SideLion Report » Bye Week

Detroit Lions: Bye Week Priorities

Zach Berridge — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 16:30:17 +0000

They only get one bye a season, so they’d better make good use of it. I think the Lions were selected for the best week off this year: week nine. In the past decade, the Lions haven’t had a bye week beyond week seven except for in 2006 when they were off in week eight. Week nine is perfect for these guys because it’s exactly midway; they don’t have to stretch any part of their season extra long until they reach the post-season. Teams that took their byes back in week five or so will start to wear down in weeks 13, 14, etc. Hopefully, this break at the half is beneficial to the Lions come December when everyone’s running on tired legs and scraping for wins.

This week must not go to waste, and there’s a few things they should look at to make sure the second half of the season is as or more successful than their first. (more…)

Detroit Lions Gain Ground In Division Without Playing

Zac Snyder — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 01:55:20 +0000

When the Detroit Lions come back from their bye week they find themselves a little closer to the division lead than when they left.

The Chicago Bears’ loss to the Washington Redskins earlier today dropped them to 4-3 on the season. The Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings find themselves in the middle of a game against each other as I type. By the end of the night one of those teams will have their fourth loss of the season while the other will escape with the three losses they entered the game with.

If fans are looking for a silver lining to the 1-5 start the Lions put up prior to their bye week it may be that none of the NFC North’s other three teams is running away with the division. The Lions will emerge from their weekend off just two games back in the loss column and appear to be getting healthy at the right time.

Further helping their cause is that they have completed to road portion of their divisional schedule. With Chicago, Green Bay, and Minnesota still needing to make their trips to Detroit, the Lions will have another shot at making some noise. Saying they have a chance to win the division would be overly optimistic but they can certainly have a say at who ends up in the playoffs.

The Bye Week a Perfect Time to Look Back, Look Ahead For Detroit Lions

Zac Snyder — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 20:46:38 +0000

The first six games are in the books and the Lions will hit their by week with a 1-5 record. The record itself is disappointing but perhaps even more disappointing is the way they got there.

The injury bug has taken its toll on the team, most notably in the form lost time for quarterback Matthew Stafford and middle linebacker DeAndre Levy. Injuries are part of the game and not something the Lions can not completely control. Their propensity to commit untimely penalties, however, is a different story. The Lions are currently the most penalized team in the league, a tough hill to climb for even the most talented teams.

Take a step back and play the tape in your mind. A disappointing week one loss on a technicality, a comeback attempt that fell short in the home opener, an up and down performance in the defending division champion’s house, a defensive stand short of a chance to tie or win in Wisconsin for the first time since 1991, a blowout win in front of a home crowd, and road loss to tie the franchise’s worst mark of 24 straight. Taking all that into account, how would you grade the Lions heading into the bye week?

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NFLmocks.com has updated their team needs for the NFC North. Here is what they had to say about the Lions.

When are the Lions going to catch a break? They were down to their 3rd string QB this weekend after Shaun Hill broke his arm late in the first half. And they were still only a possession away from overtime on the road against a hot defense. Much like the Bears, the Lions have to keep their quarterback from getting injured. Unlike the Bears, if the draft where today the Lions would have the 5th overall pick. There isn’t any value in a weaker offensive line class, but having a top five pick means at chance at a highly ranked player and someone like CB Patrick Peterson would beef up the secondary and special teams considerably. LB Akeem Ayers would also help out a greatly improved front seven, but they need to keep the QB healthy.

While I think it is generally too early to pay much attention to the draft during the season, a bye week might be the best time to take a look ahead since not much else is going on. Last Summer, NFL Mocks put together scouting reports on the two players they mentioned in their Lions team needs, LSU’s Patrick Peterson and UCLA’s Akeem Ayers. Click the player’s name to check them out.