHouston. This falls on Mayhew in the talent department, but it seems some of those big pays come down to missed tackles, and missed assignments. Other teams seem to get more out of the same talent levels. So again coaching- Gunther, and dumb ass players.

Mayhew he cant pick dbs or wrs worth a damn, but the overall talent has been here to make the playoffs in 2011,12, and this year, I believe. But if Jim is his guy than

 

[eastside313]

Perfect summary. All those things have been repeatedly over the last 3 years, especially these last two. Its no reason for some of thee problems they have. That Fairley roughing the passer penalty was seen, and EXPECTED coming from a mile away. Any other coaches would have nipped that play in the bud year one, not Schwartz.

As far as Stafford, never been his biggest fan, but he does have lots of talent, however I will say he is not surrounded by the best coaching staff. Those side arms throws , and line drive deep balls, one of which was picked off in the end zone in the Tampa game need to stop. He is due some blame in the last few losses.

Defensive secondary...my godHouston. This falls on Mayhew in the talent department, but it seems some of those big pays come down to missed tackles, and missed assignments. Other teams seem to get more out of the same talent levels. So again coaching- Gunther, and dumb ass players.

Mayhew he cant pick dbs or wrs worth a damn, but the overall talent has been here to make the playoffs in 2011,12, and this year, I believe. But if Jim is his guy than

I would say that the improvement that stafford had made was he stopped forcing turnovers and this season I've noticed he was actually looking safeties off and moving safeties and linebackers with his eyes like great qbs do. But all that shyt is The past few weeks. They've went right back to throwing too much and he's right back to playing like a white Devon Gardner One read shawty. He should not be throwing more than 35 times. His ass throwing 20-30 incompletions in a game

My Cuzz who grew up in atl told me just how stafford was in college and he was spot on and the fool still hasn't changed.

Low key
joquie bell>>>>>bush

 

[NormanConnors]

and he's right back to playing like a white Devon Gardner

I agree on Bell, cold weather and physical play (kind of saw that in his NO days) seems to be Reggie's kryptonite, that and looking to do too much.

 

[iceberg_is_on_fire]

I'd paypal this dude some money. Manna from heaven reading that.

 

[Regular_P]

I hope they clean house after the season, but I won't get my hopes up.

Mayhew needs to take some blame too. He has insisted on sticking with this coaching staff and has made a lot of shaky moves with the roster. The secondary is still ass and they haven't had a consistent pass rush in years. Their WR core is paper thin even though he goes after WRs every year.

 

[iceberg_is_on_fire]

Matthew Stafford perked some ears this week when he rebuffed Reggie Bush's proposal to have a players-only meeting.

The quarterback said it wasn't needed.

But it appears the meeting occurred anyway.

Detroit's leadership council convened Monday to discuss what has ailed the team during its two-game losing streak, and what must be done to nip it Thursday against the Green Bay Packers (5-5-1).

The meeting lasted about 15 minutes, and included about 15-20 of the team's foremost leaders. That includes Stafford, Bush, Calvin Johnson, Dominic Raiola, Nate Burleson, Glover Quin and more.

"It wasn't like a State of the Union. Like, 'Oh my God!'" veteran center Dominic Raiola said. "It's just tightening up the screws -- not letting it get too loose. Just tightening it up.

"We have a young team, and a lot of the young guys look up to the older guys in their rooms. With that group we have, there's an open line of communication if anyone needs to talk about anything. It's not like before, where you're going to puff out your chest if I call you out. We can do that now, and we didn't have that before, and that's a good thing."

Bush originally suggested a players-only meeting was required after Sunday's demoralizing loss against the three-win Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Stafford rejected that suggestion a day later, though, saying it wasn't necessary. He went so far as to say he's been here a long time and knows what it takes to win, which lit up Detroit sports radio Tuesday morning with discussion of whether that was a veiled shot at Bush.

Bush is in his first season with the Lions.

But Bush said he didn't mean to flout Stafford's role as a captain, and was merely suggesting what he thought was required for the team to turn the corner.

"It wasn't suggested just by me. It was a collective thing that was suggested," Bush said. "We were all in there, we had the meeting and we talked. Worked internally on correcting our mistakes and making sure these mistakes don't continue to happen.

"Stafford's the leader of our team, at the end of the day. We can only go as far as he takes us. He's a great player, and we love everything he brings to the game. We're all behind Stafford 100 percent."

Bush is in his first season with the Lions, but is still a respected leader on the team and a member of club's leadership council. He does, after all, have a Super Bowl ring -- while Stafford, Johnson and most of the Lions' core players do not.

Bush doesn't flaunt that around the clubhouse -- in fact, he says he's only ever worn his ring once, and that was on the day he received it -- but reaching the game's pinnacle does give him clout when discussing what a team needs to right itself.

Such as suggesting a players-only meeting.

"I don't try to force that on people," Bush said. "I haven't even worn any of my championship rings from college. I wore them the day I received them, and that's it, because I kind of like to leave the past in the past. I don't like to force that on people. I don't like walking into a room and saying, 'Hey, I've won championships, so you guys need to listen to me.' It's not about that.

"I hope there is a certain level of experience I can offer, and also lead by example at the same time. I just feel like for me I guess I try to put in my 2 cents where I can fit it in, but at the same time not trying to force it on people."

Asked for an example, Bush cited turnovers. He said lapses in fundamentals sometimes develop throughout the season, and those need to be caught.

But they weren't, and now, the Lions' bad habits have cost them. They have turned over the ball eight times the past two games, and it was time to put an end to it.

"(The meeting) was real casual," Raiola said. "Everyone had their lunch in there. It was cool.

"Last thing we need is people wondering, 'What's going to happen now? Where do we need to go from here?' That's where guys who have been there before, that have hit rough stretches in the season, that have been to the postseason, who understand what we're playing for -- we lean on them."

I know how to win.....

Bush, despite the fumbles, is a real nikka and knows shyt is going off of the rails. Stafford just wants to stuff his face and throw 200 MPH overthrown sidearms on crossing patterns.

 

[Regular_P]

If Detroit loses tomorrow, they might lose the rest of their games.

 

[eastside313]

If Detroit loses tomorrow, they might lose the rest of their games.

It also would show that its a problem in the locker room which is why this team can't focus and take care of business.

 

[Regular_P]

It also would show that its a problem in the locker room which is why this team can't focus and take care of business.

I definitely think that's part of it too. I would guess Raiola is one of the problems, but don't know about the others. Fairley and LeShoure for their off-field and conditioning problems? Stafford?

 

[eastside313]

I definitely think that's part of it too. I would guess Raiola is one of the problems, but don't know about the others. Fairley and LeShoure for their off-field and conditioning problems? Stafford?

Maybe They shoulda kept vanden boesch around as some type of coach

 

[Stone]

Hate to see my Dawg Stafford regress I thought he was really turning that corner. But the more I see the more I think that if he had a strong coach he'd reign it in a bit. Look at what Trestman's done with Chi's offense even with Cutler being out.

 

[MercuryHayes]

Bush LIED TO US MAN

 

[eastside313]

Ziggy healthy again