Checking in on the Lions

Coach Jim Schwartz should be satisified. His Detroit Lions have defeated THE Ohio State NFL teams thus far in the 2011 pre-season. The Lions have score 64 points and 7 Touchdowns while allowing 31 points in two games, without a sizable list of 2011 hopefuls. Calvin Johnson has played one series this pre-season. Mikel LeShore RB - out for the season.

How about this for a wish. Maybe, just maybe, one of our top three picks will be able to make a contribution this year. Without training camp for Titus or Fairley, it's looking pretty bleak that anyone from the 2011 draft class will make a significant impact. Link

Detroit Lions running back Jahvid Best missed practice on Sunday because he did in fact suffer a concussion against the Cleveland Browns on Friday night. Based on the comments from Jim Schwartz and Best after the game it didn't sound like Best had a concussion, but that was the reason he missed practice today. Link

via cdn.bleacherreport.net 

Detroit Lions Post-Practice Interview: Jim Schwartz 8-22-11 (via DLionsOfficial)

From www,profootballfocus.com Lions report

Jahvid Best reminds me a little of Michael Bennett, the one-time Viking Pro-Bowler, and to a lesser extent, Reggie Bush. He is dangerous in space, and has the speed to be able to eat up big gains on average plays, but he really doesn’t suit running between the tackles, and could struggle again if the Lions need to rely on him doing that this season. He coughed up a fumble on the Lions’ first drive on offense and was tested for concussion following the series, which will worry anybody familiar with his college career. He passed the test and conducted post-game interviews, but that’ll worry people looking to his durability.

and

The Lions are supposed to have the defensive line to hide all secondary problems, and while it was missing some of its weapons, it wasn’t getting a huge amount of pressure on McCoy. They ran primarily with the same four starters from 2010 and the Browns’ O-line was able to hold up well, perhaps buoyed by the absence of Eric Steinbach, one of the most perennially overrated players in the league. The Browns’ quick-passing game also helped keep McCoy clean in the pocket for the most part. The Lions then had to start dialing up the blitz in order to generate pressure, sending more players than the Browns could pick up.

The Offensive Line

The good news for the Lions is that all five of their starting offensive linemen will return this season. If you’re a believer that stability is the key to a great offensive line, you can skip to the next section, but if not, then the Lions’ returning linemen pose a problem. All five players had negative run block ratings last year, and the interior of the line averaged a rating below -10.0. In order to score points, the Lions will be very dependent on their passing game.
Link

Did I mention that Detroit beat Cincinnati and Cleveland and lead the NFC North this pre-season?

CLEVELAND -- Matthew Stafford has an eye-popping 138.7 passer rating through two exhibition games, but the Lions quarterback said neither he nor the offense was close to operating at peak efficiency. link

CLEVELAND -- Nate Burleson declared himself ready for a career year in April, and through two exhibition games he has done nothing to live down that expectation.

Burleson celebrated his 30th birthday Friday with his second tiptoe touchdown catch in as many weeks and had the Lions' longest run of the night, a 26-yard end around where the nine-year veteran broke exhibition protocol and lowered his head for extra yards rather than run out of bounds. Link

See what cheating gets you Gunther :)

The exact tampering punishment is contingent on what happens in 2011. If the Lions make the playoffs, they will lose a sixth-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. If they don't make the playoffs, they will lose a seventh-round pick. Since we won't know if the Lions have to give up a pick in the sixth or seventh round until January, the NFL is giving them the option to lose the sixth-rounder now in order to use the seventh-rounder in the Supplemental Draft. Link

Looks like a tough nut to crack in Detroit week two. The Lions defense is stout up front and the re-vamped Linebacker group should be tough too. The quality of the WR group and Stafford will help offset the suspect run blocking and lack of depth due to injury in the running back group. We were worried about Jon Baldwin, Detroit is dealing with their entire draft (exaggeration but not much) being way, way behind come week Two.

Geaux Chiefs