Detroit Lions: Pretenders or have they become contenders?
By Robert Jones
Now having pointed that out, when the playoffs do roll around which means plenty of bad weather games, running the ball is one of the basic elements that an offense has to be competent at.
Basically, unless the weather is just so harsh that a quarterback can’t even lift the ball without it blowing away, this is still a passing league. However, in poor weather, the better you can grind out yards on the ground the more your chances of winning increase.
That’s right, I said it.
In poor weather it is very hard to drop back every down and throw it. The ability to gain consistent yardage on the ground is important. If you can average just four yards a carry on the ground, then the defense will have to pay attention to it and that will open up the airways.
Yes, indeed. I believe that an effective ground game is essential. That being said, you don’t have to have the best back in the NFL or get 50 or 60 yard runs in every game to qualify as ‘effective.’
Whether you like them or not, the New England Patriots have collected five Super Bowl rings over the last 17 seasons and made eight overall trips to the biggest game on Earth. Name how many Hall of Fame running backs they have had in that period?
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The Patriots have succeeded on the ground by numbers. As in using multiple backs in varying situations. That is the philosophy that Matt Patricia is bringing here to Detroit. Some backs have scampered for bigger plays while the big backs have done the short yardage power running.
Not many of those backs have distinguished themselves as among the best in league history, but plenty of them have rings.
All of that being said, the Lions have addressed their ground game deficiencies in the draft with an exclamation point. A couple of well regarded offensive linemen and a tough running back that was outstanding in a very tough conference (the ACC) to help carry the load on the ground.
Lions fans should certainly be excited about the possibilities that this offense brings. If the ground game is on the way to becoming productive, then the passing game will be unstoppable. Not to mention if the O-line actually protects Matthew Stafford as a bonus.
When analyzing this offense, fans have every reason to be optimistic and have hope.
The biggest questions are now on defense. A defense which couldn’t stop the run last season and will have to do that as a start to becoming good enough to help this team win games.
The secondary played well last year and should realistically be better this season, but will the front seven do their job? Both stopping the run and pressuring opposing quarterbacks?
Once again as we look at the Patriots, they haven’t always had the best defense in the league, but they have been good at limiting opponents scoring. Yes, they didn’t do well with their best cover corner back on the bench this past Super Bowl, but every year they are one of the better scoring defenses.
And under Matt Patricia, they always had a top 10 scoring defense.
It’s like the old glass being half full or half empty. Some fans say we need to outscore opponents. Other say we need to stop opponents from outscoring us. Do they mean the same thing? No, not necessarily.