Detroit Lions Midseason Grades: Interior Offensive Line Report Card
By Dean Holden
Sep 15, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) throws the ball as offensive guard Larry Warford (75) defends against Arizona Cardinals defensive end Darnell Dockett (90) during the first half at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
The Detroit Lions have reached the midpoint of their season, which also happens to be their bye week.
That’s advantageous timing for the Lions, who need an opportunity to get healthy and regroup for a second-half playoff push, but the 14-day stretch between the eighth and ninth games of the season is also perfect time to do some looking back and evaluating of the season’s first half.
So to help make up for a cold two weeks without Lions football, SideLion Report is going to be grading every player currently on the Lions’ 53-man roster (and also coaches) based on their first-half performance.
Each player will be graded on an A-F scale in four areas: Production (raw stats), Impact (game-changing plays/clutch performances), Vs. Expectations (how big is their impact compared to preseason expectations), and Overall (not necessarily a composite of the other three grades).
This series will run for a week, covering one or two position groupings each day (each in a separate piece), on the following schedule:
Tuesday, October 29 – Guards/Centers & Linebackers
Wednesday, October 30 – Offensive Tackles & Cornerbacks
Thursday, October 31 – Tight Ends & Safeties
Friday, November 1 – Running Backs & Defensive Tackles
Saturday, November 2 – Special Teams
Sunday, November 3 – Coaches
Monday, November 4 – Wide Receivers & Defensive Ends
Tuesday, November 5 – Quarterbacks & Overall Grades
So, everybody got that? Ready to go? Okay, great. We’ll start with the most underappreciated guys on the field: guards and centers.