Detroit Lions: Success will be determined outside the box
By Robert Jones
Jared Goff needs help outside
The acknowledged weaknesses of the 2021 Detroit Lions are the secondary and the receivers. There are also still some questions to be answered at quarterback as well.
However, generally speaking, the Lions become stronger the closer they get to the ball. That doesn’t mean the offensive and defensive lines couldn’t be upgraded more, but it does acknowledge that the trenches are the strength of this team and the majority of the work is needed elsewhere.
Beyond the secondary, there is still a need for play-makers at linebacker. Something that was severely lacking under the Matt Patricia regime. Then there will be the matter of quarterback.
Everything we’ve heard out of Allen Park has been about how Jared Goff looks so good. There are a couple of reasons not to get too amped up over that news.
Fans and the media alike continue to talk about the need to improve the secondary, however, they are content to be impressed with how good Goff looks against one of the Lions’ biggest weaknesses in OTA’s.
That leads us to the second point, Goff is under pressure to revitalize his career, but he is still making passes without any physical pressure being applied by the defense. Will he still stand in the pocket and make the perfect throw when the 49ers are all over him on opening day?
Granted the Lions’ offensive line should be able to do a pretty good job protecting Goff, but even the best lines will give up some pressure and occasionally get beat.
Finally, Jared Goff is supposed to look good in practice. When a quarterback is going through seven on sevens, sure a good secondary will test him, but if he’s a starting quarterback in the NFL, he’s supposed to look good. Ironically enough we might learn more about Goff’s ability to quarterback this club if he looked bad in OTA’s.
Can Goff be an above-average quarterback and win games for the Lions? Yes, he has enough talent to do so. The question is; will he?
If Goff can bounce back, then that would be good news for the Lions’ offense. But he will still need some help outside.