Detroit Lions: Can the greatest show on turf come to Motown?
Detroit Lions: quarterback
Many have started calling for Matthew Stafford to be traded or gotten rid of due to the poor overall showing of the team & offense. Others blame offensive coordinator, Jim Bob Cooter. However, as we look at the personnel it’s also easy to see that they lack some of the ingredients for having a top offense right now.
That being said, Stafford is having a down year. Weeks 1, 10, and 12 were all bad games that he wishes he could erase. In the last 5 years, his numbers are 125 TD’s, to only 56 interceptions, and he is completing almost exactly 65% of his passes during that period.
Jared Goff, the Rams starter, coming off of a 4 Int performance against those same Chicago Bears, has similar numbers on a much better team (60 TD’s, 25 Ints, 61.7% completions).
Not many people would argue that Goff is more talented than Stafford, but perhaps that he is “more of a winner.” The debate will follow Stafford until the Lions organization gives him a championship roster to prove himself capable or not.
After Stafford, on the roster, is a game manager and journeyman quarterback, Matt Cassel. Kick in the Crotch Weekly expects that general manager, Bob Quinn will address the backup spot more thoroughly as early as this next draft, though. Clayton Thorson, Will Grier, and some other mid-round talent might entice Quinn.
Detroit Lions: running backs
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One big factor that makes the Rams attack go is the play of Todd Gurley. Gurley is a 6-1, 224 pounds, do-everything running back. He provides both the ground game and utility as a receiver. Because Gurley is a homerun threat, teams have to honor the run game by staying near the “box” to stop it.
*The box is the area a few yards away from the line of scrimmage usually extending out as far as the two offensive tackles or tight ends if they are present. (i.e., the area where a running play usually goes).
The Detroit Lions look to have found their version of Gurley in a rookie, Kerryon Johnson. Johnson (5-11, 206) is both a capable runner and a threat to catch the ball. The Lions have not had a 3-down back since Reggie Bush. The key to Johnson, Gurley, and similarly skilled players is that having them in the backfield doesn’t automatically tell the defense what you are doing.
The Rams run their whole playbook without having to substitute players much at all. That’s a reason that the newest trend is to have an all-purpose runner who you never have to remove from the game. Alvin Kamara, Sony Michel, Ezekiel Elliot, Gurley, are all very good runners but also good receivers and blockers. Johnson can do the same kinds of things.
Of course, most teams have complementary runners and/or depth so that they don’t solely depend on just one player. In this regard, the Detroit Lions are thin. Zach Zenner, Theo Riddick, and LeGarrette Blount, who is probably gone after this season, are okay options that usually signal what the Lions are doing. Zenner is a power runner, Riddick is a receiver, and Blount is a power runner.
The Lions need to address their depth. They also need to have players who aren’t “tells” about what is coming. Defenses know that the Lions only run so many plays for Riddick, for example, so it makes diagnosing the play much easier. Opposing teams have said as much.